No Return Ticket – Just a Ride Report /w Pics

[cavebiker]

Back On the Road:
Almost every night and every day we have experienced torrential rains. We extended our stay in Xalapa a couple of

days hoping for a reprieve from the rain. The Last day here we had only light sprinkles so we were confident

tomorrow is the day to ride. The whole state of Veracruz and others near Mexico City are experiencing bad

flooding. We had plans to check out other locations people recommended to us but with all the flooding and rain

we decided to ride for the east coast then head north toward the U.S. border. The plan then is to regroup in

Wisconsin for a couple of months before heading down to South America.

Heidi suits up in her rain gear right away. She says”Don’t you think its going to rain!” She balks at my

optimism. The skies looked dark in the direction we’re riding. I’m sure Heidi is going to be the smart one today,

again.

It wasn’t long before my rain gear goes on. And it wasn’t long after that, it was raining so hard Heidi gives me

the ‘single jabs’ signal meaning ‘we gotta’ pull over. She was right, it was difficult to see. We were lucky

again. This gas station was in just the right spot. We waited until the rain was down to steady and light before

taking off again. It cost us maybe 15 or 20 minutes. We see this as a small price to pay for the added safety.

The rains lessened the further south we rode. We finally made it to the Emerald coast village I remembered from

another ride. There are a lot of hotel options here. We think we found the best beach hotel in town. $40 a night,

The people who run and own this hotel are real pleasant and friendly. The grandmother directs me to park the bike

right in front of their house under this awning.

We are four blocks from the main city beach. This is a paradise in our book.

City beach.

The first photo he didn’t think he had enough shrimp in his hand. He grabs more and poses. He has a scale on the

ground and is loading this pan full of shrimp and selling them to the restaurant.

We get a plate of Mexican snacks included with our margaritas today. Can ‘dig it’.

Nice view of the tropical bay.

There’s a small fishing boat coming in. A White heroin slowly flaps into flight.

The fisherman studies the location hard before he sets his net.

The Emerald coast is great. We celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary here. We can’t believe it’s been that

long. This also marked ‘one year’ from when we started the ride. ‘Way’ cool….

Tomorrow we are gunning for Ciudad Victoria. It will be a long day and ride. From there it’s a half a day to the

US border. It looks like smooth sailing.

The Ride Continues.......................

 

[cavebiker]

Catastrophic Engine Failure In Mexico:
The next morning we each ‘downed’ a coffee before ‘hitting’ the road. Ciudada Victoria is less than 260 miles from the border. It should be an easy day. I still don’t like the noise the bike is making. Yesterday I bought three quarts of Mobel-1 and changed the motorcycle’s oil right at the hotel, anything to help go one more day. I didn’t know what else to do. The noise the bike is making seems worse then the day before. My mind is racing. I know this bike needs a shop but I think it can ‘make’ the border. I just don’t want to stop here, on this side. We ride. I convinced myself the noise is piston related. It’s performing well and the noise goes away when I pour on the gas. I tell Heidi that I think we have a busted ring or cracked piston skirt or something. I say “I rode a bike over a hundred miles with a busted piston once” I tell a story about Jessie from ‘Jessie Luggage’ He was in South America back in the seventies when a truck sideswiped his BMW and tore off a cylinder head. He plugged the hole with a rag and rode on to safety with just one cylinder. I tell Heidi I’m convinced we can do the same if we have to. I hope it was convincing because I don’t like it.

We stopped for breakfast here once before. It’s a small Mezcal distillery and restaurant. We have 150 miles before the border. Heidi notices our water bottle is gone. It must have fallen off. We must always carry water.

Now the landscape is dry with some rolling hills and fenced in farm lands. I pull into a Pemex station at a crossroads to buy a liter of water and chill. Heidi thinks I’m nuts because I like coffee when its hot outside. Today I did agree. There are a lot of big-rig semi trucks parked here and several shady looking dudes just sittin’ around outside the store in the hot sun. Heidi stayed by the bike when I went inside to get the water. I didn’t have to ask, I knew she was standing guard. A few of these guys looked in rough shape. I think about all the thousands of people crossing the U.S. border illegally and envision them as one of the thousands who didn’t make it. I feel for these people but there’s no denying it, the closer we get to the U.S. Mexican border the spookier and more ‘wild-wild west’ everything feels.

We are back on the road and 70 miles before the border when the sound of the engine changed. It got real loud for a while then in a second it went from an ‘annoying tick to ‘something is seriously wrong’ to ‘something broke’. Heidi is jabbing me to pull over. We talk. I say “We still have one cylinder running” I tell her I think we can make it. I make the call to slowly proceed on. Heidi looks at me as if I’ve just ‘gone mad’. We start riding along the side of the road with our flashers going. We were doing 35 MPH with little effort. Then ‘Boom-Boom Bang!’ Heidi yells out “Something flew off the bike!” I yell back “You Better Be Right!” The noise was less now and I didn’t want to stop. We pull over and again Heidi is right. Something did fly off the bike, a 5 inch diameter chunk of metal from the engine. Oil was all over my boots, my pants, the bike and the road. This is it, it’s all over. The bike is done for the day.

It’s sunny and it’s hot and there is nothing around us but fenced in farm land. We can see no shade of any kind in either direction. We stay calm and cool, that is, after we first freaked out a little about the engine and our situation. “Number one” I said “we gotta get the bike off the road and find some shade” Back a 100 yards we see a gate and a driveway to a farm, or that’s what we suspect.

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When I’m getting ready to ride south of the border people like to ask me “What are you going to do if you have bike trouble down there?” My answer always includes “Prepare for adventure” I think all adventure riders spend time rehearsing catastrophic scenarios in their head. For-sure solo riders do. I like to ‘envision’ my course of action and ‘see’ the resolution. Sometimes the visions quicken my pulse and give me a lump in my throat. It’s natural. It’s a key to survival. The physical risks and uncertainty rocket every fiber of your being into a mode. It’s a physical and mental zone. I think it’s addictive.
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I push the bike back toward the gated driveway. We see one small shade tree, score. The driveway is long. About a mile down we can see it bend. We can see no buildings, just a roof of what looked like a metal silo off in the distance. I calmly say to Heidi “Now we have to get off our leathers” We both start opening up our panniers looking for clothes. Heidi starts firing off questions. I say “I don’t have the answers right now. I Need To Think! We first need to get off our leathers and put on cool gear. Then we can sit down and figure it all out” I try to assure Heidi “Don’t worry baby, we have everything under control. We are safe and the bike is off the road. I see some places we can stash the gear” Heidi wanted to keep her cycle boots on. I say “get on your walking shoes baby, the boots are staying here” I speak with precision and certainty. I’m the captain. We are preparing to ‘abandon ship’. The crew is my main priority. I am ‘On-It!’

Procedure:
We need to abandon the bike. I will not leave Heidi alone, so that means we both go off on foot to look for help. Leaving the bike along means we need to stripe everything off, (everything). Assume that anything left on the bike will be stolen. Once we leave we have no idea how long the bike will sit alone.

We are not happy but we seem to have it under control. We talk about our status and options. We are in a safe spot. The bike is in a safe spot, for now. Next we need to secure our gear. Heidi and I start making three piles on the ground. One pile for stuff we don’t want and are throwing out. Another pile for gear and supplies we want to carry-out with us and another pile for the stuff that’s staying here and getting buried. We discuss scenarios while we go though the gear. Heidi analyzes every item she has as if she’s into this as much as I am. We talk about our two possibilities now. One; we get the bike trucked to the border then deal with the bike and us on the US side. Two; park the bike here and just deal with us getting out. Then, come back for the bike later. No matter how much we both want to get the bike out of here and to the U.S.A. now, we had to agree, it’s most likely going to be option two; park the bike as safe as we can and ‘get outta here’.

 

[cavebiker]

Everything comes off, even that nasty tool bag.

I create a map for the return mission (key codes have been blurred for the protection of the innocent)

The farm house and senora:
Heidi and I have the bike completely stripped. We each have one backpack. Heidi has a small day pack and I have the big pack. The majority of all our stuff is buried. We start marching down this long dusty driveway to seemingly nowhere. Heidi is a little nervous. We continue discussing different scenarios as we walk. Finally after a mile and a half we reach the farm. It’s a cluster of buildings around a small open area. There are three barns, the farm house and a couple stables. Heidi and I called out from the middle “Hola, hola. Hola!” We kept this up for a long time and got no response. We see a dog but he wouldn’t even lift his head. This is weird. Suddenly a loud jungle sound starts off like a siren “EerAarr! EerAarr!” Then we see two huge and brightly colored peacocks walking toward us. Next we see a woman peek from around the back. I’m glad I have Heidi with me at this point. If the farmer’s wife is here alone, having Heidi with me will be much less threatening. Heidi walks up to the farm house and greets the woman. Heidi fires up her best Spanish. We are ‘in’. We can park the bike here and all is good. I march off to get the bike and push it back. Heidi stays here with the senora at the farm house.

Half way down the driveway the farmer picks me up in his truck. I explain what our situation is. ‘We have been traveling. We mechanically broke down. I would like to park our motorcycle at your farm for a couple of weeks’. He drives up the road to his brother-in-laws ranch who speaks English. He’s not home. I try again to explain in my best Spanish, what my problem is. This time I make a little more sense. He really got it when he saw the line of oil running down the shoulder of the highway that ended just past his driveway. That said it all, he knew we are in serious trouble and need help. He does everything to assure me that all is OK and he has a good spot for our bike to park. I get dropped off at the bike and proceed to push it to the ranch.

OK, I can push the bike to the ranch (Arrg…). A key to pushing a bike long distance is rest & hydration. I’m going through some kind of ‘out of body’ euphoric experience. I take a few deep breaths and start chanting. I’m not sure if I’m doing this out loud or to myself. “Heidi and I are good. The bike is good. These people are great. We are so lucky!” The bike feels light to push. It will be parked at the ranch soon. This ranch is on a major highway, 70 miles from Reynosa and the U.S. border. I’m sure a bus will run down this highway, they have to, if not tonight then tomorrow. I start thinking about the next stage of our mission. If we get to Reynosa tonight we should get a hotel then cross the border on foot in the morning. The bike is good and we are good, that’s all that matters. This mission will be complete after Heidi and I and the motorcycle are back to northern Wisconsin. I am focused. I am pumped. I see a vision of completion and success. I plan for catastrophic events and this for sure counts as one. ‘Strip the bike. Stash the gear. Prepare for adventure’. We still need to make a lot of things happen today, but at least I see no major problems ahead.

Rest, take photo, push……

Rest, take photo, push……

Emanuel clears a spot in a barn for the motorcycle. I’m ecstatic…

Heidi and the senora are waiting for me back at the ranch house. Heidi talked about how sweet the woman is. Heidi said she couldn’t stop thanking her and telling her how kind she was. The Senora said that it was nothing and that if her family was in trouble she hoped someone would help them like they were helping us. Heidi started to cry when she told me the story. We were invited for dinner and a place to sleep that night. We thought we had a chance to make Reynosa before dark today so we needed to get going. We all exchange names and addresses then Heidi and I were ready to walk off down the driveway and wait for a bus.

Instead Emanuel leads us out of the house to his pickup truck then drives us several miles to a bus stop. On the way he shows us all his land and tells us what he grows and for what. Emanuel says he has strong beef cattle because he feeds them soybeans. The bus stop is in the middle of nowhere. We have three hours of daylight left, should be no problem getting to Reynosa.

I try to play my character as well as I can. ‘I’m broken down in Mexico. I’m trying to catch a bus to anywhere. The mechanic sells water, pop and beer. I buy a beer. I buy two beers’. Buses go by and by but don’t stop. It hasn’t been an hour yet. I tell Heidi to relax. I say “If we aren’t on a bus in three hours I’ll be worried” Then I say “If we aren’t, I’m sure someone here will put us up” This outpost has 4 or 5 shack homes along the road. Heidi looked at me with suspicion but she knew I was serious even though I said it with my usual sly humorous tone.

 

[glider]

Sorry to hear about the engine problem with the bike. That sure will throw a wrench in the works.

Keep us posted on what the problem ends up being.

Good luck.

 

[Joyflyin]

Aaw man, so close but yet so far away. I'm happy to hear that you found a safe place for the bike at least. I also hope you guys got out okay. Anxiously awaiting the next update. Best of luck.

 

[formike56]

caveman what has happened? You got to within a couple of hours of the border. Hell of a story. I would like to make a trip just like that.... Good Luck

 

[Butch]

Holy crap, definitely bad news on the scoot!

Right now I'm on the edge of my seat!
Did the bus come
Did you make the border ok
Is the bank going to foreclose on the farm (oh wait. that's another story)

Be safe guys. We're pulling for ya!!

 

[cavebiker]

Continued:

It was getting late and 4 or 5 buses have just blasted past us without stopping. Finally a bus did stop. We jump on for Reynosa Mexico, $12. OK!

Reynosa. I’m not too happy to be at a bus station with our bike sitting in some barn in Mexico. But, at this point we are glad to have made it this far in one day and still have daylight to spare.

Bus tickets to Chicago in hand, ‘sweet as honey’. Horseshoe label Tequila, ‘smooth as silk’. Not applying enough sun lotion, ’big mistake’.

Tues AM: Cavegirl and Cavebiker are felling emotional, ‘we have gone so far together……………….’

We each have a couple tacos from a street vendor before getting on our bus. Reynosa Mexico to Mc Allen Texas, Mc Allen to Dallas, Dallas to Chicago. We arrive in Chicago by 11:30 PM the next day. We are fried. In Chicago we get a ticket to Milwaukee. While getting close to Milwaukee the bus driver announces the next stops, Tomah and Eau Claire. Eau Claire is the closest we can get to Hayward by bus, it’s just 100 miles.

Heidi gets off the bus in Milwaukee at 2:30 AM, I stay on to Eau Claire. I arrive at 7:00 AM. I buy a bottle of water and sunscreen. I walk down a rural road, far away from anything trying to look like I’m in need of help. An hour and a half later I get a ride up to the main highway, near a hotel. I walk into the hotel and ask the receptionist if she has a box I could have. She comes back with a box top, perfect. Next she hands me a big magic marker to make my sign. On one side I write “Rice Lake” and the other side I write “Spooner” In a half an hour I get a ride to Rice Lake. There, I walk across the road to the on ramp and the first vehicle picks me up for Spooner. This ride drives me a few extra miles down the road. I could walk from here if I had to. I get a ‘Rock Start’ coffee drink then ask a guy to please take a photo. He tried so hard to get the perfect shot. People are so nice.

From here I get another quick ride from a young woman and her black lab. She was camping in southern Wisconsin doing biology experiments with her dog. Now I only had a 6 mile hike to the cabin. I am fired up for the hike. It’s through county forest and back roads and it’s my backyard. The last few miles I hiked through rain and thunderstorms. The walk up the driveway was surreal. I go on autopilot and start connecting up all the plumbing fixtures and the water pump. I have a gallon and a half of fresh water to prime the pump and get the water going, No Problem…...

My buddy Rick stops by. We discuss my situation and what I gotta’ make happen down in Mexico. Rick is a master carpenter and in my opinion a master mechanic. He says “You have to come over tomorrow with the trailer so we can take the hubs off” Rick has always been there to help, advise or rally behind me. He is also a great adventurer himself buying old yachts in California, living on them while totally redoing and selling them. How cool is that! He tells me to come over early and we’ll all have breakfast. The world is full of nice people.

Rick makes room in his new garage.

Don stops by to show off his new tractor and to help Rick do some landscaping. Nice rig…….

The last bearing was a bugger to get off but Rick dove down with a hammer and chisel and five minutes later had that thing off. “This bearing is loose and the seal is gone” Rick says. I drive into Hayward and pick up new bearings and seals for both wheels.

Rick and Don are off playing in the sand with the tractor. I clean the hubs and races and jam grease in the bearings with my fingers as best I could. I put everything back together just like it came apart. The bearing that was hard to get off was hard to get on. Ten minutes with a hammer and chisel did it. Oh yeah, this is fun!

Our good friends Cindy and Rick who always come to our rescue.

New trailer bearings, new engine oil, new wipers, I checked all the tires. I am a ‘Go’ for the recovery mission to Mexico starting tomorrow morning…..

The adventure continues……..

 

[Fuzzman]

Write a book about this and I'll bet its a best seller! Anyway what an adventure. And tell us about the recovery mission. Take Care. Fuzz

 

[cavebiker]

On the first day it wasn’t long before I realized I needed a new truck battery. I was in a motel parking lot using wi-fi. I had to push start the truck backwards with the trailer, not easy. I didn’t want this to happen in Mexico so I stopped at the first discount store for a new battery.

I have the back of the pickup setup nice with a sleeping pad and pillows. This is a fun way to camp out while driving cross-country, and cheap. Anyway, while I started entering south Texas Heidi tells me on the phone that a hurricane is headed straight where I’m crossing into Mexico. She was right, I stop at a wi-fi signal and see that hurricane Dolly’s eye is centered right over Brownsville Texas. I could have made Brownsville today but I would have been a fool to ride into a hurricane. It looked dark and ominous to the south and I have been experiencing hard rain off and on. I get out the map and start driving down side roads looking for a rural spot to hold-up for a spell. I pull into this trailer park thinking a shower would be nice. The park is not for transients so I had to do a little sweet talking but I was allowed to stay, $10 for the night and I am set.

Hurricane Dolly has moved inland but still is not far away. I see a lot of emergency vehicles going my way.

Lines and lines of power line service vehicles are racing toward Brownsville.

I exit for food and find myself driving through flood waters:

I get back on the highway.

I’m headed for Mc Allen so I don’t need to go through Brownsville. I’m sure that place is a mess. I exit on a secondary road headed west. I find myself surrounded my flooding and stranded people.

I need to exit here and drive toward the border. I sit and wait on some dry land watching some vehicles drive through the high water and some are getting stalled. FEMA stops to check it out also.

Finally a cop tells all of us we can take a back road to get out of town. This route still included a lot of deep water washed out road crossings.

I arrive at the Mexican border post Progreso. Dolly has wiped out the power so I can’t get a vehicle permit here today. I circle around and drive back through the U.S. customs check and back through flooded roads and to the Reynosa border post, they have power. I wait in a final customs line for almost 2 hours. I’m then told I can’t get a Mexico vehicle permit for my truck until I get my motorcycle out of Mexico. I can not believe this. Everything was supposed to be so easy from here on. I drive back through the U.S. customs check point again and back through flood waters.