courageous person, knowing I was getting ready to complete a very large challenge. It was euphoric, honestly. We sailed into our ending location of St.
Paul, Minnesota, with 45 minutes, or 2,700 seconds, to spare. Once the ending fuel receipt was safely in my hands, I raised a mighty fist pump and squealed with delight as happy tears flowed down my cheeks. I did it! And I did it my way! I was now a full- fledged member of the Iron Butt Associa- tion, and I was addicted immediately. That long-distance bug had bitten me hard. So as I sat around this past winter won-
dering what long-distance fun I could con- jure up, I knew my next step was a BunBurner 1500. Just as the year before, preparations fired up in the spring, includ- ing my trusty note cards filled with every timed detail of the trip. This year, I had 129,600 seconds (36 hours) to work with in planning a 1,500 mile ride. And as an added bonus, I realized during my figuring that we would have a longer sleep break. The trip was planned out, and we were ready to go. And then it happened. Sixteen days prior
to our departure, my husband woke up at 3 a.m writhing with abdominal pain. After a trip to the emergency room, tests and much medical hubub, he was diagnosed with a large kidney stone. Of course, the naysayers immediately stepped forward and advised us to cancel our upcoming Iron Butt ride. I wasn’t listening. I knew in my heart we would figure this out and be sailing down the road as planned. And then three days later while exiting out of my laundry room, I found myself on my knees…a bulging disk on my L5 was now trying to put the brakes on our trip. Crookedly (as I couldn’t stand up straight), I still stood my ground and refused to give up. Call it sheer deter- mination and my super-hard head, but I would not call it quits this easily. After many doctor and chiropractic vis-
its, medication and a procedure to break up the kidney stones, we were packed and ready to go. We set sail out of Henderson- ville, North Carolina, looking to lay down 1,500 miles and be in Rapid City, South Dakota 36 hours later. There were a couple of “hiccups” along the way. It wouldn’t be an
adventure if it all went perfectly. When it was my turn to lead, I took us on an unplanned 50 mile scenic loop (yes, I got us lost) using my trusty note cards as refer- ence. And then there was the “rest stop bike drop” scene…again, all me. Honestly, my saddlebags were a little heavier than usual, but after the BunBurner 1500 segment of the trip, we had 19 more days of high adven- ture on two wheels, so I had to have extra girly stuff. That’s life with The Fashionista. The good, the bad, and the glamorous. But, the funniest part of the trip, in my
opinion, was my SweeTarts escapade. Towards the final 400 miles of the ride, the sleepys hit me…HARD. Again, my stub- born nature took control, and I refused to give in. At the next fuel stop, I downed a Red Bull and tucked a large roll of Swee- Tarts in my tank bag. Every wave of sleepy that came over me would warrant a dip into the tank bag for several of those magic can- dies to perk me back up. Not the best rem- edy I know, but it was working for me. I had the last 50 miles in sight and my last four SweeTarts poking out of my tank bag for easy access. We were going to make it together, me and my SweeTarts. As I reached for them, hoping to chew on a cou- ple for a few more miles of wide-eyes before the lids got heavy again, something whooshed by the left side of my helmet. I looked down at my stash, and it was gone with the wind. You could hear me hollering obscenities for miles, I’m sure. I made it over the finish line anyway with
59 minutes, or 3,540 seconds, to spare. My famous mighty fist pump was thrust toward the sky, and I shouted out in victory to another Iron Butt Association ride accom- plished. As we made our way to the hotel for a hot shower, stiff drink and comfort- able bed, I reflected on the many hurdles, big and little, that had tried to quash this big adventure with no success. Thankfully, I remembered that quote from the bathroom door, and a huge smile crossed my face…126,060 seconds of my life were spent being strong and overcoming odds, staying hugely positive and experiencing big adven- ture. And, I’d say that was time very well spent!
September 2015 BMW OWNERS NEWS 61
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