I shoved off at 1:00am yesterday morning to make a flying trip to WingDing. Hoped to look around at the vendor booths, visit with Tom Finch, with Rick from WingStuff (and hear the Vance & Hines mufflers on stock pipes) and with Max from Traxxion.
Parked at the Convention Center @ 8:55am, Tom had to leave due to a death in the family, Rick was wrapped up and their "demo" muffler bike was gone and Max was absent due to just getting married. Fortunately, Kury had a 2012 Wing with V&H mufflers, so not a total loss. Rolled out of the parking lot at 11:15am and headed to Tellico Plains.
Crossed the Skyway, rode Deal's Gap, headed south to Helen, GA all on mountain, back-roads. Passed through Helen and then, rode back-roads/2-lanes to avoid Atlanta (Hwy53 toward Rome, 411, Hwy 20, etc.) over to Gadsden, AL before getting back on the slab. Rode thru a pretty wicked rain/electrical storm in the Birmingham/Tuscaloosa area just before mid-night. Arrived at home at 2:10 am this morning with 1,386 miles on the clock with many of those miles on slower mountain roads. Spent 2hrs, 20 min @ Wing Ding (parking and unparking burned up a fair amount of time, as well as, avoiding GWRRA recruiters). The number of Wings there was impressive. Spent another 20-30 minutes at the CrossRoads Cafe (last gas station before Skyway) at Tellico Plains choking down a cheeseburger and the rest of the time was in the saddle.
Although my riding buddy and I, both, are IBA members, we did not document anything and doubt I could have based on the route. It didn't start out as an IB ride, and therefore, it can't end up as one. In that instance, it falls under the heading of "just another fun day of riding" with my buddy. It was his first trip out of state on my old Wing I sold him so he could dump his problematic K1200LT. Last time I saw him this morning when we split up, he was still grinning from ear to ear. Before dogging it off this morning, he wanted to go make a local loop for 14 more miles to get the mileage up to an even 1,400 miles....
Although I've been doing LD rides since the '80s, I didn't start documenting some of them until recent years. For reasons that escape me, I resisted the "paper-work" ride and was operating under the "I know I did it and that's all I need" mentality. After finally documenting my first IB ride, I wished I had started doing it a long time ago as it adds a whole new dimension to the ride.
A riding day like yesterday and a ride "on the clock" just feel different. Yesterday, my schedule could have changed with the wind (ie, found an interesting resturant, met an interesting person or interesting shop). On the clock, you tend to think about the verification part of the ride where the IB crew can easily see what you did. Not all of my LD rides will be documented but the pre-meditated ones will be.
I made an attempt at a BBG (1500/24 hrs) on a trip to Key West on New Year's Eve Day. I under estimated the traffic in the Keys (and the number of LEOs on duty) and was 64 miles short of my goal at 24 hours but went on to ride 2,094 miles in just a couple of minutes over 30 hours. Although I got a starting witness form signed, kept all gas & turnpike reciepts, I didn't submit anything to IBA as I didn't accomplish what I set out to do. When I got my first inclination that it was "iffy" whether or not I was going to make it, it just added to the excitement... I wasn't disappointed at all. If I knew it was going to be a slam-dunk, the ride would not have been so inviting to me.
Long story short, try a "paper-work" ride. It's not as complicated as it sounds and it only enhances the experience. Like my buddy wanting to make the extra loop for 14 more miles....it didn't matter. On a documented ride, it does matter. I generated my own IBA witness forms (one form to use for start or finish) and keep a few in my trunk as you never know when the opportunity may come up and that's about all you need to get one kicked off.
Sounds like you have no problem doing the miles and obviously, its interesting enough to get you out of bed early and analyzing your after-ride stats. You owe it to yourself to do at least one "documented" ride and although I'm not a gambler, per se, I'd be willing to bet it wouldn't be your last.
Congrats.
Z
4::22yikes::thumbup:
