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1137. That is a number that could mean different things to different people. It could be your house number, dollars in your bank account, the temperature of your steering wheel in the middle of July in Phoenix or the number of times your wife has told you to put the toilet seat down. For me, that number is the amount of miles that I rode last Saturday. From the time I left home till I returned, the odometer showed 1137 miles. Now you are probably asking why would I ride 1137 miles in a day. That is a good question. In fact, one that I was asking myself after about 700 miles. I think we all probably have bucket lists of things we want to do or accomplish sometime before our journey in this life ends. My bucket has been pretty full for most of my life, but I have made an effort to lighten it a little over the last several years. Skydiving, bungee jumping and learning to fly are a few of the items I have been able to pluck out of my bucket lately. But one that has been lurking near the top and was completely aligned with my daily passion was to earn my certificate for an Iron Butt Ride.

For those of you that are not familiar with the Iron Butt Association (IBA), it is an international organization dedicated to safe long-distance motorcycle riding. In order to become a member, you need to complete and have certified one of their long distance rides, the shortest of which is the Saddlesore 1000 (1,000 miles in 24 hours or less). There are also several other rides that include 1500 miles in 24 hours. Although based in the United States, they have over 35,000 members world-wide. But soon to be 35,003. There are no yearly dues, formal meetings or monthly newsletter. You simply have to document your long distance ride and apply for membership.

Even though taking a crack at riding at least 1000 miles in 24 hours was rising out of my bucket, sometimes you need a push or someone else to actually organize a ride like this. Fortunately for me, a couple of friends of mine, Scott McEwen and Nick Plaskon approached me 2 months ago and asked if I would be interested taking an Iron Butt ride with them. After briefly considering it and blocking off the date, I accepted their offer to tag along and started looking forward to May 2nd to accomplish this task.

We had settled on a route that wos going to take us in an approximate 1100 mile loop South to Tucson, Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Flagstaff and back to the Valley. But due to predicted high winds, cold temps and thunder storms, we had to make last minute changes to our route to stay out of inclement weather. So we ended up doing a bit of a chopped up route that took us South to Tucson on I-10 and on to Deming, NM where we documented our stop by filling up with gas and saving the receipt. We headed back West on I-10 to Tucson, went South on I-19 to Rio Rico, back North to Tucson and on to I-8. Then West on I-8 to almost Yuma, North on Hwy. 95 to Quartzite and then I-10 back to our homes in the Phoenix area. For me it was a total of 1137 miles.

Now I am sure some of you reading this right now are scratching your head wondering why someone would just get on their bike and ride aimlessly in multiple directions simply to put on over 1000 miles in 24 hours. I have had people ask me the same thing. Well, that isn't a bad question. I was actually asking myself that after about 12 hours and 700 miles. I guess there are a couple of answers to that question. One is that I really enjoy riding my motorcycle and I would try to find any reason that I could to ride it. This proves that theory. The second reason is just to see if I could do it. I compare it in a much smaller way to other endurance type of accomplishments. For example, why would Amelia Earhart make a solo Transatlantic flight in 1932? I don't think she had an appointment over there. Why would a guy float in a helium balloon or sail a boat around the world? The simple answer is, to see if you can do it. In my case I combined doing something I love to do while pushing it to an otherwise extreme measure, all while sharing it with a couple of buddies that had the same passions. Ok, when it comes right down to it, I did it for the license plate frame.

To put this into perspective, riding 1137 miles would be within about 80 miles of taking a ride from Phoenix to Rapid City, SD in a day. Before doing this Iron Butt ride I had often thought what would be the toughest part of the ride. Would it be my butt, back or mind? As it turns out, the physical aspect of the ride was good. Aside from having a pretty sore neck and shoulders from wearing a helmet that I wasn't used to wearing, it was the mind that I had to convince to keep going.

I was so exited the night before that I barely got any sleep. Went to bed about 11pm and got up at 2:30am to get ready to meet the others. We left Grand Ave. and the Loop 101 at 4am. and made our way through Phoenix for our first gas stop in Tucson. We tried to stretch out the gas stops as much as possible so we had planned to gas about every 150 miles. In an Iron Butt ride you have to document your route and you do that by saving your gas receipts from each stop that have the address and time on the receipt. So there are some times that you don't actually need gas, but you need to document your corner location or a turnaround as we did in Deming, NM and Rio Rico. After the first 150 miles I was still high on adrenaline and feeling like I could tack on an extra 1000 miles just for fun. After 4 hours and 300 miles I was still doing good, but looking for that Big Breakfast stop at McDonald's. We rode another 60 miles to Deming, NM for our gas and turnaround.

Heading back West was directly into at least a 30+ mph wind that dropped our gas mileage to 25 miles per gallon. Not planning for this I actually ran out at the exit ramp next to the only gas station with 15 miles. It doesn't hurt to have a little luck on these trips as well. This stop also served as the half way point to our trip. Fighting the wind for the last 125 miles took its toll on the gas tank and raised the fatigue factor for me. After a little rest we were back on the road to Rio Rico for our next turnaround to grab some gas for the Road Glide, a Double Cheese from Wendy's and 3 boxes of Thin Mints from the Girl Scouts for me. This marked the 640th mile to our trip at about 1:40pm.

I was still feeling good physically and ready to knock out the last 500 miles. This is where the mental part of the game seemed to start for me. Since I had plenty of time to think, I realized that I had already gone 640 miles in 9.5 hours, which would have already been a long day by most standards, and I still had 500 miles to go. After battling road construction traffic in Tucson, we made it to the I-8 interchange for gas and what was our last segment. We had now whittled off 756 miles and were on what might be considered the home stretch. For a fleeting moment I noticed that I was only 80 miles from home and could be there in an hour and a half. But I quickly grabbed a thin mint and a Verve and got my mind back onto the task at hand. Only 380 miles to go and I would be able to officially extract one more thing out of my bucket.

I set the cruise control just below the radar as we blasted down I-8 to almost Yuma with a brief stop in Gila Bend for fuel. Fueled and took a quick ride on Hwy. 95 North to Quartzite. By the way, this is a really nice and scenic road. It was now 7:40 pm. We had invested almost 16 hours in this trip and the end was in sight. We had officially crossed our 1000 mile goal and were heading home with some extra miles in the bank. We shook hands, gave a hug, congratulated each other and pointed our bikes East towards Phoenix on I-10 at 8pm for our ride home.

I arrived to my last gas stop at 9:30 pm in the Northwest Valley to see that I had gone 1137 miles in 17.5 hours. We weren't trying to set any land speed records with this ride, Just three 50 plus year olds out doing what we love doing while testing our endurance at the same time. Believe it or not, as I was coming into the last 20 miles or so, the adrenaline seemed to kick in again and I was feeling pretty good. But when I got home and realized what I had just done, the air came out of the balloon and I was ready to relax a bit.

Would I recommend this for you to do? Sure, if you have the passion and desire for it. If you don't, and are just going along with the crowd, it would be a very long day. But I was so excited to get it done, that my mind and body hung in there really well. The one thing I would suggest if you try to accomplish this, is in your mind, break the trip up into segments as you go along. If you try to look at it that you have 700 miles to go, instead of 150 to your next gas stop, it will be a long day. And remember, when your friends ask you why you are doing this, it is for the license plate frame!!

Click Here for the Map of our trip.

Bike Nights This Week

Wednesday Night

Sandbar Mexican Grill Wednesday Bike Night. Ride by the Sandbar Mexican Grill this Wednesday night where the patio instantly sweeps you away to a tropical island paradise as thatch and tin roofs cover the bar. Sit on one of the many high topped tables on the sandy beach or sit at the palapa bar outside and watch TV while listening to music. Or go inside to the dining area featuring a huge bar with 30 HDTV's to choose from around the room all decorated in an island beach theme. Sandbar has a great menu of Mexican food and will be featuring build your own burrito's for $5.00. Choose any ingredients you want off the menu, pack them into your burrito all for $5.00. There will also be $2.00 off ALL Drinks which makes domestic bottles $2.00 and Margarita's $4.00. Ride by this Wednesday night to check out the Sandbar Wednesday Bike Night. Motorcycle Parking Only will be blocked off in front of the restaurant. Click Here to see Photos and details. Click Here for Sandbar Web Site.

Thursday Night

The Bike Night At The Billet Bar. The Billet Bar was the place to be during Bike Week as well as the rest of the year. Set on the patio and watch the action. Voted "BEST BIKER BAR IN PHOENIX" by New Times. There is no better place to watch all the Bikes ride down Scottsdale road than from The Billet Bar Patio. The Billet is ALWAYS packed with bikes Every Day. Stop by and take a look at the New Flamed Booths on the Paradise Patio. The new bars front and rear provide spacious seating, fresh air atmosphere, perfect temperature and courteous staff. The food is amazing and always the latest in cold libations await. You can sit at the back bar and watch your favorite TV on any of the seven big inch televisions. Play pool, listen to the latest music and socialize. The front patio seats over 75 people and is perfect for people watching on Scottsdale Rd. The Billet Bar is located on 3752 N. Scottsdale Rd. Check it out this Thursday night and all weekend long. Info: at 480-941-1876. Click Here for the New Billet Bar Page with pictures.

Dirty Doggs Thursday Bike Night presented by Renegade Classics. The Dirty Dogg Saloon and Renegade Classics of Phoenix join forces to host one of the best Bike Night’s in the valley every Thursday. Each week a free raffle will take place along with door prizes for both guys and gals, drink specials and of course the Dirty Dog Girls doing their thing on the bar. The hours are 7-10; the Dirty Dog is located on the Southeast Corner of Shea and Scottsdale Road –480-368-8095. Renegade Classics is located at 3102 East Cactus Road in Phoenix and more information can be seen at www.renegadephoenix.com

Thursday, May 7th
Westgate City Center Bike Night in Association with Cyclerides.com. Westgate Bike Night Has Been Extended!!!

The ending date for this bike night WAS to be May 14th, but due to the overwhelming participation, we have decided to extend this event to July 2nd, where we will have a huge 4th of July celebration on bike night. IMPORTANT UPDATE! Due to events at the Jobing.com Arena the last 2 Thursdays of May, Bike Night will be moved to Wednesday for the last 2 weeks of May. Those dates for Wednesday Bike Nights are May 20 and 27th. They will then be on Thursdays again through July 2nd.

For the First Time, The premier entertainment venue in the Valley, Westgate City Center, will Host a night for motorcycles for the next 9 weeks. This Week: Live Music with the Cave Creek Cowboy Crew in Events Plaza. I have been wanting to see a Bike Night at Westgate for a couple of years and it is finally here. If you have ever been to an event at Jobing.com or University of Phoenix Stadium, you are most likely familiar with the Times Square feel of Westgate City Center. Starting Thursday, April 9th, for the 6 Thursdays, Westgate will open up Coyote Blvd. from 6pm - 10pm for parking of motorcycles next to the 6 Million Dollar Dancing Fountains. Restaurants including Margaritaville, Bar Louies, Shout House, Which Wich, Moe's, Kabuki, Johnny Rockets and Hell's Half Acre will have Bike Night food and drink specials and will be welcoming all riders.

You will be given a flyer that will get you the discounts at the participating restaurants.
Discounts include $2.00 Miller Lite, $5.00 Chicken Nachos and $6.95 pulled pork sandwich and fries at Bar Louie's and $3.00 drafts, $2.00 well, $2.00 off Margaritas, Mini Quesadillas for $5.95 and Sliders for $6.95 among other specials at Margaritaville. Sit out on the patios and enjoy the entertainment on the big screen.
Click Here for full menu of specials
Thanks to our Westgate Bike Night Sponsors - GEICO Motorcycle Insurance, Arrowhead Harley-Davidson, Ridenow Powersports, Chuck Franklin Law and New Sponsor Saxon Motorcycles Sponsoring the Live Music.
Click Here for Photos From the Last 4 Week.

May 7th will feature motorcycle displays by Arrowhead Harley-Davidson, Ridenow Metro Motorsports, Swift Motorcycles and Saxon Motorcycles. There will also be motorcycle programming and music on the Huge 30'x50' LED screen located in events plaza.

What to do:
6:00 pm - 10pm: Displays of Custom Baggers and Bikes From Arrowhead Harley-Davidson.
Sport Bikes, Cruisers, Rhinos and Spyder From Ridenow Metro Motorsports.
Custom Bikes from Saxon Motorcycles.
Custom Bikes from Swift Motorcycles.
Come park on Coyote Blvd. and enjoy the music or eat at one of the restaurants.
7:00 pm - Live Music with the Cave Creek Cowboy Crew.
Music and Videos all night.
Every Half Hour: Music and Performances by the 6 million dollar Dancing Fountains.

The weather will be beautiful at night for the next several weeks. Take a ride to Westgate, located on the SE Corner of the Loop 101 and Glendale Ave. Enjoy this beautiful venue that is offering a night just for motorcyclists every Thursday for the next 5 weeks starting April 9th - May 14th. Get something to eat or drink on one of the many outdoor patios in events plaza, watch the video presentations or just join in the fun and view the display of bikes lined up on Coyote Blvd. in Westgate. ALL MOTORCYCLES WELCOME. Click Here for photos of Westgate. Westgate City Center is located at the SE Corner of the Loop 101 and Glendale Ave. Enter Coyote Blvd. from the West next to Jobing.com Arena.

Saturday, May 9th
Old Skool Biker Bash at Western Trails Ranch. Take a ride out to the largest biker bar and restaurant in the state for an Old Skool Biker Bash. 12 acres devoted to the biker experience with great food, live music and fun. Also home to one of the Best Cheeseburgers in town. All while taking a ride out of town. Bike run sign in from 8am - 10am. $15 per rider or $20 per bike. Ride pin to first 200. $200 Best hand. Biker Bash Starts 10am. Entry fee $5 Canned food for Whittmann Food Bank or $5 . Vendors will be on site. 1:00 BIKE SHOW 1:00 Rock with Doc & Gal. 2:30 Tattoo Contest 3:00 Biker Rodeo 6:00 Burn Out Contest 6:30 2 Knuckles Deep Band. 8:00 Dirty Cowgirl Dance ,Mens Best Butt Contest. 9:00 Wet T-Shirt Contest. Western Trails Ranch is located at 37823 Grand Ave. Morristown, AZ Mile Marker 124. FROM SURPRISE Just 15 Short Minutes from Bell Rd on left side of Grand Ave. From Wickenburg Just 15 Short Minutes! 3 Miles Past Sr74 "Carefree Hwy" On The Right. For more information Click Here or go to westerntrailsranch.com

Saturday, May 9th
4th Annual Amanda's Run. Amanda is a 23 year old victim of a violet crime that left her paralyzed in January 2006. Through miracles and physical therapy, she has made great progress. To help in this life-changing ordeal a POKER RUN will be held to benefit Amanda and her 5 year old daughter. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation. Registration is from 7-8am at the Black Bear Restaurant located on the I-10 and Dysart Rd. on the SW corner. $15.00-entry $5.00-passenger.

Saturday, May 9th
Twilight Biker Bingo Ride. This ride will benefit The Melonhead Foundation. Supporting the Needs of Children with Cancer and Their Families. The foundation raises and disperses funds to patients for treatment needs and to the families for their personal needs in order to provide a positive nurturing environment for the patient. This ride begins at Chester’s Harley-Davidson, 6:30pm at 922 S. Country Club in Mesa. Sign in and ends at The Chandler Elks lodge with Biker bingo, live music, live auction and spaghetti dinner with fixins. $20 single, $35 couple. To pre-register contact Melissa 602-568-5313 or Dawn 480-213-1184 or email Twogalsevents@aol.com

Wednesday, May 13th
Run For the Wall riders come through Phoenix. Run for the Wall riders starting in L.A. taking the southern route will come through Phoenix on Wednesday, May 13th. Interstate 10 – Overpass Greeters Needed! Riders will be traveling East on Interstate 10 heading toward Phoenix. At approximately 4:00 pm on May13th, the Riders will hit the 79th. Ave. Overpass. Let’s wave them into town with flags and signs! Safety is an issue, please obey all traffic signals and stay on sidewalks. At approximately 4:15pm, Riders will exit Interstate 10 at 3rdAve. and proceed to Indian School Rd., turning east on Indian School, traveling to 3rdSt, left at 3rdSt. proceeding to Steele Indian School Park. Flags wavers are needed along this route. Once arrived, Riders will visit patients at Phoenix VA Health Care Systems. Click Here for flyer for all details. Click Here for the Run for the Wall web site.

Saturday, May 16th
Black Patch Choppers Grand Opening. Black Patch Choppers invites you to the Grand Opening of their brand new state of the art motorcycle shop in North Phoenix that is owned and operated by two Harley-Davidson Certified Master Technicians. From Noon to 6pm Enjoy Music, Food and Prizes while touring their new 5,000 square foot facility with space designated for machining, building engines, diagnostic tuning and a full Dyno Room with Super Flow Technologies. Black Patch also sells parts, accessories, Magnetti Morrelli Conversion, IST Diagnostic Conversion. Provides full customization work as well as American V-Twin Services. Black Patch is located at 952 W. Melinda Lane, Suite C in Phoenix, AZ. One block South of Deer Valley Rd. off of 7th Ave. 623-466-0540.

Saturday, May 16th
Inaugural Arrowhead/HOG “Iron Horse Run” to the Verde Canyon Railroad!. First in a series of HOG Membership Drive Rides sponsored by Arrowhead Harley-Davidson/Buell, 16130 N. Arrowhead Fountain Center Dr. T-shirts made to commemorate ride. The first 125 registered riders will receive a Ride T-Shirt & Pin!Plus we have 70 Discounted Train Ride tickets. $50.00 value for only $45.00 while they last! Registration fee of $25 per person. Click Here for Details.

Saturday, May 16th
Puttin' For Pooches Poker Run. The event will begin at the AHS’ Nina Mason Pulliam Campus for Compassion, located at 1521 W. Dobbins Road, with registration from 7-9 am. Riders and passengers will enjoy a free breakfast, courtesy of Hill’s Science Diet, and coffee is being provided by Starbucks. They can also purchase lunch tickets for $8.00, which will be served at the end of the ride. The poker run stops will be at the following locations: Buddy Stubbs Harley Davidson- Anthem, The Billet Bar, Chandler Harley Davidson, The final stop will be at Rawhide Wild West Town. Registration is $10.00 per rider and $10.00 per passenger, plus a donation of dog or cat food or a donation of gently used clothing to benefit the AHS Thrift Store. Each registered rider and passenger will receive a Puttin’ for Pooches t-shirt. For more information, visit www.azhumane.org

Saturday, May 16th
6th Annual Power To Cure Huntington's Disease Roosevelt Lake Poker Run. Join us for a scenic day ride and poker run to beautiful Lake Roosevelt! At 10 a.m., Saturday May 16th, riders will depart from Hacienda Harley Davidson, 15600 N. Hayden Road in Scottsdale and head to the Beeline Highway. Heading north up Beeline Highway thru Punkin Center riders will arrive at Lake Roosevelt where a delicious free BBQ lunch will be provided next to the lake by the Roosevelt PERA club from SRP! Everyone will then head back down Beeline Highway and end at Fort McDowell Casino for more fun, activities and awards! Festivities will include a 50/50 raffle, door prizes, and other raffles during the ride, with winners announced and prizes awarded at the FORT! The first 200 riders who pre-register online before May 13th will receive a beautiful commemorative ride pin! Award for the club or team with most registrations!!! Enjoy a beautiful ride and free lunch while helping those with Adult Onset Huntington's Disease and Juvenile HD in Arizona! Pre-Registration fees paid online before May 15th: Single: $20.00 Two Up: $30.00. On-Site Registration Day of Race, May 16th (8 am to 10 am): Single: $25.00 Two Up $35.00.

Saturday, May 16th
Branded Phoenix Raffel Ride. Don't miss the Raffle Motorcycle Ride to benefit Branded Phoenix & Street Lights Programs with Food for the Hungry. Coffee, food, raffle prizes, music, 50/50 drawing at end. Four ride stops include: Superstition Harley Dealer, Desert Dog Hummer, Horny Toad in Cave Creek, NV Honda Dealer (approx. 100 miles). Check out the website to pre-register by 5/13 for $20 single/ $30 two up. http://www.brandedphx.com/. T-shirt to first 100 pre-registered riders.

Saturday, May 16th
First Annual Rock and Roll Bike Run. Citywide tour of some of the familiar biker stops in the Valley. Live music at each stop including the Chris Parker Project and Easton Ashe. Great raffle items including a plasma TV, tons of great gift certificates and other prizes. All to benefit Cystic Fibrosis. Registration starts at 10:30am at Cocomo Joes ending at Flicka’s. Cost: $40 per rider/$55 per couple (rider w/passenger) What does that include: T-shirt, $20 in gift certificates from venues and sponsors. For more information go to www.rockandrollbikerun.eventbrite.com.