The Discovery

On Tuesday 12/2/08, I arrived home from work to find, amidst other remnants of dog naughtiness on the bedroom floor, the remains of what I knew had once been an unopened 18-pack of Trident Original gum containing Xylitol. The package had been on the top shelf of a bookcase, which meant that one of the dogs had jumped up on a crate, and stood up on his/her hind legs to retrieve the prize from the shelf. Also on that shelf was a small bowl of treats that I keep handy for rewarding good behavior – no doubt that was the attraction, and the pack of gum was just a bonus. Billy, my new rescue, was the prime suspect. Not that the older dogs are so well-behaved, they just aren’t likely to put out that much effort for a couple of Charlee Bears.

I had missed or ignored the warnings about Xylitol that had been circulating in the previous months, but fortunately, I actually read and paid attention to the notice I was forwarded the night before this happened. Had I not received that e-mail, I might not have given this episode another thought and it’s very likely that my dog would have gotten very sick or worse. Instead, I called the Animal Care Center in Rohnert Park and was advised to bring all three dogs in immediately, which of course I did. We arrived just after 7:00pm.

The Culprit/Victim

Since Billy was the most likely culprit, he got treated first. His stomach contents confirmed his guilt, containing gum wrappers and non-distinct white blobs (presumably wads of gum). It seems that during his brief bedroom raid, he also got a few other things, including a bright red nylon/velcro collar wallet-like thing and what appeared to be a chunk of “skin” from a plush toy. Dr. Olson pointed out that it was the most interesting puke he had seen in a while.

More importantly, Billy’s blood glucose (BG) level had already dropped to 62, even though he was otherwise asymptomatic. Billy went on to astonish the hospital staff by happily lapping up 100ml of activated charcoal from a bowl – apparently, this is unheard of (most require force feeding with a tube) and further indicates his willingness to ingest just about anything (note to self…). By 11:00pm, his BG had recovered to 98, but we were advised to leave him for the night for additional blood sugar and ALT level monitoring to be sure there were no signs of liver failure. Turned out to be a good choice, because overnight his BG dropped back down to 57, at which point he was put on IV fluids and supplemental dextrose. And though his BG rose with that treatment, it continued to hover under 90 for a while, indicating that he was still in some trouble. At midnight, they discontinued the IV to see if he could sustain his BG through the night, which he did. After a final ALT test on Thursday morning, he was released to go home – 36 hours after admission.

The Other Dogs

Because we couldn’t be sure Billy was the only victim, Jasmine and Zack were also subjected to the ignominy of “emesis induction”, as it is euphemistically referred to on the invoice. Neither showed any obvious evidence of ingestion, but in the interest of safety (some might call it paranoia), we had their blood tested as well. Amazingly (because he is a well-established counter-surfer himself), Zack came up clean with a BG of 100 so he was released on the spot. But Miss Jasmine tested at 77, requiring a follow-up test to be sure she hadn’t also grabbed an opportunistic chew. She was released after a couple of hours when she held steady at 77, still on the low side of normal but at least she wasn’t dropping. The next day I checked with her regular vet and learned that her BG was 81 just a few months ago, so no apparent cause for concern.

What is Xylitol, and why are we just starting to hear about it?

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol, or polyol. It is used as a sugar-substitute, most commonly in gum and candy, but showing up more and more in other sugar-free products. It isn’t always well labeled, so you need to put on those reading glasses and read the fine print.

Reports of Xylitol Toxicosis are fairly new, simply because Xylitol hadn’t been used much in American products until about 2004. That’s when Trident starting adding it to some of its gum, followed in 2006 by Wrigley’s Orbit line. But more recently, it has started showing up in other products, like Flintstones vitamins, Jell-O and Tom’s of Maine toothpaste. It has also been observed that Rescue Remedy pastilles (candies) now contain Xylitol. This recently caused a stir in the dog community because some dog owners give their dogs Rescue Remedy products, but the Pet liquid does NOT have Xylitol – just the human candies.

We can expect to see more and more Xylitol in products, and not just for its sweetening properties. Apparently, it has been shown to provide oral health benefits because it starves the plaque-inducing bacteria and kills them. Because of this, it is starting to show up in toothpaste and other dental products. In fact, there is a company called Epic Dental that sells all sorts of Xylitol products, including a gum containing more than six times the amount of Xylitol as in Trident Original. They tout this as a good thing – I see it as lethal.

Why is it so dangerous to dogs?

In humans (and apparently in cats), Xylitol is absorbed slowly and thus is not toxic. In dogs, on the other hand (and perhaps rabbits and ferrets as well), it is absorbed extremely quickly. The immediate result is that it fools the pancreas into releasing a huge spike of insulin, which is quickly followed by a precipitous drop in blood sugar (acute hypoglycemia) since there isn’t really any surplus sugar for the insulin to work on. That’s what we saw in Billy and were concerned about in Jasmine. The next problem, which isn’t quite as well understood, is severe (and often fatal) liver toxicity and failure. There isn’t yet clear evidence of causation, and Dr. Olson suggested that these cases may be due to late discovery and a progression of the severe hypoglycemia rather than a direct connection to the Xylitol. Either way, it isn’t good.

What makes Xylitol worth every bit of fear is that it takes only a small amount to cause significant harm, even in big dogs, and the harm can quickly be irreversible or fatal. To quote the VP Client Information Sheet on Xylitol Toxicosis (referenced below): “The prognosis is good for uncomplicated hypoglycemia when treatment can be instituted promptly. Liver failure and bleeding disorders generally carry a poor prognosis. Dogs that develop stupor or coma have a grave prognosis.”

How much Xylitol is in what?

It turns out that this is amazingly difficult to figure out. And because the effect on the dog is directly tied to the amount consumed relative to body weight, it is extremely important to know. Why is it so hard? Because the sugarless products that include Xylitol usually also include other sugar alcohols, with names like Sorbitol, Mannitol, Glycerol, Maltitol, and Other-things-ending-in-ol. Of these, the only one that is toxic to dogs is Xylitol. But in the Nutrition Facts on the label, they are all lumped together as “Sugar Alcohol” so that all you know is the total, not how much is actually contributed by Xylitol.

Because of this ambiguity, unless you can find another source for the specific product in question (as I was able to do), the only choice is to assume the worst case – that the entire Sugar Alcohol content is due to Xylitol. Most gums that contain Xylitol have a total Sugar Alcohol content of about 1g per stick. We were lucky because I was able to find a reference for the exact Xylitol content of Trident Original, which was much less – 0.17g per stick.

How much Xylitol does it take?

Because the problem is relatively new, there isn’t enough data to clearly establish the levels associated with toxicity. However, the best sources we found suggest that hypoglycemia occurs at 100mg/kg, and that liver problems may present at 500mg/kg. We were able to calculate that Billy had ingested about 150mg/kg, which is consistent with his presentation and progression.

Here is the calculation we used:

• Amount of Xylitol per stick of Trident Original gum: 0.17g (170 mg)

• Number of sticks per pack: 18 (yes, it was unopened and he likely ate the whole thing)

• Billy’s weight: 20 kg (44 lbs)

Result: 170 mg/stick X 18 sticks / 20 kg = 153 mg/kg

I found the Trident content on the Epic Dental site, in a table bragging about high-Xylitol levels in their gum (mentioned above) compared to other brands. Most of the other products listed are not mainstream, so I assume they are other oral health products, but they happened to mention Trident. I have found no references that give this level of detail on other products. But I did manage to extrapolate from Wrigley’s oral health site that in Orbit gum, the Xylitol component of the total sugar alcohol varies from 15% to 32%, which assuming 1g per stick, means 0.15g to 0.32g per stick. Good luck finding anything else – if you do, let me know and I’ll update this page.

References

• VP Client Information Sheets: Xylitol Toxicosis – This is the paper that Dr. Slater found, with the most current information on levels of toxicity associated with hypoglycemia and liver failure. The accompanying chart is astonishing – it shows the increase in Xylitol poisoning cases as reported by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

• Pet Health Library: Xylitol Poisoning – this one is interesting because at the end, it suggests that the oral health benefits of Xylitol might still be appropriate for dogs as a low-level water additive. Yikes, I think I’ll pass. I have since learned that C.E.T AquaDent contains Xylitol, but C.E.T. Chlorhexidine Rinse does NOT. My concern is this: the recommended teaspoon may not contain enough to be harmful, but what if the dog gets the whole bottle? I can’t find any reference to the overall content. I’ve contacted Virbac to see what they say.
• “Sweet but Deadly” - this is a well written article from the S.F. Chronicle. Thanks to Tom Cushing from Border Collie Rescue of Northern California (where I found Billy) for sending this to me.
• ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center – everybody should have this link and phone number handy at all times. From their website: “As the premier animal poison control center in North America, the APCC is your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call that can make all the difference: (888) 426-4435. A $60 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card.”

Lessons Learned

Based on what I’ve learned, here are the recommendations I’d like to share:

• The obvious one – don’t buy anything with Xylitol in it. Find some other “polyol” to sweeten your gum and other foods. And find less dog-toxic ways to maintain your oral health.
• If you suspect Xylitol ingestion in any of your dogs, go immediately to the vet. The blood sugar drop happens almost immediately (within 30 minutes), and if you wait for symptoms, you are way past the point of simple intervention and mitigation. Billy never showed ANY clinical symptoms, yet it was clear that he was in pretty big trouble.
• Once your dog is being treated, do your best to figure out what the actual level of consumption was. As I have mentioned, that isn’t easy to do. But it is important for determining the likelihood of liver issues, which can appear as late as 3 days after exposure and can also happen without any signs of hypoglycemia. By calculating the amount of Billy’s exposure, we were able to determine that he was below the threshold for liver damage, which saved me a couple of extra days of worry and follow-up testing (and maybe even continued hospitalization).

Conclusion

My story has a happy ending, which I attribute to awareness, early detection, and immediate response and intervention. As I have already mentioned, the awareness and early detection were pure dumb luck. I expect Billy to live a long full life, as long as I do a better job of protecting him from my treacherous environment. And I can assure you, no more Xylitol-containing products will ever cross my threshold. Of course, I can’t control other places he might be, so I will still have to pay close attention.

Xylitol poisoning happens quickly and unexpectedly – please be vigilant for the sake of your pack.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the terrific doctors and staff at the Animal Care Center in Rohnert Park, who treated Billy as their own and took the extra time to do additional research on Xylitol poisoning because they haven’t seen it a lot. In particular, Dr. Greg Olson, who sifted through the puke of all three dogs on Tuesday night and saw Billy through the first 12 hours of his crisis; and Dr. Laura Slater, who listened when I reported my calculations on the actual amount he ingested and found the VIN paper that allowed us to conclude that he was safe from liver damage.

Billy’s first exposure to Rimadyl was just over a year ago and was my fault – I left a bottle with about 10 of Jasmine’s chewable tablets on the counter after feeding time. Billy exploited the opportunity and as a result, he spent 3 days in the hospital for preventative diuresis. We were lucky and he walked away unscathed. After that, we made significant changes to the way we store the Rimadyl to avoid another accidental exposure.

We now keep the dog food and medications on top of the fridge, with confidence that they were out of Billy’s reach. The meds we keep up there are in stainless steel water bottles with heavy screw tops. We thought that was safe – who wouldn’t? That strategy has worked fine for over a year, but it turns out that Billy’s determination far exceeds anything we could have imagined.

Day Zero: The Disaster Unfolds (Mon, 10/10/11)

At 6:00am on Monday morning, I flew to Salt Lake City for a 5-day conference, leaving Rich at home with the dogs. But sometime around noon, Billy managed to get access to the top of the fridge (there’s no counter or stool nearby, he must have just scaled the front somehow) and knocked nearly everything off onto the floor. He then took the stainless steel container of Rimadyl outside, unscrewed the top, and ate them all. I had recently refilled Jasmine’s prescription so there were around 150 tablets, an unimaginable overdose by any standards.

I chose to avoid the actual calculations until I was sure he was going to survive, but I have now determined that his exposure was ~425mg/kg. Therapeutic dosage is 4.4mg/kg, and the literature talks about renal concerns beginning at 40mg/kg. In other words, his overdose was massive – 100x therapeutic and 10x toxic.

Rich discovered the disaster around 1:30pm and had Billy at PetCare by 2pm. They began aggressive treatment immediately, which involves vomiting, activated charcoal, IV fluids for the kidneys, and meds to protect the liver and the GI tract. He survived the night and I flew home from Utah first thing Tuesday morning.

Day 5: To Hell and Back (Sat, 10/15/11)

The vomiting subsided within a couple of days but he remained nauseous and had very little appetite. His kidneys had paid a price but appeared to have to have stabilized. Because of the amount he got, they opted to keep him on the fluids for an extra couple of days as a precaution. Our new concern at this point was the liver, which started to go south on Wednesday. His ALT (liver enzyme) rose dramatically from 62 on Tuesday (which is WNL) to 126 on Wed (way above NL), then 400 on Thurs. If the ALT had continued to rise at that rate into the 1000 range, we would expect acute (and potentially irreversible) liver failure to not be far behind. But it seemed to stabilize in the 400-450 range. His bilirubin (which causes jaundice) remained elevated, but was also unchanged between Wed and Thurs, which suggested it may have plateaued as well. He was definitely yellow, but his eyes seemed a little better on Thursday – I thought it might be my imagination, but the nurse said the same thing.

His clinical presentation has also improved. He began eating Thursday morning, and shows more and more real interest in food (rather than just humoring me by taking something out of my hand). By Friday morning he was seeking out the morsels that I tossed on the floor, that night he was catching them in mid-air, and on Saturday morning he actually offered simple behaviors, like sit and close. He will engage with a toy when I toss it and find the squeaker, but only once or twice. We go on short walks in the parking lot and he trots with his tail wagging, at least for a few steps at a time – he obviously fatigues very quickly and we’re keeping our visits short so he can rest.

Our schedule this week has been simple: visit at noon because that’s when they run the blood tests, stress all afternoon and evening, visit before bedtime, then try to sleep at night. The 24-hour wait between blood draws is excruciating, but we’re encouraged by the small clinical improvements we’re starting to see each time we visit. In fact, today for the first time, he tried to follow us out of the visiting room rather than going back to his cage with the nurse.

Day 7: More Signs of Hope (Mon, 10/17/11)

Saturday night’s visit was quite uplifting. His attitude had improved even from the morning and we got a glimpse of the Border Collie we know and love – catching his toy in mid-air, snatching it off the ground and shaking it, even a little light tugging, and bringing it back for more. His appetite is obviously improving, as is his willingness to “work” for food. On Sunday, the nurse was pleased to report that he was eating rice and chicken out of a bowl (“like a dog”) instead of only out of her hand. And the fact that he was interested in that sort of bland-ish food was also an improvement because we had previously only been able to entice him with “junk food” (the Dr’s term) like hot dogs, string cheese, and green tripe treats.

This afternoon, we got good news from his first urinalysis – no urinary casts. These casts, if present, are positive indicators of kidney tubular damage. Absence doesn’t necessarily mean no damage, but it’s still very encouraging. He’s also not spilling protein into his urine. Plus his bilirubin level has dropped significantly and he’s noticeably less jaundiced today. Liver and kidney blood values still not what we’d like them to be, but he continues to eat and play and his stamina is improving. And Sarah is quick to remind me (after her first-hand experience with Rav’s acute failure of both liver and kidneys as a puppy), “look at the dog, not the numbers”.

Following the good results from the urinalysis, they started tapering his fluids in anticipation of sending him home soon.

Day 8: Homecoming! (Tues, 10/18/11)

I’m beyond thrilled to report that 8 days after admission, Billy is home from the hospital! I picked him up on my way home from work and here we are.

Clinically, he’s getting better every day. Today when I visited him at lunchtime, he ran full-speed across the parking lot to chase a squirrel on top of the fence. He obviously has some reconditioning to do after 8 days of lying around in a cage (and more recently a 5×5′ “room”), but I’m sure that will come back quickly once he’s released to run freely on the back hill. I’m keeping him confined for a day or two while we re-introduce him and Zack, and also I’m going to be a lot more compulsive about daily mushroom checks. It’s that time of year, and even a small insult that wouldn’t normally be a problem could be real trouble now.

Long-Term Prognosis

Chemically and medically, we definitely have some fallout. His liver numbers are far from perfect, but the Dr. is optimistic that those will recover over time – the liver is very resilient and can regenerate. However, his kidneys have almost certainly sustained some level of permanent damage and we’ll probably have to manage chronic kidney disease throughout his lifetime. Based on his current chemistry, he’s labeled as Stage 2 (out of 4).

Next steps include nutritional research and consultation, guidance from an internist (preferably one who understands what it is that we do), and careful monitoring of blood work and hydration.

How do we protect him in the future?

We may not be able to. Dietary indiscretion is no joke, and neither is his drive to exploit vulnerabilities. We can’t put him in a bubble, so all we can do is make adjustments and do the best we can.

We started by buying a new storage cabinet which now houses all of the food, medications, and garbage containers. It includes a shelf at about the right height that now serves as our food and medication prep center (instead of the kitchen counter).  The cabinet doors have hasp loops that will always be secured with a carabiner, and we have fabricated a nylon crossbar that inserts into the door handles for further security when we’re not here. And finally, the cabinet will be secured to the wall so he can’t pull it over.

I am sticking with the metal stainless steel water bottles, but I have purchased smaller 12-oz ones and will only store a limited number of meds (i.e. less toxic overdose potential) in the cabinet. The remainder will be stored safely somewhere else.

The other significant change is that Jasmine no longer gets tasty chewable Rimadyl tablets. I replenished her prescription with boring caplets. She won’t mind because she still likes Pill Pockets, which I buy by the case anyway, and which are also now secured in the new cabinet.

Soap Box: Don’t buy chewable Rimadyl

On the day Billy went to the hospital, there were three other dogs admitted for Rimadyl toxicity. One of them got it from its owner’s purse after having just been prescribed it therapeutically that day. Four dogs in one day in one hospital? Something is definitely wrong with this picture, and what’s wrong is packaging a toxic medication as a tasty treat.

Finally, I can breathe again

Last Monday night when I was alone in my hotel in Utah, I was certain I was going to lose my boy and I grieved. And my mood on Thursday night, after his liver went south, was equally dark or maybe even worse because I had let my guard down. But now he’s home, he’s hungry, he’s back to his happy playful joyful self, and he has no activity restrictions. I fully expect him to return to his agility training soon and hopefully he’ll lead a relatively normal life.

Life is good!

The Return of the Real Rallyists

I got up at 5am and headed down to the parking lot to greet the real rallyists as they checked in to the finish line. These are the folks who entered the 24-hour and 3-day events, the hard-core long-distance enthusiasts on big custom-outfitted motorcycles. Most of them don’t even get warmed up and settled in the seat until long after 12 hours has passed. Some had arrived earlier in the morning and were already recovering in bed. Some had informed the RM that they would not be making it in on time for a variety of reasons – rest, mechanical failure, bad time or fuel management – but hoped to return in time for the banquet. Tragically, we also learned that one of the riders got tangled up with tornado winds in Nebraska and had ridden his last ride. That news definitely put a damper on the morning’s activities, but for the most part, the returning riders were upbeat and enthusiastic about their adventures. Rich made it in from his 3-day ride with about an hour to spare. Time to move on to rest, war stories, and the awards banquet.

Results

I’ll just come right out and say it – I won the Single Rider Class of the 12-hour Utah 1088 rally. I already knew I was on the podium because of the four DNFs, but I never dreamed I would be the winner. I somehow managed to ride 564.6 miles in 11 hours and 31 minutes on a 250cc motorcycle and earn 29,730 points.

Utah 1088 trophy - beautifully laser-etched by Steve Chalmers

Click these links for the complete results from the 3-day, 24-hour, and 12-hour divisions. Also, click here for a summary of the total miles for each rider.

Oh, and one more thing: I earned a MERA Certificate for riding >500 miles in 12 hours! The cert showed up in the mail in August. This is one of the great personal touches that Steve puts on his rallies – it’s not just a generic certificate, it actually acknowledges details about MY ride!

Reflections on Preparation

Referring back to the articles I wrote on preparing for this event (which are linked in the headings), I want to highlight the improvements that I found most significant.

The Bike

The 250 Ninja is NOT a rally bike. Most of the riders who do these things are on big bikes – 1000cc and larger. In addition, many of them have been heavily modified with custom-made seats, extra fuel tanks, lights that turn night into day, and all manner of electronics. Though Rich and I made significant changes to my bike, what we did is nothing compared to what you see on the big bikes that the serious riders use. In fact, as I pointed out in that article, most of the changes we made were underway before I even decided to enter the rally. That said, I want to point out the two most important changes, without which I know I couldn’t have survived for 12 hours.

1. Riding position. Changing from an aggressive sporty position to a more natural upright position was key. This was accomplished by raising the handlebars and seat and lowering the foot-pegs. The result was an amazingly comfortable riding position that sustained me until about an hour from the end, and then the only thing that gave up was my derriere.
2. Throttle-lock. I have no doubt that I would have given up without a good throttle-lock. I used it for much of the ride, especially on the straight interstates and rural highways. On the twisty stretches where I couldn’t use it, my aching thumb and wrist quickly reminded me how bad the ride would have been without it.

The Body

I did make some changes to my gear that I wouldn’t have done had I not entered the rally. Some of the changes were due to personal experience during my shakedown rides, and others came from the wisdom of the community. The two most important changes I made to my gear were these:

1. Flip-up Helmet. When I decided to buy this, I thought it would enable me to eat and drink as I rode. That is not the case, nor is it the true benefit. With the hydration tube and the retracting reel, I can drink without flipping it up. And the thought of eating on the fly turned out to be ridiculous – even if I had figured out a way to extract my jerky from the tank bag without crashing, I probably would have bitten holes in my cheeks. No, the value of the flip-up is that you can have meaningful and non-threatening interactions with humans (convenience store clerks, Checkpoint personnel, locals who know where the 3600-pt memorial is) with the helmet on. I knew from my limited shakedown experience that I wanted to avoid removing my helmet if possible – not only does it take time and have to resettle into position, but I also knew that if I allowed myself to feel the relief from the sweating and itching, it would be doubly annoying to have it return.
2. Ear Plugs. I had no previous experience using ear plugs while riding, but on the advice of seasoned rallyists I decided to try them out. I first rode with them on Shakedown ride #3 to get used to the feeling and difference in the sounds around me. And then on the way home from that ride, I forgot to put them in. It took me about 30 minutes to realize my mistake. What a difference – it felt like all 250cc of the bike was in my head. And on this rally with the higher speeds and RPM, I would have been miserable without them! Thanks to PlugUp for a great product.

The Process

Even though I have never ridden in a rally before, I have been intimately involved with these events for nearly 20 years because of Rich’s participation. I acknowledge that I’m a dilettante, but I have paid close attention to his learning process (both successes and failures) in all aspects of rallying – preparing the bike, managing gear and paperwork during the ride, pacing, and routing. In other words, by pure osmosis I was perhaps one of the best-prepared rookies ever to enter a rally and I was rewarded for the effort.

As I reflect on my shakedown rides, my pre-rally planning, and the execution of my plan, I can see a few opportunities for improvement but I can’t identify any significant mistakes. That’s one of the reasons I went to the trouble to write all of this up – I’m more than willing to share my experiences with other rookies. Looking forward to next year, the only thing I would change in my strategy is to soften my “off-the-bike” and “wrong-direction” avoidance rules and go for one or two of the “in-town” Boni if they seem doable.

What’s Next?

Will I do it again?

When I first entered the rally, my plan was to do it once to shake the dilettante monkey off my back and then quietly slide back into my supporting role for Rich. But I had a blast and I want to do it again. I have already told Steve that I will keep entering the Utah 1088 as long as he continues to offer the 12-hour version.

What about longer rallies?

Not going to happen, not a chance. I’m not comfortable on big bikes, I’m nervous riding at night, and I’ve never been worth a damn on graveyard shifts or any other sort of all-nighter. I have neither the skills to ride fast nor the desire to ride far. And I have no interest in doing any hard-core customization on the Ninjette, like adding fuel capacity or lights.

Will the field be larger next year?

2011 was the first year that Steve has offered anything other than a 24-hour version of the Utah 1088. But both the 12-hour and the 3-day versions were well-received and he has decided to use the same format next year. My hope is that reports like this will draw more riders to the 12-hour rally – it is a perfect place for rookies who want to give it a try and veteran rallyists who are ready to scale back from the longer rides. In fact, I’m toying with some ideas for additional incentives to riders who enter on small bikes like mine – sort of a Baby Bike Challenge.

So with all that said, it’s time to sign up for 2012! The 2012 Utah 1088 Entry Form is now available and I encourage my riding friends to give it a try.

The Start!

At 7:00am, I was ready for the symbolic green flag (actually the RM’s hand) to drop. I let the gung-ho gun-slinger crowd go ahead so I wouldn’t get caught up in a melee exciting the parking lot. As anticipated, I was the one of the few that went West onto the freeway because most of the riders either went East to the BMW shop or South to the shooting bonus, both of which I had decided to skip.

Three Rally Lessons Learned

First stop was a Vista Point with a couple of plaques on I-80 overlooking the Great Salt Lake. On this bonus, I learned Rally Lesson #1: Never Trust Your GPS. When a location is described on the instructions as “between MP# and MP(#+1)”, there’s no way to accurately represent it on a computer map while setting up the routing. As a result, I visually identified my target at the exact moment that I blew by the exit.

I wasted no time learning Rally Lesson #2: Do Whatever It Takes To Get The Points. I spent about a nanosecond on the shoulder determining if I could cut across the dirt divider to get there (no, there was a cyclone fence), and then headed to the re-entry on-ramp. Because I am (or was) generally a law-abiding motorist, I spent another nanosecond wondering if I should park at the exit and walk back. You can guess the rest – yes, I rode the wrong way back up the on-ramp to get where I needed to be. Funny how much easier those decisions got after the first one – it’s definitely a slippery slope.

At that point, I learned Rally Lesson #3: This Is A Competition. I knew several things about this bonus: (1) it asked a question that required an answer; (2) the answer sheet was not consistent and suggested that a photo was required; (3) all photos had to include our rally hat; and (4) where there is ambiguity, more information is better. There were two other riders there and they had just taken a picture of the marker . . . without their hats. Before I could stop myself, my Outside Voice said “I don’t think a picture is enough”. CRAP, Shut Up You Idiot. As they went back to review their paperwork, I wrote down the answer to the question and hustled to take a photo with my hat before they noticed their other omission (the hat). Lesson learned, move on.

Salt Lake Vista Point, 998 pts

This isn’t as hard as I expected

I was back on my way with an easy 998 points under my belt. Next stop, get the name of a “geological feature” on SR-196. I already knew it was called Lone Rock because it said so on Google maps. But I still had to record my time and mileage when I got there (a requirement of all bonus stops). Chalk up another 999 points – I was on a roll and was really starting to enjoy the ride.

Another lesson I was also learning quickly is that it’s a lot easier to average 60+ mph in western Utah than it is in western California. Not only are the roads straight (in contrast to the California coast), but the posted speed limits are much more liberal: 2-lane rural highways are 65mph, the interstates are 75mph, and we all know that those are just suggestions. As I flew south on SR-196, Carmen (my GPS) reported my estimated arrival time at the CP as 10:13, more than 45 minutes ahead of opening time. Great start! Then came the next bonus search when everything changed and I began the traditional “swearing at the Rally-Bastard” ritual.

Rally-Bastard, you have earned your nickname

The next stop on my route was a huge 3598-point GPS-only bonus – we were given coordinates and instructions to take a photo of a Memorial at N 40 32.307 W 112 44.834. I had mapped it and it appeared to be right on the highway, so I rode along looking for something obvious. I noticed a roadside shrine along the way, but that felt too random and temporary to be the intended target. I rode back and forth a few times trying to narrow it down (BTW, the Ninjette makes beautiful illegal u-turns on 2-lane rural highways – did I mention that slippery slope of legality?).

I finally ended up at a ramshackle roadside ranch, which according to Carmen looked pretty close – I figured I could wing it into position. I rode into the driveway and watched the coordinates get closer as I headed directly toward a horse corral. The immortal words of Joseph Smith crossed my mind: “This is [or must be] the place!” I walked around for a few minutes looking for something, anything – a hand-painted shingle in memory of Uncle Jake would have sufficed. Nothing. I took a photo of Carmen (showing N 40 32.289 W 112 44.832) to prove I had tried. I didn’t really think it would fly but I had nothing to lose. At this point, I also noticed that my CP arrival time was ticking away with alarming speed so it was time to get back on the road.

N 40 32.307 W 112 44.834 - any farther North and I'd have been in the horse corral

As I headed out of the ranch, I spotted a fellow in coveralls wrenching on a large tractor behind the barn. I rode over to him, flipped up my helmet to expose my gender (constrained by ATGATT), flashed a winning smile (constrained by properly-fitting cheek pads), and these words actually came out of my mouth (spoken with dimples in my voice): “Hi! I’m on a little scavenger hunt and I’m looking for a memorial somewhere in this area – can you help?” “Yes,” he said, “it’s across the road up the hill.” My heart sank. “Oh, so I have to hike up there?” [thereby breaking my “time off the bike” rule...] “No,” he said, “just go back up the road a mile or so and look for the turn-off.” My heart soared and off I went.

The turn-off, though marked with a government sign pointing to “Iosepa”, turned out to be a gravel road. I don’t have a lot of gravel experience (OK, none), but I reminded myself why I love this bike – it’s short and it’s light. I can hold it up at a 30-degree angle, I can pick it up if it falls over, and worst case, I could slip the clutch and paddle-foot up and back if need be. Carmen convinced me that I was still far enough ahead of schedule to the CP to give it a go and so I headed up the hill.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I encountered next. My first clue of strangeness was a colorful hand-painted sign at the entrance to the gravel road welcoming me with “Aloha Iosepa”. Hmmmm. I could see a tall monument in the distance so at least I knew I was on the right track. I rounded the bend and this is what I saw: on my right, a motley assortment of RVs and tents; straight-ahead, a huge clearing with a permanent awning and picnic tables crowded with lots of children, quite a few women, and not quite enough men; on my left, an old cemetery in which stood the previously-spotted monument.

The monument turned out to be a huge engraved granite slab with the bust of some sort of warrior on top and what appeared to be a feather boa around its neck. At this point I didn’t really care – I was already WAY over-committed to this bonus and I just wanted to get my photo and get on down the road. There was a nice fellow at the memorial who, after I offered a few explanatory words, offered to hold my hat for the photo (that’s his arm on the right).

Iosepa Monument, 3598 points

I took an extra close-up because I figured no one would believe me about the feather boa and then headed out for the even more treacherous ride DOWN the gravel road. I arrived back at SR-196 feeling VERY smug and intrepid (not to mention 3598 points richer). I’m also not ashamed to admit that I was pleased that no other riders had seen me so my “intel” was secure – I earned those points and didn’t want to share! As I headed back on course, Carmen still reported arrival time at CP of 10:47am – 13 minutes before opening – WHEW!!!!

Iosepa Monument - is that really a feather boa?

As I wrote this, I decided to find out more about this Iosepa place. Its Wikipedia listing (complete with a photo of the monument) reveals that the accessory is in fact a lei, not a feather boa. It describes the site as a 19^th-century settlement of Polynesian LDS church members. I feel compelled to point out that none of the people I saw there looked the slightest bit Polynesian, but I digress. FWIW, Wikipedia lists the coordinates as N 40 32.233 W 112 44.667, not N 40 32.307 W 112 44.834 – don’t know where the discrepancy came from but it doesn’t matter now – I got the points.

Things can change after the instructions are printed

After marveling for a moment at a huge new building with no signage out in the middle of nowhere at the intersection of SR-196 and SR-199 (which I assume to be a new LDS church for the town of Dugway), I turned east on SR-199 and headed for the historic town of Rush Valley. Along the way, I found myself on a splendid mountain road over the Stansbury mountains. Slowed me down a little, but not as much as Carmen expected – I actually gained some time. My task was to find a rusty sign for Rush Valley, note the date the town was founded, and take a photo for good measure (865 pts). Easy peasy.

Historic Rush Valley sign, 865 pts

Then I headed west on SR-36 looking for the intersection with SR-6, at which I was instructed to find an odd collection of highway signs and arrows pointing every-which-way. Got there, no signs, several other motorcyclists riding back and forth looking perplexed. I did the same (rode back and forth), opted to write my time, mileage, and “no signs” on my paperwork, and then headed on down the route.

But a couple of miles later, my “get something to prove you were there” instincts kicked in and I realized I really should have a photo. I was still ahead of schedule for the CP, so back I went to take a photo of the sign for the abandoned smog inspection station in the area. I learned later that a truck had taken out the highway signs and some rallyists had submitted photos of the skid marks as proof – that’s pretty creative.

Proof that I at least tried to find the cluster of highway signs, 1156 pts

While I was taking my photo, another rallyist wandered over to chat. He asked if I had been able to find the GPS bonus. With my newly-jaded attitude borne from the Vista Point experience, I responded with an eye roll and “uh, yeah.” He pressed me, describing the horse corral, and wanted to know how I had found it. I responded with “It doesn’t really matter now, gotta go”, flipped my helmet down, and took off out of the driveway. Damn, I really am a bitch! (I later apologized to the rider back at the hotel and described the effort I had gone through to find the flippin’ Memorial…)

The All-Important Checkpoint

As I headed east on SR-6 toward I-15 (and the CP), two things became clear:

1. Carmen assured me that in spite of my two significant delays, I was still going to get to the CP about 15 min early, BUT
2. All that extra driving around for the two elusive Boni had seriously jeopardized my odds of making the CP without refueling

My pre-rally estimate of 200 miles per tank didn’t take into account the effects of sustained speeds of 80+ mph. My original route had shown a distance of about 175 miles to the CP, but with the back-and-forth of the memorial and the missing signs, I had added quite a few miles to my total. High on the list of rally no-no’s is running out of gas. And I instinctively knew that getting gas in a town before I launched onto the Interstate was bound to be less disruptive than having to exit the Interstate for gas before I arrived at the CP. So I filled up with 4.4 gal in the town of Santequin at 177 miles and then headed south on I-15 for the CP.

As I rode the last 22 miles into the CP at Nephi, I ran down my checklist of chores. It hadn’t occurred to me to anticipate and write them down (note to self: do that next time), so I counted them out on 7 fingers to help me remember:

• Top off the gas tank (it took 0.4 gal – my tank holds 4.8 gal – good thing I stopped in Santequin!)
• Refill the hydration bladder (I was determined to stay ahead of the water loss)
• Suck down a bottle each of Gatorade and Boost (breakfast of champions)
• Re-apply sunscreen and chapstick (yes, you can get a seriously ugly burn even with a helmet on)
• Clean the bugs off the face shield (they ALL came from the first 30 miles on I-80)
• Secure the flapping straps on my tank bag (you have no idea how annoying and distracting that is)
• Pee (was that TMI?)

I pulled into the CP at 10:45am, 15 minutes before it opened, leaving me a precious 15 minutes “off the clock” to perform my checklist tasks. I remembered all but one (the flappy straps). At exactly 11:01am, I checked in with the RM, mentioned the missing signs (which he already knew about), and thanked him for inviting me to the picnic on the side of the hill with the fundamentalists. Then I headed out for the remaining 8 hours of the rally. Life was good!

Hundreds of miles and not much to do

I left the CP feeling relative relaxed. I was true to my plan, on schedule, and feeling really comfortable on the bike. The next few hundred miles didn’t pose too many challenges, or so I thought. I had a simple 987-pt Bonus as I headed east on USH-132 (the name of a Scenic Byway) and then no more “work” to do until I arrived in Duchesne.

30 minutes later, I hit the wall in the town of Mount Pleasant – it was starting to get hot and the country roads were long, straight, and hypnotic. I pulled over in the shade, walked around a little, and chugged my first ever 5-hr Energy Drink. Rejuvenated, I was content to follow a couple of RVs out of town and up the hill until I could find a safe place to pass them (it’s harder on a little bike, trust me…) and I finally made it to USH-6. Ah, the mountains, much cooler and more interesting. As I headed east on USH-6 toward Helper (a road that Rich and I have traveled dozens of times on the way to Colorado), Carmen reported that I would return to the hotel by about 5:00pm. Really? Two hours early? I started to second-guess my plan. Could I have done some of the “in-town” bonuses in the morning? Could I actually make it to Little America WY after all?

NO, NO, NO. Discipline kicked in – I must Finish – nothing more,and definitely nothing less. But at this point, I did allow myself the freedom to contribute a few entries to the newly-launched Utah 1088 Photo Blog, which we had been strongly encouraged to do as we went about our travels. Here is my first Photo Blog entry from Soldier Summit on USH-6.

The Ninjette made it to Soldier Summit. Past the halfway pt and still going strong. Damn, it’s pretty out here!

Tar Snakes – Are You F***ing Kidding me?

Just when I thought I had nothing but a simple cruise to the next bonus in Duchesne, I encountered trouble coming out of Price Canyon – the dreaded tar snakes. I had heard about their evilness, but for some reason I thought that wetness was the problem. In fact, when I started up the hill and saw them, I remember thinking “good thing it isn’t raining.” The next thing I knew, both of my tires were sliding and I nearly crashed. It turns out that in the heat they turn into little strips of oiled Teflon. And because they aren’t flush with the pavement, the little bike gets “light” when it hits them, compounding the problem. Those few miles turned out to be by far the scariest of the day – and worth a Photo Blog entry so I never forget.

My first tar snakes ever. They SUCK!!! (Especially on a light bike…)

As I continued out of the canyon toward parts unknown, the tar snakes became a distant (and unpleasant) memory and I was actually starting to enjoy the twisty road. But then I experienced the first true deficit of the little bike when I realized that my throttle hand had hit the stop and my speed was dropping … 50.3 … 49.5 … 48.7 … 47.4.  …  wow, this must be a really steep road! Imagine my surprise when I emerged from the climb to discover a “Summit 9114 Ft” sign. I have since learned that this unlabeled summit is called “Indian Creek Pass”, but at the time, all I knew is that it was REALLY high! It was worth a couple of Photo Blog entries – a photo of the sign, a photo of the view, and a pee behind a tree (mercifully, no photo).

Holy crap – 9114 ft? No wonder the poor little thing was working so hard coming out of Price canyon!

…And this is the pay-off for all that work – what a view!!!

The ride from Indian Creek Pass into Duchesne ranks among the best rides in my (admittedly limited) riding career. For you West Coasters, think Spooner Pass into Carson City but several times longer and no traffic. I stopped on my way into town for an 1136-pt photo of the Duchesne City Cemetery, a quick gas fill-up, and then West on I-40.

Duchesne City Cemetery, 1136 pts (yep, that's my hat between the E and the T)

Just when I thought I had it wired: Wind and Construction

On the map, I-40 looked like a cruise, but wind and construction demonstrated why my conservative strategy was sound. I was not terribly phased by the wind, but only because I had encountered it during one of my shakedown rides coming home from San Jose. Construction, on the other hand, is a giant PITA and there is no way around it.

Stop #8 on my route was a 1458-pt memorial cross on I-40, one of 14 throughout the state erected to memorialize fallen UHP troopers. (I have since learned that an atheist group has filed suit to have these torn down. Really? Can’t you find anything more important to do with your time and money? Like campaign against Rick Perry? Sheesh… I could barely see the cross, let alone be offended by it.) Meanwhile, back to the rally, this stop happened to be at a huge pullout, which inspired me to perform some much-needed housekeeping (hydration, nourishment, sunscreen).

UHP Memorial Cross, 1458 pts

I headed on down the mountain into Heber City, topped off the fuel tank, then turned south onto USH-189 toward Provo. I found myself riding by Deer Creek Reservoir watching the kite-surfers – hey, I thought that was a SF Bay thing – who knew you could do that on a lake too!

As I continued down the western slope of the Wasatch, I executed a significant (and planned) modification to the Main Route instructions by blowing past the turnoff to SR-92, aka the Alpine Loop. My mapping software had fought me the night before when calculating the route, and when I zoomed in to find out why, the smooth line transformed into a very squiggly line. AND, there were no bonus points on that leg to lure me. While the road itself (which I hear is beautiful) might have been an interesting challenge (a) for more experienced motorcyclists or (b) earlier in the rally, I knew that squiggly lines at that stage of my ride represented an unacceptable risk to my goals. So I continued into Orem and then west on SR-52 with confidence. I was headed for Stop #9 – a photo of the green dinosaur on the north wall of the Museum of Ancient Life in Lehi. A little construction, a few detours, a few hundred feet of wrong-way riding, no sweat.

Museum of Ancient Life, Lehi UT, 2933 pts

The home stretch

Once I bagged the 2933-pt dinosaur, I didn’t have much left to do except ride and ride and ride back to the hotel. I didn’t dare stray from the Main Route because I needed miles and I didn’t want to get stuck on the SLC-to-Wendover Ride-Of-Shame. So I rode west on 73 through Lehi, trusted the RM when I found myself headed south, and then finally met up with USH-36 North to Tooele which I knew was well within reach of the hotel.

I found this billboard as I rode into Tooele, and decided it was worth a couple more illegal u-turns to capture for the Photo Blog.

Best billboard I saw today. Had to go back and post it.

When I hit I-80 and headed east to the hotel, I knew I had to check my GPS mileage at the off-ramp. I was emotionally prepared to do another 20-mile round trip west to Saltair if needed, but as it turned out, I had more than enough miles and I was about 40 minutes early. Just to be sure, I did a few low-risk laps of Amelia Earhart Rd between 5600W and Wright Bros Drive (sort of a mini Ride-of-Shame) before I pulled into the hotel parking lot at 6:31pm.

Post-Rally Housekeeping

Scoring was very efficient. The rally staff recorded my finish time and mileage and certified that my driver’s license was still snugly sealed in the envelope (5000 points). I was directed inside where I had plenty of time to review my bonus answers, confirm they were legible, turn in my paperwork, and have my SD card scanned to verify I had taken the required photos.

With that, there was nothing left to do but unpack the bike, check Rich’s progress on his SPOT, and enjoy a casual dinner with a few of my friends on the rally staff. I had good reason to relax and celebrate – I had met both of my goals AND I had fun. And as it turned out, four of the seven riders entered in the 12-hour event had come in just a few minutes over time, thereby earning DNFs. Even though I was tired, I could do that math and so I knew before I went to bed that I had achieved a podium finish. I set my alarm for 5am so that I could watch the return of the real rallyists – the ones who rode the 24-hour and 3-day versions – including Rich.

Below is the Spotwalla map showing my actual route – click on the map for an interactive version to see things like my zig-zagging north of Dugway looking for the monument and my final back-and-forths before the finish line.

SPOT statellite tracker record of my ride

Next up: 2011 Utah 1088, Part III: Results and Review

Key Rally Concepts – a Primer

Rally Master (RM): The Rally Master designs the rally, and in many cases, plans and promotes the entire event. The MERA Utah 1088 is Steve Chalmers’ baby and has been since its inception in 1992. He does it all: offers up a wide variety of interesting Bonus opportunities and routing options, organizes the post-rally awards banquet and bar-fest, and laser-etches all of the awards. He is known for his clear instructions (no gimmicks), fair scoring, and devious and sometimes twisted sense of humor about bonus selection. For the latter, he has been affectionately dubbed the “Rally-Bastard”.

All The Gear, All The Time (ATGATT): This is the slogan of all the serious motorcyclists I know – own the right gear and wear it whenever you’re on the bike. In other words, there is never a good reason or excuse for riding in tank tops, shorts, sandals, or <shudder> without a helmet. On this rally, failure to wear helmet, boots and gloves at any time during the rally results in Disqualification. Most riders also wear full riding suits with armor/padding.

Did Not Finish (DNF): The basic goal of all rallyists is to Finish. Finishing criteria varies from rally to rally, but nobody wants a DNF next to their name.

Checkpoint (CP): In this rally, there was a single checkpoint with a narrow window of time. Missing it results in a DNF. The only exemption was for riders who opted for the Alternate Route (described later).

Bonus opportunities (“Boni”): Finishing position is determined by total points, which are accumulated by collecting Boni – sort of a two-wheeled scavenger hunt. Descriptions and requirements for these bonus opportunities are scattered amongst the Main Route instructions. Bonus opportunities fall into two basic categories:

1. Those available along the route. Some are right on the Main Route and easily obtainable; others require some extra effort or miles. Point values for each roughly correspond to the degree of difficulty. Often the highest point bonuses are red herrings, doable perhaps, but more likely to result in a DNF for greedy rallyists. In this rally, the bonus values along the Main Route route ranged from 865 to 3625 with additional options up to 4697 points.
2. Those available regardless of the route. The points for these are tied to the importance to the Rally Master. There were two on this rally:

• 5000 points were awarded for avoiding an encounter with law enforcement (and 7500 deducted if you did not) – this incentive helps maintain the reputation of the rally. The concept is simple: our driver’s licenses are sealed in an envelope before the rally. Return with the envelope intact = earn 5000 points; return with a torn envelope = deduct 7500 points. This rally has been running in Utah for so long that veteran troopers have been known to pull a rider over, ask for the envelope, tear off the corner, and send the rider on his/her way without a ticket – knowing that they had already inflicted enough pain. There are lots of stories of creative avoidance tactics to avoid the dreaded “envelope tear” – begging, lying, whatever, some successful, some not – in my book, this is legit. Some experienced rallyists carry duplicate licenses – that just feels like cheating to me. My plan, if faced with the problem, was to point out that a 250cc “not much more than a scooter” motorcycle couldn’t POSSIBLY have been going that fast.
• 7500 points were awarded for carrying a SPOT satellite tracker – this gives the Rally Master peace of mind because he can keep track of his “ducklings” while they are out. We were informed prior to the rally that use of the SPOT was “strongly suggested” and that we would be highly rewarded with points for compliance. No brainer there, Rich and I embraced the SPOT years ago and had already acquired a second one for my solo travels with the RV and the dogs.

The Plan

Going into this rally, I had two simple goals: (1) stay upright and healthy, and (2) finish. Most rallyists list “have fun” at the top of their goals, but I figured the other two were more important and having fun would be the natural result of accomplishing my goals. I did not want to be listed in the results as a DNF. The requirements for finishing are deceptively simple:

1. Leave the hotel no earlier than 7:00am
2. Make the mandatory Checkpoint within the prescribed time window
3. Ride at least 544 miles
4. Return to the hotel by 7:00pm (there is NO slack – 7:01pm is a DNF)

My shakedown rides had taught me that maintaining the 45.33 mph average to meet these criteria was not an easy task. That average has to account for all downtime, including fuel and potty stops, checkpoint and bonus administration, sustenance and hydration, clothing changes and gear adjustment, etc. And it also has to be sustained in the face of unanticipated delays like construction, traffic and weather.

Since maintaining that average was key to my goal, I showed up at the rally with the following fundamentals firmly embedded in my brain:

1. Minimize non-riding time while ON the clock. The adage amongst experienced and successful rallyists is that every minute off the bike is a mile lost on the road.
2. Maximize the use of time while OFF the clock. Arriving at the checkpoint before it opens gives you “free” time to take care of all that business that otherwise detracts from #1.
3. Minimize high-risk routing and bonus choices. Examples:

• Bonuses that require extra miles may seem doable on paper if all goes well, but also have high potential to result in a DNF due to unforeseen factors like construction and local traffic.
• You don’t have to follow the route instructions exactly, and in fact, except for making the CP, you don’t have to follow the route instructions at all. Alternate roads may get you to the same place with less time and less work, thereby less risk.

4. Organize my gear to optimize access to the things that impact downtime. This may be the most important thing and the most often overlooked by rookies. The common theme here is “attached to (or easily-accessible in) the tank bag”.

• Paperwork (e.g. route instructions) – 3-hole sheet protectors attached to tank bag with mini-carabiners.
• Pens – mini-sharpies with built-in key rings attached with carabiners to tank bag
• Camera and hat – hat attached to camera strap attached to tank bag with carabiner
• Hydration – my tank bag has a pocket for a bladder and a hole for the hose. But thanks to a tip from a fellow competitor, I made a key last-minute modification – a $1 “badge reel”. When properly affixed to the bite valve tubing and the tank bag, the reel caused the tube to retract to a reliably-accessible position for on-the-road hydration.
• Sustenance – simple, effective, efficient. In other words, Gatorade, Boost and beef jerky in the tank bag.
• Personal care – sunscreen and chapstick, easily accessible in the tank bag.

Odometer Check

The first official event of the rally is the odometer check. We were sent on a ~20-mile ride with very strict directions, including which driveways to exit and enter the parking lot. The purpose of this is to determine a correction factor for each participant’s mileage readings. For example, if the “official” distance of the odometer check was 20.0 miles, but my odometer showed 21.0, I would have to adjust my total mileage reading for the rally by a factor of 1.05. That is critical information because to meet the 544 mile finishing requirement, my odometer would actually have to read 571.2 (in this example). In my experience with Rich, most bikes are about 10% optimistic. I was prepared for this and had designed an hourly mileage landmark cheat sheet if necessary. As it turned out, my odometer was spot on – whew, one less thing to worry about.

Pre-Rally Routing

In all of the pre-rally announcements, the RM had stated that we would be receiving our route instructions just 15 minutes before the start. That’s not much time to come up with a plan and I was more than a little concerned. I had already decided that I would use that 15 minutes to find a way to get to the Checkpoint at least 30 minutes before it opened, with or without bonus points, and use that off-the-clock 30 minutes to route the remainder of the ride. To my enormous relief, he distributed the instructions on Friday night immediately following the rider’s meeting.

I went upstairs, fired up the laptop, and began the routing process. Our instructions were actually quite simple, and in a nutshell, my process went something like this:

1. Highlight the Main Route on the map. The Main Route is clearly defined in the instructions by a series of simple commands like “80 West to 196; 196 South to 199; etc.” This gave me a baseline on where the RM wanted us to go. I knew from previous exposure that the route instructions are a suggestion, not a requirement.
2. Enter and evaluate the Bonus List in Excel. This went quickly because there were only 16 offered and of those, only 13 were discretionary. The others were either gimme’s (enable SPOT tracking) or not relevant to routing (is my driver’s license envelope intact). I entered the basics – number, brief description, requirement (photo, receipt, answer question) and points. Then I sorted by point value, divided the list into thirds to determine cut-off points, and used Conditional Formatting to assign a color to each of the groups based on value (red=high, yellow=medium, green=low).
3. Eliminate the Boni that didn’t fit my criteria. Referring back to my pre-rally planning, I was avoiding Boni that (a) took me off the bike, (b) went the wrong way, (c) added unnecessary mileage, or (d) added variables beyond my control. Staying true to this plan, I eliminated the following:

#1, the “alternate route”. Ride to St. George and get a receipt. Seriously? That’s a 600-mile round trip. This one provided an exemption for the CP requirement, but still, I’m stressed about getting 544 miles, let alone 600.
#2, which involved going east into SLC (the wrong direction) to get a signed business card from a bike shop (off the bike).
#5, the ever-popular shooting bonus, which involves going south of town (the wrong direction) and standing in line to shoot a gun (off the bike and variables beyond my control).
#12, the red-herring. Ride to Little America WY and get a gas receipt, with no exemption for the CP requirement. I didn’t enter this rally to spend my whole day on the Interstates (I-15 and I-80).

4. Plot the remaining Boni on the computer and download routes to the GPS. There are as many opinions about the best way to do this as there are software options. I use Microsoft Streets & Trips because it’s fairly intuitive and pretty good at finding landmarks. Then I export the data to a format that Garmin’s Mapsource can use to download the data to my GPS (a trusty Garmin StreetPilot 2610 dubbed “Carmen”). I entered the 9 Boni that remained after the two previous elimination steps and found myself with a route that seemed to meet the time/mileage requirements. I further broke this down into two separate routes (“Start to CP” and “CP to Finish”) so I could accurately track my progress to the Checkpoint and ensure an early enough arrival to do my required maintenance off the clock (hydration, sustenance, fuel, sunscreen, potty, faceshield clean, etc.). I was prepared to blow off early Boni if necessary to do that.
5. Prepare my working documents. This is the paperwork I would actually use on the road and involved three separate steps:

• Update the map. I had already highlighted the Main Route, so I added labeled dots that corresponded to the bonus locations and color-coded values from the spreadsheet.
  

  Planned Route with Boni and CP marked

• Create the cheat-sheets. Two simple lists of instructions to myself (Start-CP and CP-Finish), written with a Sharpie in large enough print to read on the fly as I was moving. Here is the 2nd list (CP-Finish).
  

  Cheat Sheet, CP to Finish

• Protect and ‘bind’ the route instructions. The route instructions might as well be made of gold. They have blanks that need to be filled in for each bonus and checkpoint, and if you show up at the finish line without them, you’re toast. To avoid the risk of water damage or wind abduction, and also to simplify the process of recording the required information, I inserted each page in a plastic sheet protector, bound the pages together with tiny carabiners, and attached the bound set to my tank bag under the map flap. All I had to do to record my progress was open the Sharpie (which was also lashed to the tank bag), lift the map flap, and write the info on the sheet protector. I had already verified with the RM that I could record my information on the outside of the sheet protectors and turn them in that way.

Even with a few last-minute tweaks, I was done with all of the preparation by 11:00pm so I turned on the TV to check the weather, set both my alarm and wake-up call to 5:45am, checked Rich’s SPOT to be sure he was still moving (did I mention that he was half-way into his 3-day rally at this point?) and hit the sack.

Next up: 2011 Utah 1088, Part II: Rally Day!

For someone who rides as infrequently as I, the thought of riding for 12-hours straight is more than a little daunting. Fortunately, I had the sense to train by doing a series of shakedown rides. These were actually mini-rallies that very closely simulated the requirements I would be faced with on the actual rally. For each ride, Rich developed a list of bonus opportunities and gave me a time-frame. I went through the full exercise of reviewing the bonus list, weeding out the red herrings, routing a doable ride, and executing the plan.

I ended up doing three of these shakedown rides in the two months leading up to the event.

#1: Can I Even Do This?

Rich and I both used this ride to test our computer routing skills. We had the same bonus list and independently plotted our own routes. We would leave our home in Petaluma at the same time and meet for dinner at the Pacifico Restaurant in Calistoga 5 hours later. My route resulted in a beautiful tour of the Sonoma County coastal hills through Sebastopol and Graton, then up to the Alexander and Knights Valley wine regions, then over two sets of mountains into Lake County, and back to Calistoga. I have no idea what Rich did, but I’m pretty sure he got lost because he had been at the restaurant for over an hour by the time I got there.

Important take-aways from Shakedown Ride #1:

• My new helmet needed some more break-in time. I developed an unpleasant jaw pain on the left side of my face. It finally subsided, but I was concerned.
• My StreetPilot needed a sun visor (a common issue)
• I definitely need a throttle lock
• The changes we had made to my seat and riding position were perfect

#2: Riding in the Rain

I deliberately picked a very rainy day for the second ride. Rain is always a possibility in Utah and I needed to boost my riding confidence and test my gear. For this 3-hour ride, I went directly out to the coast (Tomales), headed south on Hwy 1 to Marin County, then came home on the freeway. I still had my bonus list to deal with, which meant managing cameras, Sharpies and paperwork in the rain.

Important take-aways from Shakedown Ride #2:

• I needed a better plan for managing my paperwork than stuffing it into the chest pocket of my jacket. By the time I got to the first bonus question, it was a soggy unusable mess.
• The time to put your over-gloves on is at the first hint of rain, not after your regular gloves are already soaked through.
• My jacket and pants needed to be doused with Scotch-Guard
• Hwy 1 sucks in the rain, not because of the wetness, but because of the mud, gravel, and eucalyptus droppings.
• Riding in the rain isn’t as scary as it seems, as long as you stay away from the paint on the pavement (crosswalks, arrows, letters)

#3: Getting Serious About Distance

Rich had entered the Cal 24 Rally, which ended with a banquet at a hotel in San Jose. We thought it would be fun to have my final shakedown ride end there so I could join the participants for dinner. This was an 8-hour plan – first to San Francisco, then down the coast all the way to Castroville, over to 101, up 580 to Pleasanton, then back to the hotel in San Jose. This was the first ride that would require me to refuel (both the bike and my body), which adds the elements of fuel planning and time management. It was also going to entail a greater temperature variation than I had encountered before, which was going to put my riding gear to the test. It was chilly at 6am when I left home, but rose to the 80s mid-day in the valley.

Important take-aways from Shakedown Ride #3:

• It isn’t as easy to average 45 mph when you have to stop for necessities in addition to bonus questions
• The helmet problem identified on Ride #1 had disappeared – break-in was complete
• The LDComfort top and tights worked as advertised – I never felt the need to add or shed any clothing
• I survived 8 hours with a reasonable average speed, which made me pretty confident I could do 12.
• That evening, I learned to manage the wind, as I found myself in an evil gusty cross-wind for most of the ride home.

With those three rides under my belt, my training was complete. All that was left to do was get to Utah and run the rally.

Next up: 2011 Utah 1088, Part I: Final Preparations

While I was customizing the bike, I found myself having to reconsider my gear in parallel. You see, I managed to sign up for something completely crazy. My husband, Rich, is a dedicated endurance rallyist – which basically means averaging 1000 miles/day for however long the rally is. He has ridden dozens of 24-hour rallies over the past two decades, and in September 2010, he finished his first 10-day rally, the inaugural MERA 10-in-10. One of his favorites is the MERA Utah 1088, which celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2011. The Rally Master, a good friend of ours, decided to overlay a 3-day rally on top of the traditional 24-hour format. In a moment of delirium, I suggested that he consider embedding a shorter rally as well for people like me who just wanted to dip their toes in the water. I had in a mind a nice 4 to 6 hour ride, but the result was a 12-hour challenge. Are you kidding me? But since it was my idea, I was sort of stuck at least giving it a try. Yep, this dilettante is going on a very long ride on a very small bike.

Seriously, 12 hours on a Ninjette? As it turned out, very few of the farkles I ended up adding to the bike were solely motivated by this event – most notably the GPS shelf, sheepskin seat pad, and full set of luggage. The other items would have probably ended up on there eventually anyway.

But the decision to enter the rally did expose some deficiencies in my riding gear. Or as my friend Maura Gatensby so eloquently put it, “No such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.” Here is what I’ve done to address that concept.

Under Gear

Problem: According to my more knowledgeable sources, after a few hours in the saddle, riders develop a condition commonly known as “monkey butt”.

Solution: The undisputed leader in monkey butt prevention is Mario Winkelman’s underwear, aka LD Comfort. The stuff isn’t cheap but it’s worth it. I wasn’t ready to spring for a full assortment, so on advice of trusted friends, I opted for a long-sleeve top and full-length tights. The assumption was that it’s better to be protected if it’s cold and let the wicking fabric do its job if it’s warm.

Ventilation / Face Access

Problem: My bop-around-town full-faced HJC helmet does not have the ventilation required for desert riding in Utah nor the flexibility required for stopping to take photos / write notes / get gas / drink water without removing said helmet.

Solution: I decided to get a flip-up helmet. Again, I wasn’t ready to fork out $500-600 for the market leader (Shoei), but I found that HJC made a perfectly adequate version in my price range. And since my everyday helmet was also an HJC, I didn’t have to worry about sizing or fit.

Hydration

Problem: Hours of riding in the Utah desert, no time to stop and drink.

Solution: One of the things I loved about the Dowco Tank Bag is that it is designed with a built-in pocket for a hydration bladder and a slot for the tube. Quick trip to REI to buy a bladder.

Ear Protection

Problem: The Ninjette cruises at 7000-8000 RPM. That’ll drive anybody crazy after a few hours.

Solution: I bought a set of custom-molded ear plugs from a Plug-Up at the San Mateo bike show, complete with a tether so I wouldn’t lose them and a cute little case to protect them. I added a small cord lock that turns the tether into a sort of a bolo tie so they don’t fall off when I take them out.

Body Armor

Problem: I love my Joe Rocket Ballistic jacket and pants, but the hard plastic body armor is miserable. I feel like a transformer robot in the jacket and the knee pads dig in to my legs most uncomfortably.

Solution: Rich had already discovered T-Pro soft armor from Forcefield. They’re made of some sort of space-age foam that is supposed to provide the nearly the same protection as the hard armor. I replaced the knee pads in my pants, but left the hard hip pads in place because they weren’t bugging me. And I replaced the elbow and shoulder pads to soften up the jacket but left the hard back protector in. The bad news is that we can’t find a source in the U.S. anymore.

Warmth and Dryness

Problem: In contrast to the big touring bikes, I don’t have a lot of protection from the elements. Staying warm and staying dry will be challenging.

Solution #1: I already mentioned that Rich dug up a Widder electric vest and wired a plug into a side panel on the bike.

Solution #2: I have some decent insulated snowmobile gloves and didn’t see any reason to buy fancy new expensive ones for the unlikely event of rain. Instead, I bought a pair of Aerostich Triple-Digit Rain Covers. Half glove, half mitten – they are waterproof and fit over my warm gloves. Problem solved.

So now my bike is ready, my gear is ready, I just need to get myself ready. Time for some Shakedown Rides.

Ninjette: Nickname for the Kawasaki Ninja 250R motorcycle. The 250R is the smallest “Ninja” motorcycle that Kawasaki manufactures.

(Source: urbandictionary.com)

If you read my previous posts (Finally, a Motorcycle Just for Me), you already know how I ended up with a 2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Special Edition. Most bikes that arrive in our garage, even brand new ones, start life by being taken apart and rebuilt several times before they are “ready”. But this bike is so nearly perfect out of the box (and Rich won’t ride it, which helps), that I was hoping this extra step would not be required.

It only took one 100-mile ride to remind me that no bike is perfect. I quickly identified areas that needed attention to make it safer, more rideable, and even more attractive. Then, against my better judgment, I decided to enter a 12-hour endurance rally in June. That decision exposed a whole new level of farkling necessities. The resulting laundry list turned into a joint project over the winter and a long list of modifications which I have documented in this article. I’m not including a cost tally because I choose to remain in denial.

Here is a photo I took last July, right after I bought it and before my first ride (other than getting it home). No modifications had yet been made when this photo was taken.

As delivered, right after I bought it - the "BEFORE" photo

Riding Comfort

Riding position

Problem: The sporty riding position on the Ninjette is designed for 18-year-old kids with bodies that bend like Gumby – extreme angle on the knees and hips and a lot of weight on the wrists. It’s an inherently tiring position, but the target audience isn’t likely to ride for more than about 50 miles at a time. I needed to do some work to make it more suitable for an old lady like me.

Solution 1: We addressed the wrist problem by adding Roaring Toyz Handlebar Risers. These are designed to kick up the bar height by 1-1/2″ without sacrificing the wrist angle.

Solution 2: We dealt with the knees and hips by dropping the foot pegs an inch with the Cycle Pirates Adjustable Footpeg Mounting Kit. This mod required a significant amount of work and is not for the faint-of-heart. Though the brackets themselves bolted on, (a) they don’t use the stock footpegs and (b) the brake and shift levers had to be adjusted to match the new position. Rich took the opportunity to replace the rubber-clad footpegs with some metal ones, which gained me an extra 1/4″. I always wear boots so I didn’t even notice the slight increase in vibration.

Seat Enhancement

Problem: As with most bikes, the stock seat leaves much to be desired. When I test-rode it at the dealership I thought I might get away with it. My first shakedown ride convinced me otherwise.

Solution 1: We have always had good luck with custom seats from Corbin – we have put them on at least 10 bikes in the past two decades. They are not the elite seat-makers for long-distance riding, but I didn’t want or need a $1000+ custom seat. Corbin had a front seat replacement in their catalog that didn’t require me to send in my stock seat. As it turned out, the off-the-rack Corbin seat didn’t work for me either – it was canted forward in a way that shoved me into the tank, exacerbating the riding position problem. When I contacted Corbin for advice (intending to return it) they offered to adjust it. We took the bike down to get it “modified” – instead I ended up with a brand-new fully-customized seat at no additional charge. Kudos!

Solution 2: I decided I would probably want a little more comfort for the 12-hour ride so I added an Alaska Sheepskin Buttpad. The Pillion I fits the rider’s seat on the Ninja perfectly.

Bonus: The customization on the seat added another inch or so between my hips and the footpegs, thus reducing the stress on my hips and knees even more. The Ninjette has a very low seat height out of the box (one of the reasons I love it) and I’m tall enough that I still have plenty of room to spare even with the increased height of the seat. I haven’t tested the sheepskin yet, but it’s so thick that I’m guessing I’ll get another 1/2″ out of it. Every fraction matters!

Supplemental Warmth

Problem: The rally is in Utah in June. It is just as likely to be 40 degrees in the mountains as it is to be 100 degrees in the valley. With very little protection from the fairing, I needed a way to keep warm.

Solution: Rich found a Widder electric vest in the garage that doesn’t fit him anymore. He installed a Powerlet plug on the side of the bike right below the seat.

Replacement windscreen

Problem: Though the stock fairing and windshield are surprisingly effective on the freeway (compared to the unfaired ER-6N), I did feel like I would want a little more coverage for longer rides. This became even more apparent after I modified the riding position.

Solution: Zero Gravity offers 3 different replacement shields for the Ninjette. I opted for the Sport-Touring model, which is the tallest option. I chose Dark Smoke because it looks so much better on the bike and the screen is still low enough that I rarely look through it anyway.

Handlebar Vibration and Throttle Control

Problem: The hard-rubber handlebar grips transmit quite a bit of vibration. This problem isn’t specific to the Ninjette, but because it cruises at 7000-8000 rpm it is more noticeable than most, especially on longer rides.

Solution: Grip Puppies are simple covers made of dense foam. In addition to reducing vibration, they also relax the hand by adding diameter. They don’t last forever but they don’t cost much either.

Problem: Nobody can hold a twist throttle on for 12 hours. At least I can’t. Especially after sustaining permanent damage to my right ulnar nerve following an elbow fracture in 1982.

Solution: I solved two problems at once by adding ThrottleMeister cruise control and bar-end weights. The Grip Puppies weren’t quite enough to resolve the handlebar vibrations and bar-end weights were the next logical step. The ThrottleMeister isn’t the cheapest throttle lock available, but it is widely-accepted as the best and simplest to use. We special-ordered it from our local friends at CA Sport Touring.

Safety and Visibility

Rear-end Lighting

Problem: Most bad motorcycle accidents involving other vehicles are caused by (a) cars turning left in front of them or (b) being rear-ended. Visibility from the rear is key to mitigating (b) – the more light the better, especially under braking. Motorcycle tail lights and turn signals, with their small reflectors and old-school incandescent bulbs, are woefully inadequate. Fortunately, LED technology has opened up the world of lighting in low-voltage applications.

Solution 1: LED Integrated Tail Light With Turn Signals. This solution also addressed a problem that was both aesthetic and practical – the stock turn signals (on their mandated stalks) are not only ugly, but they are in the way of adding saddle bags.

Solution 2: To get even more light (and replace the ugly dealer license plate frame), we installed a chrome frame with an integrated brake light from Custom Dynamics.

Solution 3: Finally, we added amber LEDs from AdMore Lighting to the side body panels to enhance the visibility of the turn signals.

Audible Warning System

Problem: If the cars can’t (or won’t) see you, they need to be able to hear you. The stock horn is just pathetic.

Solution: Rich mounted a 139dB Stebel Nautilus Compact Motorcycle Air Horn in front of the forks under the fairing. He had to trim out some notches in the plastic but he finished it so nicely it looks like it came that way.

Seeing What’s Around Me

Problem: The stock mirrors are designed for looks, not function. Again, this “reflects” (ha-ha) the assumption that sport riders care more about what’s in front of them than what’s behind. Unfortunately, I DO like to know what’s back there (or next to me) and all I could see was my own arms and shoulders.

Solution: The factory Ninja 650R mirrors have longer stalks and bolt right on to the existing brackets (Ron Ayers Motorsports had the best price). The front of the bike looks a little gawkier now but it’s worth it – they completely opened up my view to the side and behind me.

Aesthetics and Functionality

Rear-end Aesthetics

Problem: The rear fender/license plate holder (as required by California law) is butt-ugly. It had to go – I’ll risk the fix-it ticket.

Solution: Installing the Competition Werkes Fender Eliminator kit was a relatively simple fix. It did require some trimming of the plastic mounting plate but it is well-illustrated in the instructions. The kit includes a replacement for the license plate mount and light.

Storage

Problem: There is no storage on this tiny little thing.

Solution 1: Cycle Guys FastPack Tail Bag and a cheap magnetic tank bag. I found the tank bag at the annual Cycle Gear yard sale in Benicia – if you haven’t been there, get on their mailing list for next year.

Solution 2: After I entered the rally, I realized that I would need to carry a lot more stuff than my little seat pack and tank bag can hold. I stumbled on the Dowco Fastrax Sport Elite Series at the San Mateo bike show last winter. I’ve looked at a lot of luggage over the decades and I liked everything about these bags. They are small (which means they don’t overwhelm the Ninjette) but extremely well thought out. I bought the tank bag and saddle bags on the spot and ordered the tail pack soon after. I will still use the small cheaper bags for bopping around town.

Solution 3: The shape of the rear bodywork is not really compatible with saddlebags – if I cinched them tight over the top they stuck out sideways, and if I loosened them up they drooped into the exhaust. Rich overcame the problem by building a custom nylon plate that bolts on in place of the rear seat and supports the saddlebags in a more natural position. It also supplies a firm level mount for the tail pack.

Navigation

Problem: I’ll need to use a GPS for the rally and there’s no place to put it (or connect it).

Solution: Rich custom built a dash shelf under the windscreen, modified and mounted a Touratech StreetPilot bracket that he found in the shop, and hard-wired the power cable. My friend upgraded to a Nuvi for her RV and generously gave me her old StreetPilot 2610 for my birthday.

Protecting the bodywork

Problem: This bike has more bodywork than any other I’ve had, which means a simple tip-over is likely to be really expensive.

Solution: Shogun Frame Sliders and Swing-arm Sliders. I did considerable research before deciding on the Shoguns. Most frame sliders attach only by the top engine bolt, which means they can actually cause MORE damage in a crash because they transmit all of the force to the engine head. The Shoguns attach to both the top and bottom engine bolts so that that the energy is distributed and less likely to cause damage.

Electricity

Problem: If you have been keeping track, you’ll note that we have added several electrical accessories – GPS, electric vest, horn. The electrical system on this (and most) bikes isn’t built to handle this.

Solution: Added a Fuzeblock under the seat. This provided all of the additional fusing capacity we needed to protect the bike from our electrical enhancements.

View of the dash, showing the shelf, mirrors and handlebar mods

Side view, showing the pegs, sliders, power plug, and seat

As you might imagine, there was a lot of Googling involved with researching and narrowing down some of these choices, especially the bolder ones like bolting on a pair of 650 mirrors to a 250. The resources that I found most useful were forum discussions on several sites:

1. I got a tremendous amount of Ninjette-specific information from Ninjette.org, Ninja250forum.com, and 250ninja.org. All three are great for mining information using Google.
2. Many of the generic items we added (horn, grips, dash shelf, etc) had already been installed on Rich’s ST1300 as he went through the process of prepping it for his serious rallies. The most valuable resource for that discovery and research was the ST1300 Owners Club forum.

This project was a joint effort, but I need to especially thank Rich for doing most (actually all) of the hard work. My part was easy – research, decide, buy, open the box like a kid at Christmas, and enjoy the result after it magically appeared on the bike. As you might imagine, there was a lot of hard work and shop time behind the curtain. But Rich loves pimping rides and takes the most pride when nobody notices that anything has changed. To quote his late great friend Paul Unmacht, everything he does looks “factwy”. The Ninjette is no exception.

Here is the “AFTER” photo with all of the modifications in place. Hopefully, if you hadn’t read this article, you might not have even realized that any changes had been made (not counting the luggage). Mission accomplished.

The "AFTER" photo - all modifications complete

P.S. I also developed an additional list of “body” farkles that are required to survive 12 hours in the saddle, but since they aren’t specific to the bike I’ve covered them separately in Body Farkles: Damn, 12 Hours is a Long Time.

P.P.S. You may have noticed the vanity plate in the photos of the back of the bike. I love my vanity plates and I’m not ashamed to admit it. But never in a million years did I expect to secure such a perfect plate for this bike. SCORE!!!

As I review my original iPad post and the use cases I proposed, I have the following updates:

Media-rich newspapers: Nothing has changed here. I still don’t make time for a national newspaper, and as far as I know, the local rag (Press-Democrat) hasn’t adopted the format.

Media-rich magazines: As it turns out, at least one of the niche magazines that comes to our house, Clean Run, has made a significant effort to delve into the digital world. They now have a digital edition which is available through any web browser, and their digital publisher has already launched an iPad app (can an Android app be far behind?). Hmm, this is getting more interesting.

Watching videos. This is still my most compelling use case, even with the streaming constraints of the cellular networks and the input constraints of the iPad. I have already ripped my dog-training DVDs so I can watch them on my iPod Nano and Blackberry. It goes without saying that the tablets beat the handhelds in screen size, plus they bring a 10-hour battery life which is unapproachable in the laptop world. Now it’s starting to get really interesting.

Kindle backup. Yep, we need something. I concluded in my Kindle update that the Blackberry Kindle Reader is quite adequate in a pinch but not suited for long reading sessions. And I can’t quite justify a second Kindle when weighed against the added value and features of the tablets.

Fortunately, the tablet market has evolved along with my needs and the iPad is no longer the only option. Google’s Android operating system, which has been so successful in the smartphone market, has been extended to tablets and several manufacturers have already responded. And HP, which bought Palm and rebranded it as webOS, has also announced a new tablet offering (although it may be too little too late). This changes everything in terms of tablet decisions. In some ways it’s easier (I’m not forced to drink the Apple iBorg kool-aid), but the added options also add to the complexity of the decision (Android vs. HP WebOS, WiFi-only vs 3G/4G, AT&T/Verizon/Sprint).

Based on the growth of the Android app market and the openness of the operating system (in contrast to the iBorg), I had already concluded that Android would be my platform of choice. I was well on my way down the path of the Motorola Xoom when I encountered two significant stumbling blocks:

1. The $800 3G version is only available on Verizon, and the only way to buy it at the discounted price of $600 is to commit to a 2-year plan at a minimum of $20/month. Total cost: $1,280 plus tax and accessories. HUH??? I don’t think so.
2. The WiFi-only version hasn’t been released yet and is expected to be priced at $600, not exactly a dip-your-toes-into-the-tablet-world price.

During my struggle with all of this data, my good friend Jason just happened to notice the Woot of the day at woot.com, a ViewSonic GTablet (Android-based, wi-fi only) for $280. Those of you with Woot experience know that the good stuff sells out quickly. But it was enough money that I wasn’t ready to push the button without doing a little more research. During the course of the day I was able to determine the following key pieces of information about this particular device:

1. It is listed on Amazon for about $340 so the Woot price was righteous. It is now available on other sites for $310, but still, $280 was a darned good price.
2. The hardware specs kick some serious butt
3. The user interface (UI) provided by ViewSonic sucks (it’s called Tap ‘n Tap – seriously?)
4. Because of the aforementioned openness of the Android operating system, #3 was easily overcome (OK, you have to be a bit of a geek…)
5. Everything required to deal with #4 is (a) free, (b) well-documented on youtube and various forums, and (c) well-understood by Jason (who has been hacking his Droid phone for months)

By the time I had concluded that this Woot deal was a financially feasible way for me to experiment with both a tablet and the Android OS, I was sure that the opportunity would have been lost. NOT SO! I clicked “I Want One” and here I am, the proud new owner of an Android Wi-Fi Tablet!

I have now rooted it and replaced the ROM. Or for those of you who don’t speak geek, I have taken over the hardware and replaced the stock Tap ‘n Tap interface and in doing so, effectively voided the warranty – a leap of faith not for the faint of heart. But the result is a kick-ass tablet that I’m thrilled to have in my arsenal.

My videos are awesome, the web browsing experience is fantastic, the Google app store is great and the Amazon app store is even better, and it is much better than my Blackberry for reading Kindle books. Even so, I will reiterate that the Kindle (with its eInk technology) will continue to thrive – LCDs (including this one) are terrible in natural light.

There is a dark side to my decision – this thing came with Angry Birds. I had been SO determined to ignore and avoid it, if only to justify my reverse iPhone snobbery. But there it was … I was only going to try it once …  really … CRAP!!!!!!

Hi, my name is Holly and I’m an Angry-Bird-aholic.