Pink Eden

Every day whilst at Sturgis we went out for a ride somewhere. Except one day when suffering from really bad hangovers we just about managed to get in to Sturgis for some food. We went to Mount Rushmore which is only about 70 miles away. I must confess at this point that I was very much looking forward to going there. It being an iconic image of the states. I was quite interested in finding out as to why the thing had been built in the first place. There is loads of interesting information on boards on why the presidents were chosen, the order, caring for the monument, loads of american history and the making of the monument. I eventually found one little plaque that said that the then senator and two other local dignitaries had ... read more

We rose feeling slightly better than when we had gone to bed, after 14 hours in the saddle!!!!, and set off to visit a friend of Wolf's who he had met in a gas station the previous year and had put him up for the night in Three Forks. It turned out that he and his wife had already left to go to Sturgis two days before, but another guy was there that had met Wolf before and he very kindly gave us breakfast. We left an hour later after having been fed eggs and cherries. More miles to cover with the awsome scenery and the chance to enter the state of Wyoming. The road was beckoning. The Interstate has mileage markers that count up or down depending on which way you are going. Leaving North ... read more

Well time has come to face up to the fact that the dream is over and real life has to take over again. Lots of questions remain unanswered but even more have been answered. Life all of a sudden becomes more real and seems to make a hell of a lot more sense. Things seem to be put in to perspective. Don't know what I am talking about? Try taking a period of time out of normal every day life and take a step in to the big scary old world and you may start to comprehend where I am coming from. I think now that I spent 24/7 with my family for over six months in the very strangest situations and countries it makes you realise what is important and what makes you happy. Well ... read more

As some of you may know we are now home. .......or at least back in the UK. We had a fantastic trip, but we did cut it short. We decided to come home as I was home sick and had had enough of being part of this machine that is tourism.... I became very jaded with the whole thing and needed to come home and feel more grounded. Living out of a suitcase for 6 months is hard work and when you are a family of 4 it's even harder..... To say it is intense is an understatment. I dont know if I would recomend it to most families... but we did it and I hope it has changed us all.... I know it has me..... It has made me realise that England is not all ... read more

As Russ said before as we landed Ellie said it looked like we were back in New Zealand. Laos is like all the best bits of New Zealand and Bali all in one. The people are the most welcoming we have experienced, they bend over backwards to make you happy. and the land it's self is beautiful. As we flew into Luang Prabang we spotted little settlements on the top of the mountains. Little clearings of mud huts, with long winding tracks going on forever. A lot of people have said there is a lot of logging going on, but we saw no more than we had seen in New Zealand. So hopefully it is slowing to a rate that is not as damaging. The first thing that really hit us about Laos is the fact ... read more

Well we arrived and Ellie's first comment was that at least its not to hot. The following two days it rained solidly. That's a bit of an exageration but it was cold and very drizzly. It reminded us of England!!!! Not a lot to report really except that we found the place a little dull with not a lot to see or do. Went to the museum for a few hours, which was quite an eye opener. Laos is the most bombed country in the world. It has had a very turbulent history and struggled long and hard for its independence. It eventually opened its borders to foreigners some 10 or so years ago. Other things there which I found quite unusual was the display of captured drugs. It is, in my sheltered existence, unusual to ... read more