And she's off! Connie rode out of Denver this morning, a little before 9:00 a.m., with her checkpoints and bonus spots mapped out. I'm tracking her progress via the satellite link she authorized me to use. She's been heading southwest on 160 all day.
As I post this Connie has shifted more directly south, having merged onto 491/160. Place your bets, folks! She could be headed for New Mexico, Arizona or Utah from her current position.
From what I can tell, Connie has been driving through some beautiful country - parts of the Rio Grande National Forest, skirting the San Juan National Forest and driven past the Mesa Verde National Park on her left. I hope some of the checkpoints and bonus stops include these places. Bobbi is a huge National Forest fan so I'm hoping she'll comment on the scenery Connie's driving through.
This first leg of the Iron Butt Rally has Connie heading out of and coming back to Denver within 36 hours or so - sometime Tuesday night. She'll talk through any bike issues with Randy, he'll change the oil and I think he'll see the bike through another inspection.
The second leg of the rally will begin in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, or what I like to call 'zero dark thirty' or 'getting up at the crack of my ass'. At 4:00 a.m. she'll receive her new bonus/checkpoint list and then she'll spend an hour or two mapping out her route. She's hoping to be on the road again by 6:00 a.m. or so.
In the meantime - take a look into Connie's world of riding...
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| The Cockpit: 1 of 2 GPS units here seen here. Cear tubing is fed from the water jug. |
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| High Tech Helmet - hard to see the ear piece and microphone for her phone, but it's there. |
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| Extra fuel cell Randy designed, built & installed. Water jug not his design, but does the trick! |
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| This little doohickey is her satellite tracker - really cool toy! |
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| 3:15 a.m. Wednesday - getting 'geared up' and ready to head out for Denver. |
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| One last kiss goodbye from the hubby/master mechanic who makes this all possible. |
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| Engine on, countdown begins... |
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| Clearing the 'cargo bay' |
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| Final systems check and then she's gone... |
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| Prep work - extra fuel cell secured. Flashlight secured below can be used as a weapon as well ;) |
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| Connie and her cockpit the day before heading out to Denver...get the idea she's a Victory supporter? |
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| Victory Rules! |
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