THE GAME CHANGER

and shooting photos and helping us have a good time. They not only called us their guests, but treated us so. Super guys, all, and folks many of us will keep in touch with going forward.

In the end, epic adventures like this really do end up being all about people…that human element again. New friends — Paul and Teresa, Rick, Phil and Bill, and of course

Unfortunately, the rain came hard and heavy once we got back on the road, and with everyone starting to feel a bit exhausted, we jumped on the autobahn as we headed back toward Munich.

Time on the autobahn — even in pouring rain — gave me time to consider things from the past week, and there was plenty of grist. First, you expect an established tour company to have its ducks in a row when it comes to organization, hotels, meals, routes, luggage vans, rental bikes and all the myriad ancillary stuff customers rarely think about — and Edelweiss is peerless here. This tour ran like a well-oiled Swiss watch.

But when it comes to tour guides there’s a human element — which is neither consistent nor predictable. Having done a bunch of these types of guided tours, I have to say we literally couldn’t have done better than Thomas, Holger, Domenico and Dieter, who were knowledgeable, funny, smart, helpful, highly skilled on the bikes and very friendly. This tour, coming out of the COVID-19 mess, was their first in more than a year, and you could tell every single day they were excited to be riding Eric and the tour guides — for sure, and old ones, too — Rich and Doug, Shaun, Reed and Paul. Being able to ride with them and share a bit of the working life I’d only been able to tell them about before was a treat, and from what I gather from the smack talk that’s come since we got home, I think we’ll have plenty of early signups from the Utah contingent for next year’s tours.

Did I say tours? Yes, I did! We’ll do two with Edelweiss in 2022, a repeat of the Alps Challenge I, which will be similar to the 2021 version, on August 18-26, and an Alps Challenge II, which will cover the Alps’ more central region of Austria, Switzerland and France between August 27 and September 3. Definitely not something to miss. Contact edelweissbike.com for more information.

He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below

He saw everything as far as you can see

Ol’ John Denver had it right. AMA

AMERICAN MOTORCYCLIST • NOVEMBER 2021 1

One woman. One Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special. Forty-eight states. 7,983 miles. In nine days. Piece of cake, right?

BY WHITNEY MEZA WITH JOY BURGESS

F

or many of us, riding offers the greatest escape. Some ride for freedom and others for the thrills, but for AMA member Whitney Meza, doing the Iron Butt Association’s (IBA) 48/10 Challenge — created in 1988 and involving riding through 48 states in 10 days — was all about challenging herself and discovering what she was capable of on a motorcycle.

With the help of an IBA volunteer, Whitney discovered that only a handful of women have been certified in the 48/10 since its creation. “That was the fuel to the fire I didn’t know I needed,” Whitney told American Motorcyclist. “I just had to take on this challenge now. It was an opportunity to see a lot of the country, go places I hadn’t experienced before, and add another female name to the Iron Butt Association records.”

Riding her Sportster presented a challenge, not just in way too many time-sucking fuel stops but also in terms of survival, Sportsters being the polar opposites of touring bikes in terms of comfort. Enter Harley-Davidson’s new Pan America 1250. “I knew the 1250 could make this challenge easier,” Whitney said, “so I reached out to the Motor Co. and held my breath.”

H-D came through with a Pan America demo for the entire month of June, and after packing its hard bags with everything she thought she might need, she headed out at 3:30 a.m. on June 21, 2021 to prove she could take on 48 states in 10 days, unaware of the mental toughness and determination it’d take to accomplish that. —Joy Burgess

SOLO THRASH

DAY ONE

978 miles; 16:13 hours ride time; Wis., Ill., Ind., Mich., Ohio, Penn., N.Y., and Vt.

At 3:30 a.m. I was ready to take off from Wisconsin, but first had to clock my start time at a local Kwik Trip. Rolling in at 4 a.m. I met a fellow IBA rider just completing a Perimeter of Wisconsin Ride…exactly what I needed to get me going.

I took off towards Illinois, crossing the Illinois Skyway Bridge just as the sun rose. My adrenaline was high, and I knew I needed to settle and find my rhythm. As I went up through Indiana and into Michigan, I finally did…until later when I hit rain leaving New York. It didn’t let up as I dealt with curvy backroads on my way to Brattleboro, Vt.

Those last 120 miles in the rain tested me. By the time I got into my hotel I had a four-hour “nap” and just enough time for my gear to dry out on the heat vents before taking off again.

This Swiss-Armyknife of a bike was perfect for the challenge. I’m grateful to H-D for loaning it to me, and if I’m honest, it’s been hard to get back on my little Sportster after putting 13,500 total miles on the Pan Am.

Those last 120 miles in the rain tested me. By the time I got into my hotel I had a four-hour “nap” and just enough time for my gear to dry out on the heat vents before taking off again.

694 miles; 12:30 hours ride time; N.H., Maine, Mass., R.I., Conn., N.J., Del., Md., and W.Va.

New Hampshire was my first stop that morning, and as I headed up towards Maine I could smell the ocean breeze through my helmet. After Maine, I headed south again, the sky turning dark.

Rain left me dealing with slippery conditions and bumperto-bumper traffic going through New York City, onto the New Jersey turnpike, and then on through Connecticut, Maryland and Delaware. Constant downpours tested the capabilities of my waterproof gear, but after 10 hours of rain I finally saw the sun as I passed over the Delaware Bridge at sunset. While I hadn’t gotten as far as I planned despite 12.5 hours of ride time, a hot shower and sleep never felt so good!

DAY THREE

919 miles; 12:37 hours ride time; Va., N.C., S.C., Ga., and Ala.

Waking up, I hoped the radar wouldn’t show rain…and it didn’t! That boosted my spirits because I had to make up time to get back on track.

North and South Carolina were easy, but once I hit Georgia and all the traffic that comes with being near Atlanta, it got ugly. I was stuck on an on-ramp for more than 30 minutes in the blistering-hot southern sun, and the only shade was provided by the 18-wheelers that were next to me here and there for a few glorious seconds.

When I pulled into Alabama I realized I was officially halfway through the 48 states. But unfortunately, with the delay from Atlanta traffic, I didn’t make it all the way into Florida like I’d planned.

DAY FOUR

843 miles; 12:46 hours ride time; Fla., Miss., La., Tenn., Ky., and Mo.

I knew I had to make up time from the part of my Day Three plan I didn’t complete, so I was up before the sun. It was Day Four of the adventure and I was finally getting into a routine, taking cues on when my body was getting fatigued, eating at every gas stop and hydrating constantly.

As I worked my way through the South I was asked multiple times at my stops if I was doing okay — apparently, a thick, black, textile one-piece in 90-degree-plus weather isn’t for the faint of heart. But I managed.

DAY FIVE

1010 miles; 15:45 hours ride time; Ark., Kan., Okla., Texas, and Colo.

I knew Day Five would be the longest day of the challenge. Not only did I have just over 1,000 miles to do, but I had to make up some ground from Day Four, too.

I hit the road at 4:30 a.m., grabbed a receipt in Arkansas,

I knew I’d like the all-new 2021 Harley-Davidson Pan America Special…I just didn’t know how much! The bike had all the bells and whistles I needed for the 48/10 Challenge — heated grips, cruise control, adaptive headlight, and adaptive ride height. I came to appreciate the comfy ergonomics and how easily I could stand up on the bike when I needed to. And it was fast!

I pushed ahead into the night, trying to make up the lost ground from the previous three days. When I got to my planned stop, all the hotels in the city were booked, so I had to hop back on the bike.

then headed into Kansas and down to Oklahoma, where severe crosswinds beat me up. At the Texas state line I was greeted by a dark blue sky, so I stopped, frantically put on my rain gloves, closed my vents, got the cover on the tank bag and kept going. I rode into a downpour, but now had more confidence riding in wet conditions.

I pushed ahead into the night, trying to make up the lost ground from the previous three days. When I got to my planned stop, all the hotels in the city were booked, so I had to hop back on the bike, go down through the beautiful moon-lit mountains, finally getting one of the last remaining rooms in Raton, N.M., at just after 1 a.m. I was so exhausted I just slept in my base layers, getting a four-hour nap before the sun rose and I had to be off again.

DAY SIX

992 miles; 14:53 hours ride time; N.M., Ariz., Calif., and Nev.

I’d prepared this route with H-D corporate, as they wanted to get the Pan Am’s 10k service done, so I planned to be in Henderson, Nev., before dinnertime so the H-D service guys could stay late and do the service.

Heading out of Arizona towards California, my Garmin navigation suddenly told me to take a different route. It was two hours out of my way, so I pressed on the pre-planned route. I soon realized the problem. There were local forest fires, with thick smoke covering the area. I rode through thick haze for miles, a large orange glow in the distance.

Finally free of the smoke, I rolled into the Mojave Desert around 4 p.m., the temperature hitting 117 degrees. Every mile felt like a hot blow dryer in my face. I limped off the bike at a rest stop, exhausted and needing hydration and some air conditioning.

I pressed back towards Nevada despite my exhaustion, finally making it to the H-D dealership in Henderson at 6:30 p.m. The H-D crew went to work, even adding a set of brand-new tires for me.

DAY SEVEN

871 miles; 13:09 hours ride time; Utah, Idaho, and Ore.

The 3 a.m. wakeup call was rough. I’d only been asleep a couple hours and it took some mental toughness to get back on the bike. Heading towards Utah I was the only one on the road for miles, and watching the sky go from black to soft pink to bright orange through the rock formations on either side of the highway reinvigorated my tired soul. I wiped tears from my face as best I could through my helmet, reassuring myself I want to do this type of riding again. I enjoy the personal challenge…mentally pushing

through the lows and enjoying and embracing the highs. Alone on that beautiful, vast highway with not another human in sight for miles, it was the freest I’ve ever felt.

That night, for the first time in the entire challenge, I knew I was going to make it. The adrenaline rush had subsided a bit, and I went to bed that night grateful for all my planning and staying the path I’d chosen.

DAY EIGHT

840 miles; 13:08 hours ride time; Wash., and Mont.

Leaving Oregon, I was ready to turn towards home. Elevation changes left me cutting my gas stops close, coming into one with only 15 miles left in my tank. I loved carving through Montana’s curvy canyon interstates, but I never realized how large Montana is… it felt endless.

DAY NINE

853 miles; 12:17 hours ride time; N.D., Wyo., S.D., Minn., Neb., and Iowa

Waking up I realized this was my last day of the challenge, as I had planned to do the 48/10 in nine days instead of 10. I breakfasted in North Dakota, did a quick jump into Wyoming, and then I was in the more familiar roads of South Dakota.

Once in Minnesota I knew I was getting close…less than two hours to go! I rode those final miles through Nebraska and Iowa as quickly as the 65-mph speed limit signs allowed, feeling like I was crawling after being able to cruise at 80 mph for so much of trip.

My final hotel stop was a Hard Rock Hotel. They had one room left; I reserved it no questions asked…I just wanted to be done! Walking into the room I started to cry as it hit me. I accomplished what I set out to do! I rode a H-D Pan America 1250 Special through all 48 states in under 10 days…8 days, 17 hours, 22 minutes, and 52 seconds to be exact.

I walked down to the casino area that night, ordered myself a glass of wine (or two), mowed down some tater tot nachos, and celebrated by myself in a casino full of strangers.

DAY TEN – Back Home!

My challenge was officially over, and I’d proven to myself that I could push beyond what I thought were my limits, but I still had just under 800 miles to ride before I was home. As I pulled into the driveway at 8:30 p.m. that evening, my kids heard my bike and I could see their little bodies jumping up and down with glee. I hoped off the bike, was greeted with immediate hugs from the kids, and — thank goodness for modular helmets — lifted up that chin bar and welcomed a longawaited embrace from my husband. Home! AMA

Heading towards Utah I was the only one on the road for miles, and watching the sky go from black to soft pink to bright orange through the rock formations on either side of the highway reinvigorated my tired soul.