Any biker will tell you there's nothing like the thrill of the wind rushing through your fur on the open road. While your average Jack Russell is more at home with walkies, Smudge has taken to motorbikes like a real road dog. The three-year-old terrier has clocked up more than 11,000 miles biking around Europe by riding side-saddle with her owner Rob Fuller on his Triumph Tiger.

Carl E. Boler said he is often told, "Say ... I've heard about you." He likes to think he's inspired those who tell him that."I just hope they're able to get out and do it," he said.What Mr. Boler does may be the envy of anyone dreaming of a free-wheeling lifestyle; thoughts that may seem especially far flung during these frozen north country days.

His hobby hits home for him at certain times when he's thousands of miles away from his Thompson Boulevard bachelor abode, such as riding on the wild unpaved roads of northern Quebec aboard his BMW motorcycle."It's just me and the bike," Mr. Boler said, as memories of the trip came back while he flipped through photos of his journeys. "I'm having to fight the gravel and the elements. But you see things from a different perspective. And I'd realize: if I didn't have a bike, I'd have no reason to go here."Mr. Boler has been going here and there, ranging from the western U.S to the eastern parts of Canada, for the past several years as a motorcycling adventurer. His ride of choice is a BMW. He averages 15,000 miles a year.He recently received a 100,000-mile award from BMW Motorad of North America, given to riders who complete 100,000 miles on BMW motorcycles. He was given the award at BMW dealer Country Rode Motowerks, Fairport, Monroe County."Most people never see that type of miles in their lifetimes, let alone in a few years," said Ronald Stone of Country Rode. Mr. Boler, 47, is an unusual recipient of the award in that he's done all 100,000 miles on one BMW. It now has 109,000 miles."It's a very good quality, well-built bike," Mr. Boler said. "They are also very comfortable. The BMW community tends to have all the gear on and we tend to camp out near our bikes."His hobby started in 1998. "I had the need of doing something new and different," he said. "I didn't want to be in bicycling anymore, so I got a motorbike and I took to it like a fish in water."His first motorcycle was a new Honda Shadow. "My experience up to that point had been a collection of bicycles and a 50 cc Honda Express scooter, which I rode at a startling 28 miles per hour," Mr. Boler said.After putting 12,000 miles on his Shadow, Mr. Boler purchased a 1995 BMW model K100LT.But it was the purchase of a book that really fired up his sense of adventure. After reading Gregory W. Frasier's "Alaska by Motorcycle," he purchased his current machine, a 2001 BMW "adventure" model R1150GS. He also owns a 1995 BMW R100RT."All of a sudden a light went off," Mr. Boler said. He wanted to make his motorcycling more than "drive-by trips.""I wanted to slow down," he said.By that, he meant stopping whenever and wherever the urge hit him. He packs his motorcycle with a tent, a folding chair, a small cook stove and other basic camping necessities. He sometimes stays in hotels."There's a lot of less-traveled roads out there," Mr. Boler said. "On the back roads, I like to meet the people. I've never had a bad experience. When I broke down, people offered me a place to stay. And I keep in touch with them. People are just nice — very nice."■ / / Mr. Boler also travels a lot in his job. He is a field engineer for DRS Optronics, based in Melbourne, Fla., and often works at Fort Drum. The company is part of DRS Technologies, a supplier of defense electronic systems.His goes on his bike travels during vacations. He said his job makes him especially grateful."I've been to active war zones and former war zones," he said. "The line of work I'm in has allowed me to appreciate what I have."He took his first long-distance trip in 2001 when he traveled to the Canadian Maritimes. He also has been through the Rockies, the ice fields of British Columbia (Western Canada) and to the Florida Everglades. Last summer, he trekked to Labrador City, in the province of Newfoundland near the Quebec border. After leaving Watertown, his first stop for a night on that trip was 500 miles later in Les Éboulements, Quebec. He said many people in the out-of-the-way fishing and mining towns in Canada were especially welcoming, eager to give a stranger tours of their communities.He doesn't always travel alone on his trips. He sometimes meets up with friends who share a passion for BMW motorcycles and camping. He would like to attach a sidecar to his BMW so he can take his girlfriend's border collie mix, Sweetie, with him.Mr. Boler plans two big trips a year and picks one. This year he'll either go to Oregon or deeper into Newfoundland.He's never had an accident. Mr. Boler said he's extremely safety-conscious, attending safety classes; lessons which transcend to anyone who might want to ride along as a passenger."I give them instructions on how to be a good passenger," Mr. Boler said. "I feel like I'm an ambassador, not only for BMW, but for our motorcycle sport itself."Mr. Boler sends travelogues of his journey to his friends."I want my friends to feel like they're on the journey with me," he said.■ / / Mr. Boler flips to a photograph of a young boy who spotted Mr. Boler's motorcycle at a rest stop in Michigan one morning. The boy is beaming as he grips the BMW's handlebars."This picture is worth more than what anybody can try to describe," he said. "It's the look on that kid's face."Such joy, Mr. Boler said, is the basis for his travels."People get caught up in life so much, they forget what makes them happy," he said.Mr. Boler is happy to keep on rolling, with no plans to slow down, albeit he will likely consider a different mode of vacation transportation some day."I see an RV in my future," he said. "I want to get off the ground because I'm getting too old for that." 

Great site you got there.Could you post this add for our up-coming Poker Run.
Thank you for the support.
MartinHAMCJo’burg  

Canada - ~Grandmother turned biker turned author has stories to tell~ 'Untamed spirit' made her way across the globe Edmonton - When Doris Maron was 53, she embarked on the journey of a lifetime. The Edmonton grandmother quit her job, sold her duplex and everything she owned and hopped on a 750cc Honda Magna motorcycle to travel the world – alone. In three years, she visited 44 countries on six continents, encountering adventure, danger and breathtaking sights along the way. Now 60, the financial advisor-turned-author has chronicled her journey in two books. Her second book, Untamed Spirit II: Living a Dream, was published in December. "It was a passion to see the world," Maron said today. "If I waited much longer, I wouldn't be able to go." Maron's first book, Untamed Spirit: Around the World On A Motorcycle, detailed her trek from Edmonton to Australia to Thailand, and her second book continues where she left off from Laos through the Middle East, Europe, Central and South America, and back home to Canada. The trip began in 2001. After eight months of planning, Maron hit the road with her passport, a permit for her vehicle, and as many bags she could possibly pack on her bike. Throughout her travels, Maron marvelled at the skyscraping Petronas towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the beautiful foothills of the Andes in Argentina, and the ruins in Turkey. She dined on eel in Chile and tom yum soup in Thailand, nearly burning her palate after she discovered the dish was peppered with chilis. And she met interesting people along the way, many who opened their homes and offered Maron a place to stay. "The people treated me absolutely fabulously," she said, citing Pakistan and Iran as two of the most hospitable countries she had visited. But the trip wasn't entirely without its dangers, she said. After riding through Laos, she found out a tour bus carrying a mix of foreigners and locals had travelled on the same route had been ambushed. "I didn't realize it at the time. But after the fact, I thought it could have been a risky situation," she said. After she returned home in 2004, Maron said her travels inspired her to finally do the things she had always wanted to do, like painting lessons and writing classes. A future bike trip to Africa, the UK and Russia is already in the works, she added. The trip also made her realize the world is not as dangerous as people make it out to be, she said. "We live in this little world that we think is it. But travelling was a huge education for me and really opened my eyes." Maron will be signing books at Indigo Books in South Edmonton Common today from 1 to 4 p.m.

GREENE COUNTY, MS (WLOX)- "This television program, 'Survivor,' it's nothing," said 65-year-old Ian Coats. "They ought to come with this [motorcycle], up through Africa. And that's surviving."

Ian Coats' ride started in 1999 when he took his motorcycle from South Africa, all the way to his home in West Yorkshire, England. And it hasn't stopped since then. He carries only a tent, a loaf of bread, water, and sardines. He also has a small toolbox strapped to his motorcycle.

In the past nine years, he and his bike have seen seventy different countries. His motorcycle wears the stickers from many of them, including Paraguay, New Zealand, Ecuador, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad, and Tobago, just to name a few. He's survived everything from intense cold in Argentina to sandstorms in Sudan.

"Several women in Guatemala picked my pocket and robbed my money. I was a bit down on them," he said.

"In Mexico, I got knocked off [my motorcycle], hit by a car, and damaged the bike," he said. "Well, I couldn't ride it for a week, and my shoulder was hurt and it ripped everything."

That's when he came here to South Mississippi to spend Christmas with his friends Brent and Delisa Albreight. It's his second time to visit.

"It's always enjoyable, he's always got a story for us," said Brent Albreight.

"Yeah it's just extremely fascinating being able to hear all the places that he's been and all the adventures that he's had traveling around the world," added Delisa Albreight.

There are some perks to his new lifestyle.

"I don't worry about anything. Not a thing. I don't smoke, I drink very little. Eat very simple. No stress at all. No stress, that's it," said Coats.

That may surprise you when you consider he's riding through some of the most dangerous countries in the world.

"You should never take a lot of notice of what people say if they've never been [to a certain country]," he said. "I find all over Africa, people say, 'Don't go there, they'll kill you.' And I say 'Have you ever been?'"

He adds that he thinks Colombia has the most hospitable people of anywhere he's been so far. But South Mississippi isn't far behind.

"Yeah, I like it here," he said. "It's very nice- the weather's good. Very hot."

Coats' next stop is Alaska. From there he plans to explore Asia and the Middle East.

Brad Ryan
Growing up in Rainier, a big trip for me was the annual hunting excursion to Eastern Oregon or a short holiday vacation on the Oregon Coast.

Even then, no matter how many times I had been to these spots, I’d be so excited before the trip that I couldn’t sleep.

It wasn’t until I was 18 that I would take a trip that required flying, and that was to Hawaii with my cousin. Ever since, the more I traveled, the more I wanted to go.

One day my girlfriend Jola (Jolanta Glabek) tired of my whining about travel. “Why don’t you sell your house and see the world,” she suggested.

Six months later I got the biggest Christmas present ever: a full-price offer on my house. As soon as the holidays were over, Jola and I gave notice at our jobs and began selling our remaining worldly possessions.

Our grand plan amounted to two backpacks full of the essentials (snorkels, fishing pole, flip flops, camera, etc) and two plane tickets. One was to New Zealand with a stop in Fiji, and the other was from New Zealand to Cape Town, South Africa with a stop in Malaysia.

All of those early places were fun and exciting, but it wasn’t until Africa that we found the real adventure.

Inspired by a free showing in Cape Town of “Motorcycle Diaries,” a movie about Che Guevara’s bike trek through South America, I announced to Jola and our friends that I was going to buy a motorcycle and ride around Africa.

Jola was a bit surprised since she had never seen me on a motorbike — and for good reason. I had not been on a bike for nearly 18 years.

Fortunately, Cape Town is the end point for a lot of European riders coming down the West Coast of Africa. Befriending some of them, we gathered all the knowledge we could.

In Africa, you need a bike that will stand up to the African roads or lack there of. It’s also difficult to tell if a bike has original parts or if parts have been sold off and replaced with Chinese counterfeits.

It took some negotiating, but my “Sweet Baby”, a shiny black XRV 750 Honda African Twin. She was used, but with only 600 miles, we got her for a steal at $8,000.

The next trick was fitting two people and two very large backpacks full of previously essential rubbish onto our Sweet Baby along with true motorcycle essentials (inner tubes, chain lube, etc). After re-prioritizing, we shipped one very large box home and hawked the rest.

Three weeks after arriving in Cape Town, we had our gear packed on the bike and were headed to the Western Cape of South Africa. The night before, we had planned to go to Namibia, but it was very common for us to change our itineraries from hour to hour, depending on the conditions of the roads, how many road signs we had missed, and recommendations of the locals.

What a surprise South Africa was.

Not only is it beautiful, but we found that South Africans love motor bikers. They would buy us drinks at the pub, oysters on the half shell at the restaurants, and invite us into their homes for weeks on end. We also found out that they love to braai (BBQ) and drink (double brandies and coke, and beer is their water).

On more than one occasion after several days of braai and drinking we would have to sneak out before another celebration began. One memorable night started with an innocent lunch and ended with a ride home in the back of a bukki (pickup truck) complete with a flashing blue light from a floating bar on a derelict barge anchored in a large slough.

I don’t want to give the impression that all South Africa has to offer is the greatest hosts I’ve ever met and a lot of BBQ’s. No, South Africa seems to have everything except snow. Just the ride out the Western Cape reveals one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world — and best adventures.

First stop was cage diving for Great White sharks. The sharks were impressive and huge and the women who ran the shop not only let us camp at their house, but you guessed it — they put on a Braai for us.

Then it was off to the highest bungee jump in the world, followed by tiger shark diving (without a cage — luckily we didn’t find one), and surfing at the famous Jeffery’s Bay (more like floundering until Jola broke a fin off the rental board) all before we even made it to the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean near Durban.

The great thing about all this adventure is that it is interspersed with wild African animals and amazingly wild areas where we would camp with springbok, ride along with hartebeests, and have to be careful not to get trampled by giraffes.

We had been warned against visiting the Transkei, which was allowed to stay free during apartheid and had remained relatively undeveloped, because of the high prejudice and crime. We went anyway and found with the exception of a few individuals throwing rocks at us that the people were very nice and the coast was spectacular.

A group of local boys would take orders of how many lobsters we’d like, then jump in the surf and 30 minutes later come out with 26 lobsters for 75 cents apiece.

The down side of Transkei and a lot of South Africa is the poverty and the incredible number of orphans, primarily due to HIV. You don’t stop for long before being overwhelmed with requests for money, candy, anything you might have. While it is tempting to give, it was evident that charity has been a real detriment to the people, so we never gave without getting something in return.

This was extremely difficult. I recall when we met three orphan boys, all between 5 and 7, cooking a small fish and a tweety bird on an open fire.

They were very nice and asked for money but did not persist. Instead they seemed to enjoy our company. It was heart-wrenching to see these little malnourished boys, eating fish — skin, bones, and all. I didn’t give them money, but I bought a bite of their fish (and I will admit I was afraid to eat it) at about 10 times the price in hopes they would put the money to good use.

Inside the borders of South Africa are two small countries, Lesotho and Swaziland. I would have thought that since they were inside of South Africa, there would not be much difference. Boy was I wrong.

Our first stop was the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, via Sani Pass (10,000 feet), and the highest pub in Africa. We were a little worried going up the steep rocky pass but made it, bush camping in the hills. We found a couple of twigs to burn to keep us warm, but they soon died off and we crawled into our sleeping bags for a cold (below freezing) night.

In the morning we woke up to the local pony boys, who live in nearby caves. They sat and stared as we tried to speak the few words of Sesotho (the language of Lesotho) we knew. Eventually they asked for food and money.

Lesotho is famous for its powerful horses, so we could not resist a little ride on the local horses. While we struggled to control the horses as they bit and kicked, it was a bit humbling when the village sent 5-year-old kids to collect the horses — and they rode them like tame ponies.

One unpleasant aspect of Lesotho was the number of people (mostly kids) who threw rocks at us. The adults who threw rocks would wave at us until they didn’t think we were looking and then throw a rock with the other arm.

We were unscathed and soon off to the Kingdom of Swaziland. At the border, the customs agent shared his sweet corn beer and told us all the great places to go in his country. Swaziland was a relief because here the kids waved and opened gates for us.

The highlight of Swaziland was the Reed Festival, where the girls from all over the country cut reeds to make a new wind block for the king’s mother, and dance around with nothing but a cloth around their waist all day. The preparation for this event involves the entire country and everywhere you look there are hundreds of naked women bathing in the rivers getting ready for the dance with the men, all standing around trying to look like they are not watching.

The king watches the dancing girls and if he desires he can add a wife to his harem. I have never wanted to be pulled over by the police before until I saw the Swaziland policewomen dance naked for the king (bring on the handcuffs).

The down side of Swaziland was that both Jola and I contracted giardia, which is rather unpleasant but nothing our giant first-aid kit couldn’t take care of in a few days. Next stop Mozambique.

Racked by years of civil war, people in Mozambique are poor even by African standards. Nearly all of the trees have been cut down for cooking wood, and we didn’t see a single native land animal. Along one stretch of beach near the village of Tofu we got a feel for the wildness, when sticking out of the dunes was a human skull that nobody seemed to notice.

We continued up the coast, diving with manta rays, swimming with whale sharks, and trying to surf. On our budget scuba diving trip, the boat drivers are generally teenage boys with more guts than sense and plenty of scars from boating accidents.

Our second dive trip started out with the boat breaking down on the way out to the reef and the boatsmen asking me to fix the motor. The guide nearly left two snorkelers behind until one of the other customers noticed they were missing.

After the snorkel it was time for the dive, which culminated in taking the boat into huge breaking waves, throwing one man overboard and having to drag the dive guide behind the boat until we were out of danger of more breaking waves before getting her in the boat. Despite the dangers, the coast was truly spectacular and I liked the beer (MacMahon) better than the South African beer.

An unforeseen advantage of traveling by motorbike was the need to stop about every hour and rest. This meant we stopped at five or six places a day in areas where we would not normally stop. And these rest breaks often turned into the highlights of our travel.

On more than one occasion we would stop to buy a 25 cent pineapple or 20 cent drink (Coca-Cola or Orange Fanta) from a kid along side the road. In just a couple minutes we would be surrounded by kids sharing our pineapple, while singing us a song or taking turns sitting on our bike and laughing hilariously when we showed them their digital photos.

They were so playful despite their poverty, even the ones with debilitating handicaps due to disease or land minds that exploded and injured them.

From the coastal beaches, we headed into the interior of Africa, riding through Malawi, Zambia and Botswana to the west coast in Namibia. Malawi had the friendliest people and a huge lake good for swimming and diving with Cichlid fish, but the real excitement came on a walking safari in the Vwasa Marsh Game Reserve.

The safari was relaxing until the last five minutes when we were guided within 50 feet of a lone bull elephant. As we neared the elephant, he began stomping his feet, fanning his ears and trumpeting -— and then he charged us. We looked to our guide with his gun but saw him running for his life, ahead of us all.

This happened three times before we caught up with the guide, who ignored our complaints.

Unfazed, we moved onto South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, where there are no fences. We could set our tent up right next to the river with a good view of giraffes, crocodiles, hippos, and elephants. Luckily, this time we did not have any close calls; we only lost a little sleep from the noise of hippos munching grass 10 feet from our tent and chasing the monkey’s around when they stole our lunch.

In the hopes of finding some excitement besides paying $12 a gallon for black-market gas, we found a company that would take us boogie boarding down the Zambezi River. If you have never ran class V rapids with only a piece of Styrofoam, you are missing out. Just throw in a few crocodiles (the guide said they were little) basking on the river banks.

We finished up our Africa trip riding through Botswana and Namibia before making it back to Cape Town where we would eventually fly our “Sweet Baby” and ourselves to Sao Paulo, Brazil.

However, before arriving in Cape Town we fished for tiger fish on the Okanogan Delta and sand boarded in the red sand dunes of Namibia.

The food in Namibia included outstanding schnitzel and dark beer, gifts of its German heritage, which was a treat, and more expensive prices, which wasn’t. While you can camp in a campground for less than $10 in Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia or Botswana, Namibia and South Africa charge up to $100 per campground.

Tourism has skyrocketed the accommodation and game park prices throughout some areas, so we free camped where we felt it was safe and otherwise paid.

We spent $2,000 crating and flying the bike to Brazil, where our adventures continued, through Uruguay, where we spent Christmas in a nice little beach town called Punta del Diablo. We caught a boat in time to spend New Year’s Eve in Buenos Aires, and then it was off to Chile, where we had quite the time buying a new bike.

Our trip south through Chile and Argentina was gorgeous, interspersed with wild rivers, hot springs, mountains and glaciers. The people also were nice, serving us food and inviting us into their homes.

Along the coast of Chile, the fishermen still launch their boats through the surf and bring them back in on logs that roll under the boats as they drag them across the beach. We continued south into Patagonia, where we camped at no cost for days along rivers and lakes without ever seeing another tent.

The east coast of Argentina puts a new definition on windy and desolate, so we were happy when we finally made it to the lakes district of central Argentina where we could enjoy fishing the lakes and rivers. We crossed mountains into Bolivia.

As we traveled on, we discovered Peruvians and Colombians to be some of the nicest people we met and the scenery in both of these countries was spectacular. Ecuador of course offered the Galapagos, where we did some outstanding scuba diving with hammerhead sharks.

With nothing but roads between us and home, the desire to see friends and family increased exponentially and we truly started to put some miles under our tires. In fact, we rode through Central America and Mexico in a little over two weeks, seeing many of the highlights and getting pulled over eight times by the police looking for bribes.

At last it was time to cross over into the home country and I have to say it felt better than I had ever expected. In fact if I wasn’t so macho I might even say I felt a bit choked up.

To celebrate, we did it American style, by going to the mini-mart and enjoying a Sparks malt liquor, nachos out of a machine, and an Arizona iced tea.

You may think I am joking. They tasted great.

It was a very strange feeling returning to the home country compared to when we were preparing to leave. After being on the road for a year and a half, if anyone had asked me where I’d most like to go in all the world, I would choose the annual hunting trip to Eastern Oregon with the family.

Then time passed ....

We spent $60,000, rode 40,000 miles, and all I can think about after the homesick blues have worn off is, where are we going to ride next?

What defines a journey, an adventure? What characteristics would separate a journey from a mere trip? Perhaps a journey takes you somewhere different, somewhere out of the norm. Maybe it is the distance or time statistics that differentiate a journey from a trip.

A journey may be judged to be as such not only by the physicality’s of it, but also by the capabilities (assumed or real) of the person undertaking it. A fit and healthy 30yr old may (indeed should) have a different perspective on riding across the UK than perhaps a pensioner on a 125cc would.

Which brings me to this account of an epic, amazing and frankly mind-boggling journey, (and trust me, that word barely covers it) by the seemingly indefatigable Simon Gandolfi. In early 2006 Simon left the UK for New York to start a journey that would conclude at Tierra del Fuego on the southern tip of South America.

This is a journey that would take 6 months to complete, covering some 22,000 kilometres across countries which are portrayed time and again as anti-American (which, sadly, nowadays means us too), seen as drug-addled, semi-civilised, full of pirates and bandits and so on. Rarely is South America recommended as a perfect destination for a solo bike adventure, but due to his great-grandfather’s actions in Spanish history and Simon’s romantic dreams of Spanish Conquistadors marching from Veracruz, South America was a must.

As for Simon, he has travelled extensively in his lifetime including working as a crocodile hunter, living in Cuba during the 90s and riding with the mujahadeen in Afghanistan during the Russian occupation. Recently he settled back in the Malvern Hills with his family whom I can only imagine tolerate his wanderlust with epic proportions of patience and tolerance.

Did I mention that Simon was 73 when he left for the States, back in 2006? And that he has a heart condition, the result of two heart attacks – one of which was in South America?

Which highly sophisticated, proven and capable workhorse did Simon choose for his adventure? Did he follow in Ewan and Charlie’s celebrity footsteps and rock up on a GS1200 or perhaps a KTM Adventure? How about a Honda CG125?

No, I’m serious. The book picks up with Simon telling a US customs official about his reason for visiting which is met with amazement and good wishes, a story to be repeated at almost every encounter with officialdom throughout the continent.

A train ride from New York to Texas is followed by a drive in a Hummer as a baggage man for Texan bikers touring the Panhandle. From Dallas, our Septuagenarian Homer travels south by bus to the Mexican city of Veracruz where he picks up his trusty steed and from where his true Odyssey begins.

From Veracruz we follow Simon as he travels down through Mexico, into Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and onto Panama and the legendary Panama Canal.

Once on the South American mainland Simon has the problem of crossing the impenetrable Darien Gap which separates Panama from Columbia, and the more minor issue of replacing false teeth that have been dropped down a sink. An unscheduled and nightmarish boat ride with smugglers at least introduced him to a fellow traveller from the Orient, Ming, who became a regular companion through most of the continent as their paths regularly paralleled.

Down the continent Simon ambled on the 125 which proved to be the reliable and trustworthy steed we all know these incredible little machines are, a few punctures and the occasional tumble did nothing to deter the little devil or its somewhat more generously proportioned incumbent.

It has been strapped to a boat, stowed in a bus luggage compartment, lifted into countless hotel lobbies and repaired in the most basic of roadside facilities. Try that with a heavily laden GS.

Along the way we read of the characters and places encountered amongst what sounds like some of the most interesting and surprisingly varied scenery in the World. I for one was in some way a victim of the media portrayals of the countries and their inhabitants, and am certainly happy and grateful to be proved wrong in those views. Not every character was someone to befriend perhaps, some opinions aired by the locals, esp about the US and UK’s foreign policies, are hard to hear (because they are hard to counter) but Simon’s faithful reproduction of them and his deliberate (although I suspect difficult) refusal to voice his own opinions too much is to his credit.

Instead of recounting some excerpts as proof all I will say is that South America is now somewhere I would happily go, whereas before reading this book I wouldn’t have considered it. I’m talking about going as Simon did, engaging with the land and people, meeting them at their level rather than going as a camera encrusted tourist with flash trainers and an attitude – this doesn’t even go down too well on local travels never mind one so far removed.

So why should every biker read this? Back in 2005 I decided that I’d ride down to Athens in 5 days to see a friend on my zx7r (wholly inappropriate) with little more than spare clothes and a tent on board.

The trip was a huge success for me and one of the best things I’ve ever done despite reading countless articles warning me to take triplicate this, double of those, several of these just in case etc etc. A bike should set us free of clutter and excess, not be  a reason for it. And of course we all know the World loves bikers.

Simon took that idea to a much higher level in every regard, but you and I don’t need to go to those lengths to sample the common spirit that lies at the essence of motorbiking for all of us, the spirit that says:

“All you need to take is a helmet and petrol money – the road is already there.”

A DERBYSHIRE biker is preparing to spend the next four years riding solo around the world. Nigel Swaby will set off on the mammoth journey from his home in Long Eaton, which he has sold to fund the trip, on November 16. The epic journey will see him travel through Europe, across Africa, through India and Australia, and across South and North America. After leaving the UK, he will travel 6,000 miles to the southern tip of Africa on his Aprilia Tuareg 600cc motorbike, raising money for charity on the way. The 55-year-old bachelor said he was looking forward to his life-changing journey. He said: "So many people have asked me what I'm most scared of. "But there is no point in worrying about things that have happened in the past, only what is ahead of you." Mr Swaby, who has been divorced four times, will travel first from Long Eaton to Plymouth to catch a ferry to Northern Spain. After riding through Spain, another ferry will take him to Morocco in North Africa. From there, his trip south will take in the Western Sahara desert, Senegal, the Gambia and other Western African countries, before reaching South Africa three months' later. On the first stretch of his four-year trip he is trying to raise money for the charity Plan UK, which helps underprivileged children across Africa. Mr Swaby, a former medical technician, cartographer and milkman, said: "I have literally sold all that I have to make this even remotely possible. "My beloved BMW bike was sold in auction at the Classic Motorcycle Show, and an abrupt redundancy made the decision very easy – go off around the world before it's too late. "I needed a reason, other than a selfish one, to do it, so the idea to support Plan UK was hatched." After a brief stop-over in South Africa, Mr Swaby will then travel north through Uganda, Zimbabwe and Kenya before catching a boat from Mombassa to India. He estimates it will take a further 1,200 days to complete the rest of the journey. This will see him motor through the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, South America and North America before returning to the UK in late 2012. Mr Swaby has been riding motorbikes since he was 21 and said that his only accident was within a few weeks of buying his first bike. He said: "It was 1975 and I was on a James Captain 197, when I had an unfortunate incident with a Trent Barton bus. "That left me on crutches for nearly a year, but it didn't put me off riding. "I have owned more than 50 bikes since then, though."

We took the 1300km journey to the coast - Western Cape region a couple of days ago. The "Garden Route" is renown not only for it's beauty but also for some of the best biking routes the country has to offer.

Today the weather did not play along - it's pouring and very cold - but yesterday was good for riding.

the very twisty Meiringspoort where the road crosses the same river 22 times (I think) through the mountain

Matthew Levin wants to feel the African continent from the grassroots. Not from what African bureaucrats will tell him or ask him to join them enjoy the cosy atmosphere of their posh offices and homes.

Levin has defied some of the odds of the terrain, the tropical but lush forests, the animals in the wild and more. His motor cycle, equipped to suit the nature of his tour, will help him do the magic “ criss-cross the African countries”.

It may not be all the 51 countries that make up the continent but Levin's independent initiative is worthy of praise. From Buea, Cameroon to Nigeria via Calabar, Africanews.com bumped into Levin and grabbed him for an exclusive interview.

Can we know you better?

I am an American from San Francisco, the state of California, USA. I turned 29 in Buea, Cameroon while on my African tour. I am on a trip from Cape Town, South Africa heading to Morocco via the west coast of Africa and possibly going back to South Africa via the east coast. I am already half way into my journey, haven crossed the equator. From Buea, Cameroon I am heading towards Calabar, Nigeria.

Why this tour?

I want to have one last big adventure. I have been travelling a lot across the world and seeing places I have not been to before as much as I can.

I have also been saving a lot of money to go to graduate school. So, this African tour of mine is a kind of sabbatical. After this, I will get back to the real world.

What is the motivating factor?

read on HERE

Imagine casting away all responsibilities, career aspirations and creature comforts to embark on a 10-year motorcycle tour of the world. If it seems daunting, Simon and Lisa Thomas can attest to how the rewards far outweigh the risks.

Their odyssey brought them to Northeastern Pennsylvania for one week. They sat down for dinner to discuss their experiences on Wednesday night. After traveling 107,000 miles through four continents and 57 countries in the last five years, Simon Thomas summarizes his encounters with myriad peoples this way: “The world is far more gracious and hospitable than we imagined. “Most people are just trying to get through their day and take care of their families,” he said. The Thomases, who hail from southern England, were caught up in the day-to-day lives of working professionals when they decided to hop on their two wheelers and find “fulfillment,” Simon Thomas said. They live in tents and subsist through publishing their observations and photographs and through donations. He pointed out motorcycles and an affable smile and handshake can diffuse the most precarious situations. Lisa Thomas said respecting the traditions of the countries they visit is very important. Before entering another country, she takes the time to study their culture and religious tenets. She said there have been times when she had to cover her face or wear non-descript clothing in countries with strict rules on women’s dress. For example, in Morocco she had to wrap her body in a shawl. The Thomases only faced four contentious situations, one in Mozambique and three in the United States. Simon Thomas would not elaborate. A water crisis in Africa, several bouts with malaria, subzero temperatures in the Arctic Circle and a near fatal wreck in the Amazon jungle did not dent their resolve, he said. Their short stay in Northeastern Pennsylvania reminded them of their homes. The local topography looks a lot like their part of England, he said. He added Pennsylvanians are very friendly. During their local visit, they are staying at the Lehman Township home of Chris Dawe and his mother, Judith. Dawe is a retired infection control nurse from the state correctional facility in Dallas who became involved in global motorcycling networks online. Dawe said he communicated with the Thomases through an informal network he called the “adventure overland motorcycle community.” As a motorcycle enthusiast who traveled all over North America, Dawe has been providing a recharge and regroup stop for globetrotting motorcyclists for the last five years. The Dawe’s had visitors from India, Ireland, Australia, South America, and Russia. “It’s a big old house with lots of room,” said Judith Dawe. When they are finished they will have traveled more than 250,000 miles through 122 countries in every continent and set four Guinness Endurance World Records. The twosome chronicle their adventure in stunning photography and written descriptions from all over the world on their website, 2ridetheworld.com . They plan to publish three books when they are finished. During their trip they are raising money for three charities, the British Heart Foundation, CancerBACUP and World Water Aid, who deal with issues close to their lives. The Thomases share the belief a person is the “sum of their experiences, not of what they own.”

Select Appointments, part of Randstad - the world’s second largest recruitment and HR services company, recently sent three of its most high profile employees on the ‘Select Way Round’, a gruelling 14 day charity motor bike ride covering 17 countries and based on the famous ‘Long Way Round’ undertaken by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. The initiative is the company’s biggest commitment yet to giving something back to the community and raising funds for Tomorrow's People.

Director, Rod Jackson, Development Manager, David Buist and Commercial Account Director, Lee Davies, set off on their challenging journey on 11th September and will spend two weeks travelling across numerous countries visiting overseas offices and colleagues on the way. Their journey can be tracked through their website selectwayround.co.uk

A self-confessed eccentric who recently spent three days on her motorbike dressed as a chicken says she will never give up her bike.

Anne Merrett, of Anne and Paul's Feltham Wool Shop, loves bombing around on her enormous 1300cc bike in fancy dress and has vowed to keep up the fundraisers forever.

"I could never see myself stopping," said Anne, who drove 1,250 miles for with the 'Birds on Bikes' group alongside her 21-year-old daughter, Faith. "I'm a bit of an eccentric so any excuse to get in fancy dress and raise money for charity and I'm there. I just enjoy making people laugh."

So far Anne, 52, has raised £450 for children's charity CLIC Sargent from her recent trip riding from Edinburgh to Cardiff. But over the years she has raised thousands of pounds with her wacky antics.

"We do fabric at the store as well so there's plenty of opportunity to make fun costumes," said Anne. "Over the past couple of years I've been a gnome, an Easter bunny, a Christmas tree, a dog, a knight riding a dragon and lots of other things. It's fun getting onto the bike and watching people's reaction."

Before she starts planning her next flamboyant costume Anne is determined to gather a bit more cash for CLIC Sargent. If you would like to make a contribution you can visit her at her shop in Feltham High Street or visit www.justgiving.com/mad-woman

When Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman completed Long Way Round - their 19,000-mile motorcycle ride from London to New York, via Europe, Asia and Alaska - the actors raised the bar for gap-year travellers the world over. Their epic ride was filmed for TV and young men fantasised about following in their tyre tracks, leaving everything behind and hitting the open road with nothing but a bike and a buddy.
Sitting at his desk in the City of London, Tom Smith, a recently graduated economist in his early twenties, was one of them. Not content with just watching and wishing, he and two friends decided to recreate the second of McGregor’s great adventures - Long Way Down - a 15,000-mile journey from Britain to South Africa, shown on BBC2 last year.
Only Smith wanted to go one better. Whereas McGregor and Boorman had been followed by a team that included two off-road vehicles, their drivers, a couple of cameramen, an editor and a producer, Smith and his friends would do it properly. That meant no cushy support team, even though they faced collisions, breakdowns, hungry lions, temperatures as high as 50C and weeks when bad food and upset stomachs saw them dropping several jeans sizes.
“We thought doing it unsupported would give us more freedom and make it more of an adventure, but it was also a financial necessity,” said Smith, as he neared the end of his three-month journey last week. Part of that adventure has been a series of breakdowns that meant he’d just spent an uncomfortable 1,800 miles riding pillion over rough ground.
“We wanted to do it off our own backs but there have been times when if someone had said, ‘Here’s a shiny new bike to ride,’ we would have accepted that with open arms. If something went wrong with our bikes - and it has done - we had to either fix them ourselves or find someone who could, which, when you’re in the middle of nowhere on a dirt track, isn’t always easy.”
It was June 3 when Smith, on a well-timed sabbatical from his job at the Bank of England, set out from London on his specially adapted Kawasaki KLR650, leaving an “out of office reply” that must rank as one of the coolest. It said simply: “I’m not in the office at the moment - I’m riding across Africa.”
He was joined by two Canadian friends he had met a couple of years before while studying for a masters in economics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Yarema Bezchlibnyk, 33, - known as Jerry - had learnt to ride only nine months before, while Tyson Brust, 30, studying to be a doctor, had been riding for about two years. “Tyson’s the navigator, Jerry’s the linguist and I’m the money man,” said Smith. “Thanks to my job I know all the exchange rates.”
It had taken a couple of years to assemble enough money for the trip (about £15,000 each), to kit out their bikes with tougher suspension, crash bars and stronger bolts, and have some basic off-road training.
They planned to travel across Europe, through Syria and Jordan, then down through Africa, roughly following the Long Way Down route, via Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana, arriving in South Africa early this month.
All their gear, including tents, sleeping bags, first aid kits, spare parts such as tyres and brake pads, a video camera and clothing for all temperatures had to be carried. “Food had to be found along the way, often from small roadside stalls, sometimes from generous families,” said Smith. “Goat meat, or, more accurately, goat gristle stew, lots and lots of rice and camel stew.”
The new diet didn’t agree with them. “After leaving Turkey our bowels developed a bipolar disorder, flipping between a dammed state and one of uncontrollable flooding,” wrote Smith in his blog. “It’s when the dam bursts that you run into trouble. In that situation it was not uncommon for one of us to yell ‘campo’ at the others - our code word for telling the other two to carry on ahead while business was taken care of in the nearest bush.”
The cries of “campo” went on for weeks. “We could definitely move our belts up a few notches tighter after that.”
In Ethiopia, where the roads were a bustling mix of cars, bicycles, donkeys, horses, dogs, carts, people and farmers moving herds of livestock, they were dicing constantly with disaster. “Ethiopian roads are very dangerous; we all came off our bikes there and there were lots of near misses. We met up with a couple of other bikers along the way and we saw one of them crash into a small child who ran out in front of him without looking. The kid was okay - he broke his leg but he’ll make a full recovery. It was a horrific sight to see.”
A few hundred miles up the road, Brust collided with a dog in similar circumstances, flying off his bike onto the tarmac and injuring his shoulder. “I was doing maybe 30 or 40mph and I barely had time to touch the front brake and my front wheel went right over the dog,” he recalled. “The dog actually got up and ran off, but after that kind of impact I doubt it would have survived. It left me pretty shaken.”
Bezchlibnyk, the least experienced of the group, once lost control of his bike while riding up some steps into a hotel courtyard and crashed into the lobby. Temperatures peaked in Sudan, where it was 50C in the midday sun, and the trio had to take breaks in the shade to recover.
“We were wearing jeans and T-shirts and still sweating buckets and drinking water constantly - you’d have passed out in leathers,” said Smith.
In Kenya they biked across the Masai Mara national park, spotting wildebeest, cheetahs and elephants - all from a safe distance. “On our way there we were riding around looking for a campsite and it was pitch black. When we found one, we were warned about driving around in the dark as there were elephants about, which may have explained the huge piles of dung in our path - apparently they are quite dangerous,” said Smith.
On a good day they managed to cover 250 miles; when they needed to make up ground they travelled as far as 450 miles, but on some days, particularly in Tanzania, where the unmade roads were bumpy and sandy, it could take 12 hours to cover just 100 miles.
“In one 150-mile stretch full of rocky terraces and deep sandy ruts, Jerry dropped his bike at least 14 times. Tyson and I fared slightly better, we only came off about three or four times.”
The following night, after another arduous ride, they were struggling to make up time. With darkness falling, they were warned that lions had been spotted close by, so the team pushed on for another 30 miles, Smith nursing a sprained ankle from a tumble and Bezchlibnyk struggling to steer his bike, which had been damaged by his many falls.
On closer inspection the following morning it was clear Bezchlibnyk’s bike had a cracked frame and could have split in two at any moment. Remarkably, they found a local mechanic who welded it together, but the next day Bezchlibnyk was so preoccupied with his frame, he didn’t notice one of his panniers drop off - the one containing his passport and all his papers. “He didn’t notice his case was missing for 60 miles,” said Smith. “And since our cases look exactly like those that drug dealers might use to haul vast quantities of cash around, it’s almost certain it was being prised open in some Tanzanian village by then.” Bezchlibnyk headed off to Dar es Salaam to get new papers, hoping to rejoin his friends further along the route. Smith and Brust set off alone but within a few hundred miles they, too, had ground to a halt. “I forgot to check my engine oil - a cardinal sin in the motorcycling world and one that I paid for dearly,” said Smith.
Starved of oil, his Kawasaki broke down north of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, and there was no getting it going again. No local garage could get the parts quickly enough, so the plan was to get the bike trucked to Johannesburg for repair while Smith carried on the trip on the back of Brust’s bike. They covered almost 1,800 miles like this, including a few hundred miles across the Botswana salt flats - “like riding across the surface of the moon and pretty hard when you’re riding two-up”.
With his Kawasaki still languishing in Malawi, Smith rented a BMW F 800 GS to cruise the last few hundred miles in style. Then, as if the trip hadn’t been eventful enough and with just two days’ biking left, he and Brust decided to do “the world’s highest commercial bungee jump” – throwing themselves 708ft off a platform on the Bloukrans River bridge near Plettenberg Bay in South Africa.
They finally made it into Cape Town on Friday with Bezchlibnyk not far behind. After 15,000 miles in the saddle, Smith admits he’s going to find it hard to go back to his desk at the Bank of England, though thanks to a diesel shortage in Malawi, there has been no truck to transport his bike to South Africa and his ailing Kawasaki is still stranded. “I’m going to have to go back and get it at some point,” he said.
The trio are raising money for two charities: Riders for Health, which provides and maintains motorcycles for healthcare workers in Africa, and Dignitas, a charity that aims to improve access to treatment for HIV and Aids in Africa. For more information or to donate, go to

www.ditchthecomfortzone.com

The epic trip will combine three of their greatest passions: Africa, motorbikes and charity work. Prince William and Prince Harry are to embark on one of the world's most arduous motorcycle rides to raise money for orphans and Aids victims.

The brothers, aged 26 and 23 respectively, will make a 1,000-mile trek across South Africa and Lesotho in a journey that will resemble that of Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman, in their television series Long Way Down.

The event this year is not for the faint-hearted: the ride is almost entirely "off road" in temperatures up to 104F (40C). Hazards include bandits, erratic drivers and poisonous snakes. The week-long trek, which will take in some of Africa's most remote and dangerous regions, has been on, then off, and is now on again, say friends of the princes. It was originally mooted at new year, but seemed to have been scuppered by security concerns.

However, the princes are understood to be determined to take part. Neither of their girlfriends, Kate Middleton and Chelsy Davy, will go on the trip but they may join the princes in Africa at the end of the ride.

It is understood that the trek was Harry's idea but that William was equally enthusiastic. Harry is a keen motor-cycle rider and was photographed riding a Honda while serving as a soldier in Afghanistan this year. William has had a long love affair with bikes. He owns a Honda Blackbird.

Both brothers are passionate about Africa: William spent part of his gap year there, while Harry has visited the continent several times. His girlfriend was born and raised in Zimbabwe.

Prince Harry set up a charity, Sentebale, to help orphans and Aids victims in Lesotho. Almost a third of its people are infected with HIV/Aids and there are about 180,000 orphans in a country of 1.8 million people.

The princes are expected to use 200cc bikes. Their route, travel dates and accommodation are being kept secret. Andy McNab, the former SAS soldier turned author, did a similar, 1,500-mile cross-country charity ride in South Africa last year. "It's the best and most demanding ride I have ever done," he said. "You go through rivers and up inclines of nearly 60 degrees. We were each getting through six litres of water a day."

The Commonwealth Office's travel advice for Lesotho states: "There have been incidents of muggings and vehicle hijacking, some involving firearms. "

Its advice for travel in South Africa is: "There is a high level of crime, but most occurs in townships and isolated areas away from normal tourist destinations. The standard of driving is variable and there are many fatal accidents."

original article
telegraph

They pawned the crown jewels to pay the tollroad fees

As part of his two-year journey of riding his motorcycle across two continents, Canadian Daren LaBranche had planned on reaching the East Coast by now. But a plane crash transporting his motorcycle from Colombia to the United States brought LaBranche to Cape Girardeau for a reunion with longtime friends Herb and Reno Anderson. Since Sept. 25, 2006, LaBranche has ridden his 2006 Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom motorcycle throughout Central and South America, with a goal of reaching Alaska exactly two years later. LaBranche loaded his motorcycle July 4 at a warehouse in preparation for its planned plane ride from Bogota, Colombia to Miami. Three days later, the 747 cargo plane with eight crew members on board crashed shortly after takeoff, leaving the Edmonton, Alberta, resident with a damaged motorcycle and without his personal belongings. The plane crashed into a home in a rural area just outside of Bogota and scattered debris throughout the field. That's when LaBranche turned to the Andersons, owners of Grassroots BMW at 28 S. Spanish St. in Cape Girardeau. The couple and LaBranche were members of the same motorcycle club for 15 years when they lived in Canada. "We hadn't seen him since our visit to his home in Edmonton two years ago, so receiving his e-mail asking for assistance was a surprise," Reno Anderson said. "But it was great to see him once again and hear his stories of life on the road." Without hesitation, the couple offered LaBranche a temporary home and garage to build the same model that was damaged in the plane crash. He spends up to 16 hours a day on the project, using parts and accessories shipped to Cape Girardeau from locations worldwide. Once complete, the motorcycle will feature parts from Carson City, Nev., Seattle, Boise, Idaho, as well as Colombia, England and Belgium. He hopes to finish building the bike by Friday so he can complete his journey by his birthday, exactly two years after he first embarked on the mission. "Not only have I been extremely lucky that Reno and Herb provided not only this place to work but also a place to rest my head at night," LaBranche said. "Without them, I wouldn't be able to do this." While the plane crash for a time threatened his goal of reaching Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, by Sept. 25, LaBranche is thankful for the people and memories that have resulted from his visit to Cape Girardeau. "This is one of the most beautiful places I've visited," said LaBranche, who heads to Orlando, Fla., next. "While this doesn't have the beaches, oceans or mountains that other places I've visited had, the people are friendly and this is a clean city. This is just right." He said none of the places he's visited stands above the other as his favorite. While he has enjoyed living in Canada, he said that could change when he returns in late September. "I've experienced kindness and friendship I've never expected," said LaBranche, who saved money for three and a half years to finance the trip. "I now have a better outlook on life than I had before embarking on this journey."

Ken Hoff became one of 72 motorcyclists this year to finish a USA Four Corners Tour.

The tour is a cross-country motorcycle trip sanctioned by the American Motorcycle Association that takes participants to all four corners of the U.S.

The retired Midwest High School counselor also earned a SaddleSore Iron Butt Association certification for riding 1,000 miles in one day on the way home.

It all began when his friend, Richard Behounek of Cheyenne, called him to find out if he was ready for a motorcycle trip. Behounek had planned on taking a four corners tour for years, once he retired.
On June 30, Hoff rode into Cheyenne on his 2003 Honda ST 1300 tour bike. He and Behounek both headed toward Madawaska, Maine, one of the farthest four corners of the U.S.

They rode 700 miles on the first day, and arrived at the first corner in the first week of July.
Hoff said that registrants for the tour receive four envelopes from the Southern California Motorcycling Association to send back proof of arrival at each checkpoint.

A photograph with the rider and bike at a landmark stating the city’s name, along with gas receipts, must be mailed back to the SCMA.

“Once it‘s mailed from the first corner, you have 21 days to make all four,” Hoff explained.

Riders can start at any corner and travel in any order they choose. From Maine, Hoff and Behounek rode south to Key West, Fla. On the way there, they took the Dragon’s Tail, an 11-mile stretch of road with 318 curves on Highway 129 near Smokey Mountain National Park in North Carolina.

Although Hoff had been there before, it was a first for Behounek. Hoff said some of his favorite scenery lies in the Smokey Mountains. He also loves the American Northwest.

Although they mostly traveled the interstate highways, they still experienced some of the best countryside, according to Hoff.

Behounek and Hoff originally planned to ride from Key West to San Ysidro, Calif., in 50 hours. But hurricanes in Florida and heat waves in New Mexico prevented that coast-to-coast adventure.

They still made it to the third corner eventually, and then went north toward the last checkpoint in Blaine, Wash.

In 2007, 87 motorcyclists completed the tour. Since 1983, the tour has been a source of bragging rights among motorcycle riders.

Hoff and Behounek joined those ranks on July 21, with about four days to spare. Hoff traveled home through Montana, logging 7,094 miles for the tour. His next trip was one to Sturgis, S.D., about two weeks later.

Hoff has been riding motorcycles since 1955, and has had more opportunity for the pastime since he retired six years ago. While he may not complete another four corners tour, he will not stop touring anytime soon.

“It’s a good one to put in the bucket,” he said, and recommends the trip to other cyclists.

NEW YORK, June 12, 2008 – Is 70 the new 50? Does four-plus-dollar-a-gallon gas have to curtail your summer road trip? Are three wheels sometimes better than two or four? The answers are yes, no and absolutely - and to prove it, two 70-year-old retirees are tackling all 3,400-miles of the historic Lincoln Highway onboard the world’s most innovative scooter – the three-wheel Piaggio MP3 500. This no-age-limits adventure starts June 13 at San Francisco’s Lincoln Park, the western terminus of “America’s Main Street” and concludes at the Lincoln Highway’s eastern terminus in New York City’s Times Square on July 14. In addition to enjoying the thrill of a classic American road trip on the country’s first coast-to-coast route, lifelong motorcycle adventurers Bob Chase and Bernard “Buddy” Rosenbaum want to challenge the notion that chronological age and the freedom and fun of riding are mutually exclusive – and that today’s soaring fuel costs should confine senior travelers on a budget to a rocking chair. To prove their point, they’ve enlisted the unique talents of the Piaggio MP3 scooter, an automatic twist n’ go 500cc machine that’s as stable as a car, leans into the curves like a sports bike, has a top speed of 92 mph and sips fuel at the rate of 53 to 55 mpg. “Getting older shouldn’t keep you from doing the things you really love,” says 71-year old Buddy Rosenbaum, the dynamo behind the Piaggio MP3 Lincoln Highway: No Age Limit adventure. Rosenbaum’s philosophy about aging focuses on making adjustments to accommodate age and physical capabilities, not giving up a sport or activity because of age-related realities, such as loss of muscle mass or strength. “Bob and I have spent the past few decades on two wheels, exploring every corner of the globe, and we plan to spend the next few doing exactly that – but on three wheels,” says Rosenbaum, who, along with Chase, became the first Americans allowed to explore Russia on a motorcycle.

He's a man on a mission. A big mission. He traveled all the way from Kettle Falls, Wash. to Tennessee, where he bought his big dog chopper, "Flaming Star," and ended up at the Times Herald-Record to tell me all about his dream ranch. The first words out of my mouth when I met Roger Like was, "whoa." He was tall and a little weathered from his travels, but polite, and when he started talking, there was no stopping him. I was really impressed with his Big Dog chopper. "I see the bike as a tool," Roger said. "It's bright and colorful and it draws people to it. I need to get people's attention." "Gotta be a rough ride," I said to him as I checked out his rigid. "Well, the bubble wrap in my pants really helps." he said as he patted his backside. Roger was not only a troubled teen, but was also mixed up with the wrong crowds and ended up paying for it. "Don't know the system well, but I know it 'cause I've been in it," Roger said. "I don't want to see kids become a statistic." He's a biker through and through and belonged to a couple of colorful motorcycle clubs. But Roger has decided now to dedicate his life to helping troubled teens. He was touring the East Coast on his "Choppin' for Children" ride looking for support to make his Kids Choice Custom Choppers Ranch a reality. His wife, Lisanne, was back in Kettle Falls working on getting horses and creating a Web site as Roger keeps sending her photos from his camera phone. The ranch location is on a 1896 farmstead on 60 acres that sits high on Mingo Mountain in Washington. There is a restored log cabin that the Like's reside in, a bunkhouse, a huge shop and 12 outbuildings. Bear, elk, moose and more share the mountain. The basis of the ranch is to get kids with troubled lives involved in designing a custom chopper, starting with the use of computer graphics and going on to learning about teamwork and building self-esteem. They will learn about professionalism and, most importantly, feel good about themselves. "Right now I need to keep the wind in my sails," Roger said. After I took his picture, Roger was off again, heading for Newburgh to see the guys at OCC. * * * The next day, there was a phone message from Roger telling me about his adventures. He met up with Sam Torres at East Side Custom Choppers and Dee Clark of Ultimate Cycles and was even got a word in with the OCC guys. Roger promised to keep me informed about his adventures. "I've never been to 'the Wall' in Washington," Roger said in his message. "I'm headed there now. I just have to tell you that I never expected the support that I received from this area. Thanks for everything." * * * On July 24, I received an e-mail from Roger's wife, Lisanne, telling me that Roger had hit a deer on his bike doing about 50 mph. Only 37 miles from his home. Thankfully, Roger only suffered a case of road rash and has a few bruises. The bike is fixable. It's amazing that he traveled nearly 4,000 miles without incident and 37 miles from home he hits a deer. God was watching over Roger. You can e-mail him at likekettlefalls@aol.com.

17000 feet above sea level, with oxygen levels 80% less than normal, a rider thumps through one of the coldest and remotest deserts of the world. Acute mountain sickness is just one of the fears. There are others but we will talk about them later.

It’s August and the time is just ripe to prepare for one of the most difficult motorcycle expeditions of the world—a ride through the Himalayas to the ancient land of the Lamas. Every year the tourist traffic to Leh in Ladakh increases by almost 100%. A big chunk of this population consists of motorcycle riders who brave the heart-stopping ride through one of the most difficult terrains on this Earth.

There is a difference between visiting Leh and riding to Leh. Cocooned in the snugness of a car one can never even imagine what it feels to be caught in an 85-kph crosswind while teetering on the edge of a cliff at 16,000 feet. In fact, when one climbs up to Nakee La pass at 16,416 ft above sea level and rides through the rugged mountains across Lachlung La at 16,616 ft, one would experience mind-blowing terrain with wind-eroded mountains, where tunnels are formed with the force of fierce winds. Talk about the Grand Canyon!
So how does one get ready for this extreme motorcycle adventure? Chennai-based motorcycle manufacturer Royal Enfield organises an event-the Himalayan Odyssey-every year. This event witnesses around 50-100 bikers getting together to ride down or rather, up to Leh. An excerpt from an Enfield travelogue: “The Odyssey is not a competition.

There are no losers, everyone is a winner. There are no points for reaching a destination first; no negative points for falling. The thrill is in participation

SAINT JOHN - Randy Young moves around a bunch of cinder blocks and hops from one side to the other of a trailer he created by cutting a third of the old travel trailer away with his circular saw. The ritual is part of his journey, getting his Harley-Davidson off the trailer that's towed by his aged motor home called the Blue Bomber.

I get to ride my Harley around and have a few thousand coffees and a few beers with veterans," says Young. Paying back a debt he said he owes to three veterans that acted as a father figure to him when he grew up without one, the 47-year-old will travel the country over the next two years visiting Royal Canadian Legions and veterans' homes and videotaping their stories. "I found it in a barn," the London, Ont., native said of his 1974 Harley. The big blue motor home with the fighter planes and bombers on the side may be the first thing noticed when he pulls into a parking lot, but the Harley and the custom paint job tell a very special story. Painted in army olive green are renditions of D-Day, the storied Corvette naval ship, a pilot, a sailor, planes, unit insignias and a very special picture of the man that started it all - Harry Watts. The 85-year-old inspired Young to begin the cross-country journey and collect the stories of veterans. Watts was a dispatch rider, some of the bravest of the brave, or craziest, depending on how you looked at it. "Those guys were crazy out there on those motorcycles," said Young. And, he said, they all volunteered for the craziness. Friends of Veterans Canada is the group that Young is leading. The group's website, www.friendsofveterans.ca, contains the story of Watts and why Young has spent $18,000 of his own money to make the trip. Along with accepting donations, he sells T-shirts emblazoned with the group's logo and its message in a bid to raise funds. "That's the goal of this thing, to build up the respect of young people for veterans." Freedom, he said, costs money and he believes the debt remains outstanding. "It was not free. It was blood, sweat and guts." Young can be reached through his web page and is writing a regular diary of his journey. He'll spend the next few days in Saint John recording the stories of area veterans. He's asking students to videotape local veterans that visit their school on Nov. 11 and tell stories about the war - the camaraderie, the heroics, the honour and the horror of it. Whether they are straight video tape or a mega-production, Young said the tapes will all be judged by a panel of veterans and the winning entry will receive a trip to next year's Second World War anniversary ceremonies in Holland. The prize will be presented to the veteran who spoke at the school. "Who doesn't like to hear a good war story?"

IT'S the perfect way to celebrate retirement. While many grandads might be content with putting their feet up and taking it easy, Mac Moroney decided he would travel across South Africa on a motorbike to raise £5,000 for charity. The 65-year-old motorbike enthusiast will spend eight hours a day riding up to 300km in the Enduro Africa event, along with 140 other bikers from all over the world. Mac, who recently retired as NHS director of technical services at Southampton City Primary Care Trust, said: "I was just reading a motorbiking magazine one day and I saw this advert that just hit me and I thought that's something I would love to do. "I was very lucky, as I had one of the last places and it is a worldwide event. "I was nervous at first and thought what the hell have I let myself in for. But then I spoke to a guy in his late 60s who did it two years ago. He said he fell off his bike five times a day and still managed to finish."So now I'm looking forward to the challenge. I have spoken to a few people who have said it is the best part of South Africa and the scenery is unbelievable." The bikers will travel in teams of 12 to 15 people as they ride through 2,000km of off-road terrain from Port Elizabeth to East London and back. The event, taking place in October, is expected to last ten days. Each rider must raise at least £5,000 for charity, meaning that more than £300,000 will be raised for UNICEF, Nelson Mandela's Children's Fund and Prince Harry's Children's Charity Sentebale. Mac, from Nursling, added: "Yes I will be enjoying the ride of my lifetime along the beautiful Indian Ocean coast of Africa, but the thought that the money raised can help prevent children from being born with Aids has to be my number one objective." At the end of the event each rider's motorcycle will be handed over to the Charity Riders for Health, which will donate them to doctors and nurses, helping them to reach remote villages. To sponsor Mac contact him on 07798 690138.

POHNPEI, Federated States of Micronesia (STPNS) -- “I’ve been everywhere, man!...”  Johnny Cash’s song would have been significantly longer if Peter and Kay Forwood had written it.

The Forwood’s who hail from Australia have truly been everywhere and they’ve done it on a hog, not the kind that screams like a creature from Jurassic Park when it is feeding time but the kind that rumbles.  Their hog is a 1994 Electraglide Classic 1340cc Harley Davidson Motorcycle manufactured in November 1993 and purchased new in January of 1994.  They say it is the world’s most traveled motorcycle.

They have logged over 300,000 miles, nearly half a million kilometers traveling the world on their motorcycle since February 3, 1996.  Since that time they have ridden the bike in all but nine of the UN recognized sovereign countries on the face of the earth.  

They have visited 184 countries.  The travels have been mostly unsponsored by corporations.  Harley Davidson didn’t sponsor any of the trip but the Forwoods say they have been given generous treatment by local Harley dealers around the world..

They say they don’t have favorite countries.  They have been in Pohnpei since the 15th of January.  Of the six Pacific islands they have visited so far, Pohnpei, they say  has been  the friendliest, the prettiest and appears to be cleaner than the other islands they have visited.

Peter said that Pohnpei has hills and mountains which makes cruising fun, unlike the straight flat roads of the Marshall Islands where they visited before arriving in Pohnpei.

They say they don’t choose favorite places because each country is unique and each has its own special flavor.  Each location gives them a different sense of adventure.  Each place and each season when they travel is new and exciting.  They enjoyed traveling in the United States because of the beautiful parks.  They said that Norway had spectacular scenery but every country has something different to offer.

Peter and Kay say there are often no mechanics to help them out when they are on the road.  They rely on trial and error shade tree mechanical troubleshooting to get things repaired on the road.

Their journey isn’t always easy as they deal with customs, repairs, and shipping their bike.  Some places won’t even allow them to bring their bike into the country like Vietnam which has a 250cc limit.  Often they find that the only way to get in to a country is to bypass the system by talking to officials who don’t really know the rules and regulations.

Peter and Kay only rode the Harley four kilometers into China from the Pakistan side before returning on the Karakoram highway to the Khunjerab Pass, altitude 4700 metres (15300 ft)  When they returned from their short trip into China, the Pakastani official at the crossing threatened to arrest  them saying that they could cause an international incident.

The Forwoods normally transport their bike by plane if they can arrange it.  The bike is often disassembled, put into a crate and stuffed into the cargo hold.  If they can clear customs and get their bike out quickly they ride it away from the airport when arriving in a new country.  Sometimes the only way of transport is to put the motorcycle on a ship.  Planning each trip carefully is a must.

Peter and Kay are on the road about 10 months out of each year and spend the other 2 at home in Australia.  They plan to be finished with their worldwide journey in about 12 more months; then it’s off to revisit some of their favorite locations, mission happily accomplished.

The couple has been recording an online diary as they travel around the world and posting it online.  Some of the pictures they have taken are posted there.

You can find more information on Peter and Kay Forwood’s adventure at http://www.horizon sunlimited.com/forwood.

Be careful if you go to the website.  It is captivating and will draw you in for hours.

Why so few have offered to sponsor Peter and Kay we will never know.  After all, they’ve been everywhere, man.  I’d read the book!

Thier website here

If you like to read about peoples rides in diffrent places then go over to this dudes bog




over the next day or 2 i want to sort out the blogs and list em in decent order
South Africa has great riding and it needs to be shown
all we ever see is overseas blogs
so if you know of a great blog let me have the link
info@chillbike.co.za

Here is a couple pics of guys in Nigeria on Busa's
I was gonna say something but i better not, anyways if u own a busa check the garage
LOL

Check it out

Here is a dude that took some time off and went riding in Spain

what would u give to ride on down here.... sigh