[NevadaWolf]

It was Friday, just before noon, when I found myself easing through Sacramento traffic to the far right lane. Everyone else was sitting comfortably in their cars and trucks, probably dreaming of the weekend or at least a nice lunch away from the office. I, on the other hand, fully geared up and sitting out in the hot and humid air, only had one thought on my mind. Exit 81, West Capitol Ave.

The sign appeared in the distance, slowly getting closer as I fought to hold the throttle steady and not give in to the temptation to gun it. The solid white line began, indicating the beginning of the exit. I signaled, moved in behind a pickup, and smoothly leaned into the turn. The pickup blocked my view of the Valero gas station initially, so when I suddenly caught sight of the construction crew tearing down the building, my stomach felt like lead sinking into my boots. Wait, Chevron! There is a second station here! I rolled up to a shaded pump, nervously went through my routine, and waited as the receipt was delivered to my trembling hand.

The simple date and time stamp may have been insignificant to every other living being at that moment, but for me seeing that nicely printed 06/27/2014 12:02pm meant the world. It was the final receipt to an epic journey, the end time of the greatest adventure I've done. It finished my two week vacation that covered over 7000 miles through 25 states and all from the saddle of my little Ninja 250.

Coast to coast and back, for no other reason than I hadn't done it before.





Here's the post for all you TLDR folks... I rode, a lot. I am crazy. Thank you.

For everyone else,

I knew I wanted to do a big Iron Butt ride, but wasn't sure if I wanted to try the Coast to Coast in under 50 hours ride or the Border to Border in under 36 hours ride. Both sounded fun, and I could add a challenge to the B2B ride by sticking on Hwy 95 from Mexico to Canada (well, probably Canada to Mexico so I don't lose time on the border crossing).

It wasn't until looking through the list of possible rides that I made up my mind. For there in the middle of the list was a US Route 50 Coast to Coast ride. 3,073 miles in under four days. A ride solely on Highway 50 all across the country? Heck ya!

The plan was "simple", ride south to San Diego, CA to begin my ride east towards Jacksonville, FL, then turn north to go to Ocean City, MD and return west along Hwy 50 to Sacramento, CA. Yes, Sac is not the "coast", Highway 50 was shortened in 1972 to exclude San Francisco, but the IBA calls it a Coast to Coast. I ain't arguing.

Given that I would like as much daylight as possible, I planned to do this ride during the week before and after the Summer Solstice, June 21st. That'd give me plenty of light, moderate weather everywhere, and hopefully light traffic at the beginning of the summer school breaks.

My original plan had been to incorporate as many National Park Passport Stamps as I could find, but as more friends heard about the ride and the more I thought about it, the idea changed to meeting as many online friends as I could. I do not regret that decision at all.

I made arrangements; cleared my schedule at work, a full service done on the bike, and just enough clothes and food for two weeks mostly on the bike. My Dad and I made the route; locating enough gas stations for the range I was comfortable at, and researching exactly where Highway 50 went through each town. I contacted several friends along the way, deciding on meeting places and times and just whose couch I could crash on. I also reached out to other IBA members for help and ended up with a TON of advice and suggestions. My witnesses were ready for me and all I had left to do was ride.

Every ride was a success. Southbound to San Diego was taken via 395 mostly, with little traffic and smaller towns. Eastbound I finished in 46 hours and made it to the Atlantic just in time to catch the sun rising through some distant storm clouds. Heading north, I stopped in several Parks for stamps and to see the sights unknown to me back home. Coming west found me on a road that ranged from a narrow and slow back country mountain road to a wide 4 lane highway and I ended my ride 3 days and 14 hours after I began.

I met three new friends in San Diego, another in Jacksonville, others from Newark, York, Philly, Hopewell, and Ocean City, another in Cincinnati, and one in Sacramento. I was also graced by riding buddies at the beginning and end of my ride.

I did have some minor issues, from the stupid CA emissions canister filling with gas again, to my rear tire wearing out faster than planned, to my chain oiler running out and my chain drying out, to the accessory plugs failing. But overall the ride was an amazing adventure and one I am truly glad to have done.