Getting a bike out of one country and into another requires a lot of queuing and patience. Generally the sequence goes 1.get yourself stamped out of country A - usually quite quick and painless 2.get the bike stamped out of country A - this is a multi-stage process. First you queue to hand back the temporary import licence, the details of this are then typed (usually with one finger) onto a computer with a very small, slow brain. A print out is produced and handed to a second man who goes outside to check the registration number and VIN on the [View Full Entry]

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As we try to leave Chichcastenango we have our first independence Day encounter - all the roads are blocked and a large parade is coming down the street. Independence Day is not until tomorrow so we were a bit surprised. Turns out its the children's parade today and the adult parade tomorrow. So we settled ourselves down for the next 2 hours to watch the parade go past. The great thing about Guatemalans is that they are only 4ft something tall so I am a giant here and can see over the top of the crowd. The parade seemed to consist [View Full Entry]

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Our time in Guatemala was dominated by independence Day - the whole country seemed to be celebrating for days on end, which was a good thing as we got involved in all sorts of festivities. It was a relatively quick border crossing only 3 hours or so. The Mexican border post was relatively calm and efficient. Two miles down the road its a different story at the Guatemalan border post, its all hustle and bustle with loads of market stalls hiding the official huts. Once formalities are completed and the barrier is lifted there is no mistaking the fact that you [View Full Entry]

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The groups grasp of Spanish is somewhat questionable. Everyone has the hang of 'mas cerveza por favor' (more beer please) but when faced with the road sign 'despacio - curvas peligrosas' everyone goes great lots more sweeping bends and hairpins to ride at high speed!! It actually means 'slow - dangerous bends'. While the boys are all excited by the 'curvas peligrosas' I'm excited by the fact that we are now heading into 'ruin territory' and will be passing through areas inhabited by numerous pre-Colombian civilisations. Overnight there were torrential rainstorms. Consequently the road [View Full Entry]

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Getting out of Copper Canyon was meant to be easier than getting in but somehow we managed to topple off 3 times on the way out. First we came round a corner and had to negotiate a bulldozer than had just laid 6 inches of fresh soil on the road surface. We got past the bulldozer ok but then we came to a standstill in the thick, fresh, soil and just toppled over gracefully. Next we had just finished negotiating the really tricky, steep, smooth rock part and were on the easy flat straight section when the back wheel just caught [View Full Entry]

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Cross the border into Mexico at Agua Prieta. The hardest part is getting out of the US. They are so used to everyone nipping over into Mexico they just wave all the vehicles through so its really difficult to find anyone that you can hand your paperwork to. Even then they are reluctant to take it and keep saying ' are you sure you're not coming back to the US'. Seems inconceivable to them that anyone would want to stay in Mexico - mind you the chief of police in the next town along was gunned down yesterday so maybe they [View Full Entry]

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Set of at 6:00 for the 450 miles drive across the desert to Tucson in an attempt to get some of the journey completed in cool conditions. This also meant we got to see Marble Canyon and Vermilion Cliffs changing colour as the sun rose. Luckily by midday, when the temperatures were up in the 40s, we had made it into the mountains and pine forests where it was slightly cooler. After lunch, in a little village called Strawberry, we hit the real desert and just to make sure we knew we were in the desert there were large impressive cacti [View Full Entry]

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Its now so hot by lunch time that even I have to take a siesta. Its regularly reaches 40 by mid-afternoon, so hot you have to drive along with the visor down or its like someone blowing a hot hair-drier in your face. Have another 300+ mile day to get from Moab down to Mesa Verde. Are still travelling through red rocky canyons interspersed with flat green plains. We never take the direct route and find two mountain ranges to cross en-route; the Red Mountain Pass, 11018ft and the Molas Pass, 10910ft through the San Juan mountains. From here the air [View Full Entry]

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Seem to have spent the last few days hopping back and forth between Colorful Colorado and Utah he greatest show on earth - there are big sign posts as you cross the state line and they always proudly announce the state motto. Rode 400 miles from Cody to Vernal in one day. It was strange scenery. You appeared to be whizzing along a flat plain then all of a sudden a big gorge would open up from out of nowhere and steep rocky cliffs would be towering above you e.g. Wind River Gorge with its multi-coloured rocks complete with swirling patterns. [View Full Entry]

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Yes, somehow we managed to tick off Montana ('Big Sky Country') and Wyoming ('Like No Place On Earth') in just 5 days - not enough time to do them justice really. You can guess what's coming next - yes, more long, windy road with sweeping bends and spectacular views. Although I'm sure you'll be pleased to hear that our first day in the USA was a total wash out and we got soaked to the skin. We crossed into Glacier National Park and travelled along the inappropriately named 'Going to the Sun' road. We didn't see any sun and spent the [View Full Entry]

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