Thursday 5/4/06 - Minneapolis, MN to Angle Inlet, MN : 440miles

Back in October of 2005 rumors surfaced of a new IBA ride on MN LDriders. The ride was from the most southerly point in the lower 48 states,
Key West, FL,  to the  most northerly point, Angle Inlet, MN. Talk soon turned to making a group record attempt in reverse of the original
ride completed by Bob Munden. 

Unfortunately it didn't seem like we would be able to make the ride due to minimal vacation time with the upcoming Buttlite. It was really a shame
since Carrie's mother and Sister live in Key West. However we managed to juggle some vacation around a few weeks before the ride and signed up.
By the time the dust settled, 18 riders would be attempting the tour. If completed in under 50hrs it would be a "gold" ride, 72hrs would also qualify for
for a finish.

We rode up with Kerry Person (who organized the ride) and Paul Ptak since we were planning on riding down together. We scouted 2 different routes
on the way up, hwy 53 up to International Falls, MN and Hwy 2 to hwy 72 past Red Lake. The Red Lake route turned out to be 20mins faster. The weather
was chilly hovering between 35-40degress all day. Even the electric clothing was letting some chill through. The Northwest Angle is the result of
18th-century ignorance of geography. Getting to Angle Inlet, MN actually requires driving through Canada since Lake of the Woods isolates it from
Minnesota. The last 20miles of the road is all dirt and there is no manned customs location at the border. Crossing into the US or Canada at the angle
requires making a Video Phone call to customs in a small shack located at the crossroads in Angle inlet know as Jim's Corner.

We were the first to arrive in Angle Inlet and settled into our cabins at Angle Outpost. The cabins were great and they had them preheated for us due to
the chilly temps. Big thanks to Jessica for all her help coordinating the lodging. At 6pm the riders were to meet at Jerry's Restaurant and Lounge for a
riders meeting and some food. They had a special meal setup with ribs and chicken. The fried chicken was some of the best I'd ever had. A few riders
were late due to weather and 1 to border problems. Paul Sundet tried blowing through the customs checkpoint entering Canada outside of Warroad but
was tracked down by Mounties a few miles from the border. He had thought the border guard waved him through instead of just waving him up.

After the meeting we all headed back for some sleep for an early 6am departure. Rumors of cold temps and snow in the morning kept everyone on edge.
Good sleep was hard to come by.

Pictures:
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Friday 5/5/06 Angle Inlet, MN to Mt Vernon, Ill : 1026miles

Day 1

5am brought darkness and the sound of the alarm clock. A quick peak outside showed little snow on the ground but the bikes were covered with a nice
Layer of ice and snow and the temp was 32degrees. After packing up and scraping the bikes off we made a call to 1-800-CAN-PASS to expedite our
border crossing. 18people using the video phone sounded like it would lead to long delays. Carrie, Paul, Kerry and I all got checked out this way from
the warmth of our cabin. Others tried calling and were turned down after the customs people were getting suspicious. (Hint, say you are calling from
Jim's Corner, not from your cabin!)

Kerry went to Jim's Corner around 5:30am to log out all bikes after they had cleared customs at 6am. Carrie, Paul and I sat in the warm cabin until we
saw the last bikes head that way around 6:15am :)   Getting to Jim's corner half the 18riders had already left with the earliest leaving right on the nose
at 6am. With the last riders gone, Kerry, Paul, Carrie and I headed out at 6:36am. For 50hrs we had to be in Key West, Sunday morning at 9:36am
EST.

We had planned a route using conservative Streets and Trips averages to get at least (2), 4 hour sleep sessions. Our first day goal was to reach
Mt Vernon, Ill by 1am, grab 4hrs of sleep and continue in the morning. The gravel road out of Angle Inlet was just as fast as the day before.
This was a good feeling at had us ahead of schedule right from the start. We passed Larry and Pat Stitzel at the end of the gravel and US Customs was a
breeze since they were expecting us after earlier riders had warned them of the group on the way. We passed Dave and Sharon Weber in Warroad
getting gas.  We gassed up in Baudette, MN meeting John Coons before he took off into a snowstorm.  The snowstorm really added to the experience
 knowing in just a few short days we would be wearing shorts and sunblock. Reaching Duluth we were already 1.5hrs ahead of schedule according to
Streets and trips. Temps were still in the high 30s but spirits were high.

Dave Nelson passed us just outside of Duluth. Though he left a little earlier and was riding faster our shorter route down Hwy 72 had made a difference.
Outside of Duluth on 53 in Wisconsin we found Paul Sundet's string of bad luck continuing. He had a flat tire and his rubber cement was dried up and his
3 CO2 cartridges insufficient to inflate his rear tire. Luckily, Jim Simonet was already on scene and repaired the tire and was inflating it with his compressor.
(Words of wisdom, always carry a compressor and make sure your tire plug kit is in good shape!) We finally stopped for gas in Eau Claire, WI after a
370mile leg without stops, 2 hours ahead of schedule. Another 375mile leg brought us to El Paso, IL and we continued to Mt Vernon Ill without incident.
We caught Pete and Paula Behm right before our exit in Mt Vernon at 11pm. They were making great time 2up without the benefit of extra fuel!

Since we had made such great time, we had time to indulge in a Sonic dinner! We grabbed 4hrs of sleep and made ready for a 5:30am departure.

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Saturday-Sunday 5/6/06-5/7/06 Mt Vernon, Ill to Key Largo, FL to Key West, FL : 1314miles

Day 2

4:30am  rise and shine! On the road at 5:30am brought clear skies. This day finally brought warmer temps the further south we went. Driving down
through Kentucky and Tennessee was a real treat with nice roads and scenery. We gassed up and stripped some clothing in Mount Eagle, Tennessee
and Paul Sundet was pulling in as we left. It was good to see his luck was changing.

Driving through Atlanta was a breeze with 75mph speeds the whole way through. The temps were now in the high 70s and we needed to make a rest stop
to shed our last layers of clothing. Another gas stop in Hahika, GA was quick after we had wasted some time getting off the interstate an exit before
only to find closed down stations.

At the Florida border we caught up with Allen Wilson who was lazily making time not to get to Key West too early. We were all ahead of schedule and
planning to stop in Florida City for sleep before driving down the keys in the early morning on Sunday. Alan decided to ride along with us the rest of the
way. Paul and Allen didn't have Sunpass's so they were slower through the tolls. Soon Carrie and I were well ahead of them and out of CB range. Traffic
was flying on the Turnpike and we were making good time.

Around 10pm in Miami I saw a large 1-2in diameter pipe 3ft long light up in the roadway in  front of me. With no time to react I ran right over it. At first I
thought I escaped unscathed. The bike was steady but then the noise of metal grinding on pavement filled my ears. I got on the CB and told Carrie we
needed to get to the shoulder ASAP. She was  seeing a shower of sparks coming from under my bike and quickly agreed. On the shoulder We quickly
dismounted and got  off the roadway. The should was narrow and traffic was moving fast and too close for comfort. Soon Paul, Kerry and Allen zoomed
past. We told them to keep moving and we would catch up in Florida City. A quick peak under the bike revealed the center stand was dragging. Apparently
the pipe knocked my spring off that was holding the center stand up but there was no other sign of damage most likely due to the aftermarket belly pan
I had installed. A couple of bungies replaced the spring and we got ready to roll. In the rush to get out of traffic and get moving Carrie tipped
over her bike against the guard rail  breaking off a section of the windshield and wedging it in place. With gas spilling we lifted the bike and got underway
hot, sweaty and full of adrenaline.

We meet the others in Florida city only to find all hotel rooms in town were full. Kerry found 1 sleezy motel with a couple rooms and we saddled up to go
grab them. Unfortunately, Carrie and I lost them and we soon found ourselves on US1 heading to Key Largo with no way to turn around safely. When
we reached Key Largo we stopped at the first hotel to grab a room only to find it full. We touched bases with Kerry via Cell phone and it turned out their
motel had given away the 2 rooms in the 10minutes it took them to find it. They headed down to Key Largo to meet up with us while I called up and down
the Keys looking for rooms. Every place I called was full. Locals said I would not find a place on a Saturday night. We were going to be out of luck until
the hotel attendant came out and told us the Holiday Inn down the road had 1 room open up. I quickly called and reserved it. The only problem was it
had only a King bed! 5 people, 1 King bed. This will be interesting. We debated just driving to Key West and sacking out in a park but a few hours of
sleep would really help us enjoy the full Sunday we would have in town. We came up with some interesting sleeping arrangements involving a rollaway
bed, sleeper sofa, and King Bed. What happens in the Keys, stays in the Keys.

That night Paul suggested we shoot for 48hrs instead of 50hrs. We were still ahead of schedule so we shortened up our sleep a little to make the new
target. It was 82degrees when we got underway. The GPS said we had 35mins to spare making Key West at 7:00am. The GPS doesn't know that
half the distance is 45mph speed limits and we were soon loosing the buffer. 40miles from Key West, Carrie got on the CB and asked if the road surface
was making the bikes handle funny. Everyone agreed the road was fine and we soon suspected a flat tire much like she had in Maine last year. Carrie and
I pulled off at a gas station and had the others keep going to make the 48hr mark. The tire was definitely going flat and was down to 10psi.
Examining the tire didn't provide any clue as to where the leak might be. I was carrying a spray bottle for cleaning visors and we added a little shampoo
to it for a bubble test. The culprit was the same plug we had put in in Maine late last year. Despite having many thousands of miles on this plug it
finally gave up its seal. The heat and miles of a Saddlesore 2000 were too much for it. I pulled what was left of the plug out and installed a fresh one
using a compressor to fill it back up. After 25mins we were back on the road. We stopped one more time before 7mile bridge to make sure it was holding
and proceeded to Key West. The gps was saying 7:34am arrival. It would still be close to 48hrs.

12miles out from Key West my cell phone rang. I new then that Kerry, Paul and Allen had made it and they were checking up on us wondering if we had
made it back on the road. I answered the phone, unable to hear him at speed I just talked into the phone and said "12miles out, stay there, we're on
the way!"  After traffic lights we pulled into the finish gas station at 7:36am exactly. A splash of gas sealed the 48hr mark since the pumps were 3mins
slow.

Others were waiting at the station as well. Jim Simonet and Mike Senty had arrived earlier and were getting ready to ride back to Angle inlet for a first time
Top down Top ride. Pete and Paula Behm were there as well arriving in the early morning. They had caught a nap in a park waking to the sound of local
roosters crowing way too early.

After waiting a while for any other finishers we headed off to the southern most point for our photos and some breakfast. John Coons and Paul Sundet
found us at the buoy and we went to Blue Heaven for a well deserved meal. After breakfast we headed to Carries Mom's shop, Flora and Flipp on Fleming,
for a surprise. At the start of the ride every rider received a wooden loon signifying the Minnesota start. Every rider making it to Key West could show
the Loon to Carrie's mom and receive a free sandwich and souvenir. We had coordinated this with her for months before we knew we were going. When
we found out we could go we didn't tell her mom. We let it be a surprise instead. When we pulled up, many tears were shed in joy.

We also found out that 1 crazy rider had arrived at 7pm the night before. Derek Dickson had driven straight through and made it to their shop before
they had closed. Unfortunately for Derek, Carrie's sister Amy was working the shop and knew nothing about the riders with Loons. We had said nothing
about a sister at the riders meeting and Derek walked into a trap. It went something like "Hi you must be Carrie's mom,  here is my Loon, you owe me
something"  Amy is only 5yrs older than Carrie so Amy was a little taken aback by this sleep deprived rider wearing a snowmobile suit in 84degree
weather calling her Carries mom and demanding something for free. A neighbor in the shop quickly ran out saying "boy, did you just make a mistake".
Amy made a phone call to mom and straightened it out but it sure made for some laughs at Derek's expense. :) Sorry about that Derek, it wasn't
intentional. ;)

The rest of our Sunday involved beer, sand and sun at the Duval Beach Club with a final celebration dinner at Halfshell Raw Bar.

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Sunday Festivities 5/7/06

Monday Festivities 5/8/06

Tuesday Festivities 5/9/06