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View Full Version : b2b_insanity is...... well, insanity!!!!



towneh
Sat Jun 26th, 2004, 12:05 PM
WEll, I just got home from my border-to-border insanity ride.... Insanity is terming it nicely; I made it by 20 minutes because of little things that happened..... got some nice seasonings in mexico and some kick-butt dark chocolate in canada!!!! I'll be heading for Salidia around 1 o'clock via 285......
more details later, :D :D :D
henry

Harry Biker
Sat Jun 26th, 2004, 10:21 PM
Any chocolate left??

Very NICE Mr. T!!!!!! Glad to hear the tushy is yet again READY TO RIDE!

towneh
Sun Jun 27th, 2004, 08:24 PM
nope, no chocolate left and...... i made the time slot by 8 minutes
start was in Otay Mesa, Mexico at 2005 pacific time on june 23rd
finish was in Coutts, Alberta at 2057 central time on june 24th

here is an account of the ride....

B2B_Insanity by way of Otay Mesa, Mexico to Coutts, Alberta

I pulled into the Super 8 on Palm Ave. in San Diego around 3:45 pm on Tuesday June 22nd. All of the staff was out on the sidewalk smoking and chatting. After shutting the bike down. I pulled my reservation paperwork out of my clipboard and starting walking to the lobby doorway. A short, black gal with many piercings stubbed her cigarette and shouted out loudly, "Alright, I got me a customer!" So began my friendship with Toya and her co-workers. She was glad to see that I had all of my papers and stated that my room would be ready for me in 15 minutes. I came back about an hour later after unpacking the bike and taking a shower.

I explained to Toya my intent to cross into Mexico and she introduced me to Saundra who lived near the crossing at Otay Mesa. I got maps and detailed instructions to the Pemex/AMPM store, a crash-course in minimal Spanish, and some tips for expedient crossings in and out of Mexico. Saundra suggested I buy a 12oz coffee because it is always 1 US dollar. JD suggested that I avoid purchasing the Mexican Insurance because many are not legit. His tip was to get off the main-drags as soon as possible… Like California, lane-splitting was advised for the checkpoints and JD pointed out that it was easiest to take the lanes furthest from the truck checkpoints. Everyone agreed that San Yesidio was more apt to be crowded at any time and that all of the border entries were congested between 5 and 7 pm.

I made a Reconn of the #30 firestation on Coronado Avenue which was enroute to Otay Mesa. I found out that the station staff was out on call and that no one was there to answer my questions. I went out to a Mexican restaurant where I had a fine burrito plate, etc. afterwhich I made a Reconn trip to Otay Mesa. Wow, it was noisy, dusty, and pretty busy. I followed the instructions that I had received and all went well. I returned to the Super 8 without a problem to sleep for about 10 hours.

Originally, I had planned on a witness from the firestation and Lou Caspary. When I discovered that Lou lived about 40 miles from my crossing, I got lazy. I thanked him for his insight regarding my plans and opted for #30. I was packed by 3:00 pm Wednesday June 23rd, said my goodbys to my newfound friends at the Super 8, and rode over to firestation #30. One of the fire techs was eager to sign my witness sheet for the start of the ride. I packed away all of my electronics stuff and got back on Palm Avenue to 805 South for 905 to Otay Mesa. As I approached the border, I stopped at World Petrol to top-off my tank. I chilled out for almost 3 hours in the shade of the gas station. At about 7:00 pm, I pulled into the stream of traffic that was heading for the crossing. Yes, stay clear of the trucks because they seem only concerned about other trucks. Most of the cars and trucks look pretty beat-up. I turned on every light I had and the little kiddies were pointing at me in my fireman/haz-mat suit (Aerostich Lime).

I took the first exit after the inspection station and rode up to the Pemex/AMPM station, taking the parking spot at the door of the shop. Originally, it was my intent to start the ride with a purchase at 10:00 pm but it was only 7:30 pm. The more I stayed, the more uncomfortable I felt. A guy who was working the fuel service lines with an open tray of pastries approached me. He started jabbering about his tray of goodies and I didn’t know what to say to him…. My lessons included phrases regarding the border station, procuring a receipt, and asking the location of the bathroom. I simply told him that I did not understand Spanish. With that, the whole crew of service attendants came over with one who acted as a spokesman for them. He was fluent in English and they had a million and one questions…. Then, the security guard came out and asked me what I was doing. I suddenly got this really uneasy feeling and looking at my watch I saw that it was 8:00 pm; I told the guard that I had to buy something. He told me to buy it and go. I did just that. I got my coffee and receipt at 8:05 pm, handed the coffee to one of the guys standing there, put on my gear, and pulled out into the traffic. I made a beeline for the intersection for the crossing, made the turn, and lane-split for the right-most checkpoint. After about a 10-minute wait, a few questions, etc. I pulled into the US with a breath of relief. I pulled into a parking lot on 905 to connect up my GPS and radar detector. I turned north on 805, east on 8 to intersect with 15 for my long, northward trek. Traffic was there but it was manageable and it was almost nonexistent by the time I reached the San Bernardino National Forest.

I got confused at one of my fuel stops; the ramps were labeled with destinations instead of simply North or South and I took an unnecessary 6-mile loop because of it. I made a mental note of that event so that I wouldn’t do that again. As usual, the stops became methodical… fuel up, check the receipt, make the log entry, potty-break if needed, look at the tires/luggage/chain, a drink of water, suit-up, and squeeze the luber bottle as I pulled away. Everything was running fine and as scheduled by MS Streets and Trips until I encountered the traffic jam south of Salt Lake City. Lane-splitting was not an option and it was starting to get hot at about 10:00 am. I was tired and the stop-go strain was taking its toll on me. I pulled over for my first of several IBA motel naps. By noon, I got back to the traffic where one of the truckers told me that there was a 5-car pile up just below Interstate 80. Soon we returned to a normal flow and I winced at my loss of time. Later, south of Dubois, ID, a squalline that included a torrent of wind and sleet hit me. I found that counter-steering measures work well to recover from those sideways blasts….

I have a whole new respect for the state on Montana; it has twisties that were the best thing to wake me up and make the ride fun again! I don’t know why they post speed limits because if anything; they are nothing more than a formality. Nothing ever triggered my detector and most of the time there was nobody on the road. Well, except for the blue-haired senior citizen who could barely see over the steering wheel of her late 60’s steelblue Oldsmobile Delta 88 who blew by me well over 110 mph. I saw her at my next fuel stop, sipping on a Slurpy…. She smiled, waived, climbed into her blue-bomb, and sped away. With that, I figured I could pick up the pace a bit and maybe restore some of my lost time. People were unbelievably courteous to me; even in the construction zones. For my brief glimpses, I could have sworn that I was in Ireland; lush green intermingled with rock outcroppings.

As I approached the crossing at Sweetgrass on Thursday June 24th, I couldn’t help but to notice that it was a very remote site. I was the only vehicle there and as I pulled off my gloves I looked at my watch to note that the 24-hour frame had 30 minutes remaining…. I answered the bevy of the usual questions and thought I was scott-free;--nope, I got handed a yellow slip and was asked to park my bike in a side slot for processing. My hopes were fleeting at this point but things happen…. They returned my passport in about three minutes and when asked where I could buy a snack I got a snappy response "You could probably get something at the Duty-Free shop right over there... that white building with the red stripe about it." There it was, less than 200 yards away! I hustled over and bought a bar of fudge chocolate for my lovely wife. The clock on the wall said 8:57 and everything seemed golden ‘til I looked at the timestamp on the receipt. It said 4:57 pm!!!! I explained that I needed an accurate time on the receipt and they responded that the best they could do was write me a note explaining the fault. And so, that is how my ride finished…. or so I thought.

I had assured Dick Fish that I would call him as I approached the northern border to optimize our time for the witness process. Since I didn’t think I was going to make it, I did not call him. So, I decided to call him and apologize for my failing. He was happy to hear from me and willing to witness for my ride. Both Dick and his wife Irene went out of their way to meet me at the border for the paperwork. I was fading fast and they were very hospitable; offering a guestroom at their residence. I chose to decline their invitation because I was to the "path of least resistance" for a place to crash. I’m probably not a good social creature when I’m at that point…. All was well and I turned southward back to the US for the O’Haire Manor in Shelby, Montana. Pleasant dreams indeed!!!!

Nick_Ninja
Sun Jun 27th, 2004, 09:16 PM
Great Job :up:

riverock
Mon Jun 28th, 2004, 11:23 AM
wow!!!