Saddle Sore 1000 with Brad and Bobby Wahl

March 25, 2013

(No good deed goes unpunished!)

Last year Brad and Bobby wanted to do this ride.  Mother nature had other plans for us that weekend!  One year later she relented and provided us with perfect motorcycling weather.  Cool temps, slight breezes and no rain!

Our plan was to meet up at a Chevron here in Bakersfield at 0600 and get after it!  I was hoping to have this knocked out in about 18 hours.  I forgot to take pictures of the start!  Ya, I never said  I was smart! I had planned to ride this route in a counter clockwise direction.  I figured it would keep us from riding directly into the sun for the most part.  Kinda worked, kinda didn't!

Our first fuel stop was in North Palm Springs.  Uneventful ride down there.  Rest stop was about 15 minutes long which seemed like the average stop time for the day.  Camera was still in my tank bag!

The next stop was in Brawley.  We stopped at the Texaco Service Station there.  That place was the worst Texaco I have ever been at!  I think only 3 of the pumps worked and from what I understand the restroom was even worse!  I took a couple of pictures here just in case we needed to prove we were here because I did not know if this place would have paper for a receipt or not!  Bobby and I had to share a pump!

This place was so bad Brad is using cover and concealment just to pump gas!

After risking our lives in Brawley we continued east on the 87 out into the Imperial Dunes.  This looked like a place a person could have some fun it you are into Dune Buggies, Quads and what not!

The red Jeep is towing the Dune Buggy!

We made it through the desert without much trouble.  Had one close call on the speeding side of things.  I was passing a long line of cars and my speed got up there a bit!  Just as I passed the last car my radar detector blipped one time with some Ka band radar.  I was off the gas and on the brakes as I got painted hard with 5 bars of Ka!  Off on the side of the road, kinda hiding in the bushes was a CHP.  He showed no interest in me so I just kept on moving!

Next stop was the Shell Service Station in Salome AZ!

Crossing over the Colorado River for the first time today!

As we continue north through Arizona we get on Hwy 89 headed towards Prescott.  Everything was clicking along just fine when I see a red Ducati off on the shoulder of the road and the riders helmet is right on the edge of the roadway and the rider is ducking under some bushes for shade.  Well, with my rally experience I know that a helmet on the ground, behind a bike, on the edge of the roadway, means I need help.  We all made a U-turn and went back to see if there was anything we could do.  The rider, Mike, said the screw holding his positive battery cables on the battery had come out and he did not have a way to fix it.  He said his friend had gone to the nearest town to try and get something that they could fix the problem with.  I looked at it and decided I could fix it in about 30 seconds with a zip tie.  Got to my tool box, got a zip tie and had the bike running in just a couple of minutes.  About the time I am done his friend shows up with some tape.  I think that is all he could find to try and fix it.  I put my tool box back on the bike and away we went.

Mike is the one holding the Helmet!

Bobby is thinking, "This had better not cost me my certification!!!!"

After we get Mike all fixed up we gear up and continue north.  I can tell we are going to be heading up a mountain because I can see the roadway cut across it's face.  I am thinking to myself that it will be nice to ride some twisties for a change!  As we started up the hill the road is perfect!  Two lanes, one way road with nice curves!  As I go around a nice right hand sweeper I see a speed limit sign that says 45 MPH.  I look over at the GPS and I am doing 64 MPH.  I look back up the roadway and there is a nice Arizona Highway Patrol Officer walking out into the roadway waving at me!  He was not waving Hi!  He was waving come here!  So I pulled over and we had a nice chat about the weather and what not.  He told me to slow down a bit and to have a nice day!  Thank you Officer!

He must have shooting X band radar because I never go an alert and I had the X band turned off!

After we joined back up we headed towards Prescott.  Our next gas stop was going to be in Ash Fork Arizona.  This would be the east corner of our route so we needed a receipt from there.

Bobby cleaning the bugs off of his RT!

My GSA.....it's a tool, not a jewel!...LOL

Geared up for the last leg!

7 miles of stop and go traffic for a construction zone.  We lost 25 minutes here!  I was not happy!

Crossing back over the Colorado River!

Getting closer to the finish!!!!

As we rolled west through California I had my wife make some calls to our LE friends to find a witness for the end of the ride.  Sergeant Saso was  nice enough to meet us at a Chevron station at Rosedale and Allen, the official end of our ride!  We completed a Saddle Sore 1000 in under 18 hours!  Everyone rode well together and everything went our way!  What a great ride!  Thank you Brad and Bobby for letting me be part of your first SS 1000!  I hope this is not your last!