[NevadaWolf]

So, I've done a Saddlesore 1000 (1000 miles in less than 24 hours) and a BunBurner 1500 (1500 miles in less than 36 hours) so let's really go crazy and try for 1500 miles in less than 24 hours, the BunBurner Gold!

For those of you screaming I have to speed, nope. Total speed average over the day needs to be a minimum of 62.5 MPH. Hey, most highways are 70 so there ya go!

Attempt 1: Sunday October 13th

Weather, cold, cloudy and raining.

Started on time but through several things going wrong right out of home gate I was falling further and further behind so by the time I made it to Battle Mountain (250 miles in) I was about 30 minutes behind and not feeling it. Abandoned the attempt and just enjoyed riding around Nevada.

Lessons learned: before you stick your card in the gas pump, make sure that your bike is ready, your gear is ready, your electronics are ready, and most importantly, you are ready!


Attempt 2: Saturday October 19th

Got to the gas station to have my witnesses sign. Took my freaking time going through everything. There is no set time to start so I made sure i stayed calm and in control as each item was checked and verified before I ever got near the pump. Filled up carefully and was officially on the clock 13 minutes after my plan. Course then I got caught at a light, where a fire truck went by and locked up the light cycle. 5 minutes waiting on the green.

The key about a BBG is time management. Specifically at the gas pump. On the move, all you really have to do is make sure your speed stays up and as long as you are at here speed limit you're golden. But once you pull over to fill up you really have to have the routine down. Me? I have a total stopped time of 2 minutes. With munchies in the tank bag and water in the back pack I have very little need to stop longer.

I was able to make it from the west side of Nevada at Reno to the east side at Wendover to the south side at Vegas and had already returned to the center of the state in Tonopah before the 2am 20* weather finally got to me and sapped my willpower to stay awake. After I caught myself falling asleep, I stopped and walked around a bit before heading back and grabbing a motel.

Lessons learned: find a better solution as my Sena hates my Samsung for some reason. Better winter gear for feet, legs, and hands. Start at a different time so I am in Vegas during the coldest hours of the night.

But I did do 1000 miles in 15.5 hours so I know I can keep up the necessary pace.


Attempt 3: Saturday, November 9th

New plan! We reworked the schedule so where I would be passing through Vegas between 4am-5am. Of course, that meant leaving at 4pm from Carson. Found out that just before the end of Hwy 93 into I-15 is about the 12 hour mark. So, the plan was to sleep all day, wake up around 2 and ensure everything on the bike was ready to go, then bug a friend or two to be a witness. I hate my brain. I ended up waking up at my normal time of 6am despite going to bed at 1 and was pretty much awake the entire day.

One thing to note, we had just switched off daylight savings time and while everyone in creation had already figured out to change the clocks, the gas pump was an hour off! So I had to find an employee to vouch for the fact that I really was there at 4pm, not 5pm.

The ride was looking sweet (did make one change to the route as the gas station in Mustang had twice failed to print a receipt and the attendant is not the most hasty fellow), gear, bike, and body all in line to pull this off. But I started falling behind when I had to put on the heat pads (opts to just buy ThermaCare (?) things from the first aid aisle) and by the time I left Elko, my brain was beginning to question my success. It decided, around about Oasis, that it was definitely against my success and so pulled the plug on my motivation. So, unscheduled stop in Wendover ended the ride for this attempt.

Lessons learned: if planning on sleeping all day, ear plugs and blindfold are a must. Be open to making minor changes if experience tells you that you have a bad stop. Find a way to quickly add heat to feat and legs without having to pull off all the gear to do so (battery powered heated socks?). The handlebar "flippers" work great, but definitely need better gloves. If wearing a cold weather mask over your face, ensure there is a way to get food or the drink hose to your mouth.


I WILL DO THIS!! Rawr! Hehehe

Stay tuned!