No more??

The road is no more.

No more will I buckle on my boots
No more will I strap up my helmet
No more will I swing that leg over the saddle
No more will I be staring towards the horizon
With the wind and the rain as companion
With the sun to drive me on
With the mountains to distract me.
No more will I be singing those songs
Over and over again
Or the conversations that go around
in circles in my head

with no where to go

No more will I look for that elusive turn off
Or that short cut
To take me where I know not
To live each day
with wonder or trepidation
at every turn.
With the knowledge that the unknown
Is only the unknown
until you know it.


And just around the corner
Is Adventure..

With your name on it.


No more?

I don't think so.

See ya next time..

Last Days..

Smithers ended up being the ‘end of the road’ for me are far as this motorcycle trip went. – and an excellent time I had there too!! After pushing it all the way from Southern Mexico I was looking forward to a bit of a rest but upon reaching here I decided that resting would be a bit of a waste of time.
I got to meet up with a lot more relatives than I knew existed up here. It was awesome after 7 months on the road to meet with people I knew or knew of. I immediately felt like one of the family and I was soon rushed away for fishing trips, hiking and extreme coffee drinking episodes..

After extending my ticket and staying for an extra week I still wasn’t really ready to leave but, as they say, all good things must come to an end. Plus I still had other things to do/ commitments to fulfil...

(Uncle) Peter and Molly were fantastic hosts and I couldn’t have asked for better attention – Thanks a lot again, you have given me some special memories that I will treasure. After travelling so long it was great to have a place that felt like home – really. Excellent food, company, conversations… and the odd rye in between..

Not only did I get to meet up with a lot of people I also managed to nip off for a couple days with a few friends – to Alaska!! Just. If you look at a map, and it has the small town of Smithers on it, you might be able to see that there is a strip of land that belongs to Alaska that gets very close – about 4 hrs drive. Too close not to go.

So it was off to Hyden to see the glaciers and the odd Grizzly bear fishing for a Salmon. The trip was done with my cousin Richard from good old Australia and Dina, from Switzerland, a friend of Carl and Jenny’s (another uncle and aunt..), who didn’t realise what she was getting into, hanging around with us, poor girl… :-)

We got to see a couple Grizzlies at Fish Creek. I was impressed by how they could move – so softly and carefully while stalking a fish and then unleashing that enormous power as they run and leap for their prey. Beautiful animals but I think I will skip on the bear hug..

A Bear Bum, as promised.....

Seeing the glaciers in the North were an excellent finish after the glaciers in the South, so many months before, tying the beginning with the end.

Good times. Even better memories…

After this trip it was a bit of a rush to get the bike crated up and ready to transport. I decided to leave the bike in Smithers, giving me more time to organise transport (plus, since I will be in Papua New Guinea for the rest of the year I won’t need it til after that anyhow..). Maybe I will just leave it there and return one day (soonish) jump in the saddle and keep travelling…. Alaska, Russia, Mongolia… hmmmmm.
Now THAT sounds like a good idea.

The Home Stretch

So, here I am, sitting behind a desk at my Uncle Peter's place in Smithers, British Colombia, Canada at the very end of my trip.
It has been a long time since I have updated this blog but the last couple weeks have been a bit of a blur as I made a rushed trip up through Mexico, The States and into Canada. Upon arriving in Smithers I was planning to take a couple days just to chill out and relax but the family over here had other ideas.. not that I am complaining at all.

BUT.
I should rewind back a bit and share a few photos..


In Guatemala (yep, still way back in Central America) I went on a bit of a tour up a Volcano to see some red hot glowing lava. The top photo shows all the people spread out on the lava bed, convincing myself once again that I don't take tours as a preferemce..

The second photo shows a few red 'holes' that we had to skip around, unless we wanted a barbeque..

Mexico....

was a big country to travel through. Some 3 thousand plus kilometers. My odometer doesn't work any more so I don't really know exactly how far I have travelled since Panama...

Spending most of the time on the saddle meant I didn't get to see a lot in Mexico. It was a lot greener than I expected. Did manage to snag an arts festival and a regional fair in two of the nights which was a bonus, getting a chance to eat some great mexican food and hear a bit a of local music, even check out the local beauty pagent...:-)

12 Countries here (plus two more to come - US and Canada). Sometimes hard to believe that I actually made it..

The States..

Like Mexico I didn't have much time so it was a real bumonsaddle type trip. My bike, as reliable as it has been, gave me a spot of bother as it started to cut out for no reason during my last day in Mexico and after entering the States. The problem seemed to disappear so I expect it was a bad batch or two of fuel..

Colorado was a very pretty state. Worth a second visit I think..

Even Utah with its dry canyons and colourful sunsets..

And after a few more hard days I entered Canada. The home stretch.

The Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta were beautiful which I enjoyed seeing but I was on a mission...



Smithers..

Arriving at 10 oclock on a Wednesday night after dodging deer, a bear and a moose, after almost 10 thousand kms of constant travelling from Guatemala, after 6 months of travel from Buenos Aires down the southern tip of South America and then all the way North.. my uncle gets a call...

"Hey its me, Bruce...."

bike problems

Hi.
Just a Qickie..
After a huge push through Mexico I have made it to the Sates. (Didn't realise how large Mexico was until I bought a map of it.)
However my bike is playing up. It is cutting out for no reason, starting easily each time. Can't work out the problem, a local shop not being of much help here in El Paso.
Sooo if you don't hear from me soon(ish) I'm probably pushing my bike through the Grand Canyon (or into it).

Guatemala - Semuc Champey

I really didn´t have the time but, I admit it, I am a bit of a procrastinator and the only deadline I have to break (but really can`t) is getting to Canada on time...

So I took a detour to check out Semuc Champey. A day detour that ended up taking 3..

Semuc Champey is renowned for its blue stepped pools at the bottom of a steep valley in the Guatemalan highlands. What is unique about this place is that the river, which is murky with sediments, flows underground through a cave for some 300metres. Above the underground river water seeps from the surounding valley producing perfectly clear pools of water. One of the best swimming holes I have been in. Period.

Swimming here brought on thoughts of Paradise. Though no `Eve´ around...


I thought the ride back would take a couple hours. Took a full day and a bit more. Not having much more than a mud map doesn´t help I suppose. (Of course I didn`t take a wrong turn.) Nor does waiting for roadworks to clear a few landslides..
But it was very enjoyable nether the less.

Made it to Antigua... and met Brad and Jola who I left behind in Nicaragua!!

Copan Ruinas

While in Copan I checked out the Mayan ruins there. These ruins are pretty important because of all the hieroglyphics that have been found there, helping archaeologists learn more of the life of the Mayan people. well, so i am told.. Hard to believe the size of the empire that had to be here and that just disappeared..

Honduras

Starting to get into a fastish travel mode.
Yesterday I crossed the border from Nicaragua into Honduras. A guy tried to help me (for free though he wanted a donation when we were finished and he did do a lot of running around for me..) but I think I would have been better off on my own. Atleast then I would know what was going on (sort of). Anyway it ended up costing me 40 dollars (a lot of money when you think all the other borders are free...) and with no receipt I have no idea where the cash went to. I should have demanded on but once I got the paperwork done I just wanted to get going. Apart from that it was pretty straightforward.

Today I hooned up through Honduras to Copan which is very close to the border with Guatemala. Tomorrow I might check out the Mayan ruins which are near here.
Copan is a pretty town and worth the stopover.