I thought for sure I'd find Roscoe P. Coltrane on the other side of the sign. He must've been chasing after those crazy Duke boys again.

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This is the second time in as many weekends that I've been out on the bike and spied some roadside sculpture that was made out of what appears to be insulating foam.

I was riding along and saw the muffler guy out of the corner of my eye. I pulled a quick U-y, parked my bike and walked up next to him to give him a gentle poke and take a few pictures.

As I stood there snapping a few shots I heard a car slowly creeping up behind me in the gravel parking lot. At the point that I could feel its presence about 5 feet behind me, I turned around and looked at the guy in drivers seat. He was a happy looking fellow that chuckled and said, 'I was driving by and I thought, what the heck is she doing?' He was actually quite pleasant and offered to take my picture with the MM, but I politely declined. With my luck, he'd look pleasant as he drove off with my camera 

In hindsight, I find the fact that he was so curious about what I was curious about rather... curious.

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Sunday wasn’t anything particularly spectacular but as I flipped through my camera’s memory card, Sunday’s pictures were the last, so there you have it. I’ve hit an emotional lull. Sadly it is not new it’s been pestering me for a while now with the nagging question of wondering why I keep doing this.  By this I mean why do I keep taking and posting these pictures and words? Why do I keep writing down my thoughts even if the end result is nothing more than a single grain of sand in the hourglass of my mind? More often lately it feel like it’s all for nothing.  

I guess I’ve temporarily lost sight of the reason that I began this process of documenting pieces of my life eight long years ago now. The desire is still there in my heart, it is still important to me. I think I just need to refocus.

Keeping what amounts to a diary is a personal journey. Ultimately you do it for yourself but within that, I would bet it is the rare soul that writes with complete freedom and without the fear or perhaps excitement that another pair of eyes would one day read those words and pages.  Obviously in the web-world all bets are off. We write and read to connect, to use a very inhuman tool to make a human connection.

When you are beautiful and young, connecting is easy. Often times you don’t even have to do any of the work. People will come to you because they like what they see.  If it weren’t so, 90% of the people on MySpace wouldn’t have a single “friend”.  So where does that leave us that aren’t so beautiful, the ones that aren’t much to look at? The people who want to connect but don’t have the wrapper that everyone wants a piece of? I just feel more and more that if I’m not young and beautiful, what else have I got to bring to the table? Pictures of my motorcycle, a sailboat, a giant hamburger in someone’s front yard, what?

I don’t know exactly where this road is taking me.  If you’ve made it down this far in the post, I guess I should thank you for reading, for taking five minutes out of your day on my behalf. Hopefully you do it because you think that maybe I’m funny or interesting and not because you wondering what that jackass is up to now. Either way, I guess I would appreciate your time. Maybe one day you’ll say ‘Hi’?

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Why in the world would anyone want to ride around the country nearly non-stop for 11 days on a motorcycle? Countless hours spent riding through blistering heat, rain, the dark of night and the tedium of solitary confinement inside of your own helmet. It sounds, great doesn’t it? Surely that must be the most common question Iron Butt Rally participants get asked. Why, indeed?  

For those that are unfamiliar with the Iron Butt Rally it is an 11 day, 11,000+ mile road rally billed as The World's Toughest Motorcycle Competition. It takes place takes place every two years under the tutelage of the Iron Butt Association. I bet it takes just about that long to recuperate from the last one for all of the volunteers, organizers and participants.

No doubt, volumes have been written about this event.  It has become the stuff of legend with tales of the sheer mental will and physical stamina that is required to carry a person across the finish line on time, with all of the required pictures, paperwork and a mechanically sound motorcycle. For every story of triumphant completion there must be 5 other stories of utter disappointment, breakdown and the succumbing to the toll that these solitary long distance rides can take on a person. Armed with this knowledge it again begs the question:  Just what kind of a maniac volunteers for days on end of sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset, sunrise… from behind the windscreen of a motorcycle?

Finally for the 2009 event, I know the answer. It is a single word that if you were a local in the ‘everyone knows everyone’ motorcycle community here in Suffolk County, New York would make you nod your head in understanding. Catfish.

Catfish in Rally Mode at the Rhody Rally 2007

For the last few years that I’ve known Catfish he has been eat, sleep, buy, talk, race, ride and sell motorcycles. All motorcycles, all the time. That’s our man. But is a driving passion for motorcycles enough to throw your hat into the ring for the world’s toughest road rally? No, no it certainly isn’t. To have the guts balls to even send in the application to participate in the Iron Butt takes that little something extra. That intangible spark that some people have and some people wish they had. Between you and me, I think that you’ve got to have a little touch of the crazy. I guess Catfish must have that in spades.

Behind the long hair, tongue ring and thick Long Island accent is a kind hearted dreamer who isn’t shy about following his whims no matter how outrageous they may seem to onlookers. I don’t claim to have any insight whatsoever into what makes this man tick. I am merely watching on the peripheral as a casual observer, relaying my observations on how this curious undertaking is unfolding.  

With that, I’ve asked Catfish 10 questions on his impending foray into the lunacy that is the Iron Butt Rally 2009.

10 Questions for Catfish – August 2008

I suspect that the answer to this question will change over time but as of this very moment what is your biggest fear regarding participating in the Iron Butt?

            Not making it home safe.

Given the relentless nature of this riding there are basic hygiene routines that may fall by the wayside. Clearly shampooing your silky Sampson-like locks might not be first priority when you’re fighting your way through day 8 out of 11. It would be interesting to know, what do you think will be the first to go?  

Thought about shaving my head before I go. Jaime says I should just do whatever I have to and if I have to shave it after then so be it. Another option was small braids or corn rows to keep it from flying around. Showering is not a priority. I'm not sure I'll even be showering for the 11 days. Maybe at the midway point. Brushing my teeth is a priority though.

Part 2 of that question:

When you get to the nitty-gritty of planning your attack and begin to break down the basics of day to day life on the road, what do you think that the average person would not initially think about regarding taking care of their physical person?

I don't think the average person would have a clue. They would think about sleeping, showering, and brushing their teeth. They wouldn't think about hydration, sun burn, monkey butt, etc.

Is it possible to train for such an undertaking? If so, what do you think you need to do to mentally and physically prepare for 2009?

I've been told training for the IBR should consist of a few Saddle Sores (1,000 miles in 24 hours) a week for the last couple of months. I plan on continuing my weight training figuring if my core is strong it won't fatigue as fast. Also some cardio for the same reasons. You obviously don't need to be in good shape to ride a motorcycle but the more conditioned I am the easier my 11 days will be.

Also modifying my sleep patterns the last few months to break myself of wanting to sleep at night when it's dark, and wanting 7-8 hours all at once. I think I'll try 10-60 minute naps during the day and night and see how I can train my body and what reaction I get.

Do you have a good luck charm that you plan on bringing along?

            Buddy Christ, my cross, and probably a picture of my family.

You must choose 1 path or the other to continue participating in the Rally, which way do you go?

A)   Riding through a very narrow path that is populated by 25 very large, ill-tempered alligators

B)   Having to eat every last morsel of 5 pounds of chili with extra onions washed down with a quart of milk

MMMNNN chili!!!

Are you crazy?

I've heard that LONG before this all started. Actually, long before I got into motorcycles at all. Weird.

Do you think this undertaking is possible without a GPS?

     Sure. They've done it for years. Is it possible to be competitive without a GPS? No. Sure some of the Big Dogs would still do OK but equal riders, equal bikes, the GPS rider would definitely do better.

What is one non-mechanical, non-repair or non-navigational based item that you absolutely cannot leave home without?

Good rain proof gear probably. Otherwise a hydration system. Radar.

Close your eyes, count to 3 and then open them again. What was the first thing that popped in to your head?

Honestly, I was thinking about the last question. (Boring)

Those of us that are watching you plan this undertaking are quite proud and slightly in awe of you.  It’s really amazing to see a hometown boy get in there and get ready to slay Goliath. I really think this really is for the world’s toughest riders. Are you proud of yourself?  Is this something you always knew you wanted to do?

 I'm not proud of myself. It has the potential to be the stupidest thing I've ever done. We're talking the top of a pretty impressive list.

I'm not in it for the win I've set up a few goals for myself. One is to get home to my family safe. Two is to have fun. I've never really traveled west of Pennsylvania so this is going to be a major sightseeing mission for me. Three is to finish. Four is to finish mid pack or better. I saw an episode of Cycle World back in 2001 that had some coverage of the IBR and I thought it was a cool idea.

I hope to follow up with Catfish periodically before he leaves on his magnum opus. Stay tuned for more updates. While you’re at it, be sure to bookmark his webpage for updates directly from the man himself at CatfishRacing.com or stop in to his online store and peruse the motorcycle farkles at Farklemasters.com

Man, I need a Team Catfish IBR 2009 Cheerleader t-shirt! :D

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This island has so many of the parking areas near the water sewn up tight so that you have to pay, be a town resident or simply aren't allowed to park at all. There is a lovely little spot locally that we ride by sometimes that thankfully is still open to everyone.

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