Iron Butt Rides

Seriously, how can you not get excited about a list like this?

114 Iron Butt Association approved endurance rides

IBA rides by number of certificates awarded for them

My adrenaline kicks in just looking at all the possibilites and I get overwhelmed by the options. Which one to do first?? ~A coworker rudely interrupts my daydream with a bit of actual business and, by the time I turn around, the spell is broken.~ Ok, back to the task at hand: to finish the challenge I'm already working on.

Monday morning I leave for Maine to finish up my 2nd Iron Butt Challenge: the Master Tourer Silver. I've met all the requirements for the Master Tourer and have only one more State and National Park to hit in order to bump up to the Silver level. I'd hoped to go Monday to Wednesday of *this* week, but friends from out of town were coming to visit, so it got bumped to the 12th-14th.

I've been watching the trees here turn colors and the temperatures drop and am not particularly excited about riding North in October, but I'm going anyway. With the "pros" forecasting 50% chance of rain and a high of 51F, low of 36F for Bar harbor, Maine on Tuesday, I picked up heated gloves this week and have finally decided on the gear for the 3 day trip.

I'm sure that some of you (if you know me at all) are making squinchy faces already that I'm even *thinking* of being anywhere except in front of my fireplace, under a blanket, watching Long Way 'Round given those temperatures. Ok, maybe you actually laughed audibly...

Go ahead, furrow your brow, have a good chuckle. I know that you think it's funny (funny-wierd, not funny-ha ha) that I get cold below 70F standing still, never mind at speed on the bike and that while you guys are finally not 'dying from the heat', I'm in long sleeves with bouts of goose bumps.

But that's ok. I know you love me anyway. Even if you do have to turn the heat on in the car for me in May.

It took some searching to find something that will keep me warm at highway speeds in 35-55F degree weather, but this should do it. This one piece with a couple layers of wool socks and my Gerbing gloves and I think I'll be ok.





So, if you're on 95 North of Maryland next week and see what looks like Ralphy on a silver bike, it might be me.

:p