Great Lakes GOLD

Like most of my rides, I like to do a lot of preplanning - Where am I going?  What are the most efficient routes? Will I have to stop overnight? If so, where? Is this the best route to take to avoid known traffic jams, construction, drunks, tolls, etc.

With this mindset, I began my assault on the Great Lakes GOLD, an IBA ride around all 5 Great Lakes with required stops and a maximum of 50 hours to finish. The IBA specifies this as an “extreme” ride and has required receipts in Illinois (Chicago Skyway receipt), Cleveland or environs, Watertown, NY (or receipt from the 1000 Island Bridge), either Sudbury of North Bay, ON, Thunder Bay, ON and Duluth, MN.  After these stops, you can go anywhere you want.

My initial idea was to head for Chicago, get thru that, then deal with the remainder of the route - basically counterclockwise (CCW). I read a few reports, though, which went the opposite way - CW- and deal with Chicago at the end of the ride, usually in the evening or early morning hours (meaning o’dark thirty.) Chicago is relatively predictable on the weekdays as far as traffic is concerned, but it’s a crap shoot on the weekends and anyone’s guess as to when the traffic will be heaviest. Going CCW, if I left Milwaukee at 0400, I could be in downtown Chicago by 0600, before the weekday traffic begins (at least from the north side of the city) and thru the city with little hassle. E-mails ensued from those who had gone before and those who were planning and the debate continued. There is such a discussion because Chicago is a bottleneck for the entire route - you have to get through that city no matter which route you take and there are very few options - either go through downtown or take the “bypass” (Read I-294, the TriState) which is quite a bit longer, has six toll booths and is just as busy as the downtown route. In the end I chose the CCW route and it served me well. (See below)

Having chosen the route, my next thoughts were toward preparing the STeed.  My motorcycle is a 2004 Honda ST1300 named Tigress and she is simply awesome. Powered by a newly designed V-four FI engine, Tigress can literally cruise for days at 80+ without missing a beat. She can pass a slower moving car with the flick of the wrist and be on her way before the driver of the slower car even knew she was there. She is equipped with the usual LD accoutrements - throttle lock, custom Russell Day-Long saddle, extra conspicuity and “deer-slayer” lights, GPS, Heli-Risers and a custom built hydration system.

In the majority of cases, however, the bike is rarely the issue.  Most modern motorcycles can make this trip with little fuss. The rider, however, has to make more significant mental preparations. Can I physically ride the distance?  How do I eat in the bike?  How do I deal with distractions? Hydration? (a major issue in the summer) What if it’s hot? cold? raining? Any combination of the above?  Entertainment? (similar (not ‘just like”) driving a car, piloting a motorcycle is somewhat boring once everything is dialed in and there is not a lot of traffic to contend with.) What about fatigue??

Then there is the weather...

On a motorcycle, unlike in a car, you are in the scene as opposed to viewing the scene thru a windshield.  If it’s raining, you get wet; if it’s getting colder, you get colder; if it’s hot, you get hot. The point of all of this discussion is that you, the driver, have to consider these things beforehand and prepare for them if you are to have a successful trip.

By Thursday, 30 June, 2005, I’ve gone through all these mental gyrations and settled on my options and “what-ifs.” I’ve chosen the route - CCW through Chicago first.  The bike is ready with fresh fluids and acceptable tires. Light systems are “go.” Hydration system is “go.” Driver’s mental prep list for the next several days is “go” as well - get some good rest, eat lightly, pack the bike on Thursday evening, then get up early (0330), get on the bike and ride like you stole it. It’s not like I’d been anticipating this ride for some time... <G>

Friday, 1 July 2005. Conference call for work.  My boss calls a meeting in Minneapolis for Wednesday and Thursday next week - shit!  The very last thing I want to be doing on Thursday evening is to be driving back from Minneapolis (5+ hour trip) after a two day sales meeting.  No way I can get out of it - can’t plead “But Boss, I’m going on vacation tomorrow” just doesn’t cut it here, not to mention the loss of two evenings time planning and preparing for the upcoming event.

Thursday 7 July 2005.  So, driving back from Minneapolis late on Thursday afternoon (and, no, I couldn’t get out of the meeting early) I decide to make the best of it by making my “to-do” list while I’m driving and at least observing the road conditions for the route I would be taking 48 hours later. Got home to find the new helmet that I had ordered finally came in, but it’s too late - I won’t wear a brand new helmet on a tough ride like this - deal with it later. Finish work related stuff first. Lay out clothing to wear for tomorrow.  Where’s the beef jerky and snacks that I bought? Did I pack the electric vest? Gloves? Is the iPod charged? Where’s the camera? What’s the weather forecast? Pack the bike. Tense, uptight, nervous. Pandemonium to the max.  On top of all this, knowing that I’m going to depart at 0330, I need to get to bed soon...

Friday 8 July 2005 0315. Poor sleep, tossed and turned all night.  Not enough restful sleep. Screaming Meanie went off and I’m out of bed. Check what’s left to do, get stuff on the bike, grab a sip of coffee, pack stuff and I’m gone..

Got dressed with the stuff I’d laid out last night, slid into the ‘stich and prepared to take off.  Drove to the Kwik-Trip a mile away, my usual starting place for LD rides. I know their receipts are good and the staff are good about being witnesses.  Aha !  There’s a Waukesha County Sheriff  and a Wisconsin State Trooper having coffee - starting witness !!

Talked with the Deputy and the Trooper for 15 minutes about my trip and bikes in general, got a witness signature and good luck wishes.  Filled up, got my start time - 0414 - and FINALLY took off. Forgot the beef jerky and snacks I had prepared. Forgot to check tire pressures and lights (routine tasks for me) Forgot NY state map. But, at least I’m on the way.  Whatever I forgot, I’ll have to deal with later.

I got onto the Interstate and headed for Chicago.  This is very familiar road for me and I took some time to take stock and review what was ahead. Curt Gran (another IBA rider)suggested stopping at the Lake Forest oasis for a gear recheck and receipt, but I decided against that, expecting to use the Illinois Skyway receipt as my documentation instead.

Got the the Skyway toll booth at 0559 after a quick trip thru Chicago.  Traffic was light going in my direction, but the other side was really backed up.  Glad I was heading south instead of north. There is a McDonald’s just past the Skyway toll booth and I stopped to get a sausage McMuffin and another splash of coffee. That McMuffin may have contributed to my loss of focus later on in the day, but it sure tasted good at the time.

After the nickel-and-dime tolls in northern Indiana, I finally got on the Indiana Tollway.  Not much to say about Indiana: it’s flat, the speed limit is 70 mph and most people were doing over that, so the trip was fast. Got to Angola on the eastern side of the state at 0816 and suddenly I was in Ohio. I had heard all the horror stories about Ohio LEOs, so I was careful of my speed. Unfortunately, I started getting a bad case of the wanders - starting to fall asleep, losing speed, simply couldn’t keep my eyes open. Perhaps the McMuffin had something to do with this as the carbs started kicking in... About 1030 I pulled over somewhere and slept for 1/2 hour - thanks to the Screamin’ Meanie (love/hate that thing) I got back on the road again for a little while, but the wanders wouldn’t go away and I had to take two more power naps before I got thru Ohio. It is safer to stop to go further, but it is also irritating and a bit scary that you are powering down the highway in the middle of the day somewhat asleep.

I finally chased the wanders away and started looking for a receipt in Cleveland or the surrounding area.  Bought gas in Westlake, OH at 1126 CDT and cruised on thru Cleveland at noontime. Saw the baseball stadium, the football stadium and the airport where the Indy/CART races are held right next to the lake.  Incredibly there are two very sharp turns on the freeway right in downtown Cleveland and these must cause huge backups at rush hour. At this time, however, traffic was moving at speed and I made good time toward Erie, PA and the New York State Thruway.

Up to this point the weather has been cooperating and it is actually getting warm - mid to upper 80s.  I’ve opened up the vents in the ‘stich and am pretty comfortable when I’m moving, but stopping gets a bit warm.  Haven’t taken off any other layers, but I’m tempted. The weather report has a storm cell southeast of Syracuse and apparently heading about northeast.  I expected to miss that particular cell, but as I headed up the shores of Lake Erie, I can see the clouds building and I’m pretty certain I’m going to get into it sometime when I turn east on the Thruway.

Got onto the Thruway and cruised up the western part of New York and into Buffalo - no problems and traffic is moving at a good pace.  Stopped and got gas in W.Henrietta, NY plaza near Rochester and ran into the rain that I had been watching for hours. It never really rained hard, just a medium drizzle, but enough to wash the oils off the road and I never slowed down. The rain continued from Rochester, thru Syracuse and Watertown, finally ending somewhere in Canada.

I saw what I thought was an interesting phenomenon on the Thruway.  People would queue up in the left hand lane to pass a slower moving car in the right lane.  But, when they had passed the slower vehicle, no one would move back into the right lane to let other drivers pass them.  As a result, the right lane was frequently wide open.  So, being the (now wide-awake) cyclist that I am, I would get in the left lane, pass the slower vehicle in the right lane, move to the right, accelerate and pass all of the cars in the left lane. Crazy.

Gassed up in Watertown at 1815 and had a bite to eat.  My favorite on-the-bike meal is Burger King hamburgers and cheeseburgers.  I buy two hamburgers and a cheeseburger, stuff them in the ‘stich and eat them as I’m stepping down the boulevard. The food isn’t the greatest, but it fills the stomach and IMHO, it’s a whole lot better than McD’s.

Crossed 1000 Island bridge at 1941 in the continuing rain/drizzle.  This is the first time I’ve been up here and the islands and houses are absolutely beautiful, even in the rain. Some houses are built on their own little island complete with boat dock, veranda, gazebo and lawn.  Looks like old money to me.

Finally crossed into Canada and back to reality.  Found the 401 freeway and headed east, looking for Hwy 29.  Curt told me that this part of the ride would be slow and it was. Took 29 north from Brockville thru Smiths Falls and and variety of other small towns.

Gassed up at 2056 in Arnprior, knowing that I wouldn’t make it to North Bay on what was left in the tank and prepared to tackle the Trans Canadian Highway - TC17. Had a nice conversation with a gentleman at the gas station who had a  Kawasaki 700 Maxim, a bike that I’m interested in for my step-daughter - he loves it. The sun is starting to go down now and I have some 200 miles to go to North Bay, knowing that the rest of this leg is going to be in the dark. The Canadians don’t seem to worry too much about Bambi - they’re more concerned with Bullwinkle and the signage along the roads shows that fact: Pictorial Moose - next 50-100 Km.  Maybe they could save money by saying “Moose Everywhere”

Fortunately, I met a couple of “rabbits” - cars going in my direction at good speed and fairly aggressive in passing slower vehicles.  I latched up with some of these rabbits for a couple of reasons: they light up the road ahead; they attract LEOs; they flush out Bullwinkle; they probably know the road better than I do.

I was starting to get pretty tired by this time and it seemed like hours before I got to North Bay. The section from Mattawa to North Bay - some 40 miles - seemed endless. I finally arrived at the Days Inn in North Bay at 0029 on Saturday, pretty well shot. By this time I’m about 3 hours behind the schedule I had set for myself, mostly because of the “wanders” in Ohio.

I had made a reservation at the Days Inn and specified Room 22 on the recommendation of a fellow biker (Curt) who had made the ride the week before.  The night desk clerk said I didn’t want that room because there was going to be a party in the room above all night long, so he gave me Room 42, upstairs and across the courtyard. At this point in time I could have cared less what room I had, just let me rest...

Got to Room 42 and got out of my ‘stich at last.  It was a warm night and Room 42 was even warmer.  Looked for the A/C switch and couldn’t find it - the hell with it. Washed my face and went to bed with the Screamin’ Meanie set for 0500. As I was checking out, I mentioned to the night clerk that the A/C in Room 42 wasn’t working.  He replied immediately: “You mean you didn’t use the remote control on the wall?” Let’s see if I’ve got this straight - remote control for the A/C, no remote control for the TV - am I missing something here??

0500: The miserable Meanie goes off and I’m out of bed like a shot, not having the faintest idea where I am or what the hell that loud noise was. Like I said before,I have a love/hate relationship with this thing: it’s very effective at waking you up from the deepest sleep, but it’s one of the rudest awakenings you can endure.

So, Day 1 gets me from Milwaukee to North Bay by way of Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Syracuse, Watertown, Arnprior and North Bay.  I’ve ridden some 1160 miles in 20+hours and I’m shot, gone, exhausted, just plain whipped.  4 hours of sleep and I’m up again, ready for the next leg of this ordeal.

Checked out of the Days Inn and stopped for gas at the Esso station just down the road at 0553 CDT. Rode about 100 miles and stopped at a truck stop in New Liskeard for breakfast. Even though I had a little bit of coffee at the Days Inn, stopping after 100 miles for a real breakfast is a good thing and I enjoyed the sit down eating experience after yesterday’s fast food pablum. Took off feeling well satisfied and ready to attack the road again.

At Temagami I had a short discussion with the Canadian LEOs -the OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) regarding my riding style. I was coming out of Temagami and starting to wick it up a bit.  LEO was going the other way and lit up his lights immediately.  Damn! The speed limit in Canada is a ridiculous 90kph (~= 55mph) even in the hinterlands and LEO had me at  30+ over the limit. He checked the usual stuff - DL, registration, insurance, etc. and came back with a ticket for 20 over - he had given me a “break.”  Shit.

On to Cochrane, a “turn” in the route from north to west as well as a literal turn in the city. Gassed up at 0952 CDT and headed west.  Horace Greeley would have been proud. (“Go west, young man, go west.”) This section of road takes me from Cochrane to Hearst with a few small towns in between, including “Moonbean” and Kapuskasing. As roads go, I must admit, Canada does a better job than we do in the lower 48.  the road surfaces are much cleaner, have fewer tar snakes and potholes and are generally in better condition. The result is faster speeds and a much smoother ride. On top of that, there are no surprises on Canadian highways - you could motor all day long at 80+ and not miss a turn because of decreasing radius, etc.  The roads are very well engineered.

I filled up again at Hearst for one very good reason: the road from Hearst to Longlac is completely deserted - no services, no towns, no nothing but tar and pine trees for 120 miles. You do not want to break down, have a flat or run out of gas here because there is no help outside of the other people traveling to road with you.

I wicked it up here at every chance and moved my final destination time up some 45 minutes because of the increased speed. Unfortunately, as I approached Longlac, I got stopped a SECOND time by LEO, this time for 20 over.  In my own defense, I was slowing down and I knew I was tired and needed a break. Officer Leblanc was sympathetic about my tiredness and pointed out the two crosses on the other side of the road where two Michigan cyclists lost their lives because they were tired and crossed the centerline into the grill of an oncoming semi. He gave me a warning and strongly encouraged me to take a break at Longlac, 3 km away. I thanked Officer Leblanc and immediately went to the truck stop, had some coffee, a couple of slices of pizza and got on the road again, rested and more relaxed. Thanks again, Officer Leblanc for the good advice and not giving me a ticket .

Longlac to Thunder Bay is beautiful - rolling hills, stunning scenery and pretty towns along the way.  I had taken my gloves off around Nipigon to ward off the wanders and stuffed them under me.  Forgetting that they were there, I stood up on the pegs to stretch my legs and the gloves went by the wayside. So, if you find a pair of riding gloves above Nipigon, wear them in good health!

Gassed up in Nipigon not a minute too soon as the low fuel bar had been on for a few miles.…

Topped off in Thunder Bay again at 1814 even though I had just gotten gas in Nipigon, but T. Bay was a “mark of the course” and I needed a T. Bay receipt. From Thunder Bay, it was a short 24 miles to the border.  Passed thru customs easily enough and was on the road down the peninsula toward Duluth. Fortunately I found another “rabbit” and chased her down the majority of the shoreline and made it to Duluth by 2200. By this time I had been riding some 18 hours and was starting to get tired.  This is usually the point where my stamina runs out and it begins to be a struggle.

I gassed up, bought some Burger Kings and got back on the road. I knew the road from here: 400 miles to Milwaukee starting on Hwy 53 to Eau Claire then I-94 down the state, turn at Madison and it’s 50 some odd miles to the barn. It’s dark now and Hwy 53 is a divided highway with cross traffic for the first 75 miles.  Unfortunately, it’s also big time deer country  and I’ve got the extra lights on, constantly scanning the roadside for forest rats.

I stopped in Spooner, WI some 80 miles down the road to take a break - I was beginning to get the “wanders” and began my first line of defense against fatigue: wash face and put eye drops in. Spooner was having a “Rodeo Days” event and the locals were out in force with the usual straight-pipe Harleys, super loud music coming from the bar across the street. Ahhh, Saturday night in rural Wisconsin...  Gotta love it.

Somewhat refreshed, I headed on down the road again. 40 miles later and I’m in trouble again.  Pulled off at an intersection, more eye drops and the second line of defense: music.  Popped in the earphones and cranked up the iPod.  That worked until the battery gave out.

Curt Gran had given me some insight into the construction around Eau Claire, but I had the advantage here in that I “knew” Eau Claire and the construction detours, so I got through the city in good order and onto I-94 heading in the right direction. Some sections of the Interstate had been recently paved, so it was smooth riding.  I lit up the PIAAs whenever possible as this is deer country as well and I was moving at a good pace. The “wanders” were still there and I was still having trouble focusing and keeping my eyes open. I did notice that when my mind started wandering, the lights and shapes ahead of me kind of went out of focus and instead of being clear and sharp, the shapes blurred and started dancing around in from of me.  At one point I swear I saw a dead deer by the side of the road, on its back with a reflector attached to one of it’s hooves. As I looked at some of the other reflective markers, I realized that the “deer” was weeds surrounding the marker where the mower couldn’t reach - I laughed out loud at my mistake.

I needed gas and stopped at Tomah.  By this time, I’m on automatic pilot as I go thru the motions of filling the tank, recording the time, mileages, etc. I grabbed the Screamin’ Meanie and went into the store to buy some lemon drops or something to shock me awake for  the remainder of the ride. I sat down in front of my bike, leaned against the side of the building, set the Meanie for 20 minutes and promptly fell asleep. After its usual rude awakening, somehow I had enough presence of mind to reset the Meanie for another 10 minutes and went back to sleep. The second time, I got up and started to get ready to ride again.  Still groggy, I was on autopilot.  Then a panhandler with his GF/SO pulled up beside me and asked for money to which I said no.  As I pulled out, his plate said he was from Minnesota and I got angry - who in his right mind would panhandle a truck stop at 0230 in the morning?? Why doesn’t he do that stuff in Minnesota? That indignation kept me going for the next 50 miles.

I stopped in Portage for some coffee and something to eat, but nothing looked appealing.  Apparently there was a prom (in July?) because there were girls in party dresses and guys in dress clothes - who knows what that party was - I certainly didn’t care at that point.

I’m still in trouble, but with only 80 miles to go, I’m not going to quit now. Struggling to stay awake, I ride slower than normal and more carefully as I cross very familiar roads. I made it to the finish line at the Kwik Trip where I started at 0559 CDT, 15 minutes before the deadline. I did it!  Great Lakes GOLD is mine!!!

Epilogue

This was the toughest ride I’ve ever done, and the leg from Duluth to Milwaukee was the hardest of them all.  I’ve never struggled so hard to stay awake and pilot a motorcycle safely through the night. Nevertheless, for this aging baby boomer, I’m very proud of the accomplishment - Great Lakes GOLD - something that less than 1/2 of 1 percent of all the motorcycle riders in this country have not, cannot or will not attempt.

A year ago almost to the day (7/10/2004) I did my first 1000 mile ride to gain entry into the IBA.  That initial ride took me 22 hours. On a Bun Burner 1500 earlier this year I did 1000 miles in 16+ hours.  On this ride I did 2-1000 mile days back to back.  LD riding IS addictive!

Stamina

I discovered that I can ride for about 18 hours before I “hit the wall.” Physical and mental conditioning may increase that somewhat and it will be interesting to see what I can do to increase that perceived limit.

Eating right

Perhaps eating right had something to do with stamina - I don’t know. But it will be interesting to see if eating differently does improve my staying ability. By NOT eating Burger King hamburgers, can I ride further?

Fatigue

I learned more about fatigue on this trip than any other ride I’ve done.

Onset:

            Loss of visual focus - blurred vision

            Closing eyes - microsleeps - very dangerous

Defense

            Best: pulling off, getting off and sleeping for x minutes/hours. Need to reduce                   sleep deficit somehow. Rejuvenates brain. Stop to go further is still the                best advice.

            Delaying tactics:

                        Eye drops and face wash - works for 1/2 hour or more

                        Music - good for 15-30 minutes

                        Physical exercise - knee bends, face in the wind - temporary relief

Ride Safe out there!

Godspeed.

Mike Tomsu

IBA #18857

Milwaukee