Presentation to Houston BMW Club

Jan Daub, the President of the BMW Club of Houston, has asked me to give a presentation on long distance riding to the club members during their monthly meeting.  The meeting starts at 7pm a the Spaghetti Western Italian Cafe.  The 20 minute presentation is designed to introduce the Iron Butt Association and Rally as well as outlining the three preps for long distance riding.  The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.



I recently signed up for Spot Tracking service.   I will be testing the Spot OK and tracking function on the way to and from Houston to get familiar with how it will work.   I am required to have it for the Not Superman Rally that I'm doing week of the 23rd of July.  It's a 4.5 day endurance rally with mandatory speed and rest elements.  Should give me lots of "on the clock" practice for the 2013 Iron Butt Rally.  The Not Superman Rally will be my third competitive motorcycle rally, not that I'm competing with anyone but myself.

As you can see the Spot Tracking didn't work out so well.  I called Spot and they fixed the problem with the data base.  My next trip will include the tracking feature.

Ride Planning

RIDECRAFT:  The collection of knowledge, skills and abilities used by a long distance motorcycle rider to maintain a consistent ride pace, manage risk and achieve navigational objectives.

A lot of my riding adventures are something more than just heading out onto the road.  Most of them are purposeful events that require detailed planning to achieve the desired objective of the ride.  To that end I enjoy the planning process.   The planning part to me is as much fun as the ride itself.  I don't use the plans as a ridged schedule but rather at guide for the ride.

I have always planned my long motorcycle rides.  But, it was being selected to participate in "The World's Toughest Motorcycle Rally", 2011, that really kicked my planning efforts into high gear.  I was trained in the US Army as an aviation operations specialist so I had a good foundation for planning.  I needed to translate that training into the two dimensional world of motorcycle touring.  I use a detailed planning approach.  My goal is to organize the time, speed and distance calculations to identify the timing of the ride.  Whether the ride is a fun vacation excursion or something as intense as a competitive endurance motorcycle rally, for me planning is important.    What follows is my approach to planning. See the Organizing Framework posting for outline of LD riding on the clock.

I use Garmin MapSource BaseCamp and sometimes Microsoft Excel as tools to help plan a ride. I plot out the routes and waypoints in BaseCamp.  Timing the route(s) allows me to organize the ride plan to more closely match actual riding time.  BaseCamp provides only distance and travel time for that distance.  It does not account for fuel stops, taking time at waypoints to perform a task or time spent resting.  Accounting for these variables becomes important for long distance challenge rides or competitive motorcycle rallies.  Garmin has replaced MapSource with BaseCamp.  I have not yet made the transition to BaseCamp, and I'm getting better using it.  BaseCamp just got a lot more useful by adding the ability to time out via points along a route.  If you don't want to do the detailed route planning steps below using BaseCamp it an easy alternative.

Experienced rally riders have developed various methods of determining a "do-able" route.  My approach is, at an outline level, based on ride pace (Moving(Mvg) and Overall(Ovg) average MPH) first, then specific point goals.  This way I make the route selection process fit within the ride pace elements that meet/exceed my point goal target.  It goes something like this....

A.  Determine total time & number of stops achievable for location bonuses based a consistent on-clock ride pace. (Leg hrs - moving time - pit stop time - rest time = bonus stop time, bonus stop time / average time per stop = number of bonus stops).   This step can be accomplished well in advance of rally packet distribution. (Tool: Leg Profile)

B.  Determine the target bonus points for the leg based on a percentage goal above minimum points announced by the rally/route master.  Knowable only at the rider meeting. Select a route with the highest points for a given ride pace that meet your target goals.   (Tool: Leg Profile) .

C.  Process and enhance the bonus listing from text file to BaseCamp by converting the AAA waypoint name into AAA 9999 A L# (Waypoint name, Points, Availability, Leg number) format and designate distinctive waypoint shapes for Very High, High, Medium, Low based on point value.  (Tools: ezType-ezBake, G7toWin or the Ez-Pz method described below)

EzPz -- An alternative method is to type the rally book bonus location information directly into the waypoint properties in BaseCamp.  This is my preferred method to modify the AAA waypoint identifier into AAA 9999 ALp# (code, points, availability, Leg or page# if necessary) and assign a waypoint Shape and Color based on its point value distribution.

D.  Select a route within the ride pace constraints that meets or exceeds target goal for location bonus points. (Tool: BaseCamp, Rally Leg Plan Tool / Leg Profile)

E.  Time out each route segment, plug in rest times in the appropriate segments, verify timed bonus windows, and make adjustments as necessary before loading route from BaseCamp into the primary and secondary GPS units.  Print out the leg plan and leg profile. (Tool:  Rally Leg Plan Tool / Leg Profile, BaseCamp)

Ride the plan....making adjustments as necessary along the way.

Of course, there are some details involved in these steps. Like others I use various tools to help smooth the process.  YMMD! (Your Methods May Differ) 

I have create two planning tools in Microsoft Excel to manipulate the information generated by BaseCamp or MapSource and the rally data to time out a route or series of routes.  These tools are designed to be used for planning long distance rides while  participating in rallies.  But the basic planning techniques are applicable to any ride.

Ride Planning Tools
Single route with time to waypoints:

Rally Leg Plan Tool Lite --  MapSource edition  Used for routes with fewer than 50 waypoints.  (Note:  This template is not maintained)
Rally Leg Plan Tool Lite -- BaseCamp edition  Includes an enhanced Leg Profile tool
Oz Rally Leg Plan Tool Lite -- BaseCamp edition modified by 'TJ' Evans for Australian LD Riders 

Demo Videos:
MapSource -- Using the route planning software to create the leg route and waypoints


Rally Leg Plan Tool -- Intro to the RLPT function and capabilities.
Timing the Route -- Adjusting the timing of waypoints and "Timed Bonus" requirements.
How the RLPT Works -- Exploration of the RLPT functions. (Geek Warning)
Mid-Leg Re-Plan -- Steps to change the leg plan while on the road.

Rally Book to GPS -- Series of short videos that demonstrate a method to get Rally Book information into BaseCamp, format for routing and transferred to the GPS.

PAST IBR DATA SETS

Multiple route without enroute waypoint timing:

Multi Route Leg Plan -- MapSource edition  Used to time out a string of routes.  Does not predict timing at enroute waypoints.   Can be used to consolidate one or more RLPT route sheets.  This tool is still in development.  (BaseCamp edition under development)

DEFINITIONS:  Trip; Rally; Leg; Route; Segment; Waypoint; Viapoint

Trip -- A multi day ride starting and ending at home.  The trip may contain a riding event as part of the trip.  Deploying to the start point for the riding event and re-deploying back home at the conclusion of the riding event.  Example;  deploy to Daytona, have fun at the motorcycle rally, and re-deploy back home.

Rally -- In my Harley riding days this term meant a crazy motorcycle party at some distance location.  In the long distance riding community a rally is an endurance event that tests a rider's ability to plan and execute a ride plan to collect points at bonus locations.  The rally has strict rules for participants which are set by the Rally Master.  It has a start time/date and finish time/date.  Riders who do not make it to the finish location before the clock runs out is termed DNF; did not finish.  Rallies come in many types with the scavenger format being the most common.  There are many variations on the format to keep the rider community interested.

Leg -- A logical subdivision of the rally.  A multi day rally may be broken into one or more legs of differing duration (hours).  Or, geographical division; eastern leg, southern leg, etc.  Legs can be a single route or a collection of routes ridden in sequence.

Route -- The basic planning element of a ride plan.  It has a start and end point, travel time and distance and generally follows road and highways.

Segment -- A subdivision of a route.  Segments start from one waypoint and end at the next waypoint along the route.

Way Point -- A specific point along the way to the end of a route.   A rally waypoint is usually a stop point where a task is performed.  The task may include things like taking a picture of a landmark with the rider's rally flag visible in the picture.  Or, securing a object or performing a specified task as defined by the Rally Master.  A record of the stop is usually required in the rally book.  Waypoints usually have a bonus point value associated with successful completion of the task. The LD community refers to these specific waypoints as "bonii", slang for bonus location.

Via Point -- A point along the route to control the path of the route.   A via point usually does not require a stop.

Rally Leg Planning Math:

The most effecient route is the answer to the elusive: "Single vehicle routing problem, with selective pickup, and timed delivery to the terminal depot."    It's a variation of the  Traveling Saleman Problem.  The  IBR is more akin to a FedEx driver who has the opportunity to pick up as many packages, of varying values,  as possible given a defined number of hours for the selected route.  See:  Vehicle Routing Problem

It is difficult to select a route until one knows how to budget time for the various elements.  Using the overall pace MPH metric as a measure of productive capacity a rider can better plan a route.  It helps to answer the question: how many bonus collection opportunities does a rider have given an individual pace (overall & moving average MPH) for a given number of leg hours.  Here's how it might look....

Rider X  knows from personal experience he/she can keep up a 41.7 MPH overall average pace for several days.   Also, over a variety of highways his moving average is around 60.0 MPH in the eastern US and around 65.0 MPH or more in the west.

Risk management is important to Rider X so he/she avoids excessive riding speeds.   He/she recognizes that being stopped by LEO costs time and money.  He/she also recognizes that excessive speeds reduces fuel endurance distance, increases mental stress and contributes rider fatigue.  He/she is not willing to purchase bonus stop time with the currency of excessive riding speeds.  For moving time planning he uses either his MvgMPH number or the time generated by routing software, adjusted to his personal pace experiences. 

Through practice on training rides and several rallies he/she knows his/her pit stop task time averages about 10 minutes each.  Some longer, some shorter but on average about 10 minutes.  He/she defines a pit stop as time taken to (refuel - refresh - replan - repair) fill the gas tank, empty his bladder, fill his stomach, fixing equipment issues or anything else not devoted to riding, resting or collecting a bonus.   He/she also has confidence that his fuel endurance distance, w/o using a small reserve is between 325 to 375 miles depending on sustained riding speeds.  He uses 350 miles fuel endurance distance as a planning number.

During multi day rallies and training rides, depending on the duration of the leg, he/she knows he needs between 5 and 7 hours of rest time for each 24 hour period.    He/she has worked at being efficient when checking in/out of a hotel to maximize eyes-shut time.  He/she uses 6 hours ever 24 hour period as a rest management planning number.  

Like pit stops Rider X has practiced the tasks at bonus stops to make them as routine and efficient as possible.  He/she uses 10 minutes for a standard bonus collection time.  Some take less some may require more time.  If during the route planning task he/she selects a bonus with a time requirement he/she  adjusts the number of standard bonus opportunities to compensate for the extra time.     He/she recognizes that not all bonus stops will be the same but there are common task steps that help to organize scoring the bonus.  After arriving at the bonus location he uses the Spot-Doc-Pic-Get task steps: 

1. Spot:  Send a Spot msg at the bonus collection point
2. Document:  Record the date/time/odometer information.  Review the bonus task requirements
3. Picture:  Take a picture of the required bonus element with his rider rally flag
4. Get:  Get the bonus item if required, the next bonus location up on the rally book and GPS, and get back on the road

So, knowing his/her rider pace, task time planning assumptions and the "on the clock" leg hours he/she can determine a planning bonus collection time and quantity.  Knowing how much time and the number of possible bonus stops helps overall productivity (bonus point collection) and goes a long way to determine the routing choices.    Again, do the math.....

• Total Time = 82:00 Leg Hours
• Rider Pace = 41.7 MPH Overall Average
• Planning Miles = 41.7 MPH X 82 Leg Hours = 3,419 planning miles
• Rider MvgAvg = 60.0 MPH
• Riding Time = 3,419 planning miles / 60.0 MPH = 56:55  (or, mapping software calculated drive time)
• Pit Stop Task Time = 0:10 planning standard
• Fuel Endurance DIstance = 350 miles
• Pit Stops = 3,419 planning miles / 350 FED miles = 10 pit stops (rounded up)
• Pit Stop time = 10 Pit Stops x 0:10 per stop =  1:40
• Rest Stops = 82:00 leg hours / 24:00 hours per day = 3 stops
• Rest Time = 3 stops X 6 hours per = 18:00
• Bonus Collection Time = Total Time - Riding Time - Pit Stop Time - Rest Time = 82:00 - 56:55 - 1:40 -18:00 = 5:58
• Bonus Task Time = 0:10 planning standard
• Bonus Stop # = Bonus Collection Time / Bonus Task Time = 5:58 / 0:10 =  36 (rounded up)

Of course, your values may vary.   But, understanding how the variables effect the standard model can help a rider make better routing decisions before leaving the start and while on the road.   

The National Parks Tour Master Traveler Award

The goal of this Iron Butt Association challenge ride is to visit at least 50 National Parks, Historic Sites, Monuments, Recreational Areas, in at least 25 different United States or Canadian Provinces within one year.  To earn the Master Traveler Gold award the rider must secure passport stamps in:

• Alaska
• Maine
• California
• Florida

I kicked off my National Parks Tour Master Traveler - Gold quest on September 24, 2011.  I have until September 23, 2012 to complete the challenge.  I will be incorporating the NPT visits with other riding adventures during the year.  Listed below are the NPT rides I have completed to date.

Tour, Dates, States, Stamps 

Kickoff, Sep 24-25, Texas, 3

Land of Enchantment, Oct 2-4, New Mexico, 3

Winter Weather Ride, Dec 13-16, Arizona, 2

Sooner of Later, Jan 15-18, Oklahoma, 1

Southeast, March 2012, 14 Parks in 6 States

West to East, May 2012, 20 Stamps in 12 States

North to Alaska,  June 2012, 7 Stamps in 6 States

Pacific Northwest,  June 2012, 4 Stamps in 2 States

Mississippi Valley, July 2012 ( I will be gathering NPT stamps along the way up to the Not Superman Rally the third week in July.)

Colorado, August 2012 (While attending the Iron Butt Association International Meeting in Denver CO I'll be collecting a few NPT stamps as they become available.)

I'm on track for a successful NPT package to be delivered to the IBA for September 2012.

National Parks Tour -- Pacific Northwest

SpotWalla Map.  Also, check here if you like.



See the Garmin Connect GPS Track of this ride.   4,794 Miles

This is the return home trip from the NPT - North to Alaska adventure.  Instead of taking the Alaska Highway, I'm taking the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry from Haines AK to Prince Rupert BC.  I'm doing this because I want to secure passport stamps in the Pacific Northwest;  Washington and Oregon.  Also, I really enjoyed the ferry ride up last week when the Alaska Highway was closed.  I did the math and the cost is about the same in terms of gas/motel vs riding the ferry.  It takes about day longer going by ferry.

Jun 24:  Did the short ride to home and the end of memorable Hard Riding Adventure. 

June 23:  Surprise AZ to east of El Paso.  More hot weather riding.  Lolly-gag pace I think.  On schedule to be home Sunday around mid afternoon.  Another day of hot riding.  Leaving Surprise around 7am the temperatures quickly rose to triple digits by the time I reached Tucson.  I had plenty of water on board and sipped every 10 to 15 minutes.  My CamelBak holds 100oz or over 3 quarts of water.  And, I also carry a 2 quart canteen as backup.  After the temps reached 100F I put on my Gore-Tex over jacket to protect me from the heat blast.  The combination of the Under Armor shirt, mesh jacket and Gore-Tex over jacket kept me relatively comfortable.  At Van Horn TX I decided to get off of I-10 and head to the Davis Mountains and cooler temperatures.  I stopped in Alpine for the night around 7:30.  It was a cool 86F.

Jun 22:  Reno to Phoenix today.  Did a coffee stop in Fenley NV for gas and update the blog.  The Eldorado hotel charged for wifi so I didn't get a chance on Thursday .  Guess the want you on the floor gambling instead of in your room blogging.   Stopped at the temporary HQ for Lake Mead National Recreation Area for the NV passport stamp.  This completes my National Parks Tour -- Master Traveler Gold requirements.

It was hot riding after I got south of Tonapah NV.  Filled up the Camel Bak and canteen in Fenley.  Hydrated all the way to Surprise AZ.  Good training today. I enjoy desert riding.  

Jun 21: Good riding again today.  On the way to Crater Lake I scored Mount St. Helens Volcanic Monument.  It was a 1.5 hour detour but well worth the trip.  I rode to the Johnson Observatory very near the caldera.  There was still evidence of the eruption visible.  Fallen trees, stumps and baron areas littered the area.  Leaving MSH I had to back track to I-5 for the ride to Crater Lake.  I had been there before but it was a treat to see it again.  There were still lots of snow on the summit but the temperature was very comfortable.  Scored the passport stamp and headed to Reno.  Got it around 10:30 and checked into the Eldorado Casino and Hotel for $37. 

June 20:  The goal today is to ride from Prince George to Seattle WA. It's a 9:55 ride and with stops about 10:30.  I have selected the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park as a Washington passport stamp location.  The Visitor's Center stays open till 7 PM so no reason to rush or feel schedule stress.  It also qualifies me for a Silver NPT designation.  I read all about the Klondike gold rush in Call of the Wild and White Fang.  Very adventurous stuff.  I'll take some pictures along the way if I see something interesting.

Great riding again today.  Crossed the Canada/US border easily.  Had to stop at the Seattle BMW dealership for a new rear tire before scorning the Klondike Gold Rush NHP.  The Alaska and Canadian roads are tough on tires.  The BMW services guys had me out of there in under an hour at a cost of $311.  When I got to the Klondike site downtown Seattle it was closed.  So, took a couple of pictures and headed to Mt. Rainier.  Went to the Carbon River entrance on the north west corner of the park.  The ranger station was closed so I took another picture.  Staying in Buckley, WA at the Econolodge to plan tomorrow's ride.  

Jun 19:  Arrived in Prince Rupert right on schedule.  My gas tank was full so no stopping after Canadian Customs.  The weather was cloudy and looked like more maritime rain showers.  But about 100 miles out of town the sun came out amongst the clouds and the riding was good.  Stopped about half way for gas and a power bar.  Then into Prince George.  There must have been a couple of events in town cause several of the hotels were full.  I got a room at the Four Points by Sheraton for $130.  Not bad considering what I have been paying and it was a very nice hotel.

June 18:  Spent Saturday night in Juneau at the same hotel I stayed on the way up.  Decent rate at $104.  Hung out at the hotel till about 11:30 then on to gas up for a full tank at Rupert and get a bite of lunch.  Chose Subway...always good always fresh.  got a $5 footlong Italian BMT for $9.50.  At the ferry terminal a couple of bald eagles flew in to enjoy to local activities.  I met a couple of Mexican Iron Butt members, my age, on the ferry.  They were coming back from a bush flight up to Watson lake.  They intended to ride their motorcycles all the way up to Watson Lake but ran into a little trouble with the Mounties near New Hazelton BC.  Seems they were riding at 158 km/h in a 100 km/hr zone.  In case you can't do the math in your head that's 98 mph in a 62 mph, or as the say up north, felony reckless driving.  Their bikes were impounded for 7 day and they had to post bail of $380 each.  They hoped to catch the Greyhound omnibus, Spanish for bus, at Prince Rupert to New Hazelton to try to get their bikes back.  The want to ride up the Dalton Highway to Deadhorse and asked me lots of questions about the road.  I wished them luck.

Jun 17:  Raining again.  It's been raining since I arrived in Haines Friday.  I have to check in at the ferry terminal at 1:30 PM today so I'm hanging out at the hotel in Juneau.  The ferry is scheduled to arrive in Prince Rupert at 10:45 on Tuesday morning.  So, I'll be spending two nights aboard.  No wifi and cell coverage only when I'm in ports along the way.  I will be sending Spots at each along the way.   While enroute to Juneau from Haines I Spot'd twice.  The messages didn't go through.  I think I turned off the Spot too soon after getting notice it sent the "email".  The bike is doing great.  I did loose a highway peg along the way somewhere.  Just checked Howard's Spot track and he's almost back to Fairbanks. 

Jun 16:  Show up time at the ferry terminal is 5:30 PM.  I plan to hang out at the motel till around 10:30 then go find a place to hose down the bike before riding the 4 miles outside of town the ferry terminal.  First stop floating south will be Juneau where I have to disembark, spend the night and change ferries for a Sunday departure.  I'll do some more blogging when I get to the hotel in Juneau and post some pictures of the trip from Fairbanks to Haines.

Checked in at the terminal, got my ticket to ride, then headed back to Haines to the Fog Cutter Bar for the free WiFi.  Just checked in on Howard's progress up the Dalton Highway.  Past Coldfoot on his way to Atigin Pass.  Go Howard!

Summer in the Yukon

End of the AlCan at Delta Jct

June 15:  I said my good bys to the Ultimate Coast to Coast riders at the Alpine lodge and headed south to Haines. I was going to swing by Wrangle NP and pick up another passport stamp but the detour was 217 miles out of the way.  So, on to Haines.  I had the choice of stopping along the way somewhere in the middle and stay in a Canadian motel or ride all the way to Haines.  The weather was still good and my GPS predicted a 7:30 PM arrival time.   Crossing over the Chilkat Pass along the Haines Highway about 40 miles from the border I was above the tree line in snow covered mountains.  Temps dropped to high 30's for a bit but I was toasty warm with my electric gear.  Arrive in Haines at 7:20 pm local.  Just two hotels in town.   I checked into the Captain's Choice motel (rate $107), walked the block down the hill to the Lighthouse eatery and got something to eat.

The Route Home

A - Fairbanks
B - Haines AK to catch ferry
C - Prince Rupert BC
D - Prince George BC
E - Seattle WA for Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Site
F - Crater Lake National Park
G - Rachel NV (Little A'le'Inn)
H - Wimberley TX