i'm still alive

For those wondering I'm still doing good. I just haven't had the time or much internet access to update the last few weeks. I'm in Oregon now and starting the journey home. I should be back home on July 2 or 3rd at the latest. I'll update with more pictures and the rest or my journey then.

Day 14, 15, 16 Palenque

Saw a sign for a waterfall and went straight for it. It was a very hot sweaty day, so a swim was needed. No one else was really there but us. Jumping in the water felt great. Some of the locals there just stared at us for a long time while we were getting dressed and back on the bikes.
We made it to Palenque and found a room with 3 beds again. W have the good luck. After getting some ice cream i was locked out of the room for a few hours while they wandered around the town looking for a bar. It just so happens the happening bar was next to our hotel. So when they got back i showered and we went down for a few beers. After a few beers and a 4.5 liter pitcher of beer the night ended late.

We all slept in and then headed to some more waterfalls after breakfast. Brian wussed out after the first one and went back to the room. Me and Colom headed off to see Agua Azul. It was defiantly worth it going the extra 60 miles. We weren't keeping track off the time so we were stuck driving curvy Mexican roads in the dark. Not fun.

Before hitting the road again, me and Colom checked out the ruins in Palanque. Very cool and worth a visit. They are right in the midst of the jungle and somewhat large in size. It's hot out again so we were sweating a lot walking round the ruins. We looked like to sweaty gringos for sure.
In the end we put on bout 300 mile after leaving Palanque and ended up in Chetumal on the border for Belize. It rained for about 30 minutes then stopped so a good ride. The rain was like natural air conditioning, it cooled me off a bit. Next stop Belize.

Day 11, 12, 13 Back On The Road

I think Garry likes my bike
We left Garry's around noon and ventured out on he road again. Traffic in Mexico city is definantly something you have to get use too. Pretty much anything goes. The fact that there is no driving test to get a drivers liscence explains a lot.
First stop after leaving was to pick up a new air filter for my bike and fuel filters for everyone. Motorcycle stuff in Mexico is always more expensive then the states.
We finally made our way out of the city and into the mountains where it cooled off for a bit then got really hot again. There was even some snow on the top of one of the peaks.
Ended the day in Tecamachalco and found a room for only 400 pesos($30). And it even had three beds. No bunking up tonight.
We did have a weird guy talking to us for a long time at the taco stand. Then we walked his friend home and he had a few beers with us at our hotel. He spoke ok English and we speak very little Spanish so it was interesting. If he would have come to our room we never would have gotten rid of him

The next day we had a fun time driving on some curvy mountain roads. At first there where pot holes and missing chunks of pavement, but it got better eventually. We stopped in the mountains for an authentic lunch. It consisted of soup, pork and lots of tortillas. Plus a coca-cola, all for only 40 pesos.
The day ended in Tuextepec.

Took a small ferry across a shipping channel for 5 pesos. Unlike in the USA theres no railing to keep vehicles from falling off the ferry. Your safety is up to you. The ferry dropped us off in a small town. We tried to follow a road along the ocean but it eventually turned to dirt then just stopped.
We were determined to go to a beach and swim. So we found a path that looked like it lead to a nice beach. It was almost all sand and I promptly fell over in the sand with my bike. Luckily it was all sand so no real damage, except my pride for dumping the bike for the first time. Brian and Colm drove there bikes all the way down the sandy track. At the end the beach wasnt so nice. There was a giant sewer pipe there and the beach was very dirty with trash. So much for the swim.
After the adventure in the sand we headed back to the highway and made it to a town called La Venta for the night.

i've slacked off for too long

I know it's been awhile since i posted anything so I'm going to try and catch up today. Right now I'm sitting on the beach in Puerta Vallarta Mexico. Just having a few cervezas and enjoying the beautiful weather. It's actually cloudy now but the temperature is perfect. Not to hot and not to cool.

Day 10 - Pyrimids of Teotihuacan

Garry and Ivan took me, Brian and Colm to see the pyramids of Teotihuacan. They were amazing. It was pretty hot out, so ll the walking made me sweat a bit. Climbing the pyramids was very rewarding in deed. At the top of the pyramid of the sun there is a spot where you put your finger and receive energy from the sun.
I didn't put enough sunscreen so i got sunburned in two spots I missed on my shoulder. Walking in the heat and climbing pyramids all day was very tireing.
Last night in Mexico city and i'm going to miss it. We ended the night by stop for tacos at the "worlds best taco stand." They were defiantly very good bistec con caso tacos.
Some time in my three days in Mexico city I asked Brian and Colm if we could all travel together for awhile, and we all agreed to travel together as long as things work out. My exact travel plans changed a little as well. I'm going to try and make it down to Panama with the guy's then head back up to Mexico city by myself and fly home for Kristie's birthday. Then come back to finish the trip in August and stop and a motorcycle travelers meeting in either California or Colorado.

We'll see how it all goes.

Garry and Ivan our lovely tour guides/hosts

Day 9

Just a relaxed day at Garry's hostel. Great breakfast and dinner. I did my part and helped clean up after. A little cleaning and I get a free place to stay. Not a bad deal.
Lloyd took us to another party at night. This time it was for a friend of his (Ociana I think, probably spelled wrong) that got her Mexican citizenship. A lot of her family was there and they are from the USA so plenty of English speakers again. Thanks Lloyd for taking us out for another fun night.
Ociana and her mom played a few songs and here's a snippet of one. I thought they were pretty good.

Day 8 - Mexico City Here I Come

Got up and headed toward Mexico City to meet up with Garry and head to his house. Took the toll roads and made good time. The toll roads in Mexico are in good condition and no topes to worry about. The downside is they can be expensive. I spent about 300 pesos($25) to go about 200 miles.
Meet up with Garry at 10:30 am and he was surprised to see the hard panniers on the bike. It's defiantly unique and probably the only GSXR with hard bags. Then he took me for a crazy ride through Mexico City to his house. He and his wife Ivan and son Lloyd were all very inviting and opened there house to me and the other two travelers that where staying there.
After arriving I meet the other two motorcycle travelers and they helped me get my stuff in the house. Brian is from Australia, and Colm is from Ireland. They started there trip in Miami Florida and plan to go as far as Costa Rica and Panama.
First day in Mexico city and Llyod was going to Luche Libre wrestling match and asked us to come along. It was a fun event to watch and something totally unexpected. After the wrestling went to a party and played Rock Band, had a few beers and stayed up way too late. On the way home we stoped for "24 Hour Party Tacos" which were very tasty. The taco stand closed after we left LOL. Just as we got bck to Garry's the sun was coming up and i crawled into bed at about 7 am. It was a long night.
Some quick stats; i rode 2780 miles in 7 days and about 53 hours on the bike. I still have a lot of miles to go

Day 7 - Mexico Drivers Are Fearless

Very hot out again. Sweat rolling off my forehead as soon as I walked out my hotel room door.
More curvy mountain roads for most of the day. It gets pretty tiring after awhile. Plus all the topes make going through town a bumpy affair. Topes are like speed bumps that are everywhere in towns and city's. Not so many traffic lights in Mexico but lots of topes. On top of the topes, in Mexico pretty much anything goes when driving. Basically do what you want and drive how ever you feel like. The fact that there is no driving test to get a drivers license is a testament to the crazy drivers. Defensive and aggressive driving is a must. If your a passive driver your not going to get very far very fast. It's almost like a video game but in real life
At one point i was following a crazy semi driver that was taking the curves as fast as me and coming close to falling off the road. I kept waiting for him to crash at some point.
After too many hot miles of riding I ended up in Tula Mexico for the night. I meet the owner of a place called Crazy Pizza and we talked for awhile since he spoke good English. He traveled in the USA and worked in Canada for awhile so his English was a million times better then my Spanish.

Day 5 & 6

Lots of flatland again. Texas is very big and very flat. Trying to make it to the coast so at least there is the ocean to look at.
I made it to Texas in time for some squirrel hunting. Too bad i left my BB gun at home. I didn't think squirrel's were such a problem that they had there own hunting season. Only in Texas i guess.
I finally made it to the gulf coast and it was a little cooler, but still hot. All the houses on the coast were on stilts in case of a hurricane i guess. Road along the coast a bit then took the ferry over to Galveston. Some more riding and i ended up in Corpus Christi Texas. It was the crappiest motel yet.
I woke up the next day destined for Mexico. I still had a few miles left of boring Texas. Crossing into Mexico was fairly easy. No lines and just a few papers to fill out and i was through. Then line coming back into the USA were much longer.
The scenery was pretty much the same for awhile except everything was now in Spanish. I could understand some things here and there. Thanks to the Spanish i took in high school and the little bit Kristie taught me. Thanks for the Spanish and the first aid kit Kristie.
Then I saw some rolling hills that turned into mountains. Too hot and tired to really enjoy the curvy roads though. Theirs always tomorrow. Ended the day in a small hotel in Mante Mexico
Mexico has been great. No problems at all. Everyone's been very friendly

Day 3 & 4

More hills and lots of rain on Saturday. Crossed into Arkansa and had a good time going through the Ozarks. Not much else happened Saturday. I stayed at a hotel in Hot Springs Arkansas to dry off from the good soaking i got all day.
It was hot and humid Sunday morning and there was fog everywhere. The temperature was pretty warm from then on.
Crossed into Louisiana in the after noon and stopped for gas. This is where the lost wallet fiasco started. Because of the heat i took my backpack off and strapped it to the bike. I made the mistake of leaving my wallet in the side pocket of the backpack and it promptly fell out in the 60 miles I traveled before I stopped at a gas station for a soda. I spent the next few hours trying to look for my wallet and figure out what to do if i cant find it. I looked until i was just about out of gas. Couldn't find my wallet so my dad wired me enough money for a few days and i planned on looking more for the wallet once i gassed up. Then just as I arrived at the super market to pick up the money I saw i had a new voice mail. It was the Milwaukee police department and they received a call about my lost wallet. So after a few phone calls, I drove north a bit and met up with the father and son that found my wallet on the side of the road all scattered about. I tried to give them a reward or at least get their address so i could send them a thank you gift. They were just glad i got my wallet back and so was I. That saved me a world of trouble. This whole fiasco proved to me that there are plenty of good people left out there.
Then after getting my wallet back it just had to rain a little before i found a motel and called it a night. Stayed in another small town called Many Louisiana.

Day 2

Lots of changes in scenery,finally some hills and curves. Not so flat anymore. The other big change is the roadkill are armadillos instead of raccoons and such.
First time riding in the rain today and everything stayed dry except me. I didnt have my rain liner in my pants on right so i got wet in my lower man regions. Not too much rain so it wasn't so bad. Of all the animals I thought would be a problem on the bike, I didn't think dogs would be it. One dog ran straight at me and I almost ran him over. The second dog was just running along the highway alone. Not sure exactly what he was chasing.
Camped in the Mark Twain national forest in
Missouri for the night. I was the only one at the campground besides the camp host, because the heavy rains could have flooded the campsite. I was at the high point on the grounds, and it didn't rain hard enough over night to flood me out.

Day 1 Mile 0 - Problem #1

It was slow going this morning. It took a lot longer then I thought it would to pack everything up. Then just as I was getting ready to leave i realized my GPS power cable wasn't working. I tried to troubleshot it but could not find the problem. So i just took it off the bike and ended up buying a new 12 volt cigarette lighter adapter a few hours later. It was working perfectly the past few weeks, but apparently the first day of my trip was when it decided to die.
Besides slightly over packing and the GPS problem the rest of the day was kind of a bore. I made it all the way to Burlington Iowa. The highlight was finally setting up camp for the night and testing out my new camping gear. Everything worked great and i stayed toasty warm despite the temperature dropping to the 40's at night.

First Post

I'm starting this blog mainly to keep a diary of my travels, and ease the worries my family has of me traveling alone. Hopefully someone will read it and find it somewhat interesting.

First off i want to thank my family and friends for all the good wish's and concerns about my trip. If they didn't care about me they wouldn't be so concerned about certain parts(**cough**Mexico) of my trip. Also thank you for all your help and support Kristie, I love you and I'll miss you when I'm gone.