2021 Tour Of Honor

[Texas T]

Who are my fellow TOH riders this year?

Anyone chasing trophies on the 1st?

Yesterday I did my first ride since January of 2020 when I came to Texas for the Hico Pie Run. Yesterday I only did 200 miles with a quick ride down to Tucson and back, but I was sore. I am really out of (riding) shape and with less than two weeks to get ready I don't think I'm going to be in much better condition by then.

I'll compete for a trophy, but if I'm not feeling it I'll chuck it and grab a motel and then finish it out the next day or so. If I'm really hurting I'll just go back home, grab the wife, and we'll spend 2-3 days getting the rest of the ones I missed.

Last year I think I only got 1 memorial site here in the Phoenix area, plus a couple of Hueys and War Dogs but that was more due to Covid and my house remodel. I've also had both of my vaccine shots so I'm a little more comfortable being out in public again.

For anyone that might not have a clue about what I'm talking about, the Tour Of Honor raises money for Veteran and First Responder charities through the rally fees we pay and the shop that sells additional merchandise. The rally is self-directed which means you choose how many sites you want to ride to and when. The rally begins April 1 at 0001 hours Eastern, and ends on October 31st. If you want to hit every site in the country (some do) you're welcome to do so. If you only want to hit one site that is close to you, no one will say boo to you. It's all about what YOU want to do.

In addition to the 7 randomly chosen memorial sites in each state, there are a number of alternative sites you can go to. These include 9/11 memorials, Doughboy statues, War Dogs and K-9s, Gold Star Family memorials, Madonna Of The Trail statues, and more.

The rally began in 2011 with 75 riders and a handful of states, and now we're up to all 50 states (yes, you can fly to Hawaii, rent a bike, and score points over there) and about 500 riders this year. I didn't find out about the rally until I was at the Iron Butt Assoc meeting in Denver in 2012, and I signed up as soon as I got home so this will be my tenth year.

tourofhonor.com

 

[jhansen]

I’m in. Rider #695. Hoping to do better this year. Last year was a bust for me. Two doughboys and four helicopters. I can do better. I’d just like to finish the Texas sites this year.


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[Texas T]

I'm glad to see you're back in it for another year, Jeff.

 

[Texas T]

The rally began in 2011 with 75 riders and a handful of states, and now we're up to all 50 states (yes, you can fly to Hawaii, rent a bike, and score points over there) and about 500 riders this year.

I stand corrected. As of this morning the rider list is showing 954 entries. This might be the year where we see our first four digit rally flags.

 

[jhansen]

I'm glad to see you're back in it for another year, Jeff.

Thanks. Good to see you’re riding again.


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[Texas T]

Very, VERY out of (riding) shape, though.

 

[mrdod]

983, my first year. Hope to see s bunch of national parks.

 

[Texas T]

983, my first year. Hope to see s bunch of national parks.

Welcome. We're happy to have you join us.

 

[Texas T]

This will be my SpotWalla track for the Tour Of Honor. I hope to be moving by 0100-0130 on 04/01/2021. It just depends upon how long it takes me to plug all the coordinates into the GPS and then play with the routing to see what is most effective. There may be 1-2 locations that are daylight only so that really throws a wrench into my planning.

(if you click on the link now it won't show you anything, you have to wait until my track begins moving)

Trip: 2021 Tour Of Honor - NM

AZ & NM

new.spotwalla.com

 

[Texas T]

Gear is prepped:
Held Steve gloves are in the starting line-up with the Gerbings in the side bag if needed, and the warm weather Lee Parks will probably get pressed into service after the sun has been up a couple of hours.
Warm n Safe undershirt (tested last week) will be worn with a light hoodie over that and my Roadcrafter jacket on top. A waterproof shell jacket can always be worn over that if it gets that cold (Flagstaff will be in the high 30s - low 40s). LD Comfort long sleeve is in the bag to be changed into once it gets warm enough.
LD Comfort tights on the bottom with Roadcrafter pants on top. Frogg Togg pants can go over that if more shelter from the wind is needed.
It's only going to be about 60 when I leave the house Thursday night so much of the above may sound like overkill, but since I don't yet know where my overnight destinations will be, I'll be ready for the low 30 temps if I have to go to those areas.
Aleve and 5 Hour Energy bottles are sitting on the table next to the bike.
Helmet has been tested with the new GPS / phone connection. I'll be doing Pandora for the majority of the ride.
The older GPS will stay in its old position as a fallback, or if I need to see what's around me without taking away from the screen on the primary GPS.
inReach satellite tracker was tested two weeks ago and performed well. I'll probably activate it about 9 pm my time to make sure it's sending signals.
MotoJug has about a liter of water in the bottom and is sitting in the freezer. Six more 1 liter bottles are waiting to be poured in the morning of the 31st and then secure the unit on the bike. I have a long insulated drinking tube from the jug that comes up to my right handlebar and is secured with one of those retractable access card gizmos so I can pull on the hose, get a drink, and then it retracts back into place.
Multiple energy / trail mix bars will sit in an insulated bag inside the tail bag with just 1-2 in my jacket pocket for quick access as needed.
Radar detector was swapped out to a blue screen from the red, as the red one acts up every now and then when it gets too much sunlight. It got drenched few years ago and stopped working entirely for several weeks; now it just has intermittent hiccups. The blue screen has been sitting around for a couple of years so I figured I might as well put it to use.
Windshield and headlight covers and mirrors have been cleaned and polished.
Two 1-liter fuel bottles are filled to about 80% and are stowed in the left bag. In 10+ years of riding long distance all over the state, the country, and Canada I've never needed to use them, but it's nice to know they are there.
1 spare pair of socks and 2 TOH t-shirts are stowed.
Sleeping pad cushion is strapped down in case I need to make use of a picnic table somewhere.
Many TOH poker chips (yellow, blue and red) and one Challenge Coin are stowed, and a small amount are in my jacket pocket along with TOH business cards.

I'll verify tire pressures tomorrow.
I'll call my banks tomorrow to get the credit cards set up.
MedJet account was reinstated to begin the 31st.

The plan is to get about six hours of sleep Wed night, get up early Thursday, get in a good walk, have a large breakfast, do any final loading of the bike (meds/toiletries) and go back to bed about noon - 2 pm. I'll get up at 8 pm, shower, partially dress (the W&S undershirt is too warm to wear around the house), eat a couple of bananas, take an Imodium (better to take and not need it than the other way around), wait for the sites to drop at 9 pm my time, load the coordinates into the GPS, plan a route, finish gearing up, kiss the wife, hit the local gas station for the first receipt, and be on my way.

What have I overlooked?

 

[Splash]

Wishing you clear sailing Brian. No TOH for me. I read your prep list, looked good. Maybe 1 more item, Icy Hot spray. Can provide pretty quick relief for those achy spots. However, if that doesn’t help, I suggest you spray it down inside your pants. Won’t alleviate the aches but it will dang sure make you quit thinking about them. Also works to wake you up and fight off LD fatigue if applied as stated above. Just take my word!!!!

 

[Texas T]

Hah! I did purchase some of that muscle cramp stuff they've been advertising lately. I usually get upper thigh cramps after I finish a ride and they can be quite debilitating and painful, so I'm willing to give this a try. I have to focus on staying hydrated, hydrated, hydrated.

I hope you're feeling well and you've gotten past whatever sidelined you for the FL trip.

 

[jhansen]

Remember Brian, you’re supposed to have fun. Be careful. Good luck.


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[randypower]

@Texas T I didn't see much in the way of tools or the like for bike troubles. At least basic tools, air compressor, and tire plugs? This is not your first rodeo, so I'd guess you have all of this covered.

 

[Splash]

T, have you ever tried pickle juice to alleviate the leg cramps? I always carry a couple of small retail bottles, one within quick reach on the bike, the second in my motel bag. Nothing is more useless than leaving it on your bike and you wake up with those dang cramps, wondering how you’re going to walk out to your bike.

Reading over your list again, I don’t see any mention of flashlights or headlamps, sure is dark out there at times,lol. Also, I never head out without multiple sharpies, I don’t know why, but I’m bad about losing them. One more thing, an extra GPS, you know the LD Rule, one GPS is like having no GPS.

I’ll be riding along with you figuratively, ride like the wind, life’s short!

 

[Texas T]

@Texas T I didn't see much in the way of tools or the like for bike troubles. At least basic tools, air compressor, and tire plugs? This is not your first rodeo, so I'd guess you have all of this covered.

Left bag next to the fuel cans, duct tape, zip ties. But... I rely upon my AMA towing and a CC for most issues. Since it's not a rally and I'm not really under the gun for time, if I get a flat I'll probably call for a tow. If I'm in the middle of nowhere with no cell service I'll break out the tools or use my inReach to call for a tow.

 

[Texas T]

T, have you ever tried pickle juice to alleviate the leg cramps? I always carry a couple of small retail bottles, one within quick reach on the bike, the second in my motel bag. Nothing is more useless than leaving it on your bike and you wake up with those dang cramps, wondering how you’re going to walk out to your bike.

Reading over your list again, I don’t see any mention of flashlights or headlamps, sure is dark out there at times,lol. Also, I never head out without multiple sharpies, I don’t know why, but I’m bad about losing them. One more thing, an extra GPS, you know the LD Rule, one GPS is like having no GPS.

I’ll be riding along with you figuratively, ride like the wind, life’s short!

Yes, I've tried pickle juice if I was at home. One flashlight on the bike, one in my jacket pocket. Four pens in my passport holder that hangs around my neck and contains my ICE card, driver license, insurance card, one credit card, and my covid vaccine card. Primary GPS is mounted to the dash shelf in front of me and the backup is mounted to the left handlebar.

L-R: Backup GPS, inReach on handlebar, radar detector, heating controller, led lights on top of the controller flash when the detector goes off, primary GPS, and multi-timer on the dash, TPS monitor, RAM phone holder, and retractable badge line on the right handlebar. Although I have a voltmeter on the lower right side below the dash pocket, I keep the radar detector in voltage mode so I can always see at a glance how the bike is charging and I'll get a low voltage warning if it drops.


Sleeping pad on the top trunk rack, and motojug strapped to the back seat. I don't mount the motojug to the right passenger foot board because I never know when Brenda will be riding with me. If she's doing a long trip with me I put a pressurized Geigerrig on the trunk rack that we both can drink from.

 

[Splash]

Brian, WTH? Y’all Long Distance Goldwing Riders have SO MUCH STUFF on your bike. I can’t imagine trying to keep up with all the gadgets you have on your Wing!

LMAO!

 

[Texas T]

Tim, you're one of many that I'm jealous of.

How about some more details / photos of that electrical plug bar under the dash? It's hard to see in the photo.

 

[Texas T]

Best laid plans of mice and men and all that stuff...

Slept lousy last night. Awake at midnight, 2 am 4 am 6 am and finally got out of bed a little after six. My back is still hurting so I'm going to take half of a muscle relaxer at noon, and then try to sleep as much as possible this afternoon. The pill should wear off by 6 pm which gives me way more than "8 hours bottle to throttle" before I leave at 10 pm.

Depending upon where you are in the state tonight and tomorrow, the temperature differential will be about 70 degrees, from a low of around 30 to a high of around 100.

 

[Splash]

Dang it Brian, that sounds like me. I don’t know if I have ever started any IBA ride or TOH SS1000 that I got a good nights rest and felt 100%. But it seems once I get going I feel good, wishing the same for you.

Look back at the picture of my bike above, there is an essential safety item you should have, prominently displayed. Yes, a readily accessible pump bottle of hand sanitizer. I can use it without touching anything else first, like a tank bag or pocket.

I’m attaching a closer view of my under dash plugs. Each is wired independently into a auxiliary breaker box, so if either develops issues I still have another functioning circuit. In fact everything electric added runs through the extra fuse block with their own fuses and the block is wired to the ignition on posts in the factory fuse box. The auxiliary breaker box is wired with 10 gauge and it’s own fuse. The red power supply unit on top of the dash is a backup for the under dash units. It is plugged into either of the others to supply plenty of charging ports. I know,I know, overkill right, but s*** happens at the most critical times.

Giddy Up and Happy Trails

 

[Texas T]

Yes, a readily accessible pump bottle of hand sanitizer.

Good suggestion. I just pulled a bottle out of the car and put it in my jacket pocket with my face masks. I'm not going to try to mess with setting up a "pump station" this close to departure, but I'll consider doing that when I get back.

 

[Texas T]

All the riders with trackers that have signed up to be on the group tracking page...

Unknown State

We cannot figure out what you are trying to do. Perhaps an email to support is in order?

new.spotwalla.com

 

[jhansen]

Good luck to you Brian. Be safe. I'm up in Chicago until Saturday morning. Helos and a doughboy for me Monday I think. waiting for the site to open to see just where everything is this year.

 

[Texas T]

5 hours of sleep on Wednesday. Sore back. The runs. Possible urinary tract infection. The sites were scheduled to drop at 9:01 pm and at 8:30 I decided to run to the grocery store to buy some cranberry juice. I got home a few minutes after 9 and drank down two of the small bottles. I planned out the sites and my route and went to bed as I had been up since 4 am with just those five prior hours of sleep and I didn't feel that I was safe to ride so I went back to bed instead of riding.

I got another 5 hours and got up about 03:30 and was on the road at 04:40. First stop... Bisbee. I checked the temps of Phoenix, Tucson and Bisbee and all were moderate to good so I left my heated gear at home. Dummy!

It was 52 degrees in Benson and high 50s in several other places along the way, and a high of 96 in Scottsdale.

I found the memorial in Bisbee in front of the local PD. Incidentally, this is the same memorial I looked for and couldn't find back in 2012 because our instructions had it located in downtown Bisbee but when I arrived at 2:30 am to get my photo it wasn't there. No one knew that they had "just" removed it in order to relocate it to the police department parking lot.

Then it was time to turn around and retrace my tracks back up the I-10 / I-8 junction and then take I-8 west. Since I had been hydrating really well I needed to pee really good as well. The first overpass I came to was my opportunity. I parked the bike in the shade and I hid behind the wall so that passing traffic would only see my backside. As I was peeing, an F-150 stopped on the westbound onramp and the driver got out to pee. He was about to let go when he saw me so he moved to the other side to pee in private. Dude! We're highway pissing buddies, what's the problem?

I passed him about 20 miles further down the road and as he looked over at me I just gave him a big thumbs up.

Reaching the Gila Bend airport there are two jets on display out front so I took this opportunity to ride onto the airport and park in a covered aircraft parking spot so I could figure out which aircraft I needed in my photo. There were only two aircraft at the airport, an older Cessna and a very nice King Air - but I didn't get close enough to see which model.

t was now only about 1 pm and I figured that I could knock out Wickenburg as well, so north I went on the 85. The speed limit was 65 but traffic was "flowing" at about 80. Downtown Wickenburg across from the Chamber has this memorial.

And since Scottsdale was on the way home, I got this brand new USS Arizona memorial. I have to go back and spend some time there.

11.5 hours door to door. 602 Garmin miles. 65 mph moving average. Lots of troopers were out today but I saw very few with someone pulled over. Most were sitting in the median on I-10 watching for smugglers.

The wife pitched a fit about not being able to go, so I relented and she'll ride the final three sites with me tomorrow. Marital bliss will reign once again.

The sites left are Williams, Holbrook, and Gilbert, so comfortable in the morning to cold up north, and then hot when we get back home.



If I had competed for a trophy and been in better shape, it would have been a snap. Two of the memorials were within 20 miles of the house, and then a circuit hitting the rest of them with a final stop of Bisbee would have only been 750 miles in about 13 hours. Oh well, maybe next year.