Wherever I May Roam: IBA SaddleSore 2000K (The Smoke Show)

It's been a busy summer of riding so far and yet there's always the itch to do another ride. Ever since purchasing the Goldwing in September of last year I've been wondering how it would compare to the Harley Ultra Limited (I did two IBA rides with that bike) on long distance rides. Summer seems to be passing quickly and I didn't want to get to winter without trying an IBA ride with the Wing, as it would eat away at me for the entire off-season.

Having completed the SS1600K and the SS3000K Gold rides, I decided that the SS2000K ride was the perfect ride for this year. It takes very little planning so I could do that one on the spur of the moment. The route I picked wasn't perfect but it looked like it would work well, though the amount of 100km/h two lane roads meant I'd have to be very efficient. 2000km in less than 24 hours seems easier from the recliner than it does once you get to doing it in the real world.

I went to bed at around 8:30pm Thursday night and fell asleep fairly quickly even though it was very much out of routine, falling asleep somewhere around 9. Getting up at 3:30 in the morning is also not routine, though it didn't feel too bad. It took a little while to get the cobwebs out of my brain, and I didn't rush to get out of the door. The official start time (provided by the time stamp on the gas receipt) was 4:20am. Now I had my work cut out for me for the next 24 hours or less.

It was a lonely ride to Red Earth, though the traffic did pick up a little as I got closer. The temperature went from 10C to 17C and then fell to 6C, which felt quite cold. There were 2 bears that crossed the road in front of me, one that high-tailed it into the bush, the other that stopped in the ditch to look at me riding by. I waved but didn't get one in return. Not too far down the road a moose also crossed, again far enough ahead so that I didn't have to hit the brakes.

After passing Slave Lake the smoke from forest fires got a lot thicker. It felt more like evening than morning, and though the smoke wasn't as thick as I continued south, the entire part of the province I rode through was smoky. The amount of smoke certainly limited visibility in the rolling hills of central Alberta. I stopped for gas in Westlock, and then a splash of gas in Fort Saskatchewan to prove my route. From there I stayed on highway 21 all the way down to Trochu, jumping on highway 27 to get me to Olds. I got gas receipts in both towns to prove my route for the certification process. The temperature peaked at 30C just north of Red Deer, a 24 degree difference from the lowest temp in the morning.

I've never been on the Deuce (QEII highway) when it's been busier, just a crazy amount of traffic. Everyone from Calgary was headed to Edmonton and vice versa on this Friday afternoon. Though the volume was heavy traffic moved well all the way to the interchange to get on the Henday. It was really backed up getting on, moved well around the city, and was backed up again getting onto the Yellowhead. That was the last of the heavy traffic for the day and I was okay with that.

The smoke kept getting thicker as I made my way to Whitecourt, the thickest it's been anywhere today. I finally stopped in Whitecourt for my first break, though just a 20 minute one. All day I was flirting with a 100km/ average, which is very hard to do when you have to stop so often for gas. Part of what makes these rides tough is that you're always on the clock, which really makes one think about efficiency. It's easy to blow off 20 minutes at a gas stop, and that's time you can't ever get back. Excessive speeding doesn't help on a ride like this, and won't get approved by the IBA even if one tries that method. Other than the 20 minute dinner/rest stop no other stop would have exceeded fifteen minutes, less than that for most of them.

In Peace River I stopped to get a coffee and some water, preparing for the final stretch. I've never enjoyed night riding as the risk of animals on the road goes way up. The final four and half hours were all in the dark, but the animals stayed (mostly) off the road. There were two deer standing on the right side of the road just south of Keg River but I saw them in time. It would have been nice to ride under a moonlight sky but it was overcast along with the smoke.

My wife, who had been in High Level in the evening anyway, came to meet me a follow me for the last hour and a half of the ride. It's awesome to get support from her to do these rides, as she does understand that there's risk involved but let's me do them anyway. The last stretch home from High Level was cold and I was getting very tired, so pulling into the pumps here to complete the ride felt great. The official end time was 2:53am, 22 hours 33 minutes to ride 2,161km. Having a lot of time to spare was nice, the 3000K Gold ride last year was stressful for the entire final 12 hours.

The bike performed flawlessly and was much easier on the body than the Harley was. The seating position really helps with long distance riding, the laid back position common to Harley's (all cruisers really) is the worst for endurance. Being quiet and smooth may not be "cool" but it sure works for long distance riding. The "cool" bikes are usually way back in the rearview mirror anyway! It's been a great bike so far, and with almost 25,000km on the clock now I think I have a pretty good feel for it.

With three IBA rides done now it's time to look ahead at some other rides in the future. The 48/10 (all the lower 48 states in under 10 days) is one that I really want to try someday, although that would be gruelling on a whole different level than these short rides. I love the challenge of long distance riding and the amount of country one can see in a short amount of time. It really turns all of North America into my playground!