July 13 - Iron Butt™ Endurance Ride

Lodging: Niagara Falls

Victory! I am so excited! Nine states, three time zones, and over 1,600 miles in less than 34 hours! I decided to try to complete the Iron Butt challenge™ (1000 miles in 24 hours) leaving South Dakota since I had time to rest up there. But the miles were going by so fast and I realized there was nothing I really wanted to do in St. Joseph Michigan (where I would have ended up after 1000 miles). So I decided to do an extra 500 so I could make it to Niagara Falls and try to earn the “Bun Burner” award. I encountered a variety of obstacles - strong cross winds, at least 100 miles of road construction, large semis bearing down on me, etc. But the worst part was trying to get gas! This whole ride has kind of been a victory celebration for me - surviving cancer, the loss of my voice and ability to eat, a difficult divorce, switching to remote teaching mid-year, and of course the pandemic! I am learning that we all have a deep inner strength we can draw on and that we are never really alone. I want to thank Grant Myers for researching weather patterns for my challenge, Jenni Cramer and for giving me some last minute tips, Leo Guzman Fernandez for telling me I could do it, and my friend Kathy Nesper for tracking me the whole way. Cletha Walstrand’s husband Eric also gave me some preparation tips and my daughter was cheering me on. I’m including a before (me at the rocket motel before leaving) and after shot (me at the gas station after basically not eating or sleeping for two days), and a picture of the reward (Niagara Falls at night).