2007 Bun Burner Gold Trifecta

July 4-7, 2007
Well I figured I better put something down on this before I forget it all. I had been planning a BBG Trifecta (or more) since last year. There was some discussion around this ride a while back trying to discourage it and saying it was unsafe or couldn't be done. I'm here to say that it is possible as 5 others have done it before me and it can be done safely. I came up with several 1500 mile loops before deciding which ones to take. I did change my second leg though after considering some factors. Sleep, fatigue, and boredom management were key on this run. The weather cooperated as best as could be expected for July but it was hot for the majority of the ride. From talking with some others I believe I may be the first person to do this ride in the summer which I thought was neat because I was looking for a first in something so I hope that holds true.

I originally planned a 3060 mile loop starting in Camp Douglas, WI across to Buffalo, WY on I-90 then down I-25 to Raton, NM. After that it was going to be to run along I-40 to I-44 to I-55 to I-39 and back to Camp Douglas. 1000 miles or so into my first leg though I decided that the weather in the south had too many scattered showers, lower speed limits, and more cities to go around. So with that I decided my second leg would be a reverse of my first with the same gas stops along the way. It's a good idea to always plan your gas stops at 24 hour gas stations just in case you decide to do something like that. I was able to reverse my route without the worry of a gas stop being closed when I arrived at a different time of the day than when I had come through on the first leg.

The reason I planned a 3000 mile route at first was more mental than anything else. I wanted a BBG3K at a minimum and I thought being 1500 miles away from home was a good incentive to get back home. This worked out pretty well but getting a witness in Raton, NM at 1:00AM was a challenge. Karl Z stepped up and rode 3 hours to help me out. THANK YOU, Karl! I used the hotel clerk as the second witness. I called the fire department earlier that week and they couldn't guarantee someone would be up at that time and having a discussion with the police never goes well for me. I have a guilty conscience and police always think I did it, whatever that happens to be. I did catch rain on the first leg but only for 30 minutes or so and managed to miss most of the 2 storms that were along my route in Wyoming. I went around Denver on E-470 just to add some miles to my route as Raton was 1501 miles without going around Denver. 1514 was the total if I added E-470. Of course it also added five $2 toll stops but I needed them as proof so it was better than having to pull off for gas. It did tend to lower my average MPH for that part of the leg. The positive aspect of this was that it was the 4th of July and I got to see dozens of fireworks displays all over the Denver area as I proceeded south to Raton. I got into the hotel, after Karl headed out on his way, and left a wake up call. I checked the room clock and set my own alarm. I woke up with the clocked saying 4:30. Where's my wake up call? No matter it was time to go. I arrive at the front desk to check out and the clerk said I still had 45 minutes to sleep. Dammit! The clock in the room and my alarm clock were on Central time. I had planned for my clock to be set to central but not the room clock. Oh well the 2 and half hours of broken sleep would have to do. I was out the door and headed back north.

I headed back to Denver and set the GPS for a way point I marked on E-470. Rush hour traffic was in full swing but E-470 would make getting around Denver easy. However I missed the turn for E-470, because of a GPS screw-up and ended up going 7 miles north to have to turn around and head back down to the E-470 entry point. I got to wave to a fellow ST owner on the way back down though so it was good to see another ST-owner.com member along the way. Hey, Chris (86magna). I would like to say the rest of the leg went smoothly but two things would add to getting back. One, was getting tired. I didn't get good sleep in Raton and I had to spend some extra time at my last couple gas stops to regroup and reevaluate my situation. I can't sleep when I'm cold so I opened my vents on my jacket and just kept a breathable base layer on underneath. This helped a lot and I was able to make it the last few hundred miles awake and alert. 5 miles from my exit a semi moved into the right lane. I was almost past when he came back over into the left lane, rather quickly, pushing me down onto the shoulder. The only choice I had was to accelerate and get back up on the road. After I did this I looked back to see his cab light on and him staring at me with wide eyes. Apparently I was the only one that knew what was going on. I was WIDE AWAKE the last 5 miles. I even told myself to pay more attention the closer I got to the end of the leg. I'm glad I did as it paid off.

I stayed with my friend Gary Klinker in Camp Douglas and he had put a sub sandwich in the fridge, at my request, so I could eat something decent before I went to bed. I needed a solid 2.5 hours of sleep. I got it!! I was out like a light after eating the sandwich and I woke up to my alarm ready to go. I left at 6:00AM sharp on the third leg. My third leg was to take I-90 to I-35 which would take me down to Kansas City then up to Fargo and back down I-94 to Camp Douglas. Road construction was on and off all the way to Kansas City and the heat was starting to get higher than the first two legs. I managed the heat by using a cool vest on this trip. The vest really works and helps keep the hot afternoon nods away for me. The traffic around Kansas City was not bad but still crowded as it was Friday afternoon. I made my way over to I-435 to get onto I-29 north. I resisted the Waffle Houses and made my way into South Dakota. No time for waffles that day my friend. I-29 was desolate, boring, and hot. The temp rose to 97 degrees and I shaded my eyes to keep the sun out of them and kicked back for the next 4 hours to Fargo. I talked with a friend on the phone for the last hour to Fargo which really helped fight the boredom.

I was about 40 miles outside of the cities for my last gas stop. I talked with Gary on the phone and talked about the road buzz I was feeling and how I was worried about getting tired. I wasn't tired but the mindless ride to Fargo gave me that numb brain feeling. I needed to get rid of that so I did a couple things of my own and stayed off the bike for at least 15 minutes which was Gary's suggestion. I got a half cup of coffee and chatted with a woman from Texas for a little while. I also stocked up on some Corn Nuts to make some noise in my head and opened up the vents on my jacket again. That and the excitement of finishing the ride was enough to push me back to Camp Douglas. I finished with 3+ hours left on the clock and felt alert enough at that point where I knew I was ready for another however, I canned that idea because I've been told it would not be approved. I would like to see that change after having done this ride.

Overall I learned some things about staying alert and managing sleep. Eating something before I went to sleep really helped me and saved me from having to ditch the third leg. Using the cool vest helped fight heat exhaustion. Eating crunchy snacks helped keep me alert and chewing gum also helps to fight the nods. The end of the second leg was tough but overall I was probably more alert on this than some of my other rides. Using some of these new techniques really helped. They're not a substitute for sleep but they do help get you to your bed safely.

Thanks for reading. Thanks again to Karl Z, Gary & Shawn Klinker, and everyone that texted/talked with me on the ride.

Curt