Last year my friend Craig Warner and I, along with a few friends, took on our first Iron Butt ride. At the time we chose the least intimidating and shortest of the sanctioned rides the Saddlesore 1000. Some 17 hours later and a little saddle sore we put a check-mark next to that feat with no thoughts of doing anything other than celebrating our accomplishment.

That is until February this year when I got into a conversation with Jason and John at Deluxe Harley Davidson of Casper. Jason wanted to know what rides I had planned for the year and which Harley I needed to complete them all. We talked about a ride to Salt Lake City with the student athletes participating in the Annual Shrine Bowl, we chatted about a run to the wall with the Vietnam Vets in July and of course put on the schedule time in Sundance for the Burnout and Sturgis Bike Rally, but what they really wanted to know was which Iron Butt Ride was scheduled for this year.

Now after last years ride and the hours in the seat and the stiff back somewhere in my diminishing memory banks, I had not given a lot of thought to another Iron Butt.

Taking a look at the rides available for certification, the obvious next progression would take us to the Bunburner which is 1500 miles in 36 hours. Again my feeble mind kicked in and the thought came to me,

If we are going to go 1500 miles in 36 hours, why not try the Bunburner Gold and go 1500 miles in 24 hours?

I know funny how a mind works. After a quick call to my buddy Craig Warner, it was settled that we would Go For The Gold!

Keeping in mind that I am a pretty conservative fellow and am well aware of my limitations, both physically and mentally, it was important to know that a fall back plan like the 36 hour completion time is still a possibility. Because really this is supposed to be fun and safety does figure into that equation.

Iron Butt does list this ride as XTREME and requires that a ride of lesser magnitude be taken before attempting one of this length just so the rider has a clear picture or how difficult a ride of this duration can be. With the Saddlesore 1000 last year we consider ourselves educated on the hardships ahead.

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Of course with the proper ride an adventure like this wont be any shorter but it can be a lot more comfortable. Chuck, Jason and John put their heads together and came up with a bike that would fit well for all the rides I have planned this summer. The Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Limited fits that bill. With a comfy seat , a loud stereo , plenty of power and cruise control the bike is well equipped for 150 miles or 1500 miles. But just to make sure, the fellas have added new pipes for noise and new heads and cams for more horsepower. I will share my thoughts on that after the ride.

Our plan is to leave Saturday morning June 23rd at 3AM, travel south to Cheyenne (I-25), West to Ogden, Ut (I-80) , North to Butte, Mt by way of Idaho Falls, come back east on I-90 to Billings and then South to Casper (I-25). Averaging 70 MPH ,which would include 9 short stops, we are looking at 21 hours and 34 minutes for completion putting us back in Casper shortly after midnight Saturday night. Last year we finished with a celebratory gathering at a local watering hole, this year we will see how the trip goes. We will be posting on Facebook, both my personal page and the K2 radio page, as we travel. These will be short posts done during quick stops so that we can maximize our time.

Wish us luck, pray for our sanity to return and know that whatever you are doing on Saturday, I hope you will be enjoying your hours  as much as  I will be mine.

Here are a few pics from last years ride.

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