Iron Butt Indeed! Pt 4

Reprinting from Doc Ding’s Article in Euroscoot’s site.
Why bother writing an article about what happened when Doc Ding has captured the essence of everything here.
Hat’s off to you Doc!!

The rest of Doc’s articles are here.
The Iron Butt Sagas I
The Iron Butt Sagas II
The Iron Butt Sagas III
The Iron Butt Sagas IV

Day 4: Homeward Bound
Captain’s Log Stardate 11-6-05

The last day was greeted with quiet sighs and somber faces among the guys. Playtime was just about over. Tomorrow we would stop being the daring scooteristas we still were. Tomorrow we would have to get up and face the real world again. Meanwhile, we had the business of getting home to worry about. We decided the night before to have breakfast at the resort instead, in order to take advantage of a later take-off time, thereby foregoing the planned breakfast at Gerona, Tarlac. We would then ride straight for San Fernando, Pampanga for our lunch at Red Rickshaw, pausing only briefly for gas somewhere in Tarlac. With this in mind, we had ordered breakfast for the group the night before. This consisted of dishes that were half longganisang ilocos and half longganisang hamonado, except of course for Simon, who had hot dogs (???). We discussed some club business over breakfast, proposing special titles for both Jordan and Dave, who were soon to arrive in Manila. Most of the guys received the proposals with enthusiasm and the board resolved to discuss these at its next meeting. Meanwhile, Yeyey voiced some complaints over the size of the longganisang ilocos. If you know Yeyey and had seen those longganisas, I think you would surely understand why.

We departed Caba, La Union at 8:00 am, stopping briefly along the highway to gas up at a small station in the adjacent town of Aringay. After that, it was full speed to San Fernando, riding at a pace we had already accepted as our “cruising” speed. Along the way, our penchant for auspicious beginnings to the day continued to haunt us. Reggie’s hexagon finally gave up the ghost somewhere along Sison, Pangasinan and for the meantime he had to travel the rest of the way in the support truck. Further down the road, Teddy fell prey to the foolhardiness of a local pedestrian, taking a spill in the town of Urdaneta, Pangasinan, during an attempt to avoid hitting this same person. He suffered a bruised foot and his X9 suffered some cosmetic damage, but he was soon on his feet joining the rest of the guys. That incident would earn him the sobriquet of Boy Iwas; hence his full name of Hector “Boy” Iwas.

Thanks to our frantic pace, we entered Tarlac, Tarlac for our scheduled gas stop at 10:15 am, despite an unscheduled stop for some repairs to Sponky’s bike. We then head out at the same frenetic pace and eventually reach Red Rickshaw in San Fernando, Pampanga by 12:00 pm despite passing through some really nerve wracking Sunday traffic. There, we were treated to a sumptuous meal, our last together as a group. During this time, the issue of the ride T-shirts was discussed by the group, particularly the issue of allowing non-riders access to the same T-shirts. The entire group unanimously voted that only bonafide ride participants would be allowed to own the T-shirts. They stuck firm to this belief even when the board proposed that they sell the shirts to non-riders for a price. It was a matter of pride, most of them would say, the pride of actually being there and enduring it all. That pride was not for sale, no matter what the price

We departed San Fernando, Pampanga at 1:00 pm. Reggie was again riding behind Teddy, who was showing no ill-effects from his previous encounter. Realizing that the traffic ahead of us was sure to split the group, we decided to rendezvous at the Petron station along Edsa, just after Munoz Market, for a group head count just before splitting up for our own personal journeys home. That decided, we resumed our travels along the National Highway southward towards Manila. It was not an easy journey, mind you. While we were plagued by rain, mud, and poor visibility on our way out, this time we faced heat, dust, slippery gravel, and thousands upon thousands of nuisances traveling either on two wheels or on two feet. It was hard going all the way, exhausting, and dehydrating. But persistence and hard riding finally brought us into Manila, which we entered at 3:00 pm. Riding down Edsa, we were treated to one final shocking realization: there was no Petron station along Edsa! Nevertheless, our fast thinking President was able to find an adequate rendezvous point at a small station just past Kamuning. We waited till everyone was present then, as a final gesture of camaraderie and gratitude, we made the handshake rounds, exchanging greetings and congratulations, proud and happy that, at last, the deed was done. Euroscoot had just conquered the longest ride in its history! Migs was right, indeed! We were a mutual admiration society!

Day 4 Summary:

Take off point: Caba, La Union
Destination: Manila
Total traveling time: 7 hours
Total distance traveled: 256 kms

Postscript

Euroscoot’s epic ride was an incredible feat of human endurance and vehicle reliability. The resilience of those machines and the spunk exhibited by its riders resulted in fine examples of scooter riding and skill. The fact that the journey was completed practically under schedule attests to a mastery of planning and coordination. The fact that all the riders’ needs were adequately met in terms of food, lodgings, and recreation was proof of the attention to detail. And the fact that only minor, solvable inconveniences were met along the way points to the fact that this ride, indeed was blessed. As we thank the Almighty for this generous gift that he has just bestowed on us, so too must we acknowledge credit where credit truly is due. The following individuals performed with distinction during the ride, and their performances merit some mention in this report. These are as follows:

1. Pal Punla, Overall Ride Chairman – he was the driving force behind this ride’s success. It was Pal who found our excellent accommodations and Pal who made sure we always kept to our schedule. His attention to even the smallest detail ensured that the experience would be rewarding despite the hardships we would endure. Job well done, Mr. Ride Chair! I salute you!

2. Yeyey Yatco – our newly proclaimed governor was the man responsible for our introduction to Mayor Farinas, which resulted in the group being treated like honored guests in the city. He would also take on the responsibility of Chief Commissary Officer, taking charge of ordering the food for our meals. The delicious fare we all shared was partly due to Yeyey’s good tastes. His size, then, becomes truly self-explanatory.

3. Nani Juarez – in the absence of Ricky Montelibano, he took on the difficult responsibility of taking the video shots during the ride. Reggie Arceo has already reported and commented on the wonderful shots that have resulted from his efforts. If we all look good in the final video, we all will have Nani to thank. Kung hindi lang nya binanga ang kapatid ko, 100 points sana ang score niya.

4. Jong Dalupan – applying his engineering skills, he was responsible for making the precision alignment of Nani’s helmet cam that ensured that the captured video would show all us at our best.

5. Clifford Certeza – his persistence resulted in the repair of Jong’s bike, thereby allowing him to rejoin the pack for the ride home. These repairs were executed despite the fact that Cliff was tired like the rest of us after the ride and could have used the time for rest instead. Jong has already reported that his bike continues to ride very well.

6. Tony Fernando – our energetic secretary’s campaign to collect all the pertinent documents from each rider really paid off in the face of 2 military check points. His foresight ensured that individual searches and long delays were avoided. Besides, he did keep us all in stitches through all those four days.

7. Romy and Dada – our support mechanics ensured that all mechanical problems were dealt with expediently and efficiently. Their presence went a long way in instilling confidence among the entire group.

8. Dick – our designated “Man Friday” who made sure that we were always amply supplied with beer and food, helped clean our bikes, and generally did the little things that made the ordeal all that much easier to bear.

A feature that has been a constant in every Euroscoot activity has been the penchant for collecting or discovering new sobriquets for different individuals. This ride was no exception. Some of these new aliases were already mentioned in the previous articles but there were others that were developed as well. To honor the memory of this endeavor, I have attempted here to summarize all these aliases for posterity. These are as follows:
1. Nardong Putik (Sr. and Jr.)
2. Governor
3. Odette Khan
4. Diomedes Maturan
5. Adonis/Miniong Villegas, half and half
6. Lakay Nani/Boy Banga/Dr. Scoot
7. Hector “Boy” Iwas

Finally, in concluding this report, I would like to extend my thanks and congratulations to all my 17 fellow riders who dared to share with me the trials and successes, the joy and the laughter of that epic ride. That shared effort has allowed this individual to realize a long sought after dream and the result has yielded a better, wiser person. I shall never forget my brothers of the ironbutt ride, “ang mga aserong tumbong”, and shall forever be grateful that, on those four fateful days of November, in the year 2005, the Lord, our God, in his infinite wisdom ordained that our paths would cross each other in order that we may share in this rare, wonderful communion of friendship, adventure, laughter, and speed.

This entire journal is dedicated to you. It has been an honor and a privilege to have served you, and a deep personal pleasure to have come to know each and everyone of you.

“Mabuhay kayong lahat at maraming salamat sa inyo!”

Ride Summary:
Total distance traveled: 1166 kms
Total aggregate time in the saddle: 32 hours

Images care of Yeyey Yatco, Bimbo Isidro and Jong Dalupan

Vespinoy

2 Responses to “Iron Butt Indeed! Pt 4”

1. Punzi says:

   November 13, 2005 at 5:58 pm

   Congratulations! Something to tell your grandkids…

2. Bimbo says:

   November 13, 2005 at 6:07 pm

   hey punzi, it surely is!
   thanks for visiting my site. sana ther’ll be more stories for you guys soon.