Ken Meese

As mentioned, the Iron Butt Rally is all about making the best choices out of difficult and often conflicting circumstances.

As much as we try to focus solely on the ride and the road ahead, Life still happens, whether we’re paying attention or not.

Dayle had planned to spend the week with her elderly mother while I was galavanting around the country. Unfortunately, before Dayle had landed in PA, her mom was hospitalized.

Family matters. Certainly more than some game of chasing imaginary points around the country on two wheels.

I set one GPS to Carlisle, PA to see how quickly I could get there if needed. And I realized that while I was pushing hard to get to some random town in NY by some arbitrary 5 pm deadline, I could simply turn south and be with my wife and mother-in-law by 5 pm instead. In fact, I had crossed PA twice the day before and once already on this leg, so it seemed silly to keep running around in circles for some game while Life was happening just a few hours away from me.

I called Dayle and told her I was dropping out of the Rally to come and be there for her and her mom.

She insisted that I continue on the Rally, that she had everything under control, and that even her mom was following my tracker and wanted to see me do well.

I reluctantly agreed, knowing that my loop around the northeast would keep me close to PA if anything should change. So I stayed the course, and we decided to reevaluate in the morning while I would still be close to them if needed.

And then Dayle went in to see her mom, and to speak with the doctors and counselors. And while her mom was in good spirits, it became clear that she wasn’t likely to come home again. Life catches up with us all, eventually.

So we talked. Then I called the Rally Master and told her that I was safe, the bike was fine, but I was dropping out of the Rally. I was still four hours away from Carlisle, and I was still fighting too little sleep. And the last thing Dayle needed was her mom and her husband in the hospital at the same time…

So I stopped at the next town, grabbed a room, and got a solid two hours of sleep. I then made my way south through PA to be where I needed to be, and to give Dayle the biggest hug ever.

I’m disappointed about the Rally, to be sure. But there will always be another Rally. There will never be other parents.

So go call your parents right now, if they’re still around. And go hug them if you can.

And if you can’t, then pull out the photo albums and home movies and spend some time with them anyway.

Because it matters.

My efficient Leg 1 ride had paid off with an impressive 3rd place overall, barely one bonus behind Jim Owen in 1st place. Nice. Still, that was a lot of miles, and I knew that I couldn’t keep up that same pace for the entire 11 days.

Leg 2 started in Carmel, IN and ended in Huntsville, AL 2 1/2 days later. As expected, most of the bonuses were in the northeast and along the eastern seaboard. That allowed for a big clockwise loop up into NY and down the coast, before turning west towards AL. There were some nice points in ME, but that was a bit too far out. Plus I wanted to make the NC bonus, which was part of a combo that was worth an extra 5,831 points.

Since NC was part of the rally-wide bonus listing, we had all that information from the beginning of the Rally. As I prepped my laptop and GPS for the leg 2 planning session, I decided to look at a couple of NC scenarios. It was just a bit too far to go directly from checkpoint 1 and try to reach Kitty Hawk, NC on a Friday afternoon by 5 pm. It was also just a bit too far to leave Kitty Hawk on Sunday morning and reach the checkpoint in time that evening. So NC would have to be on Saturday. The only question was whether I would hit NC right at opening, leaving me lots of time and miles to gather things in the south on the way in to the checkpoint, or whether I could arrange my daylight timing to maximize my eastern seaboard points and hit NC nearer to closing, with plenty of time to get to the checkpoint. And yes, ME was just too far out there.

Then I looked up, and realized it was 11:30 pm and I had to be up at 3:30 am to get the next leg’s bonuses. Shit. There went 3 hours of much-needed sleep. Bad call on my part…

I went right to bed, but knew that I was still tired as we received the bonus listings. Some quick planning showed that I could make a 5 pm cutoff bonus in central NY and then get a daylight-only bonus just to the east before turning south. If I could push through to midnight, I could get my leg 2 rest bonus and get caught back up on my sleep, then hit the eastern seaboard in daylight and grab NC just before it closed at 5 pm.

It was a good plan, with good points and some options to either extend or pull back, depending on how things were going and how I was feeling.

And I was having trouble executing. That lack of sleep at the checkpoint hammered me all the way across IN, OH, PA, and NY. At one point, I pulled into a truck pull-out area and slept for half an hour, just because I was having trouble focusing on the road. That helped, but I was still a bit tired and out of focus. Plus it used up all my time cushion to get to the NY bonus before the 5 pm cutoff.

Now I’d done something similar in 2017, where I stopped 6 hours into the second leg and got a motel to get some solid sleep because continuing on would have been stupid and dangerous. Refreshed, I went on to complete that leg with the second highest points.

I figured if I could make the NY bonus on time, then I’d look at the next daylight-only bonus 3 hours down the road. If I could make that, I’d look at where I’d be at midnight to start my proper rest bonus. And if needed, I could always just stop where I was and get the sleep I needed, even if it cost me some points overall. I know as well as anyone that none of the bonuses count if you don’t make it safely to the next checkpoint…

Just as in life, the Iron Butt Rally is all about making the best choices out of difficult and often conflicting circumstances. Scores of riders head out from the start location in search of their best ride, based on their own strengths and known limitations. Some riders will take an aggressive approach, chasing far-flung bonuses under difficult conditions for big points. Some will be more conservative, going after things they know they can achieve. And some will ride to Key West, despite all advice against it.

I planned a strong first leg, moving north from Provo UT, up through ID and across MT, ND, and MN, then dropping down through WI and IL. Once I reached the Great Lakes, I had choices. My main route gave me lots of sleep time and put me in Buffalo, NY on Thursday at sunrise to catch a big daylight-only bonus in Detroit. From there, I’d cross through PA, WV, and OH on my way to the checkpoint in Carmel, IN. It was a good plan, with good points.

It would also be the longest I’d spend on a bike since I beat cancer, so I was quite aware of my ongoing fatigue issues and personal limitations. I had the option of dropping Buffalo if I just wasn’t feeling up to the big miles. Having options often makes it easier to continue on the big path, and defer big decisions until later, once you have more information.

So I headed north, then east, then south, picking up every big and small bonus I could find. Quite a few Iron Butt riders had similar plans, as I saw many of them on the road and at various bonuses these first few hours and days. As one GPS remained focused on my big Buffalo bonus, the other just looked one or two bonuses ahead. The biggest meals are still eaten one bite at a time. Or in this case, one mile at a time.

The bike was performing well, I was feeling good, the bonuses were bagged, and the miles melted away. Being back in Rally mode was comfortable, like falling off a bicycle. So I pushed north on that first day, then carefully east across MT that first night (so many deer), then further east and south the second day until I ran out of daylight. And I realized that I was two bonuses ahead of where I’d planned to be for the first rest bonus on Wednesday. So I headed across WI to set myself up for the next daylight-only bonus in Waukesha, and to settle in for some much needed rest.

The classic entry level Iron Butt Association ride is the SaddleSore: 1,000 miles in 24 hours. At highway speeds on good roads, that can be done in 14-15 hours, plus whatever stops you make.

An extreme ride is the BunBurner Gold: 1,500 miles in 24 hours. And let me tell you, it’s much tougher than just a SaddleSore and a half. Basically, you have keep moving the entire 24 hours, and absolutely minimize any stopped time.

Some quick calculations at the rest stop hotel showed that I had covered 2,308 miles in 36 hours. That’s a full BunBurner Gold ride, then another half of one immediately afterwards. Even I know that’s just plan nuts…

My overall average was 64 mph for that section, including bonus stops (under a minute if I’m lucky and can see the bonus from the saddle), and fuel stops (3-4 minutes if I can see the gas station from the highway). Just keep the wheels moving, and keep moving forward.

It also meant that my big Buffalo daylight-only bonus was easily in reach. In fact, if things continued to go well, I might be able to get there Wednesday at sunset, rather than Thursday at sunrise. But that would leave a big hole in my schedule, as I’d be sitting at the WV daylight only bonus for 4-5 hours, waiting for the sun to rise. Time for another rest if I needed it.

But what if I didn’t need it? What else might I be able to claim with this extra few precious hours? Then I noticed three 24-hour bonuses sitting down near Washington D.C. A quick calculation showed that if I could bag Buffalo Wednesday evening, I’d be able to drop down into D.C. and then pop back up to my PA bonus and still be on schedule for the checkpoint, with an extra 10% added to my points total. That’s the difference between a good ride and a great ride.

I also realized that I might be able to do this and still get the full 8-hour rest bonus, maximizing my rest bonus points and more importantly, maximizing my sleep.

So I was in bed by midnight and up, packed, and out the door precisely at 8 am. I reached Buffalo exactly at sunset, then crossed PA, dropped into D.C. by sunrise and was back on schedule by the time I hit WV.

In fact, I was a bit early. Hmm, anything else I can grab? I knew there were two bonuses an hour north of the checkpoint hotel. My GPS said I could make those bonuses and still get into the checkpoint around 7:30 pm. That’s a bit close to the 8 pm penalty points window, but the extra points could also be the difference between a great ride and a podium-level ride. So north I went.

I managed to run into two-time IBR winner Jim Owen at one of the IN bonuses. He mentioned that he’d looked at going to Buffalo, but decided that it was just a bit too far. I casually replied “Yeah, going all the way to Buffalo, then going down to D.C. and back would be pretty dumb, right?” Hmm…

I pulled into the checkpoint right at 7:20, after having fueled up so I’d be ready to go first thing in the morning. I quickly cleaned up my bonus listing and had a huge salad, then went in to scoring.

No lost points for extraneous pictures, all bonuses checked out, maximum points for the rest bonus. Nice. And right at 4,505 miles. That’s three BunBurner Golds, interrupted by a single 8-hour sleep. Wow.

And now I needed sleep. As much as I could get. With scoring completed, the bike was prepped and I was in the room by 8:30. Much appreciation to the Rally volunteers for keeping check-in and scoring extremely efficient. Even at the checkpoints, minutes matter…

I flew from PDX to IAD and then drove 2 hours today, and now I have insomnia so I was able to ping Ken about the restults of the first leg.

He’s in third place! behind previous winner Jim Owen and someone else. Ken didn’t have time to talk, as he was busy routing for leg 2.

Okay, it’s after 4 a.m. and I’ll try sleeping again despite this excitement.

xo Dayle

Ken sounded like he had a great day. He’s well ahead of his schedule, which means he might be able to grab an extra bonus with nice points. The weather has been good—not too hot, no rain.

Tonight he’s getting a good night’s sleep (with a sleep bonus) because he’s hitting a daylight-only bonus in the morning. He did get pretty tired about an hour from his destination, but he made it in safely, and that’s all I care about at this point. (Okay, I’m squeeing because he’s doing well for his plan.)

Checkpoint 1 is in Carmel, Indiana, on Thursday by 8 p.m.; after that, there are penalties until 10 p.m., and after that, riders are DQ’d. Ken’s goal—which he’s had during every IBR—is to get in about 5 p.m., fill himself with as much salad/healthy veg as he can, go over his route information, and then get scored.

The IBR’s official update for the day is here.

xo Dayle

Day 1 seems to be going well. Ken started out rested, and has a solid route planned. He actually has two: a more aggressive route, and a route for if he doesn’t feel up to it. There’s a spot where he can turn one way for more bonuses/points or where he can head for the checkpoint. He’s also in good spirits—but he sounds really hoarse because he’s been talking too much! I suppose it’s something we’re all dealing with as we re-enter society after Covid, especially when we end up an event with many friends.

I think it’s safe to say he made the group photo bonus, which a good percentage of riders did. I haven’t seen the picture yet, but I suspect it’ll be on the IBR website soon.

Also on that website, if you click on “Start Photos by Tobie Stevens,” you can see Ken in photo #25.

xo Dayle

Ken asked me to share this here:

Just a small but important reminder: Do not share my spot tracking link with anyone, and don’t post my current location anywhere.

This is for your own information only.

If any of my detailed tracking info goes public or gets posted to any social media, I will be penalized points from my IBR ride.

Sunday evening, the riders got their rally packs, which contain the bonuses for the rally. Some are Leg 1 only, some are for the whole rally. As always, check out the IBR website for updates and explanations. There’s some cool stuff there already, including a photo of all the riders. Ken is in the front row, wearing his blue “Keep Calm and Ride On” shirt and grey “Meese 1 Cancer 0” hat.

The theme of the rally, per the IBR website, is “‘Miles of Progress’ and the intent is to find bonuses with historical significance in innovation and progress for the human condition.” Sounds fun! Jeff Earls is a great rally master when it comes to themes and challenges.

Because of Covid, Canada (and thus Alaska) aren’t part of the rally this year.

I spoke to Ken at about 11:30 p.m. Utah time. He’d figured out his plan/route, and was on target to be in bed by midnight. He was calm but enthusiastic, probably the best combination of emotions. He expected to get about 7.5 hours of sleep (which is solid for him). He’s also figured out where he can get a sleep bonus.

The next checkpoint is in Indiana on Thursday, I believe. I’ll be en route to PA to visit my ailing mother, so apologies ahead of time if my posts that day are late.