2021 BMW MOA Rally - Great Falls, MT
This ride was my biggest and longest ever but the mapping is messy because of some trouble I had adapting to the new Spotwalla infrastructure. About midway through the ride I figured out why Bubbler GPS wasn't sending updates to Spotwalla so rather than posting up a comprehensive Spotwalla map I've got a screenshot of the ride from Google Maps. Not ideal but you'll at least be able to see my figure eight ride course. My friend Brian rode with me the entire way and offered good guidance and suggestions when it came time for my first Iron Butt Association ride - a SaddleSore 1000.
With the disclaimer out of the way here's what went on over the course of 10 days. The ride started on Friday, June 18 with a "pre-ride" from home to Smith Center, KS. This was a "pre-ride" because it's purpose was to get us close to the start of the Smackdab Run. The Smackdab run started Saturday, June 19 in Lebanon, KS - the geographical center of the 48 contiguous United States to Rugby, ND - the geographical center of the North American continent. The Smackdab Run is, basically, a straight shot up Highway 281 and was pretty uneventful. We completed the ride without incident and then spent the night in Rugby.
The next day, Sunday June 20, Hardin, MT was the destination. We decided to head for Hardin so we'd be close to the Little Bighorn Battlefield. We spent the night at the KOA in Hardin, broke camp Monday morning, and went a few miles down the road to the Little Bighorn Battlefield monument. We spent a couple of hours looking at the museum and then riding the tour road so we could see where the soldiers and native Americans fell in battle. It was quite somber. After returning to the front gate and capturing a Coddiwomple picture we were off to Bozeman. Bozeman is home to the Museum of the Rockies where we got to see their permanent exhibit of dinosaur fossiles and a temporary exhibit of Viking artifacts. Hard to go wrong with Vikings and dinosaurs!
The next stop was Helena, MT for a night in a motel and laundry! After that it was on to Great Falls and the 2021 BMW MOA Rally. That was four days of looking at motorcycles, shopping in the vendor marketplace, attending seminars, eating, and drinking beer. Not a bad way to spend the better part of a week!
Finally the time had come to attempt my first SaddleSore 1000. The goal was to ride from Great Falls, MT to Sioux City, IA - or 1,000 miles - in less than 24 hours. As of this writing all I can say for certain is that I have submitted my application and am hoping for the best.
After Sioux City, IA the 300 mile ride home seemed like a short jaunt down the Interstate. Otus is now tucked away, my laundry is caught up, and the last thing I have left to do is to make sure my camping gear is dry and ready for my next long ride.
