Pete´s thoughts from Mexico.

That is the sunset from outside the Internet office tonight. We spent the day buying a new front tire for Simon and getting it mounted. We were able to fine teh tire aftergoing back to the Suzuki shop and being sent to SoloMoto, where they had a rather good selection of knobbies but not so much I the dual sport variety. We sid find a nlup that will make him a few more miles quite possibly therest of the way. The hard part was mounting it. Much like when I changed mine at home we needed to pinch atube befre we got it done right. After not being able to get any air init with the foot pump, we wondered down to the tire shopp, just 2 blocks away to find out it would not hold air. They we ind enough to have use retun after 4 to have it done properly. So just rememer that from 2 to 4 in most mexican towns thewre is not much you can have done and if you are not in the toolies have the professionals do it. We did meet a group af realy nice people and two of the fellow spoke or should I say tried to speak to use for a hour about our bikes and our ride. Very nice. I just wih I could remember there names.

Here is a distant view of what we have seen in the past few days. Here we are looking at it from afar, but let me tell you we have ridden through alot of it . The paper today talked about a state of disaster that has been declared due to the worst rain since 1979. ¿ho would have thought it would be raining in Mexico and Central America in hurricaine season? Has made it interesting though.

The other news that may be a suprise or,maybe not I am heading back north in teh morning and will be leaving Simon to travel alone again. It has been a great almost two weeks but I have realize this is much bigger than I have expected and am going to go back home. I have realized this last week that I have not prepared as I should have and am going to head back to the states. I feel as if I am leaving Simon short, but he is much stronger than any of you may have ever thought. He is determined to finish this ride and I don´t want to slow him down. So tomorrow we will pack up possible go seee teh coast at San Blas tgeather and part ways. Si sout and me to the north. I will continue to spread teh word and offer my support, just not in peron. So Simon and the rest of you. YOU HVE NOT HEARD THE LAST FROM ME. Onward Frigile X-Pedition. I am sorry for the spelling, those of you who know will unedstand. The spell check just would not work. Pete

MEXICO - culture shocks & the warm solace of rain

I was contemplating whether to buy fluffy bunny , or just plain leathery slippers last week in Phoenix, Arizona. With Debbies wonderful, kind hospitality , the bako boily heat & just plain getting way to relaxed in her lovely home i was ready to stick it out there for 10 years, without a care. Lucky for Debbie, pete and i managed to get our wheels rolling again , with the excitement that the mexican border was just 200 miles away. A 3 hourish ride through the desert, 100f heat again and through, terracotta Tuscon. Arizona suprised me more than most places so far. I was expecting pure desert all the way. Arrid heat haze vistas. Spiders the size of babies and the sound of moracas in the night time grass. It was all that and more. Sodona, i think the town was. A red forest in a hidden valley, not far off the main highway, but hidden enough to seem like another planet. Lush foothills, tall trees, only highered by vertical red cascades, such as monument valley. the buildings all terreacotta, matt finished grand designes, only for those bohemian hearts, that flock there in search of apparent mystical qualities. We just rode through. me in amazment, pete used to it, but still head moving from side to side as he rode. A man with a stick , poking a curled up rattle snake as we ride passed. i only hope the beast had died curled up and wasnt faking it.... ................ We hit the mexico border at Nogales. A crossing i and pete had been recommended. Thanks you lot from pilipsburg ! you was right. We first went straight across, through a green light , where the states meet mexico. A guard stops me, i say im heading for argentina. he looked the bike up and down then into my bloodshot sweat ridden eyes and just smiled. PAHHHHH ! I THOUGHT ! WHAT DO YOU KNOW !... that wasnt it. 21 kilos away is the immigracion and banjercito. You are aloud into mexico a certain distance without sorting papers out. we want to go further so we find the immigracion building get us as people into the country , via a stroppy officer, in his 50s who hated me as soon as i said "hola". i tried at least to say hello in espanol and not english. he wouldnt talk to me, only pete. he handed pete the papers to give to me to sign instead of just handing them to me. I was shamed at the time. He couldnt smile if he tried . his wringles set in stone, unable to crack even the slightest. He is the only one so far after 6 days in mexico that was rude. Anyway enough of that. after we are in, the bikes have to get legally tempory importation papers. The banjercito office right next to the immigracion office. A delightful young lady sorts me out in english. making me shamed again, but relieved. Pete just deals with it brilliantly in spanish. An hour, thats all it took. Nerves calmed we off into MEXICOOOOOO ! at last ! this is where i always knew the adventure would deepen. 200miles south down the autopista, a toll road. a straight line. No desert on each side. well it is a desert but its mostly green. hardy shrubs and little trees. growling at the bako sun. surviving always. A town comes and goes , with its rammed out packed streets of multi couloured paint pealing tiendas, taco stalls, shoeless kids smiling and waving. whistling adults, all smiling and waving or just staring with asking eye, asking what we are doing type eyes not begging asking eyes. Road kill is rife. A rigor mortised rottweiller face up by the curb. another dog then another. The dogs lie in wait in the long grass along the autopista ready to jump out in suicide. The smells move from what i think is lavender to the smell of dead animals. perfumes unrecognised by me fill the gaps. Always something to smell. There are mountains to the east. covered in forest. no snow caps yet. We reach hermisillo late afternoon. The traffic is fast and carefree. we get into the flow. you must. surfing a large speeding tube with a thousand other surfers. carefull , gracefull and fast, all over every lane , back and forth. we see the hostel we read in the sjoerd bakker guide. a photocpoy guide from a top man on the horizons unlimited site. The pima inn. $25 for the 2 of us. 6 poundsish each. reminds me of a chenobul documentary i saw once... next day we turn off the red roads and onto the sketchy thin red roads on the map. the map hasnt a clue. all wrong, leading us gawd knows where. small towns with 15 houses and 2 tiendas. very friendly people who help me with my awful spanish. a few attempts at miming and bad words and i get the chocolate bar i need. adios and we are off again following that near usless map. we need gas. a town has turned up on a hill side. small square buildings all pealing white, irraticaly splattered over the hills. the hills all green. the road has become a potholed maze. all fun to ride as they curl relentlessly around the hills and trees. its hot but there is a calming cooling breeze when riding, not like arizona where even the riding face breeze is very very hot. The gas comes from a ladies shed in her front yard . an excited 10 year old helps here get the light purple gas from a drum, into a jug, then the jug pours into an old litre bottle of lemonade. we pour the ex-lemonade into my tank . 4 times me then 4 times pete. we off again after smiles , laughter and missing them alreadys. the map lies again. the road we want isnt even here where it says it should be. the surface is good tarmac now, then bad again, then the road has disapeared over the hill side. must have been a big storm that night ! lucky we are riding slow enough not to start the new sport of base jumping bikers with no parachutes. After back and forth we find the road we want. nowhere near where the map says it is. we end up in the rural village of rosario for the night. The real mexico i see. im scared. my confidence has gone. the rains hammering it down , the sky is that heart braking black. we eat tacos de carne after the friendly server only chats to pete. im lost. i feel like my bag of a thousand marbles has split and im chasing all of them everywhere at the same time, whilst the town is laughing me ! that night whilst the rain bombs the corrigated irons roofs & the wind shakes the windows i try and understand what i am doing here, out of my depth. north america was easy. this is latino america now. a totaly different place. no one understands my terrible accented spanish. i could die here by the road and just get walked over, then nibbled to nothing by stray cats and dogs. What nonsense !!!!!! in the morning after eventually falling asleep, i have find my marbles and we are off. im grinning from there to there. im loving the rich stench. the thick mist. the green elephant type grass and the nutcase truck driver trying to pass me on the curves. oops is that a snake i just squashed, hope not. culture shock ! NUTS TO THAT ! i can handle this ! we are back on the autopista, but have realised there is generaly a road running parrallel to th etoll road. a more scenic ruta, which is faster than the real rural roads where miles are hard to do and we need to pick up the pace a bit, still having the curvascious riding smiles. We bang out the miles today. a huge storm hits the pacific coast and we are riding with it. the rain means sorrow on a bike for hours, but this time the rain is warm. its hard and warm. after 2 hours and 100 miles we stop , laughing with the locals at our warm wetness. im so far away from the shock of the night before. the main road life is as interesting now as the rural life of the mexicans. the way they rely on the road. each town is beautiful. never the same even though it has all the same as the last one. more friendly people everywhere. the rain has flooded everywhere. we stop for the night in culiacan. the town dips are 3 foot deep in water. next day off to mazatlan. more floods. a famous port, used by the spainsh in the golden days, raided by the english and the french. rusted batteries still surving. A now resort. mexican holiday makers and a great rock band in an open bar. the guitarist cracks me up with his massive grimace and eccentic brilliant playing. next day mazatlan to tepic in the terrential again. in and out of it. seems like its linked to the sierra madres to the east. A new tyre today. a front tyre. the last one an avon distanzia has done 7000 miles. mainly pavement. im happy with that. the rear is still going strong. i have done over 7000 miles now and i recon the rear will live till panama. guadalajara today and the first latin aon office. full of colonial beauty i hear. I will make the border with guatemala this coming monday when the mexican insurance runs out. now the shock has gone. im just pure excited. well maybe some fear still lingering, but not getting the better of me... Mexico is wonderful. cheaper all round than the states. full of friendly people, great munch and forever interesting and beautiful at every head move. even the so called notorious police have been great, trying to wheely past me grinning.
oops the roads gone . lucky no peg scratching coming into that bend
rural sonora - northern mexico
front yard gasolina - helpful and fun locals

photos relating to the below post

says it all
along the old route. Its all but disapeared now they say. with many tears from the harley boys
Aon Phoenix
The view from Aons floor in the Viad tower. The southern mountains as a backdrop. Phoenix has the best road system i have ever ridden in. Its hard to get lost, aye pete ?
The Viad tower

Moument valley. strange and wonderful. where the mind wonders & wanders
modern gypsies - arizona
the grand canyon from the south rim

dirt devil pete. valley of the gods
valley of the gods

pete and the sky at mexican hat
riding into the monument valley

ride with us through the last leg of monument valley.

Out of Colorado, Pete's land. Through, up and over the southernish neck of the rocky mountains. The mountains that have kept me company all the way from the Yukon Territory, Canada.... Colorado is up there with Alaska, for shire beauty and hugeness. Up there in sky, where just stepping down a few steps from a house is a chore for the lungs. We rode south leaving the mountains and altitude. entering the plains and the vertical red rock mountains that glow at sunset. One night in Norwood, (a tad lovelyer than norwood se25). stayed with john and berry at the back narrows inn. an inn built in the wild days of 1880. The wood structure still the same as it was then. A huge beautifully engraved, ornate stove greets you on entry, built in those golden days. We had nowhere to stay before then. all was closed or no vacancy. A small town , one street big. John says to me, "speak english and we'll see what we can" , i knew we'd be mates after that. Their guest hadn't shown up for a banquet, so lucky pete and i scoffed the lot. steaks, trout seasoned perfectly, shrimp kebabs, melon and strong subtle tasting beer. A night of laughs and stories then south once more the next day. Colorado turned into Utah. the mountains became bigger red and bare of pine and spruce. Utah became desert , which meant Arizona couldn't be far off. Through the Valley of the gods, an aptly named desert dirt road through huge monoliths, acting like bringers of doom or gods caring for the world around them or just strangely shaped mountains, like in the shape of hands and upside down boots, that water and wind have designed over millions of years. The best dirt road so far. skinny and hilly. loose gravel, sliding the bikes from one road shoulder to the next. steep ups and downs close together, that any experienced motocross rider would be air born out of. corners that slide the rear then the front end, scaring the rider into doing what he shouldn't. Pete realised there is a problem with the front end on his bike, named number 5 , by the way.. mines named number 8. He was thinking it might be the back load of luggage that's making the front end light and insecure. A problem he overcame and road the road flying up dirt and dust in his wake. off and out of the valley of the gods into monument valley , via the weirder that all the rest Mexican hat, into monument valley. no descriptions needed for this place. just think back on those 50s and 60s even earlier westerns we all grew up with. A night in the Indian reservation town of kayente, no beer aloud, prices of accommodation and food all raised and a few nice meetings with inquicitive people. The ride the next day was the ride taking us into phoenix, arizona, where Debbie, petes sister, kindly invited us both to stay at her house. It was a bigger than usual ride, 400 miles needed instead of the 300 regular days. I have done a couple of big for miles days this trip and it sucks the life out of me leaving a wild talking , endorphined person. superb, but not all the time. We made it. 3 hours in total darkness. me with no back light, where pete came to the rescue, riding behind me with his back light, so as speeding rascals in trucks and cars didnt squash me without noticing. he was there like a rock, reliable and consistent. top rider ! it was a spell binding riding in the dark following the centre lines in the dark, where my speedo decided to stop also. a fleshy computer game. 12 hours in the seat, flat bums and big smiles sweating like never before in the 9pm 90f heat of phoenix. Debbies house is beautiful. close to all that we need , like the bike shops, newspaper offices and the next AON office to visit. We visited Aon Phoenix. An office 30 floors i recon high. Aon have 20 people working there. we were welcomed by Karen Mildenhall after meeting the friendly , helpfull receptionist, ( i wish i remembered her name). Karen spoke with us, showed us the magnificent views from their office windows and wished us good fortune in our ride. A nother great stop in the Aon chain. All are interested after we invade their day with strange requests. Visited the Arizona republic newspaper, where they couldnt see us coz of deadlines. another email there then. Pete has sorted out his front end problems. he has helped me with my brake problems in the 106f heat. and we are almost ready to hit the Mexican border. Thats a place that we both have premature worries about. The reputation, language barrier, all that comes with mexico. A place we are looking forward to, the real challenge starts here i think. Mind you its not as dark thoughts provoking than bombs going off the other day in Cali, Colombia. HEHEHEHE ! Lets hope if there are any new born revolutions, we are on a cozy balcony looking down with cameras in hand rather than at a road side cafe beers in hand. Its all gotten better, if that was possible, now pete is along side. he has a perfect knack of making situations easier. and has the best ideas !

A couple of pictures

" Can you belive what we have gotten into." Simon ponder where we go from here.

Grand Canyon

Valley of the God's

Thanks for the BBQ and backyard camping boys.

Have you lubed it?

Simon arrived on thursday and it has been a flurry of activity finishing everything to finally get out the door. One of the harder activities of the last few days was mounting the new tires on my bike.  I was so excited to finish with the rear wheel and put it all back together and go for a ride around town to rerun some tools that we had borrowed. When i started down the road the bike shook like it was going to fall apart. We went back home to sort it out thinking maybe I made the rear wheel out of true when i was trying to break the bead to remove the old tire. Thankfully it was much simpler the bead of the new tire was not seated properly. After 2 hours of inflation and deflation a little help form gerry and Simon we were completely frustrated and still not done. So I went up to the tire shop in town and he said " Have you lubed it up good?". I went home put some dish soap around the bead and amazingly it was done. 

It is the simple things I often forget. I am sure there will be plenty more of those from here on out, so let the adventure begin. A little packing and off we go. 

thin air and Aons mile high office

Aon Denver employees. A top bunch of friendly people. A pleasure to meet.
Pete and simon outside Aon Denver
Denver is Colorado`s state capital city. Aon has an office there. 4100 e.mississippi ave. Its an address i have been seeing and wondering about for years. Working in the postroom at Dev sq, i have sent many a courier via transworld couriers over to that office. The place i imagined, to be a large office, due to the fact that i have mentioned about sending a lot of items over there. I wasn`t suprised to see a tall dark , glassy building and a large sign along side, showing Aon inside. The office isn`t situated in the downtown Denver area, where the main clump of denvers financial towers are. The Aon building is sat in the lovely named cherry creek area. The sun was shining as myself and Pete found the office. Pete knew where Misssissippi avenue was , but hadn`t heard of a company called Aon before, until i mentioned i work for them. Aon has 4 floors in the building and around 150 employees. We were greeted warmly and curiously as we asked to meet a marketing person. All where unavailable, So i was very happily suprised to finally be greeted by the executive vice president, Terri Brown. She took us under her wing and introduced us to a number of Aon staff, who all asked questions about our trip and Fragile X Syndrome. We took some photos and chatted, laughed for some time, till eventually saying goodbye and good luck. A great bunch of people, very friendly and unskeptical. mmmmmm, not like the london lot aye !!!!! (only kidding)...... lets hope that on this quest , the Aon peeps we find are as warm and helpful........... next stop Aon pheonix.

I got to Leadville a couple of days ago now. Pete has been great. The perfect host, with freshly cooked cookies made by his mate , Amy, a tasty delight indeed, large as ya like choco lumps ! I expected to see pete, twitching the curtains anxiously itching to get on the road, after a year of talk. He is ready and red hot to go ! he`s done mods to his bike. Changed the tyres, to those well reported dual sport tyres, Avon Distanzias. Reputed to take on any kind of unforgiving dirt track and carry on doing that for 10000 miles. Changed his oil and filters. Set the bike up for the haul. I am chuffed to bits to see and hear that he is on th eroad for longer than i thought. 2 months hes out there for. I`ll have to see if myself and the adventure can seduce him into rolling as far south as possible. Looks like he might be able to make it into Colombia and maybe Ecuador. I have been carrying a new chain and front sprocket, that i got from AKRIDERS in anchorage,. and it was time to change them. i didnt have a front sprocket, but pete had found one for me. This was gonna be a test for me. A part of me was hoping pete and his house mate jerry would kick me aside and say "leave it out, we`ll fit the stuff for ya", but most of me wanted to sort this out, coz i have to get my hands filthy with mechanical experience, coz as the trip goes on i will need to utillise at least some sort experience as the bike start to go into demensure. Got the old chain off easy, to find the clip that holds the master link together, not letting the chain come apart, was missing. I am definatly a lucky man. I have been carrying a stone from the Arctic coast. A black stone with a thin white line on. A stone the Inuits say brings long life and luck ! .. the clipless chain could`ve totaly destroyed the bikes motor and maybe my left calf muscle. Followed the manuals instructions, but after meeting Jay at Signe & jeffs gaff in philipsburg earlier in the trip i ended up using the feeling and knowing approach, that he showed me. It works. I always do it by the book if im new to it. Jay showed me how to feel ya way around it. In this case the chain. After all its all a case of this joins that, that makes this do that etc. It went well. the new chain and sprockets are on. the oil changed. A new filter and we are ready to rock as they say over here. The past 2 nights have been spent following pete around saying TaTa to his friends. A top lot. We had steaks in town with Randy. jd, marny and terri. A great night of laughs a stuffed bellies. Last night was spent with John, Joyce and there daughter Emily, jerry & alyssa. sat out in the pines at 10000feet up, 2 miles high, by turqiouse lake. A great night of bbq`d munch and stories to laugh to until the night came in, the milky way came out in total view from south horizon to north horizon, making realise how earth sits amongst it all. We could see the spiral of the Milky Way. So thats it phase 2 begins today.
Bizzare views from the top of the world Leadville, Colorado. A fierce cloud comes from behind the rockies