FROM “ALMOST HEAVEN” to “HELL in PARADISE”
The Aloha 1000
by Steve Branner . . . South Charleston, West Virginia
(reprinted here with Steve's permission)
Bling-Bling . . . you’ve got mail. November 9, 2005 . . . IBA news article from
Mike Kneebone requests interest from IBA members regarding a Saddlesore
1000 in Hawaii. Five laps around the “Big Island” within 24 hours.
Well, I was more than just a little intrigued by the possibility of riding a bike in
Hawaii where the temperature averages 75 degrees in February as opposed to
the 42 degree average here in WV. So I responded to the e-mail asking that I be
kept up-to-date with the details of the event as they developed. Within a few
weeks the itinerary had been set, I sent all the proper paperwork to IBA, and on
Groundhog Day we landed at Kona and were met by Mike Kneebone and Lisa
Landry (the IBA gurus who concocted this diabolical event) . . . Aloha!
Fabulous feasts on Thursday and Friday evenings masked the pending thousand
miler and all of it’s as yet unknown challenges. The social events were wonderful
opportunities to rub elbows with many IBA “rock stars” that I’d only read about.
Of the eighteen participants in this ride there were four past Iron Butt Rally
veterans, a guy from Britain who’d ridden around the world, another guy from
Britain who’d participated in the Isle of Man TT, riders from throughout the US
who had many years of long distance riding experience, and Bill B. from St.Louis,
who will be leading a Saddlesore 1000 ride to West Virginia later this year.
Although I’d completed eight previous Iron Butt rides I felt like a real lightweight
among these riders. For three of the participants, this was their first Saddlesore
1000 . . . what a way to gain Iron Butt status !
A riders meeting was held on Friday morning prior to picking up the bikes
(Harleys from the local dealership) and Lisa explained the Saddlesore rules,
documentation procedures, and suggested routes. Clockwise and
counterclockwise routes around the perimeter of the island were suggested to
begin the ride with later variations as desired by each rider to suit their wishes.
The ominous neck lanyard with a phone number to call in case of an emergency
was given to each rider at the end of the meeting. After picking up the bikes,
most riders chose to leisurely tour the island and check out some of the roads
that would be ridden the following day.
At 4:15 am on Saturday morning we began to gather for breakfast. Nervous talk
about what we might expect “out there” and which routes would be the most
efficient and was it even possible to do this ride with the anticipated local and
tourist island traffic on 2-lane, mostly rural, roads. At least there wouldn’t be any
school busses to deal with since it was a Saturday. By 4:55 am we had all suited
up and were ready to depart. Lisa had recorded odometer readings and
precisely at 5:00 am she turned us loose.
The Adventure Begins:
I started out following Jim C. who led the pack north on
Rt. 11. At the Rt. 19-190 split Jim stayed on Rt. 19 and I headed up across the
base of Mt. Hualalai on 190. I could only see two bikes behind me and was
comfortably cruising on this dry, traffic free road with plenty of sight distance in
the early morning hours. The bikes behind me, Ray B. and the Kappenbergers,
passed me on a long straight stretch and I fell in behind following them to
Waimea.
Just when you think everything is settling down to an easy ride fate
always rears it’s ugly head. It began to rain. Gently at first and then a little
harder, and then, hard enough that if it wasn’t for my determination to do this ride
I’d be somewhere else inside and warm. Ray slowed in the rain and it was good
to have him in front to be able to follow his tail light. By the time we got to Hilo
the rain had stopped.
Having not put on rain pants at the start of the ride
(because it was clear and relatively warm), my jeans were pretty wet so my plan
was to keep riding to dry them out and then don the rain pants if the weather got
nasty again. Ray and the K’s stopped for gas in Hilo and I continued on to
Pahala for gas. After Hilo, I rode the rest of the ride by myself. This let me ride
at a pace that I was more comfortable with. The sun had finally risen by this
time, also, and it was getting warmer, and I was drying out .
It took about 4 hours and 15 minutes to do the first lap and check in with Lisa at
the Kona Chevron Station. After a quick odometer check I headed back to do the
counterclockwise lap. By this time of the day the traffic was getting to be a bit of
a problem. In the congested area south of Kona it was creeping at 20-30 mph for
about 15-20 miles. But after that it was pretty smooth sailin’ to Hilo. Lots of
straight and relatively traffic free roads.
However, from Hilo to Waimea it was
murderous. Curvy roads, slow traffic, and trucks. But the worst was yet to come.
In Waimea I came upon a stopped line of traffic that I couldn’t see the end of. I
asked a biker (not one of us) parked on the side of the road what was happening
and he said it was the annual Cherry Blossom Festival and the traffic was backed
up five miles on each side of town. “Holy Cow”, Batman !!! . . . this just won’t do!
Relying on some unmentionable creative navigation and piloting skills I managed
to get past the congestion in about five minutes (the traffic back-up was only
about 2 miles long) and then turned south on 190 back to the Kona checkpoint. I
decided then and there that I wouldn’t be seeing the north side of the island any
more that day . . . especially Waimea.
It took 4 hours and 30 minutes to
complete the second lap. Lisa and Ed’s wife had much appreciated sub
sandwiches for the riders at the checkpoint. I had completed about 430 miles by
this time and needed to make a decision about how best to complete the ride
keeping miles in excess of 1000 to a minimum without doing any more “north
island” routes. Mike K. and I discussed this briefly at the checkpoint and he
suggested doing three back and forth laps between Kona and Hilo on the
southern “horseshoe shaped” Route 11 with the first lap shortened at the town of
Volcano, located in the Hawaii Volcanoes national Park. This would get me back
to the final checkpoint about as efficiently as possible.
So I headed out . . . south on Rt.11 with my mind telling me that I only had to do
this over and back route two more times after this one and I’d be finished. After
getting thru the Kona area traffic the ride was pretty uneventful. The route goes
past the turnoff to a place called South Point which is the Southernmost point of
any state in the US. I had ridden there on Friday during a shakedown ride of the
Harley. Twelve miles of unimproved road leading to a dirt parking area next to
some type of boat lifting cranes with no identification signs. There were a few
fishermen and sightseers. Hawaii could sure turn this place into a better tourist
destination with not too much effort.
Anyway, I made it ok to Volcano, got gas
and a receipt (Lisa was un-merciful when she noticed that I hadn’t recorded the
gas quantity on my trip log . . . I assumed it was on the receipt, which it wasn’t)
and headed back to Kona. By now this route was becoming familiar and the
curves that once were unfamiliar were now anticipated well in advance of
getting to them so that I could take them much more smoothly. A neat byproduct
of the “over and back” route was that I was able to pass other riders
going the opposite direction who were doing the same route. We would wave /
flash lights as we passed. It was good to know that there were still others out
there with probably the same thoughts that I was having about all of this. I made
it back to the Chevron Station south of Kona within four hours, gassed up again,
and headed back to Hilo.
My mind is screaming at me that after this southern route lap to Hilo and back I
would only have to do this one more time. Hilo is about twenty miles past
Volcano and by the time I got there it was starting to get dark again. At Hilo I
finally put on my rain pants. And I had the second sub sandwich which was
fermenting in the saddlebag. There was no rain, but the air was getting chillier
and it would continue to get colder . . . especially at the higher elevations thru
Volcanoes National Park.
So here I am, now riding back to Kona in the dark.
The traffic has lightened considerably and the roads are clean and dry. The only
“close call” that I encountered on the ride occurred about 30 miles south of Kona
when I had fixated on the blinking lights of an on-coming ambulance and had not
noticed the car that had stopped in the road in my lane to let the ambulance
pass. It’s lights were weaker than those of the ambulance and did not stand out
well. Lots of front brake and a skidding mini-fishtailing back tire got me slowed in
time to avert a potential very bad day. All of this happened within a few seconds
and as the ambulance passed, the car had begun moving, and I followed it back
to the Chevron Station south of Kona. I pinched myself to make sure I was still
ok, but unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to change my underwear ‘til I got back to
the hotel.
I made it to the Kona gas stop by 9:15 pm. While gassing up I kept thinking that
the hotel was only about 15 miles away and that I could end this madness and
the upcoming sleep deprivation symptoms that I knew was to come by simply
riding back there and sackin’ out for the night. No way . . . I was on a mission
and this wasn’t the way to end it. Heading back to Hilo for the last time, I was
telling myself that, finally, “ this was the last time that I would be riding this way”.
As I passed other riders going toward Kona I wondered if they were finishing or if
they, too, would be heading back to Hilo. The darkness of the ride masked all of
the wonderful scenery that was, at times, distracting during the day, so it was
easy to concentrate on the road ahead. When I got to Hilo I saw that the gas
station that I had stopped at on the south side of the city as a turning point was
closed. I ended up riding another eight miles into town to find an all-nite gas
station. That was a little discouraging as I was trying to keep the excess miles to
a minimum.
I left Hilo on the final leg at 11:20 pm feeling like the ride was over. But I’ve
always said to myself that it’s the last 100 miles that requires the most attention
and concentration in one of these rides. About halfway thru the ride back the
anticipated night-time tunnel vision that occurs when I’m tired started coming on.
Looking from side to side and glancing at the moon helped to reduce this. Also,
the radio on the Electra Glide Classic was very welcome as a riding companion. .
. They play good ole’ boy country music in Hawaii, too ! Six riders passed me
on the way going back to Hilo and I was glad that I didn’t have to go that way
again.
I completed 1000 miles (1030 on the clock, figuring a 3% odometer error)
at 12:40 am. Thirty miles and forty minutes later I checked in at the Kona
Chevron checkpoint to get my end point receipt. Wow . . it was over. I made it !
Dick H. had returned to the hotel before me and when I got there we shared a
few war stories before calling it a “long” day. He said that some of the riders had
stayed on the northern side of the island and encountered more rain and windy
conditions. Glad I missed that. My diet for the ride included three snicker bars, a
handful of aspirin, two quarts of Gatorade, two diet Pepsi’s, and the two sub
sandwiches.
The next morning at breakfast there were lots of weary, but satisfied, looks on
the riders’ faces. The bikes were returned to Kona HD (the Southernmost Harley
Dealer in the US . . . so their t-shirt says) and we returned to the hotel to watch
the Super Bowl football game. The comfortable chairs in the hotel lounge made
it easy to catch up on much needed sleep. A final dinner on Sunday night
chronicled the events of the previous days and solidified new friendships that
were made.
As I write this, a week later, it all seems like just a blur. There’s three inches of
snow on the ground and not much of a chance to ride in the next month or so.
But, the days are getting longer and summer really isn’t that far off.
Many thanks to Mike and Lisa for making this event possible.
Aloha . . . sb
12 Feb 06