Longdistancestyle How are you spending your day?
By Deb Gasque #182082 “THERE
ARE
86,400 seconds in a day. How are you spending yours?” I found that quote some time ago on the back of a bath- room door. No kid-
ding. It stuck with me, and I often find myself thinking about that question. How am I spending mine? Sometime in Jan-
uary of 2013, on one of those dull days when it was cold and drizzling out- side and there was no chance of slip- ping in a ride, I was thinking about that quote and began daydreaming about doing something adventurous and amazing on two wheels. I had just read about someone completing an Iron Butt Association ride and pondered the possibilities. I jumped online and read more about the IBA and what exactly had to be done to be awarded membership into this organization of the “World’s Toughest Motorcycle Riders.” I was completely intrigued and set my sights on a SaddleSore 1000. So, I marched my confident self into
the garage where my husband was wrenching on a bike and announced the news: “I want to be a member of the Iron Butt Association.” Believe me, his eyes popped right out of his head. After undergoing what felt like the Spanish Inquisition, followed with a long lecture, I stood there unbroken
60 BMW OWNERS NEWS September 2015
and totally determined to undertake this challenge. He finally realized that this was going to happen and there was no changing my mind, so the preparations began. Over the next few months, I took on the
task of figuring out how to best travel 1,000 miles in 24 hours, while my husband spent time going through the mechanics of both of our motorcycles. I had read that many people attempting a SaddleSore 1000 get up early one morning and ride the whole 1,000
down the road with a huge smile, knowing that this day’s 86,400 seconds were going to be spent experiencing great adventure. With each stop, I was encouraged by my note card system…it was working! We ended up accruing a bank of excess time through quick stops and good road condi- tions. That worked out perfectly, as we encountered a lengthy traffic jam just below Indianapolis where we were at a dead stop. I wasn’t at all disappointed, knowing we had extra time to spare, so I took a “selfie” and sent a post to my Facebook blog page. Prior to our depar- ture, I had family and friends asking me to text them at our stops to relay our status. I knew that task wasn’t going to com- pute into our timeline, so I made the decision to set-up a Facebook blog page to relay the informa- tion one time to all. Best decision ever. As the sun set that eve-
ning and we made our way to our hotel stop in Madison, Wisconsin, it
miles by the end of a very long day. That didn’t sit well with my body clock. I was determined to break those 24 hours down into segments and timed stops, including a long break for a stint in a hotel room for some quality sleep. I had many naysayers upon explanation of how I was planning the ride, but I forged forward anyway with even more determination to do it my way. I hand-wrote note cards for each stop, detail- ing the city name, exit number and time in and out, carefully making sure time zone changes were factored in. It was quite a sys- tem I had set up. The big day finally came, and we began
the ride in Asheville, North Carolina. The take-off was very smooth, and I glided
got cool and then cooler, and then down- right cold. I was not prepared. It was July and I had my summer gloves. I mean, who in their right mind would carry winter gloves that time of the year? Pulling in the clutch proved to be quite a challenge because of my frozen fingers, but I man- aged to get it done. We got in to Madison, unpacked, showered, cleaned helmets and hit the mattress. Sleep was sudden, and upon arising three hours later, I was ready to take on the world. I enjoyed watching the sun rise that morning over the sleepy land- scape of Wisconsin. I knew that I was spending the last fourth of those 86,400 seconds doing something amazing for myself. I was becoming a more
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