Rick and Barbara Bailey
Next stop is Snake Alley in Burlington, Iowa which has been dubbed by Ripley’s Believe it or not as the Crookedest Street in the World. And trust me, they were correct. We had to take a photo of the entrance and exit. This street was built in 1894 and still has the original brick pavers. Not only is it crooked, but in a misting rain it is slicker than a pig’s snout. A funeral was ongoing in the church beside the entrance so we discreetly snapped out picture, rode to the bottom, snapped another and were on our way.
By now it is a little after 10 AM, we have traveled 322 miles and are right on schedule. Hey, we might make this thing work as planned!
Next on the list is the Pallisades, a park overlooking the Mississippi River in Savanna, IL. There is a bicycle race going on in the park so it was a constant “dodge the bicycl e game” through the park and for miles afterwards. We found the required overlook and snapped our picture. It is misting rain now and a fairly crooked road going to the overlook.
Off to Galena, IL for a photograph of US Grant’s home. We pulled into the parking lot and as we were turning around I lost my footing and over that big pig Goldwing went. Barbara stayed tucked into the back seat as the crash bars did their thing. No harm….no foul….just very embarrassing. Thanks to the guys who helped me pick the beast back up. No, you may not see a picture of my motorcycle laying on it's side like some dead or dying animal!
We got the see the World’s Largest Six Pack and the World Largest Bicycle. The smell of beer surrounding the brewery is almost overpowering. I’m sure to the locals it is the smell of money though.
It wasn’t till around 1930 and 733 miles into the rally th at we hit our first really big snag. The GPS coordinates for Wildcat Mountain were NOT where we had to go. First we rode through the park, then down a goat trail to an open meadow with campers and people frolicking the rapidly dimming daylight. This was a daylight bonus only and we were right at the edge of daylight. 5 or 6 riders had all arrived at the same time as we looked around a bit confused. A helpful camper came over and told us we were in the wrong place, gave directions to the proper overlook so off we went back down the goat trail to the correct location. This one not only required a picture, but also recording some information from one of the signs. I know of one rider who got the photo, but forgot the information and had to backtrack 50 miles to get the “right answer”.
At the point in the rally we started seeing other riders. The choices of base routes let you ride either clockwise or counterclockwise. Our route was clockwise, but now we are seeing the counterclockwise bunch.
Ok, now we’re behind schedule a bit it has started rain ing more steadily and we have a ways to go before starting our rest bonus. The next stop was Spook Hill and the instructions read “ Be very, very careful”. What in the hell does this mean? Are we gonna be attacked by zombie spiritualists as we try to take a picture of their compound? It was a bit eerie in the fading light snapping a picture but we got it and got the hell out of there. Later we would learn that the warning for to watch out for the local LEO which at least one of our riders had an opportunity to visit with on a personal level. It may have been the rider's smiling face or just the good karma surrounding a spiritualist camp, but no performance award was issued.
Off to Wisconsin Dells…..or what I quickly dubbed the Gatlingburg of Wisconsin. Tourist heaven with traffic to match and a steady rain. GPS coordinates lead us to the right place, but no ducks to be seen. We were supposed to take a picture of a WWII era DUKWS, an amphibious landing craft dubbed a DUCK by WWII soldiers. The place out of business and there were no ducks. A helpful fellow told us there was one about a mile down the road so off we went. We stopped for a picture of the sign just in case we wouldn't find a duck anywhere. Sure enough, down the road were a couple of ducks. After snapping the picture and battling a bit more traffic and rain, we stopped for gas, a snack, and a pause to hopefully allow the rain to disappear. It is right at 2100 and in the convenience store noticed a sign that said "No alcoholic beverages would be sold between 9:00 PM and 4 AM." Wonder what weird law prompted that?
It’s 2130 and 793 miles into the rally. We have to start our rest bonus by 0001 Sunday AM. We are in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin and decide we can catch one more bonus before heading to Oshkosh, WI to start the rest period.
We hit Waupun, WI to take a photo of the “End of Trail” statue. It’s dark out and the statue is big and dark color ed. There were 4 or 5 of us there at the same time pointing headlights at the statue. It took several tries but we finally got a picture that was acceptable.
Off to Oshkosh down some wicked Wisconsin backroads with weird numbers and letters. It’s dark out there with lots of deer, scattered homes, and lots of turns. Woe is us if we crash here in the middle of nowhere! The GPS navigates us straight to a Super 8 motel which just happened to be very close to our next bonus. It’s now past 2330 and we decided to start our rest period and capture the bonus in the morning. An adjacent BP station gave us a good receipt to start the rest period, we quickly checked in and crashed until 0430 when we could take off again.
0450 at the EAA Museum was a quick photo opportunity and then on the road again. Thank goodness the annual EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) Fly-In doesn’t start until July or we would have been screwed since hundreds of thousands of people pour in from all over the world.
We got to see Lake Michigan for the first time at the Fisherman’s Memorial. Expecting a rather large statue, we were a bit disappointed at the diminutive size of the fisherman….made it much harder to find him too!
We scampered around picking up as many bonus location as we could.
We rolled into Rally Headquarters with 20 odd minutes to spare. The screen shot above was taken the following morning which is why the time is screwy. The stats are accurate except for the max speed…..I know we never went that fast. I should post the picture of the one screen shot that showed us going 286 MPH. Now that would be impressive!
Bottom line…..we rode 1489 miles in 35 hours and 44 minutes. I wasn’t thinking clearly or we would have ridden the addition 10.7 miles to officially make this a Bun Burner 1500. Duhhhhhh!
Self-scoring is a Not Superman Rally oddity. Jim has developed a very complex computer program that allows you to score yourself online. You add your photos and the program calculates your points for you. Each rider’s scoresheet is verified for accuracy before the final results are published so if you failed to follow the instructions you will lose the points for that bonus.
Personally, I like the system while others many have their own views. There is something to be said about sitting down at the scoring table with that scorer glaring at you and asking if you have everything and are you ready to score.
The banquet was nice, food was enjoyable especially after not eating for 36 hours. Kudos to the winners in both the Expert and Novice Class. We finished a respectable 13th and first among those of us who choose to ride 2-Up.
The trip home Monday AM was hot to say the least. 97 as we hit Memphis traffic after a rather annoying start. We had planned to ride the Dorena-Hickman Ferry since we rode it last year and it was a neat experience plus let us cut off a bunch of miles on the way home.
Getting to the ferry isn’t easy as it is off in the middle of nowhere on the Missouri side. The GPS took us down about 10 miles of gravel road (note to self – don’t go that way again). We pulled up the ferry landing and there was a crudely hand letter sign that said the ferry was closed Monday and Tuesday and would re-open on Wednesday. Oh by the way, their website says nothing about being closed! No other signs were seen on the way in so a great big awwhh-shit goes to the Dorena Hickman Ferry folks.
Back we went to I-55, just a little 100 mile detour we really didn’t want to take.
Made it home around 7 Monday night. Hot and tired yes! Absolutely tickled that we planned and executed our route without a single change – you betcha. In all the rallies we’ve run, this is the first time we have been able to execute a plan without variance. As the saying goes – Plan your ride, ride your plan!
Bottom Line: In four days we managed to see some of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. 2467 total miles and a whole lot of smiles.
What are your going to do with your next four day weekend?
Rick and Barbara Bailey
Greensboro, Alabama
Post script to the experience. For those naysayers who are constantly warning us about the dangers of riding motorcycles. An accident can happen anywhere...anytime...during any activity.
Tuesday after our return, I was doing an appraisal on a house in Tuscaloosa. While attempting to measure a wall, I tumbled about 10' down onto a concrete pad. While it is true the guardrail on the steps wasn't securely fastened, it was my own clumsiness that led to the rapid descent. When 230 pounds of Rick hits concrete, something is gonna give and it wasn't the concrete. Once I regained my senses, I realized something was terribly amiss! My left shoulder seemed to be in the wrong place or at least it wasn't where it was supposed to be. Grade 3 separation/dislocation of the AC joint - where the collarbone attaches to the shoulder.
All the usual thrills of ambulance rides and ER visits followed. Very nice young ladies who took lots of X-rays and tolerated my rather pointed and admittedly colorful comments as they manipulated me into positions my body just refused to accept. Morphine is good, but they were kinda stingy with it I thought!
Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday morning to put the pieces parts back where they belong. In the interim, I'm making really good friends with narcotics, sleeping upright in the recliner, and trying not be too grumpy. 4-6 weeks post surgery in a sling and then some physical therapy. So, that means a couple of months off the bike! My goal is to be ready to ride to Denver in mid August for the IBA convention!
So be careful out there. You never know when an accident might find you.
Rick Bailey
June 11-14, 2010
What do you do with a four day weekend? Load up the family and go to some boring spot you have seen many times before? Lay around the house and do nothing? Why not go somewhere you’ve never been, see things you’ve never seen, and challenge your own personal limits just to
see what you can do.
see what you can do.
The challenge this time was the 2010 Not Superman Rally which kicked off in Cape Girardeau, MO. This is our 2nd Not Superman Rally and knew that it was going to take us places we had never been before. Bonus locations were received a week in advance to allow us to plan a route that would garner us the most points yet be “doable”. We planned what we thought was a very aggressive route with virtually no margin for error. The challenge was going to be executing the plan!
Part of the fun of these events is meeting old friends and acquaintances and making new ones. It is always interesting to see how other riders have their motorcycles “farkled” with both creature comforts as well as gadgets that will aid them during their quest for rather unique bonus gathering opportunities.
Jim Puckett, the Rallymaster, also more affectionately known as the "rally bastard" called the riders meeting to something resembling order at 7:30 PM Friday night. After announcing some changes and giving out additional details, we were released to make final preparations. There is always some grumbling about this and that…..entertainment from the more vocal riders….and the glazed anticipatory looks from the rookies.
Start time was 0500 so we were up at 3:45, ate a bite of breakfast, and were sitting on the bike ready to roll at start time. Jim signaled the pack to go and 36 motorcycles zipped out of the parking lot. We hung back a couple of minutes to let the air clear and started our route. We had to be back at the finish line by 1700 on Sunday. There also was a mandatory 5 hour rest bonus that had to be started before 0001 on Sunday AM.
Off we go up I-55 to our first bonus stop, Mark Twain’s boyhood home located in Hannibal, MO. Part of the challenge of these rallies is reading and interpreting the instructions given for claiming the bonus. The instructions for this one read: “Have a photograph of you taken in front of Mark Twain Boyhood Home entrance. Be sure the Lamp Post sign, green door and both green window frames are visible in the photo”. Well, the compound was still locked up, we couldn’t find a house that matched the description, so we settled for a picture that would prove we were there. The details would be sorted out at the end.
Next stop is Snake Alley in Burlington, Iowa which has been dubbed by Ripley’s Believe it or not as the Crookedest Street in the World. And trust me, they were correct. We had to take a photo of the entrance and exit. This street was built in 1894 and still has the original brick pavers. Not only is it crooked, but in a misting rain it is slicker than a pig’s snout. A funeral was ongoing in the church beside the entrance so we discreetly snapped out picture, rode to the bottom, snapped another and were on our way.
By now it is a little after 10 AM, we have traveled 322 miles and are right on schedule. Hey, we might make this thing work as planned!
Next on the list is the Pallisades, a park overlooking the Mississippi River in Savanna, IL. There is a bicycle race going on in the park so it was a constant “dodge the bicycl e game” through the park and for miles afterwards. We found the required overlook and snapped our picture. It is misting rain now and a fairly crooked road going to the overlook.
On that note we started a routine that would last the rest of the day. At each stop, we would encounter the same bunch of riders either arriving slightly before or slightly afterwards. You didn’t necessarily see each other in between, but always seemed to find the same bunch at each stop. We each had different fuel needs so when we stopped, they didn’t and vice versa.
Dubuque, Iowa is the next stop for a picture of a paddlewheel. A little confusing getting there since the GPS would tell us one way when we clearly needed to cross the bridge. There were 4 or 5 of us whizzing around, stopping to punch the GPS, then off again. Get in and out of the parking lot was even challenging, but we managed without too much cussing. It’s now 1430, 521 miles into the rally and we are a little ahead of schedule. Cool beans!
I won’t bore you with all the details of the next few stops but we managed to snag several more bonuses. Pikes Peak was on the list and we shared the park with a wedding party. I’m sure the bride was mortified at this bunch of weir d motorcycle folks running around in all the gear and helmets. We didn’t bother her wedding though! Reading comprehension is always one of the challenges when rallying. The instructions clearly stated the picture had to be taken to the right of the stone with the plaque on it. The discussion that followed would have confused Laurel and Hardy. Which right? The right in the photograph or the right side when standing beside the rock?
We got the see the World’s Largest Six Pack and the World Largest Bicycle. The smell of beer surrounding the brewery is almost overpowering. I’m sure to the locals it is the smell of money though.
It wasn’t till around 1930 and 733 miles into the rally th at we hit our first really big snag. The GPS coordinates for Wildcat Mountain were NOT where we had to go. First we rode through the park, then down a goat trail to an open meadow with campers and people frolicking the rapidly dimming daylight. This was a daylight bonus only and we were right at the edge of daylight. 5 or 6 riders had all arrived at the same time as we looked around a bit confused. A helpful camper came over and told us we were in the wrong place, gave directions to the proper overlook so off we went back down the goat trail to the correct location. This one not only required a picture, but also recording some information from one of the signs. I know of one rider who got the photo, but forgot the information and had to backtrack 50 miles to get the “right answer”.
At the point in the rally we started seeing other riders. The choices of base routes let you ride either clockwise or counterclockwise. Our route was clockwise, but now we are seeing the counterclockwise bunch.
Ok, now we’re behind schedule a bit it has started rain ing more steadily and we have a ways to go before starting our rest bonus. The next stop was Spook Hill and the instructions read “ Be very, very careful”. What in the hell does this mean? Are we gonna be attacked by zombie spiritualists as we try to take a picture of their compound? It was a bit eerie in the fading light snapping a picture but we got it and got the hell out of there. Later we would learn that the warning for to watch out for the local LEO which at least one of our riders had an opportunity to visit with on a personal level. It may have been the rider's smiling face or just the good karma surrounding a spiritualist camp, but no performance award was issued.
It’s 2130 and 793 miles into the rally. We have to start our rest bonus by 0001 Sunday AM. We are in the middle of nowhere Wisconsin and decide we can catch one more bonus before heading to Oshkosh, WI to start the rest period.
We hit Waupun, WI to take a photo of the “End of Trail” statue. It’s dark out and the statue is big and dark color ed. There were 4 or 5 of us there at the same time pointing headlights at the statue. It took several tries but we finally got a picture that was acceptable.
Off to Oshkosh down some wicked Wisconsin backroads with weird numbers and letters. It’s dark out there with lots of deer, scattered homes, and lots of turns. Woe is us if we crash here in the middle of nowhere! The GPS navigates us straight to a Super 8 motel which just happened to be very close to our next bonus. It’s now past 2330 and we decided to start our rest period and capture the bonus in the morning. An adjacent BP station gave us a good receipt to start the rest period, we quickly checked in and crashed until 0430 when we could take off again.
0450 at the EAA Museum was a quick photo opportunity and then on the road again. Thank goodness the annual EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) Fly-In doesn’t start until July or we would have been screwed since hundreds of thousands of people pour in from all over the world.
If you have never really learned how many things a digital camera can do, you really should experiment. Trying to take this photo with a flash would have never worked. No flash, slow shutter speed and in almost
total darkness, you get one that works. Amazing!
Pretty much on schedule now, 12 hours left to the finish line and about 650 miles to go. Thank goodness
there is a whole lot of interstate between here and there! By now the pack has thinned out somewhat, but we are still meeting the same folks at bonus locations and obviously are going to the same spots on the way back to Cape Girardeau. So we leapfrog each other for the next 12 hours.
We got to see Lake Michigan for the first time at the Fisherman’s Memorial. Expecting a rather large statue, we were a bit disappointed at the diminutive size of the fisherman….made it much harder to find him too!
We scampered around picking up as many bonus location as we could.
Now on to the only mandatory bonus in the bunch. The proceeds from the Not Superman Rally this year were to go to the memory of Alyson Hiles Thillemann, a young lady who lost a very courageous 4 year battle with cancer at the age of 19. The proceeds were to fund the placement of a black granite headstone with flower vase. I’m happy to say that we were able to do just that!!!! We were met at the gravesite by her uncle which was a pretty neat thing in itself. He was there and met if not all, then most of the riders who came through. This must have been one heck of a brave young lady!
On that note, every rally that we have participated in donate any profits to some form of charitable organization. It is always rewarding to know that not only are we having fun, but are doing good at the same time.
We stopped for one more bonus – Barbara hates clowns! Her contention is they are just plain weird and spooky and I must admit that I have to agree.
One last bonus stop before the finish line. The Springfield Miles located on the Illinois State Fairgrounds. GPS took us to a gate which indicated entry was authorized only to “horse” people. Awwwwhh heck, we might look at a horse so that qualified us.
It’s 1310, we are in Springfield, IL and have to be in Cape Girardeau in 3 hours and 50 minutes which is 217 miles away. We toyed with the idea of detouring to pick up one more bonus but wisely decided against it. We droned down the interstate watch the clock tick as the miles rolled under us. The GPS says we will arrive with 24 minutes to spare. Sure hope there isn’t a traffic backup somewhere! At this point, the temperature is steadily climbing. From right at 60 earlier in the morning, to the mid 90's as we flew through St. Louis. 60 is much more comfortable!
We rolled into Rally Headquarters with 20 odd minutes to spare. The screen shot above was taken the following morning which is why the time is screwy. The stats are accurate except for the max speed…..I know we never went that fast. I should post the picture of the one screen shot that showed us going 286 MPH. Now that would be impressive!
Bottom line…..we rode 1489 miles in 35 hours and 44 minutes. I wasn’t thinking clearly or we would have ridden the addition 10.7 miles to officially make this a Bun Burner 1500. Duhhhhhh!
Self-scoring is a Not Superman Rally oddity. Jim has developed a very complex computer program that allows you to score yourself online. You add your photos and the program calculates your points for you. Each rider’s scoresheet is verified for accuracy before the final results are published so if you failed to follow the instructions you will lose the points for that bonus.
Personally, I like the system while others many have their own views. There is something to be said about sitting down at the scoring table with that scorer glaring at you and asking if you have everything and are you ready to score.
The banquet was nice, food was enjoyable especially after not eating for 36 hours. Kudos to the winners in both the Expert and Novice Class. We finished a respectable 13th and first among those of us who choose to ride 2-Up.
The trip home Monday AM was hot to say the least. 97 as we hit Memphis traffic after a rather annoying start. We had planned to ride the Dorena-Hickman Ferry since we rode it last year and it was a neat experience plus let us cut off a bunch of miles on the way home.
Getting to the ferry isn’t easy as it is off in the middle of nowhere on the Missouri side. The GPS took us down about 10 miles of gravel road (note to self – don’t go that way again). We pulled up the ferry landing and there was a crudely hand letter sign that said the ferry was closed Monday and Tuesday and would re-open on Wednesday. Oh by the way, their website says nothing about being closed! No other signs were seen on the way in so a great big awwhh-shit goes to the Dorena Hickman Ferry folks.
Back we went to I-55, just a little 100 mile detour we really didn’t want to take.
Made it home around 7 Monday night. Hot and tired yes! Absolutely tickled that we planned and executed our route without a single change – you betcha. In all the rallies we’ve run, this is the first time we have been able to execute a plan without variance. As the saying goes – Plan your ride, ride your plan!
Bottom Line: In four days we managed to see some of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. 2467 total miles and a whole lot of smiles.
What are your going to do with your next four day weekend?
Rick and Barbara Bailey
Greensboro, Alabama
Post script to the experience. For those naysayers who are constantly warning us about the dangers of riding motorcycles. An accident can happen anywhere...anytime...during any activity.
Tuesday after our return, I was doing an appraisal on a house in Tuscaloosa. While attempting to measure a wall, I tumbled about 10' down onto a concrete pad. While it is true the guardrail on the steps wasn't securely fastened, it was my own clumsiness that led to the rapid descent. When 230 pounds of Rick hits concrete, something is gonna give and it wasn't the concrete. Once I regained my senses, I realized something was terribly amiss! My left shoulder seemed to be in the wrong place or at least it wasn't where it was supposed to be. Grade 3 separation/dislocation of the AC joint - where the collarbone attaches to the shoulder.
All the usual thrills of ambulance rides and ER visits followed. Very nice young ladies who took lots of X-rays and tolerated my rather pointed and admittedly colorful comments as they manipulated me into positions my body just refused to accept. Morphine is good, but they were kinda stingy with it I thought!
Surgery is scheduled for Wednesday morning to put the pieces parts back where they belong. In the interim, I'm making really good friends with narcotics, sleeping upright in the recliner, and trying not be too grumpy. 4-6 weeks post surgery in a sling and then some physical therapy. So, that means a couple of months off the bike! My goal is to be ready to ride to Denver in mid August for the IBA convention!
So be careful out there. You never know when an accident might find you.
Rick Bailey
