Okay, there is more to the story than acquiring a favored snack.  Last fall Lyn and I were on the other side of the border in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada where we discovered Sour Cream & Bacon Ruffles.  They are fantastic!  (No, this is not another product review)!  After returning home we discovered this product is not available for purchase on our side of the dividing line.

Twice in my motorcycling life I’ve traveled in excess of a thousand miles in under 24 hours but never documented the experience.  The last time was probably 25 years ago or more.  For quite some time now my goal has been to get certification from the Iron Butt Association.  A few weeks back I started researching an appropriate route and decided to head northeast and looked to see how far I-95 went through Maine.  Starting from home and heading in that direction was a series of highways forming an almost straight line that stretches just over 500 miles to the Canadian Border.

It would be nice to have a little more justification to this undertaking.  I had noticed that Heli Modified, the company that makes the Heil-Bars I am reviewing, is in Maine and not far off my intended route.  After discussing this with Harry, President of Heli Modified, the goals were set:  Head for Walmart in Woodstock, New Brunwsick for Ruffles, tour Heli Modified and take photos for the review, travel 1000+ miles in under 24 hours and make it home for dinner.

Unfortunately…didn’t make it back in time for dinner.  Everything else was accomplished despite the weather.  Hit the road 24 minutes after Midnight.  Stopped to fill up just over the New Hampshire/Maine border only to have it start raining.  There was supposed to be little or no rain so all I brought was the jacket to my rain suit.  The rain, heavy at times, stopped shortly after the next fuel stop.  Nearly 3 hours of riding in some of the worst rain I’ve ever had the misfortune to ride through and well before daylight.

There was a little more rain later on in the afternoon.  Despite this, I made it home with photos from the factory tour, 8 bags of chips and 1073 miles of sometimes enjoyable riding, according to the GPS.  By the end of the week I should have all the paperwork ready to send off to the IBA, and a new personal best for a single day ride.  Maybe someday, who knows…the chips won’t last forever!