The following is a current and incomplete raw draft of our report. Pictures will be added and this draft will be edited into the final form.

Prologue

This trip has me more concerned than any previous trips I made so far. It must have to do with the distance, the unknown, and and the fact, that I carry passenger for over 10,000 miles. Even "worse", the passengers not just a "regular" person, but the mother of six, a grandmother of eight, with three more in the making. In addition, there is all the equipment and necessary clothing which has to be hauled. I have not left the driveway yet, and I already fantasize how it must feel to return to this very driveway safe and sound. When I start a new trip, the motorcycle feels very heavy and clumsy. I think to myself that I won't make it beyond the city limits, riding this bulky and overloaded machine. I imagine all the stress on the tires, frame, engine, brakes and so on and so forth. However, after the first 10 to 20 miles I usually start to calm down and relax and focus on the driving.

Sunday February 2, 2004 , miles 2288 - 2419 = 131

As we leave early Sunday morning it is only a 120 mi. trip to the house in the desert. We expect furniture to be delivered by 9:00 a.m. The delivery truck is already waiting.

The new sofa fits so well and is so comfortable that we decide on staying another day to enjoy the new sofa, house, and the great desert climate. Tuesday morning we finally leave for good, and now the adventure really starts.

Tuesday February 3, 2004, miles 2419 - 2732 = 313

It is a crisp morning, 8:30 a.m. I try to overcome my phobias about heavy bikes. The motorcycle is actually handling quite well and I'm beginning to get enthusiastic thinking about having two to three months of new experiences ahead of me. It is just then that we find ourselves engulfed in a developing sand storm on highway 10 and highway 86 south. We are just three hours away from home we have barely passed Salton Sea on the east when we are forced stop at the Denny's in Calexico. But things a turnaround for the better the wind calms somewhat down and there is no need to visit the local movie theater to kill time. We decide to head for the border. The procedure is simple and takes about one hour. The official on the Mexican side explains to me that this is Mexico now where Spanish is spoken. So from now on I say "si" instead of no. The expenses are as follows : tourist card $20 each, motorcycle permit 332 pesos which translates into $33, and $1 for copies. we exchange $200 for 2150 pesos. Mexico, here we come. The first stretch of highway 2 is a toll road, $1.50. Beyond San Luis Rio Colorado the road gets quite scenic and deserted if you discount of the trucks that own the highway here . We compromise our first rule of traveling, which clearly states not to travel in the dark. Being winter the days are still quite short and sunset falls upon us early. After 200 km of unpopulated desert, we are happy to find shelter at the excelsior Hotel for $40 in Sonyota. Dinner is enchiladas for the girl two beers for the guy. Truly exhausted we hit the mattress at 10:00 p.m. 313 mi. away from home.

Wednesday February 4, 2004 miles 2732 -3018 = 286

It is 9:00 a.m. and we continue on Highway 2 south. The temperature gauge reads 55 Fahrenheit and it feels cold. At lunch time we are in Santa Ana. Here Highway 2 connects with Highway 15. The sun breaks out for a while and we find a road side fast food place Mexican style. Giggling girls freshly prepare Carne Asada. Later we're blessed by rain, did I mention it was cold? The countryside is nice but not spectacular. It warms up to 75 degrees but still feels kind of chili. In Hermosillo we stay at the

C I D Motel, which caters to a certain clientele. My father used to call it the horizontal type of business. People rent a room by the hour. We did not know. We are just surprised, that every room has a garage with its own remote and solid garage door. On closer inspection I cannot find another exit from the room but the one door leading to the garage and from there on out. How much more privacy can we expect. We pay $40 for a very clean room with a garage for the motorcycle. What else do we need! At a large hotel bar on the other side the road we listen to a karaoke music have some drinks, Mexican soup and spicy peanuts.

Thursday February 5, 2004 miles 3018 - 3286 = 268

The corrosiveness of the spicy peanuts played a trick on my stomach and made it tough for me to fall asleep. I should have known better, but they sure were tasty. The rest of the night is quite uneventful and we rise at 7:00 a.m. One-and-a-half hours later we're ready to leave. It seems to take least an hour to get ready, stash the clothes in the aluminum panniers, attach them to the bike and put all the motorcycle gear on. Today we're heading southeast on Highway 16. It is a lovely day, sunshine and 60 degrees rising to 75 degrees. We move slower today, soaking in the beauty of the surroundings. Later the road gets curvy and reminds me of the local Big Bear Mountains. In places the road is in very bad repair and there are stretches of dirt. We average only 30 mi. per hour and the miles start to drag on . The towns we pass are very small and poor. It is in Yecora were we stop for groceries. The little grocery store reminds me of stores I have seen in Greece 20 years ago. It is very basic and most of the foods are either of the dried kind or canned. There's very little fresh food. For lunch we buy tuna, corn, peas, and mayonnaise. we mix a thrifty salad and a plastic bag. Continuing on to 7,300 ft. the temperatures drop to refreshing 36 degrees. This not only feels cold, it sure is cold. She has plugged in her heated vest and I run my heated grips in high. We are in need of a place to sleep. Again the sun sets on us as we drive through the sparsely populated mountains looking for some accommodations. Past Yepachic we're lucky and find a small and a dark place with a sign indicating this to be a hotel. The owner shows us a small room with a wood oven, four pieces of firewood, no towels, and eight blankets, which we all put to use. All this for $20, we won't complain We find ourselves in bed by 7:00 p.m., dressed in heavy and layered gear, firewood in the oven, and eight blankets on top of us. I briefly listen to my short wave radio and fall asleep. We advance the clock by one hour.

Friday February 6, 2004 miles: 3286 - 3428 = 142

Needless to say the wood only lasts till midnight and the oven and everything else is cold when we get up at 7:30 a.m. The motorcycle is romantically covered with ice crystals and the temperature gauge reads 20 degrees. We are in now the state of Chihuahua. Our first stop is at the Basaseachic Falls. These are the tallest waterfalls in North America. It is a 20 minute walk from the parking area and we approach the falls from the top. The sun is rising and its warming rays are a wonderful sensation in this ultra crisp air. All the little water puddles are frozen. The view from the top of the falls is breathtaking. On our return to the motorcycle my warm gloves are gone. I thought about wearing them when I mistakenly left them on the seat. Yolanda said, it was OK. I ask you, who's to blame? Of course, Yolanda. The parking lot is surrounded by gift shops and some of which have opened during hour excursion. One gift shop owner tells us that there had been some kids close the motorcycle and he outright accuses them of the theft. I'm quite distressed since this is the first time on this trip that I've left something unlocked on the motorcycle. And right away it is gone. I have to calm myself down which takes some time. All the common stereotypes cross my mind and you know who gets blamed immediately. We really needed these gloves right now. I noticed earlier that nobody wears gloves in this cold weather and I can see how a kid must find them quite useful. I am upset for a while and finally realize that is not much to be done about it. We have three more pairs left, two of them made for the hot weather only. Since I'm the driver, I get to wear the warmest pair of the three. They are still thin though and the heated grips are on high all day long. The curvy road continues and leads us to San Pedro where we turn south on highway 23. It is here, at a 7,000 ft. plateau, where the bike develops a sudden wobbly feel. Thinking the worst, I imagine the frame being broken. ( This fear stems from reports I have read, where BMW GS subframes have broken under heavy loads) But this can't be - this is a new bike! I stop the machine immediately and discover the rear tire losing air rapidly. Upon close inspection I find a sharp metal piece sticking out. This is only my second flat tire in over 25 years, so I guess I have been lucky. I get the tire repair kit out. I brought the original BMW plugs as well as a standard repair kit for auto tires. As the puncture is very small, I actually have to widen the opening. Still the BMW plug does not want to fit and I break the applicator tool trying to push it in. That's the cue for me to use some swear words. Luckily I have a spare. I don't want to bother you with the details and to make a long story short, the tire repair is finally successful, but stretches over two days. The puncture happened at the corner of a tread block and in the end it needs two plugs, one from the BMW set and one from the car set. Later, I also purchase a can of puncture repair foam. To fill the tire I have CO2 cartridges and a small electric air pump. I use the pump exclusively and it works real well. I have to say, I am very happy to have the necessary tools here in the middle nowhere. We continue our quest. San Juanita is a town of 10,000 and seems to be a very poor. We see many little homes with smoking chimneys. It seems to be a common procedure to burn most of the trash right there were collects. The inevitable air pollution is very obvious. It is here, where I begin to develop a breathing technique designed to get as little pollutants as possible into my lungs. the trick this, to recognize the pollution early on, so there's enough time to take a deep breath and hold it as long as necessary to pass the hazard zone. I have plenty of time during this trip to refine his little technique to perfection. Later on I learn, that it is beneficial to keep some air and the lungs to slightly exhale through the nose just before taking the first deep breath when the air is clean again. Because even if you don't inhale, some of this filthy air somehow finds its way into your nostrils. So you better blow it out. while in Mexico this technique might be a luxury, in Guatemala it should be part of your survival training. I've never known, how much soot and thick smoke can escape from the exhaust pipe of an old diesel bus. but, I'm getting carried away, we're still in Mexico. By 5:00 p.m. we arrive in Creel, the main tourist town for all visitors of the copper Canyon. We stay at Hotel Paraiso Del Posque for $35 on the main street outside of downtown. Again we are frozen. As we settle in, we give the hotel the basic luxury check . Clean: yes. Hot showers: yes, with a shortage of hot water after two and a half minutes . Gas heater: yes, but it shuts down at 10:00 p.m. Tonight and we need to do some laundry. Since we have few things to wash, we hand wash in the sink. The heater makes a good dryer. However, I hang my socks to close and they burn. If you read the Alaska report you know about the microwave story and my luck with socks. Downtown Creel is quite charming and reminds me of Dawson. We're too tired to enjoy the night life. We walk to the local grocery store and once more fix a salad in a bag and watch some Mexican TV for entertainment. When the heater shuts off at 10:00 p.m. We're already securely tucked in.

Saturday February 7, 2004 miles: 3428 -3662 = 234

This is another cold night. The bed is equipped with slippery nylon sheets that we have to fight all night long like Don Quichote the windmills. In fact, it was so bad that I have to advise you not to use this hotel. The next morning it is 26 degrees when I step out and realize that the tire is flat again. But I'm able to fix it with the second plug and the tire spray. I don't know it yet, but this will last me safely till Mexico City. We walk to downtown where we get into a conversation with a Mexican biker who highly recommends the Pacific route right around Acapulco. We also chat with an American travel guide who is about to take the train through copper Canyon with his travel group - how exciting. Now it's time for us to experience copper Canyon for ourselves. We enjoy curves all day on the road that takes us up to 8,500 ft.. The temperature rises to a comfortable 71 degrees. In the shaded areas and tight turns there are still plenty of dangerous ice patches on the road and I have to be very careful. The air is crisp, the view is beautiful, and there's hardly any traffic.

Copper Canyon - Barranca de Cobre is great.

We see Indians in their traditional garments walking along a river . considering our patched tire, we decide not to ride down to Batopilas, a small town on the bottom of the canyon that can be reached on a steep dirt road with very tight turns.

As we progress the countryside changes, it opens up and we see cactus and sun burned grass as we slowly descend into soft golden hills.  We encounter our first military stop at Balleza. The young soldiers look at the bike and ask us the typical "where from - where to" question . 30 seconds later we're on our way.  We reach Parral at sunset, 5:30 p.m. and stay at the El Camino Real motel for $48 .00. this was a very pleasant ride and we're not as tight as we used to be the previous day's.  We spend the evening at the so-called video bar and I enjoy two beers and three Tequilas. Yolanda enjoys a tasty steak. We engage in a pleasant conversation with the bartender and later the city's mayor and friends join the restaurant. 

Sunday February 8, 2004     miles: 3662 - 3944 = 282

last night we found a note from motorcycle Travers staying at the other side of the parking lot. We have exchanged notes with another motorcycle parked across the driveway.  At 8:30 a.m. It is Jay from Kansas Missouri who knocks at our door.  Jay and Kelly join us for breakfast.  They are on their way home from a trip through Mexico and they're headed towards copper Canyon today.  J owns a bicycle shop and has done some extensive traveling in the past.  After nice breakfast we separate at 11:30 a.m. heading into opposite directions.  Durango is our day's destination and we agreed it by a warm but very windy day.  There's lots of open countryside and straight roads as we go south on Highway 45.  The area around San Juan del Rio increases our driving fun with curves and hills and it much less wind.  At 530 we arrive in Durango and another day of driving is over.  The 282 mi. were quite effortless.  We stay at hotel Camp Mexico which was built in the '60s.  Once a nice place on a large lot you can see it used to be nice.  As many places though it is run down.  The front desk lady however, is very nice and we have a choice of rooms.  The recommended restaurant in our travel guide is closed.  So we go to the local Chinese restaurant which is close by.  Since it is already dark we do not go downtown.  The hotel is noisy and I put my ear plugs to use. 

Monday February 9, 2004   miles:3944 - 4150  = 206

this the first time we look for an Internet Cafe to send our first e-mail.  This takes time.  Then we go to a Kmart type store which is really well-stocked.  Get some yogurt, a nonfat kind, V8 juice and some other foods.  One of my goals during this trip is to lose some weight.  Some looking for nonfat foods and other low-calorie groceries.  Also I'm somewhat squeamish when it comes to restaurants and cleanliness.  This should help as I'm less likely to eat what place doesn't look sanitary.  I'm well aware, that tequila and beer both have plenty of calories which counteract my efforts to some extent. 

Later we go to the marketplace and Cathedral which was built in 1695.  The historic part of town creates a nice atmosphere which reminds me of places in Europe.  But there's lots of traffic and we have a tough time to find a parking place.  Yolanda stays with the bike as I walk around to take some pictures.  I really like it here.  The old buildings are appealing.  Then we drive back to the hotel to wrap up.  As it always takes about an hour is 2:00 p.m. By the time we leave. we continue south east on Highway 45.  It is still windy, but mostly tailwind which makes it easy.  It is also warm and it seems, that the cold days are behind us for good.  For a picnic we leave the road and as we try to get back we get stuck in the red sand and tipp over. nothing happened neither to us, nor to the bike. I get in the position with my back to the bike and while lifting I pull my left calf muscle, which had been injured previously.  We get a bike back up, but now I can hardly walk.  I start the engine and with its help and Yolanda pushing and me limping, we somehow succeed to get a bike back to the road.  I have to be more careful in the future.  There's just no way to drive through soft sand with a fully loaded motorcycle.  At 6:00 p.m. we reach Zacateca during sunset.  The traffic is real bad and we can't find a hotel in town.  We stay at the Santa Monica trucker hotel 5-South.  At the truck stop will buy some beer and instant soup.  We watch a real bad B-movie on TV. 

Tuesday February 10, 2004  miles:  4150 - 4301 = 151

We get up at 7:30 a.m. and head back into town which is situated in a large Valley surrounded by hills.  We take the local gondola called teleferico el grillo ---- and go to the museum. . . . .  And look at a cappella. . . . . 

It is very nice up there and talked and talked and talked and talked adopt a dot blot

We park at Motel del bosque, where we meet a Swiss couple traveling in their Mercedes diesel bus. Adrian and Tania have been traveling since March of 2003 where they started at the East Coast of Canada from where they went to Alaska and then down to Mexico.  They take their time and are not sure yet if they continue into Central America or maybe even South America.  After a 30 minute chat we leave around 2:00 p.m. heading for San Luis Potosi.

A last few days we have figured out that 80 mi. is our comfort level threshold.  That's when we start to move around in our seats and the sore spots on our behinds that have developed start to bother.  This is not any different today and that about 80 mi. we stop for our daily picnic.  It is overcast and gloomy, but the temperature is comfortable in the '70s.  San Luis Potosi is a big town with a population of 600,000.  As always, we arrive at rush-hour during sunset and have to look for place to stay.  On Highway 57 south we find motel Potosi reasonably priced at $28.  Here highways 57 is very commercial, and with all the hotels car dealerships and fast food places and the rush-hour traffic this could be just and the good old U.S. of A. We have a dinner at an Italian place close by.

Wednesday February 11, 2004   miles:   4301 - 4456 = 144

the morning we spend in downtown Potosi.  We park the bike and walk around.  San Francisco church, Jardin hidalgo, and the Cathedral. we have coffee at posada del virrey. this a very nice place is a mixture of European coffee house in Bavarian beer garden.  The historic center of this town is very nice and we walk around for about two hours.  At 1:00 p.m. we move back to the hotel where we learn that is actually already 2:00 p.m. because of a time zone change we have missed.  Oh well, this means we have to rush.  We drive south on Highway 57 and for the first time it gets really hot, 85 degrees that is.  We get to very small town with the name of San Luis de la paz. I can't help, but compare it to places I had seen in Morocco over 20 years ago.  They're people walking all over the place, the rows of small, the stores are small, and in their tiny grocery stores at every corner.  We're the only tourists here and people look at us as we slowly drive through the streets.  As much as I would like to take pictures, I don't feel like getting the camera out.  It would be too much into the people's faces as we look so obviously different and attract much attention with our motorcycle.  We stop a small store or by fruit for $1.80 and when we ask him for salt he disappears for a few seconds and comes back with a small plastic bag filled with salt.  When we ask him how much we owe him for this he tells us this is for free. how nice.  The store owner took a lot of interest in our motorcycle that seems that he is proud that we chose his store out of the hundreds around for our $1.80 shopping spree. 

We take a detour to go to pozos, which is mentioned in the travel guide as a ghost town.  It is a cobblestone road that takes us into town.  But it is getting late and we decide to continue without exploring the town in detail.  We briefly stop to eat something in continue on to queretera

where we stay at campanas Motel $36.  It is very noisy.  I have it my traditional beer and Tequilas at the restaurant. we wash a few clothes and modify the ceiling fan into a dryer. then we call it a day.  

Thursday February 12, 2004   miles:4456 - 4705 =

so far the trip hasn't been overly exciting.  We've had only minor losses including gloves, flat tire, burned socks. we've looked at the city's churches and cathedrals and but really haven't taken the time for detailed explorations.  This has to do with the overwhelming amount of miles we have to cover to reach the Panama Canal in to see every and each country of Central America.  To do this in the given time frame it is impossible to do in-depth sightseeing off the bike. my goal is to get a feel for Mexico and Central America as a whole rather than experiencing specific parts of it in detail.  In this phase of the trip we feel like rushing, and, as a matter of fact, we are rushing.  And I'm sure, as I'm writing this, the reader will feel that there's not much soul in this story yet. and it is true, this is how we feel that this point of our adventure, will we try to make miles and while we enjoy what we experience will looking forward to going further and further south to see feel and experience the tropics, the jungle, the ruins, and of the more exotic animals.

The Mexico City nightmare

By 830 we get up and explore the town of Queretaro. we stop at the Teatro de la Republica where the Constitution was drafted. we explore the Temple de Santa Clara, a church with fine gilded carvings, and we witness a drill competition of young Mexican students that takes place at one of the Central Parks. highway 57 takes us South and we take Highway 126 North to the Tula ruins. there is not much tourism here and we enjoy walking amongst the tall Toltecs just by ourselves. We eat the last of our foods and it is already 5:00 p.m. when we continue into Mexico City. To my dismay, I miss the turn off and here we are, 6:00 p.m. somewhere on the outskirts of Mexico City sitting in the heaviest traffic possible. As if that wasn't enough, it also starts to rain.

Believe it or not, we get lost for the next four hours. The rain stops, and it is just hot and humid. The traffic is hell on the earth. I have been to Rome, I have been to Paris, have been to Los Angeles. But never have I seen traffic that bad. The unfiltered exhaust fumes of hundreds of thousands of cars in gridlock thicken the already muggy atmosphere. The BMW engine starts to overheat, it just sounds terrible. Wherever possible, I turn left or right, just to keep us moving. With the engine our bodies over heat and I can literally feel my brain swelling. I just can't find a way out and instead of parking somewhere move around erratically through bad and even worse areas. At one time I get stuck in a cul-de-sac surrounded by foul smelling toothless creatures. And while this is stretching the truth, that is exactly how I felt when I slowly tried to turn around and the heavy machine and is the engine died on me. I was scared. Somehow, I got the engine to work again to accelerate us back to the main street. A nightmare. By now it is 9:00 p.m. and there is no end in sight. Where surrounded by cars, street vendors, buses and millions of people trying to get home, or as it seems to me, possibly trying to do us harm. Another hour passes, my arms get weak, my legs don't want to hold the motorcycle up any more and I'm totally mentally and physically exhausted. And there it is, the sign with the the golden arches, MacDonald's. It is here, where I come to my senses and finally stop the engine. The restaurant gives us a refuge to cool down and recover. I am too tired to eat, but the rest does us well. From the safe haven we watch the traffic finally lighten. at 1030 we decide to hop on the bike again and it will take us another hour to find our way out of the city as we head towards Toluca. as we go through the mountains the temperature drops drastically and we begin to shiver. hotel Real hacienda is our shelter for the night. It is one of those places, you know, where the guys take their mistresses. But it is only $29 for the night, and actually, it is quite comfortable and clean. No key though. You cannot leave the place, or you're out. Exhausted as we are, this place just suits us fine. there's even a mirror on the ceiling over the king size bed. I take a shower and sleep.

Friday February 13, 2004  4705 - 4735   30 miles

When we get up at 8:45 a.m. I'm still exhausted and my body aches. no excuses now, we have to go back to Mexico City. We have an appointment with the BMW dealer to get our tires changed. Traffic is not as bad as the night before and I'm much more rested. It is daylight, there's no rain, and as of yet it is not as hot. Somehow thought, that I would find the place by intuition. What a joke, there is no way. We ask taxi drivers but even they are clueless when it comes to an address that is outside their zone. Finally we get lucky. We made it close enough to the BMW dealer that the young guy in his green VW beetle taxicab is able to guide us there. it only costs us $3.30 and he is very happy with the $2 tip.

most of this text has been created using IBM's program ViaVoice.  As the program is not perfect yet, it has been a pleasure working with it. I'm quite positive, that the program gave me an opportunity to be more verbal and detailed.  In the end it might take just as long as typing. but the real advantage is to create a concept quickly which then has to be refined. I've been using the program also for writing e-mail's and I regard it as an asset for my daily computer related tasks. 

 

Below are reports and low resolution pictures as we sent them "live" during our trip from internet cafes. It will be in part a repeat of what you have already read. In the final version these postings will be implemented into the story to preserve the authentic character.