Octogenarian Adventurers Ray King & Norm Nelson
SaddleSore 1000
“Don’t Let The Old Man In” (Toby Keith) by Norm Nelson
I was sitting next to Ray King recently at an Historic Motorcycle Society dinner in Jacksonville, Florida. The HMS is a great club with like minded motorcycle riders and we meet once a week. During our conversation, Ray and I discovered we were both born in October of 1943 and were new octogenarians. Ray is a long distance motorcycle rider and has successfully completed many Iron Butt challenges. I’m a 4 time Cannonball rider and have been to Alaska twice on my ‘58 XLH Sportster. After chatting, Ray excitedly said “Norm, we should ride an Iron But Saddle Sore 1000 to celebrate our 80th birthdays!!” My sense of adventure immediately kicked ni and I said “absolutely, let’s do this!”
motorcycle riding. There are many rides sanctioned by the IBA and the Saddle Sore 1000 is the minimum distance, entry-level ride to qualify for membeship. To successfully complete a S$1000, the motorcyclist must ride 1000 miles in 24 hours while keeping a precise journal of each gas stop and taking apicture noting the time, placeand odometer reading. That data must be sent to the IBA and authenticated by them for the ride to be official. I’ve ridden 1000 miles in 24 hours in the past but could I safely and successfully ride one at 80 years of age? Ray’s choice of motorcycle for the SS1000 was an Iron Butt ready 2005 BMW RT with a larger gas tank and huge saddle bags... the perfect machine. I decided to ride my 2015 Piaggio BV350 Scooter, which is a very
The Iron Butt Association is a club for people who enjoy safe and long distance
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capable 70MPH machine with a top speed of about 85MPH and I’ve ridden 50,000 safe miles on it. It has a 2.4 gallon gas tank however, and riding it would require stopping more often for fuel and rising not making the 24 hour limit. When Iasked Ray if he was OK with the Piagio, he immediately said, “Sure that’s fine Norm, in fact it would add a nice twist for you to ride your scooter.”
traffic that day, mostly through thetunnel in Mobile, and Ray took over the lead just before the split from 1-10 to 1-12. We gassed up at Slidell, LA, at 4:32PM Eastern, and after a meal and brief rest at Mickey D’s, we headed east for home at about 5:30PM Eastern. The long night lay ahead of us and I felt The Old Man tapping softly on my door. It was dark before we knew it and the temperature began dropping and was close to freezing during the night. I put my rain suit over my leather jacket, cranked ‘up the heat on my vest and The Old Man went away. We decided Ray should lead on the way home because the extra lighting on his BMW was better for night vision. We encountered very little traffic through ** Mississippi, and were treated to a spectacular moonrise over Pascagoula Bay. The Mobile tunnel traffic was light and before we knew it, we had passed through Pensacola and were enjoying the moon once again over Escambia Bay.
Ray and I discussed our route and agreed to travel west from Jacksonville, on I-10 and 1-12 to Slidell, LA, where we would have lunch and ride the same route back to Jacksonville. Larry Meeker, another HMS friend and rider, suggested siping water to keep hydrated and bringing small snacks. Ifilled my CamelBak with water, stuffed peanuts in my leather jacket, added Cliff bars and an apple to my onboard storage and put fresh oil in the BV after giving it a thorough check. We waited until the weather was favorable and decided to meet at 6:00AM on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at the WaWa station at US 17 and I-295. I rode an hour and a half from home, and arrived there at 6:00AM We gassed up and headed west about 6:30AM. I was the lead rider going west so it would be easier to gauge the miles between fuel stops (110-125 miles). The weather was overcast and temps were in the high 50’s and we were glad to be wearing heated gear. As we traveled west of Monticello, FL, the skies got brighter and the sun began to shine but the temps stayed cool. Ray and Iboth graduated from the University of Florida and shortly after that, I reported to Pensacola Naval Air Station, to become a Navy Officer and a Naval Aviator. After graduating, Ray served in the Army at Ft. Bliss. Traveling the Florida Panhandle always brings back exciting Navy memories and Ilove the area. We experienced light to moderate
Ray’s Trouser Zipper In Need Of A Tourniquet
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We stopped in Crestview, FL, for gas at about 10:00PM Eastern and there I noticed Ray’s right trouser leg zipper had split on his riding suit. It was getting colder and without a repair, Ray’s core tempèrature would certainlý drop. I could feel The Old Man’s presence creeping in and I knew immediate action was needed to repair Ray’s ‘riding suit. I wrapped bungee cords around his leg and he found a couple rolls of tape in his tank bag that I proceeded to wrap around his leg. Unfortunately, the tape caused the bungee cords to unhook and now we hada bigger mess! Using our McGiver skills, we finally secured his trouser leg, laughed about the situation and were on the road again after losing precious time.
I decided to mentally break the last portion of the ride into segments so the completion of each one would be a triumph. The first goal was crossing 1-75 and when we passed it, I raised a fist and yelled YEA! The second one was when we passed US 41 and US 441 at Lake City, and I shouted a big YES!! The third one was a welcome pit stop at a rest area. The Old Man was now a fading memory as we got closer to our destination, the Chaffee Road Exit on I-10 in Jacksonville. Our arrival there triggered a huge smile and a “Doggone, we did it!!” We arrived about 5:16 Eastern, within the 24 hour limit!! After fueling up, Ray headed to his home in Jacksonville, and I met my wife Tresia at her folk’s home nearby and parked the BV350. Tresia drove me home to Crescent City, and a few days later I rode the trusty Piaggio home.
Crestview is north of Destin and many miles from Jacksonville, and it seemed like we’d never get home. The Navy A-4 static display at the rest stop on I-10 was a welcome sight as we hunkered down and headed east. Ray is a “steady as a rock”’ rider and did a great job of setting a good pace. Our eyes were fixed on the road as we watched f o r for debris and deér. We stopped at Love’s truck stop in Cottondale at midnight Eastern for gas and warmed up inside while we ate snacks and got hydrated. We departed about 12:30AM with freezing temperatures and clear night air. The Old Man was there but lingering from a distance. I looked foward to the next gas stop.
I will be forever thankful to Ray King for suggesting we do the Saddle Sore 1000 to celebrate our 80th birthdays. He was a great riding partner and Iwil remember the trip forever. The answer to my earlier question about successfully completing the mission was... “YEA BUDDY WE D DID IT!!...” And we kept The Old Man Out... at 80 years and counting!!
At 2:13AM Eastern, we stopped near Monticello for gas. By then, I needed to rest my eyes and we found a couple of chairs in a quiet corner of the store and dozed off for a brief 20 minutes. After I ate an apple and a Cliff Bar, my mojo returned and Ray and I saddled up to head to Jacksonville. The temperature continued to drop and we hoped our heated gear would continue to keep us warm.
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