The Birth of the Epic 25th

Back in early 2010 I was talking with a friend about where we wanted to ride that year.  I said "I've never seen the Grand Canyon."  That's where planning a ride begins.  What adventure is next in line?  What sounds challenging?  What new story do we want to write into the narrative of our lives?  That conversation eventually turned in to the 2010 Hoka Hey Challenge.  (I'll post that ride story soon.)

This year I was asked, "What would you like to celebrate your 25th anniversary of ordination?"  "I would like to go on a long motorcycle ride."  Thus began my planning for what I'm calling the "Epic 25th Anniversary Ride."

My first thought was to sign up for the 2013 Hoka Hey. But then I thought about how much I like sleeping with my new anti-snoring machine and suddenly motel rooms seemed a much better option than running an extension cord to a tent pitched at the edge of a truck stop.  I'm getting soft in my old age.  So Kelley reminded me that I always wanted to do a Four Corners ride some day.  I was convinced.

Now comes the fun part....dreaming.  Literally.  Falling asleep at night thinking about where I want to ride.  What do I want to see?  What can I fit into the time I have available?  Obviously, anyone is free to ride their motorcycle anywhere they want to.  But sometimes you want to do something that is part of a larger community - that means choosing to do sanctioned rides.

A Four Corners ride is a tour of the distant corners of the United States: Key West, FL; Madawaska, ME; Blaine, WA; and San Ysidro, CA.  It is sanctioned by the Southern California Motorcycle Association.  First you have to join the club.  Then you have to register for the ride.  Once registered, you receive a starter's kit that includes a towel with your registration number.  One piece of proving that you rode the distance is taking a picture of your bike and towel at the post office of each of the four corners.  Do the ride.  Turn in the paperwork.  They check it out and send you a finisher's certificate and, most importantly, a patch for your riding vest.

That sounded fun.  But not enough of a challenge.  So I decided to turn it into a Six Corners tour by adding International Falls, MN and Brownsville, TX.  That sounds more fun and it allows me to work in some visits to family and places I've always wanted to see.  So I did the paperwork and registered for the ride.  I'm the 35th person to register this year.

Another group that sanctions rides is the Iron Butt Association.  They have dreamed up several types of long distance rides that give all of us crazies reason to waste gas.  For no particular reason, I decided to add several of their rides to my bucket list.  I began with a Saddlesore 1000 - the ride story is on this blog - and I hope to work two more of their challenges into the Epic 25th Anniversary Ride.

I want to start the ride with a combination Saddlesore 1000/Bunburner 1500 and close the ride with a Bunburner Gold.  In English...I've ridden to Key West before so this time I want to add some challenge to it.  I want a route that is 1500+ miles.  I want to cover the first 1000 miles is less than 24 hours and all 1500 is less than 36 hours.  Once I get to Key West, I start the Four Corners tour.

Then, after I get to San Ysidro, CA, the last of the Four Corners, I want to ride 1500+ miles to Brownsville, TX, in less than 24 hours.  Then I'll finish up with the last leg from Brownsville to Houston.

So there you have it.  The birth of the Epic 25th.  In my next post I'll write about more about the specifics of what my ride planning looks like.