Rider #513

Time: 6:31pm
Location: Java, South Dakota
Odometer: 69,119


Let me begin by saying how honored I was to be chosen to find a spot for a part of Eddie’s ashes to be spread. This year’s version of the MN1K was by far the hardest rally I’ve ever ridden in. Not because of the additional length, not because of weather, not because of the difficulty of the bonuses but because it took me to so many spots that reminded me of Eddie. Places he had introduced us to on rallies, stories he told about his own adventures, or mis-adventures, even local legends like the Ponca Curse. I found that it’s really hard to rally with a lump in your throat and tears in your eyes.

Eddie and I weren’t particularly close. We didn’t call each other to see how the other was doing but whenever we were at an event together we always talked. I feel a lot like Bob Hidgon, Eddie’s just gone somewhere and he’ll be back. It’s just the winter, and I’ll see him somewhere sometime in the spring. I know in my heart that’s not true and this year’s MN2010 without Eddie really took the air out of my denial about his passing.

My original plan was to spread his ashes on a lonely back road in northwestern North Dakota after I had picked up the Lift bridge bonus, the biggest point bonus of the rally. But as rallies usually go for me I had bitten off more than I could chew. In Buffalo, South Dakota I re-planned my route to head for the finish picking up what I could along the way. So now where am I going to spread this little bit of Eddie? My new route was simple, US-12 from Bowman, North Dakota most of the way back to the Twin Cities. I looked over the bonuses along that route; there was no “Eddie” jumping out at me. Then just east of Mobridge, South Dakota I saw it, Java!

Java was a bonus on the Butt Lite IIII. I didn’t run that rally but I did some bonus scouting in the Dakotas and helped out at the start. I remember him telling me and the other staff the story of how he and Pedrow found that bonus. They were driving across South Dakota in a blizzard at 2:00 in the morning in the Ranger headed for Java to see what they could find there for a bonus. They found this odd gas station. Because Java is so small the station is unmanned but didn’t have the normal pay at the pump gas pumps. There was a white box “that looked like a paper towel dispenser” according to Eddie, where you would swipe your credit card. But the real trick was, to get a receipt you needed to swipe your card a second time and it would spit out your documentation. All this was of course told with much arm waving, embellishment and nearly spilled Dr. Pepper. The bonus when you saw it on the route sheet was so simple, so easy, so deceptive, it was pure Eddie. Just get a gas receipt from Java, South Dakota and score some easy points, nothing to it.

On the 2010 this year I was stopped at some road construction with Derek Dickson and he asked were I planned to spread my allotment of Eddie’s ashes. I told him Java and he smiled. Then he told his tale of getting gas in Java at 2:00 in the morning and not getting a receipt. Then springing into action to document everything he could to prove that he was there by taking photos of the station, the pump, the funny credit card machine all with rally towel included. Then he tried to get gas a second time thinking maybe there was just a glitch that prevented him from getting a receipt. He swiped his card again and out came his receipt. Damn that Eddie!

So I’m at the Sitting Bull Monument bonus near Mobridge and I check to see where my vial of ashes is in my top case and I find that the top has come off the pill bottle even though it was taped shut. Shit, Eddie’s escaped! But he hasn’t gone far. I scoop up all I can and get it back in the pill bottle but there’s still a bunch of dust that I can’t get out of the foam liner of the top case. The Sitting Bull Monument is on a very scenic overlook on the Missouri River. I look around and figure I could spread little of Eddie here too. I pull out the liner and give it a couple of swats and this white dust poofs out and floats away on the breeze.

Here is my bonus photo from the Sitting Bull Monument.

The view of the over look.

The prevailing winds took Eddie more in this direction Southwest.

Then it’s off to Java

……and the funny gas station.

What would Eddie do?? Why he’d make this a bonus!

I know the secret to get a receipt.

I made a small deposit right on top of the card reader just so Eddie can laugh at the next rider that shows up and tries to get a receipt.

I’ve still got some ashes left and I plan to cast them to the wind as I ride out of town. So I headed south out of town on South Dakota Hwy 271. I crank the FJR up to just shy of three vein Higdon speeds (ask Bob about this phrase) pull the vial out of my pocket, pop the top with my thumb and release Eddie to the winds of the prairie.

Well this was supposed to be the end of the story but, as you know it’s not.

Once I got back to Leo’s I looked in the very bottom of my top case and found, more Eddie.

I worked at getting as much of Eddie out of the foam from my top case and then swept up the rest off the bottom.

Put the last of the ashes into a secure container that is now residing on a shelf in my office waiting for me to figure out just where to spread the rest of him.

As soon as that happens I’ll let you know.

Rick, Team Strange Rider #513