December 14, 2005

The Adventure Begins...

I started thinking about what to bring. This was my first attempt at packing. I condensed this mess down by 1/3. In the end, all my gear weighed 130 lbs.

An overview of my spare parts, tools, and repair kits.

Eric Hougen, WOLFMAN (Wolfman Luggage)http://wolfmanluggage.com/ customized my tankbag for my camera gear. I needed the tankbag to be removable because of the equipment. I actually wore it as a backpack at border crossings.

CLICK ON PHOTO TO PLAY VIDEO

I got a late start out of Denver due to a camera technical problem, then the arctic blast came.

I left last Thursday, December 8th. It was about 20 degrees, you figure the windchill at 90mph. I had on good gear and was chilled, but not cold. Surprisingly it stayed chilly until about Torreon (about 600miles south of the border). Yesterday things warmed up, now its about 80 in Tuxpan on the Gulf of Mexico. I feel the adventure is about to begin.

The bike has been running good. The only problem I've had is losing my map out of my tankbag map pocket. I've only been able to find one terrible map since. You wouldn't believe how bad this map is. So far I've only back-tracked about a combined 15 miles, which is a miracle. My best Spanish phrase has become, "Donde puedo comprar bueno mapas mexico," which translates to "where can I buy good map of Mexico." The problem is understanding the reply.
I've been pulled over twice by policia. They just wanted to say hi and was wondering where I'm going. I was pulled over at a federally check point for the first time yesterday. All the others just waved me by. They searched my tankbag and then I got into a "where the hell am I (with my crappy map)" and they didn't bother looking through everything else.

So far I've ridden about 2300 miles. December 14th - today I'm going to take a break, hang out take photos, drink cervezas and look for a map.

December 16, 2005
Very Gringo in Vera Cruz
Hola!
It is easier to find decent Internet in Cambodia than Mexico. I walked & asked directions to this one for 45 mins.The present keyboard I'm using is so used that most of the letters are worn off the keys. I’m not one of those who can type without looking at the keys. It took 5 minutes just to get my email to open. My plan was to post nightly if possible. Uploading photos from this computer will take all night. I will do the best I can. I am quite surprised by this.

I am in Vera Cruz tonight. The plan was to leave Tuxpan yesterday but it was pouring. It was supposed to clear last night, so I stayed one more night. I awoke to overcast drizzle this morning. I hit the road anyway & rode the Gulf coast south to Vera Cruz. A short mileage day, but due to construction hold ups & accidents it took all day.