The Grand Circle
Well, here we are in LA waiting for parts for the bike and enjoying staying with our friends Denise and Chris. They have very kindly opened up their home to us and made us very welcome. The wait for the parts is forcing us to have a break from being on the road, and after three months it’s very welcome, once we got used to not moving on each day and remembered that it is ok to do nothing. Since our last update we seem to have been incredibly busy and have visited all the National Parks and Monuments in the Grand Circle – Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Arches, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Grand Staircase Escalante etc. If we were ‘treed’ out before we are definitely ‘rocked’ out now. This area is so incredible and there’s so much to see that instead of being sensible and choosing one or two places to explore we were like children in a sweet shop, we wanted it all!

Having moved on from a cold and snowy Grand Canyon in which we got to see the area for all of 2 hours between snow storms and low cloud our next stop was Monument Valley. The area is nothing more than a great expanse of red desert broken by towering buttes. In the John Wayne films and later marketing material for the area the valley’s depicted as being pristine desert with not a soul around. From some obscure angle that may be the case but the reality for the most part for us was a red desert studded by prefabricated, rundown trailers and fences. A little disappointed we stayed at one of the campsites in the area and were lucky enough to have a view that didn’t include the numerous trailers. The following morning we moved on pretty rapidly though.

Reaching Moab, Utah we stayed here for 4 days, using it as a base to ride out from and visit Arches National Park and kayak a section of the Colorado River. Arches was pretty stunning even though it was a dull day while we were there. (Warmer than the Grand Canyon though!) We got off the beaten track a little by hiking one of the many trails in the park. Spending the day walking and sometimes climbing through a sage carpeted desert, studded with huge deep orange rock fins and arches is something we’ll always remember as a highlight of the States for us. The trail was hard work in places, demanding that we climbed up some of the slick rock fins on our hands and knees and on occasions pushing or pulling each other up. Plenty of opportunities to get a handful of buttocks there though!

Enjoying a little of the adventure Moab had to offer we booked ourselves on a kayak trip down the Colorado River. I’d never kayaked before and the thought of tackling cold white-water in a double kayak was a bit scary but I wanted to do it. Its been a few years since Chris did any of the mad white water stuff he used to do but he showed me some of the basics before we set off and I felt a little more confident. Once on the water it was as if Chris had never been out of a kayak and was in his element straight away, which made me feel better about it. As we got close to the first section of white water the noise alone had my heart beating faster but Chris told me to just keep paddling while he steered us through. Much wetter and more excited we came through it unscathed and laughing our heads off. Great fun. The rest of the day continued in much the same way and even though it rained on us and we got a few blisters we both loved it. Better still, when we met the shuttle bus at the bottom of the river to pick us up and take us back to Moab it got stuck in the soft sand of the river bank. It took 2 hours of digging to get it out and by the time we’d all got covered in mud from helping they agreed not to charge us for the day!

Having left Moab and on route to Bryce Canyon National Park we took a little detour to Goblin Valley State Park which turned out to be quite an unexpected adventure for us. On consulting the map it appeared that we could take one of the many dirt roads all the way to Capitol Reef National Park, meaning we could get away from the boring and very straight main highway for a while. The dirt road started off in good condition but each time we came to a fork in the road the fork we took became a lesser dirt road. After 70 hard won miles of mud, rock and river crossings the road had degraded to such an extent that the final ten miles were nothing more than a dry riverbed. We were sure of where we were, having checked the map several times but something wasn’t right. This was supposed to be a main through route, even if it was a dirt road. Once again the map came out and to our horror we had taken a road that started parallel to the one we wanted but took us northwest instead of southwest as we thought. The scenery was spectacular and we were in no hurry so we weren’t too bothered. It just meant that we had to retrace our tire tread all the way back to the main highway. Off we set and for a while we were making good progress despite the mud. All at once though, as we rounded a bend the bike became a bucking bronco as the front wheel lost traction and the back wheel tried to overtake it. We skidded one way and then the other as Chris tried to regain control. In a second we were sliding down the road on our side. I don’t know how Chris did it but a few seconds later the bike was upright again and still moving. Only we were moving sideways down the road. Finally we were riding down the road, both still on the bike but incredibly going backwards! Given the weight at the rear of the bike we had completed a less than graceful 180 degree spin down the road until we at last came to a stop. The whole manoeuvre (if you can call it that) would have been pretty impressive if it hadn’t been for the fact that just like in the Copper Canyon (last time we came off the bike) we came to an unscathed stop and proceeded to just fall sideways off the bike. Bugger! To cut a long story short, we were both fine, aside from a little hysterical laughing, and as importantly the bike was fine. As for the road there are some pretty impressive skid marks and a 20 yard, 5 inch deep gouge down the centre that will have a few people wondering what happened here.

With no further mishaps we reached Capitol Reef National Park much later than planned. So much so that we rode through in the dark and didn’t see any of it. Even with the time we have on this trip we’re well aware that we just can’t stop and see everything if we’re going to make Belize for Christmas so on we rode, giving Grand Staircase Escalante a cursory glance even though it clearly deserves more. Our goal was Bryce Canyon and that’s what we were riding for. The ride there takes you over a high mountain pass where the forests are snow-covered and the heated jackets are once again a must. As we reached the summit of the pass the snow had migrated from the forest onto the road and it meant riding at a snails pace until the snow became packed ice. Not the best situation for being on 2 wheels so I left Chris to ride the bike on alone while I caught up on foot. Luckily the snow cleared after a mile or two and we rode on. Discretion definitely the better part of valour there though!

Bryce Canyon is more of an eroded mountain escarpment that a real canyon in many ways. As such we stayed at the top of the canyon (as does everybody). At –11 degrees C it was a little nippy to say the least but the weather was fine for once and the cold only meant that the snow didn’t melt, ensuring that the whole area had a mystical and even more beautiful appearance to it. We had only heard good things about Bryce Canyon and now we can see why. The hoodoos, orange slot canyons, cap stone pinnacles and outcrops are out of this world. All topped by iridescent blue snow and bluer skies no description would do it justice. The canyons namesake, Ebenezer Bryce once described the area as “A hell of a place to loose a cow”. We could see what he meant! We studied the park map and set off early on our first full day there to walk one of the trails. As we pulled into a viewpoint we met Robert and Claudia, a German biker couple we’d previously met in Oregon a few months ago. After chatting for a while we all decided it was far too cold to chat any more and went our separate ways upon which we realised we were in the wrong place anyway and needed to ride 5 miles back up the road to the start of the Navajo Trail that we intended to do. We locked the bike up and got our stuff together for the walk, setting off for the trail head excited at the prospect of getting down into the slot canyons and hoodoos. We were greeted by a big sign and a chain across the path proclaiming it to be closed. We had a quick discussion and decided that we hadn’t come half way round the world to be stopped by a sign. The sign said the path was closed on safety grounds due to the snow and ice. We’ve come to discover that National Park signs don’t really mean what they say. For instance ‘extreme’ means your granny could do it, ‘flash floods’ means it hasn’t rained in years and ‘hazardous’ means you could break a nail. Infact what all signs really mean is ‘Don’t sue us!’ Being English we don’t sue anyone for anything so we decided to go ahead and we climbed over. Within minutes we had the place to ourselves. Wonderful. Walking amongst the hoodoos and slot canyons was a wondrous experience and beyond our expectations. I hope our photos do the place some justice but the only way to really know what its like is to go there yourself. Do it!!

We could have stayed in Bryce for a long time but it was really cold and we’d been cold for a long time. Robert and Claudia had said that it was warmer at Zion National Park so off we set again, looking for warmth. Zion was somewhere we had heard about many times from many people but didn’t really know anything about it other than there were slot canyons there. We rode to Springfield just south of the park. (Chris was hoping to see Homer Simpson not realising that the Simpson’s aren’t real!) Having made yet another base to explore yet another park from we had breakfast the following day and rode the short distance into Zion Canyon. Leaving the bike we walked up to the Emerald Pools. A series of pools fed by a stream running down the canyon side. The Emerald Pools themselves were far more brown and dry than either emerald or actual pools but there you go! We did however bump into Brian and Jane who we got talking to at Bryce. A couple of Brits taking time off from the garden centre they run in Worcestershire. Chatting to them as we walked along the rest of the trail back to the bike made up for the lack of emerald pools so all was not lost. Saying our good byes we next made for Hidden Valley, one of the more spectacular walks in the area with good views of the canyon and reputedly stunning scenery. However ‘for safety reasons’ it was closed. Unlike Bryce there was a big ranger sitting in his pick up truck ensuring that anyone didn’t go up there. We decide to go back the Visitor Centre and enquire about other walks in the park that were a) open, b) had good views, c) was good for photos and d) had some slot canyons. The ranger pointed out a walk right at the furthest point in the park that met the full criteria and described it as ‘not to be missed’! It was a bit late in the day so we went back to Springfield to recharge our batteries for the following day and a ‘not to be missed’ walk. Up early once again we arrived at the trail head by 9a.m. with camera, water and food. Somewhat surprisingly there was yet another ‘closed’ sign and a chain across the path. The sign was dated a being posted 12 days before but checking the map it was definitely the right path so given the ranger had recommended it to us we jumped over the chain and set off. We had walked 8 miles or so by midday and hadn’t seen a single slot canyon, not a single view to speak of and only taken 2 photos. It wasn’t even open! We walked the 8 miles back to the bike somewhat annoyed at having wasted a day and even more annoyed at missing the opportunity to be somewhere else that lived up to our desires. The following day we needed to start making our way to LA so that was that.

We’ve been with Chris and Denise for 11 days now and thank heavens they are the kind of people who make you instantly feel at home and just let us do our own thing without any pressure. Apparently our motorcycle parts are on their way but we were told that a month ago. All being well they’ll be here soon or Chris will fly back and kill someone. If all goes well our next update will be from Belize but we’ve got some hard riding to do if that little dream’s to come true.

Liz & Chris

Posted by Chris Smith and Liz Peel at 10:56 PM GMT

I never thought I'd say this but we've been feeling a bit 'treed out'. Since Canada we've seen nothing but trees, EVERYWHERE. We're ready for a change of scene and not being ones to do things by halves Death Valley seemed like a place that would be that change. We've ridden through a few desert areas on this trip and love them. Every desert has its own character and mood and the more time we spend in them the more we appreciate them. In Sequoia NP we met Mark, a lone biker from New Mexico, taking some time off work to ride around the country and have a break. Over a few coffees we got to know each other and for a day or so leapfrogged each other across California.

At Freeman junction there's an historical marker. It reads: "In 1834 explorer Joseph R. Walker passed this junction of Indian trails after discovering nearby Walker Pass. Death Valley 49ER Parties here diverged West and South enroute to the California Gold Fields. Later this became a junction point where the Bandito Tiburcio Vesquez preyed on stages and freighters traveling between the Kern River Mines and Los Angeles and the mines of Bodie and the Panamints." I read the diaries of Joseph Walker a few years ago and looked forward to covering some of the ground the great man did all those years ago. At the historical marker we found Mark waiting for us to say our final goodbyes. His parting words were "Don't forget you're the strangers here. Its rough country so be careful. Oh, and watch for the scorpions!" On that note we parted and headed for Death Valley. That night we wild camped out in the desert using grit to wash our pots and pans to conserve our water as we had so many times in Mexico. The scorpions had disappeared with the rocks we moved to pitch our tent and the wind had dropped to leave a still evening. We watched the sun go down over the pinnacles and listened to absolutely nothing. As we sat in our camp-light a coyote circled us looking for scraps of food, always staying on the edge of the light and passing back and forth. Coyotes send out scouts to look for prey or carrion and while one is fine a pack can be a problem, so while we don't like doing it a few well aimed rocks gave him the message to look elsewhere.

The following morning we were up with the sun to get on the road before the heat hit us. By 6:30 we were looking down on Death Valley. To be honest there are many desert areas we've been to that are every bit as beautiful, the difference here is its just lower than other areas making it hotter. This is pretty much the coolest time of year to go through Death Valley and the temperature was in the comfortable upper 80's so we weren't exactly taking a risk crossing it. On this occasion we were merely riding across to get to Las Vegas. In a week or two well go back and spend a few days there exploring.



We'd arrange to meet 3 mad Germans in Vegas. Martin, Katja and Frank. We met in Revelestoke, BC and were heading the same way so Las Vegas was the rondevue for a party. Las Vegas is exactly what we expected. Mad and larger than life. We got there a day early so decided to get in a hotel and wash off the desert dust. Walking into the Imperial on the main Strip we turned a few heads looking more like prospectors than punters. It made a good photo though. The receptionist put us in the cheapest room without asking and we soon transformed ourselves into prospective gamblers. We painted the town red gambling not a cent. I'm proud to say we didn't feed a single machine or place a single bet. Vegas was not going to get richer off us! Martin, Katja and Frank were camping within spitting distance of the Hoover Dam so once again we changed back into Travelers aka Mr. Ben and rode off in search of them. It was good meeting up with them, spending the day and that evening swapping stories and catching up. The following morning we had a date with the Las Vegas Desert Riders Motorcycle Club and rode back into Vegas in convoy. We spent the day riding with the Desert Riders being shown around the sites of Vegas and Nevada. Straight roads and gold mines were the order of the day. Biking country it ain't. The party we'd organised consisted of the following day been taken up by oil changes and fitting new tires. Over a beer or two we speculated about the idea of simply hiring a few Las Vegas prostitutes to do the oil changes for us while naked. Unfortunately they were well beyond our budget though.



Having swapped information and maps we all set off with newly oiled bikes on day 4 of our Vegas experience. Martin, Katja and Frank to Sequoia, us to the Grand Canyon. It's a long days ride to the Grand Canyon and the stiff stiff Southerly wind made the riding even harder. However, here we are. Yesterday was changeable, Today its just plain changed. From the Death Valley heat were now in the depths of winter. In the time I've taken to write this an inch of snow has fallen. Luckily there was a break in the weather for an hour or two yesterday and we got to see the South Rim of the canyon. Today its shrouded in mist and we'd only know we were at the Grand Canyon if we fell of the edge, which wouldn't be too difficult. Still, we're here and it feels good to be again in a spectacular place. Tomorrow should be better and perhaps we can make the most of it. If not its on to Bryce and Arches National Parks. (Here's thinking of you Mrs Fiona Moore!) Thank you Countryside Agency and the tax payer at large for our National Parks Pass. We're making the most of it.

Posted by Chris Smith and Liz Peel at 02:44 AM GMT

Its only been a month or so since we came back into the States but it feels like an awful lot longer. Since getting a caution for speeding we've completely ignored it and ridden round the country like to people possessed to take in all the sites we can as we head south for the sun. We pretty much rode through Washington State without stopping until we hit Oregon. Oregon must be one of the best kept secrets in the States as no one told us how beautiful it is. The coastal road (Highway 101) is spectacular all the way to California. Every bend reveals craggy coves, tree lined beaches or beautifully colourful marshes. We could have spent a month alone just riding up and down the coast dodging the RV's there. However, we had a date with Crater Lake so made our way inland. The roads in this part of the world are full of twists and turns and having ridden a particularly steep and twisting gravel road we got stuck in Bend, Oregon for four days waiting for a new rear tire. To say it was as balled as a Buddhist monks head would be an understatement. The side-wall was down to the thread and we weren't going anywhere. Still, the boys and girls at 'Bend Recreation' got us back on the road and it was a short hop to Crater Lake National Park. We didn't know much about the place other than every other person we met told us we should go. As we entered the park we wondered what all the fuss was about. It didn't look any different to the rest of Oregon (which is impressive in itself) but as we crested the West rim of the volcano a mirrored sky blue lake opened up before us a 1000 feet below and our breath was taken away. For 7,500 years this lake has nestled in the rim of the volcano and has been the subject of Native American folk law all that time. For us it was awe inspiring. We camped there overnight huddled round a fire as the temperature fell to -5C and shooting stars shot across the sky. Not bad at all!

From Crater Lake we rode south to Redwood National Park stopping off at a State Park over night. Here we met Pete, a strapping ranch owner from Stockton, California. Pete's a colourful old guy who tells a good story about mad days on the farm building hotrods and generally getting into trouble with his poppa. In his days of semi-retirement he's now given the ultimate two fingered salute to his farther by spending a good deal of his money on an all singing, all dancing RV. This RV is the size of a large bus and dam near drives itself. Self leveling systems, rear facing monitoring cameras, retractable sides and a state of the art 360 degree entertainment system. Rightly so, Pete was very proud of his RV and enjoyed showing me round it. After an hour or so of walking up and down the corridors inspecting the walk in wardrobes and trying the drivers seat out for size (it was huge) we sat down to a banquet of lamb and all the trimmings with his wife Donna and their friends. There's no such thing as a free meal so we gladly gave a slide show on the laptop of our trip to date. That night we went to bed with full stomachs (we were planning to have soup and an old roll) feeling tired out. It had been a long day. We totted up the number of people we'd met on the road that day and stopped to chat to, or more often the other way round, and it came to 26.

Redwood NP is in fact a chain of several State Parks along the Northern coast of California shrouded in fog this time of year but all the more impressive for that as you look up at the giant trees disappearing into the mists high above. Often the saying that things are bigger in the USA is a misnomer but in this case its true. These giant redwoods are huge. As we walked through the parks and rode the bike down the dirt roads in amongst them, and sometimes through them, literally we felt pretty insignificant in the grand scale of things. (No smart ass comments there thanks!) Riding through we played 'Into the Hall of the Mountain King' through the intercom and the whole experience became surreal. We went to bed that night, Liz dreaming of strapping lumberjacks and me dreaming of really big chainsaws. Yosemite National Park was the next destination for us. We know this was to be a fantastic place but couldn't visualise it any more than the clip from one of the Star Trek films where Captain Kurk is struggling to climb one of the cliff faces and Spock comes up to meet him on a pair of jet boots. (Sad but true). Arriving at Yosemite things didn't go to plan for us though. By the time we'd climbed the pass through the park and ridden through freezing rain and hail we descended to Yosemite Village to find a camping spot only to find it was the weekend (apparently) and there was no room for us. Time was getting on and we ended up riding into the night looking for somewhere to stay. During the day the elk, bears and any other wild animal in the area are lovely to see. At night they become basterd things that come out of the dark with the sole intention of separating rider and bike from each other. Having had a couple of near misses we finally found a cheap motel and retired for the night with Yosemite 80 miles behind us and having taken not a single photograph. So much for that then!

Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks were next on the agenda and we hope would be more successful for us. It was. Redwood NP has the worlds tallest know trees, Kings and Sequoia have the fattest. Arriving on a Tuesday we booked into a cabin to play it safe and having made a base we took on the appearance of demented tourists and ran round the park photographing everything in sight. We did however have to return to the cabin having only covered half a mile to download the 230 photographs we'd taken in under an hour and a half. (Digital's great!) Off we set again, now on the bike, to ride down into the Kings Canyon. In some ways the road into the canyon is more impressive than the view. Twisting and turning as it goes down on good tarmac we had a good go at getting another balled tire. Adding to the exhilaration of the road was the wind. It hit the canyon wall with a force that had us struggling to lean the bike over in the bends while picking up grit and dislodging stones to then hurl them in our path. We returned to our cabin that night to then take on Sequoia the next day as we rode out of the parks. That was the plan anyway. Having underestimated the sites of Sequoia we ended up spending another night in the park. If we can't be flexible then who can. We did the usual stuff, riding the bike through 'Tunnel Log' - a fallen sequoia hollowed out to 15 feel wide and an 8 foot high clearance. Then onto 'Auto Log' - another fallen sequoia that has been the subject of visitors to the area driving their vehicles onto it for a photo. Since the '80's the log has been cordoned off to stop people driving onto it though. However, little consideration was given to the age of the motorbike and while no one was looking we rode onto it, took half a dosen photos and sped off before anyone was any the wiser. Much of the day went in that vein in fact. It seemed we took on a slightly irresponsible streak for the day, riding off the roads, upto huge trees and taking photos of the bike or ourselves dwarfed by the sequoias. (Wasn't us Gov' if anyone ever asks though.)

The Canadian border down to California has been the USA we originally came here to see. This being our 4th time in the States we're now really fulfilling our objective and loving it. The States has many faces but this is the face that appeals to us the most. As McDonalds would say "I'm Lovin' It". (All rights reserved, The Golden Arches logo and bla bla bla are the property of the McDonalds Corporation bla bla bla

Posted by Chris Smith and Liz Peel at 02:42 AM GMT

After a tough time back in the UK we crossed the Atlantic once again to resume 'The Trip'. Landing in Miami we stayed a few lovely days with Chris's brother and family bringing the bike out of hibernation and doing the Florida tourist bit which was just what we needed. Florida has no shortage of things to do but Disneyland and beaches aren't us so its an advantage having family there who know what we like and came up trumps every time. Diving on the corral reefs of the Florida Keys was incredible, Airboat rides in the Everglades and watching the wildlife there was exhilarating and dinning out at the local favorite places was, well, filling!

After four days or so we were back on the road again with a great family send-off and the work began. It’s been our aim to get as far North in Canada as we can before the winter arrives (which isn't long) so its meant we've ridden North-west across the States as fast as we can. Doing anywhere upto 450 miles a day we are now in Teton National Park. The hard riding began with trying to outrun Hurricane Charlie (which we did manage to miss) and riding through the middle of Tropical Storm 'Bonnie' which was extremely wet but the lesser of two evils. It hasn't all been hard riding though. We spent half an hour in Nashville, that was nice as we only ended up there due to a map reading error and we saw Denver by night. A pleasant surprise was the Great Plains. We'd previously looked at the Plains as being nothing more than a boring obstacle to cross before getting to the Rocky Mountains but it turned out to be very beautiful and breath-taking, not least for its vastness. Settlements called 'Last Chance' and 'Hiawotha' both spurred us on and reminded us of its history. Without a doubt thought the high-light of the region was seeing a herd of several hundred buffalo (although we only managed to get four of them on film!).

Having crossed the Plains we soon reached Denver and the Rocky Mountains. The change in scenery was abrupt going from flat grassland to snow-covered mountains in the space of a couple of hours. On the Plains we were cooking in our clothes and now in the Rockies we're now wearing our heated bike jackets. (Great invention!) The change is amazing. Colorado, Utah and Wyoming have all been incredibly beautiful but also incredibly windy and wet at times. Now that we've reached the Teton National Park though we feel we've reached the part of North America we really wanted to see and have decided to step down a gear or two. The Tetons and Yellowstone deserve a good few days to look round and as for Canada we'll ride as far as we feel comfortable with and take our time. It would be nice to get up to the Arctic Circle, that was our original goal but we're ready to relax now so we'll see.



Given that generally the roads in the US either go North/South or East/West and we have been riding North-west we've covered 12 States and 3,500 miles in 12 days, given the bike a full service and a new set of tires.

Finally, we'd just like to say a VERY big thank you to everyone who's given us their support over the last few months while in the UK, friends and family alike. We'll never forget it and always appreciate how lucky we are to have you.

Posted by Chris Smith and Liz Peel at 02:31 AM GMT

It is with extremely mixed emotions that I am able to tell you we have resumed our trip and are now in Florida preparing the bike for the next leg of the trip, to Canada.

As you know we came home in June when my mum was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer. I was able to have two very special months with her, sharing our experiences to date and all the lovely photos, and it is a time I will never forget. Very sadly she passed away on the 19th July. Her last wish was that Chris and I resume our trip as soon as possible, so here we are, determined more than ever now to make the most of things. I will miss her very much, she always supported and encouraged be to undertake this trip and I loved being able to share our experiences with her.

So here we are at Chris' brothers house, we will be on the road again tomorrow. Our plans are to ride northwest through the States until we reach Canada, then ride north along the Dempster highway as far as the weather will allow.
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We've finally got the bike now. It took a while ( a week late) but it arrived in one piece. US Customs was a doddle, signed a few pieces of paper, swore to be good and rode off into the sunset!

As soon as we had the bike in our hands and packed it with all our belongings we rode 30 miles up the coast to a place called Carpentira - nice campsite. Once there we promptly unpacked the bike and posted half our belongings to my brother (sorry Bro'!). With the two of us and all the gear the bike was a bit on the heavy side! We had to be really tough with ourselves because the only things we could post to my brother for safe keeping were those things we really really "wanted" with us, as opposed to the things we really really "need". Friends of ours who have done trips like this all say everyone has to go through it but when it comes down to it its still hard. It would be nice to have 3 pairs of undies but 2 will have to do!

Anyway since getting the bike we've stayed in California for a little longer than planned just to check everything on the bike is as it should be. By and large all is OK. A few creases to iron out but nothing major. The worst problem to date has been a broken spoke going through the inner-tube on the rear tire (not much fun at 80 mph on a 6 lane freeway). Its hot work fixing a puncture on the side of the road but after 2:30 hours of brute force we were on our way again.

It took the whole of the next day to get the spoke replaced but we found a Honda dealer in Palmdale (great name!) who set his mechanic to work fabricating a replacement for us. After 3 hours he had made a new spoke, realigned the rear wheel, fixed a problem with the automatic chain lubricator and tightened up all the spokes front ad rear. About $200 work all on the house. The owner (Larry) rolled out the red carpet for us by ringing round all his mates so they could come and look at the bike and talk to us while we were given drink after drink and loads of free-bees.

Since we got the bike life seems to be alot like that. Everyone wants to talk to us, about the bike and then what we're doing. Most people think its great, some just don't believe us and others just look at us like we're mad and walk away as quickly as they approached us. Whatever, the bike's a great ice breaker. We're always eating with someone, getting advice from people, getting offers of a place to stay (some a bit dodgy!). We've even had people just walk up to us and say "Hot damn, that's a kick ass bike", shake our hands and just walk off again. (Liz didn't believe the Yanks really speak like that but now she knows they do!) I was standing in a coffee shop the other day and a guy walked past me, looked me in the eye, said "Ride safe man" and walked off. Now that just doesn't happen in England!

Aside from meeting people we've just been cruising around - deserts, mountains, beaches, all sorts. Yesterday we rode across the desert (in the Palm Springs area) and then up into the mountains and down to the coast at San Diago. In the morning we were cooking and by lunch time we were watching a bunch of snow-boarders. By teatime we were watching the surfers. California is a big place but you don't need to go too far to get a change of scene. We've been here longer than planned but we've enjoyed it (on the whole) Likes - the scenery and 'smoothies'. Dislikes - People asking "is that a BMW?" (No, its a bloody Honda) and petrol stations (every pump is different).

Posted by Chris Smith and Liz Peel at 02:13 AM GMT

We have spent the first few days getting used to America and driving on the other side. We left LA virtually straight away and headed over the mountains to Joshua Tree National Park, out in the Mojave desert. The scenery is incredible, I have never experienced a desert before and it is so vast here. The mountains just go on and on. We camped in the NP for 1 night but it was so cold, we had to find a motel the next night. The weather there is so extreme, intense bright days with deep blue sky and very cold nights, it even snowed on the mountain tops. It seems very strange as everywhere you look are cacti!!

We have spent a couple of days in Morro Bay, doing nothing and having a rest, we found a lovely campsite out in the middle of nowhere right next to the sea. Spent a couple of nights there although the second day it poured down.
It’s true what they say about the food portions, they are massive, we have tried most sorts of fast food now, I think the novelty has worn off, most things are fried, although we did have a huge homemade pizza the other evening which was great.

I had some idea of what to expect but I never realised it would be just like on TV I thought it would be a watered down version, but no Americans are just as loud and in your face cheerful as you see on TV. I must say it comes across as if they are so full of themselves and quite insincere. There really is no similarity to British people. I’m finding it difficult to understand what they say and no one understands us, we could be speaking a different language. But it is interesting to see how everything is different.

Camping American style is also different, everyone seems to drive the big caravanette things or RV’s as they call them here. Most of the sites are set up for them, not tents, and no showers just toilets.

Morro Bay is a lovely little town, very touristy and bohemian, quite a few healthfood shops, alternate medicine, café’s, bookshops etc. We had breakfast at the Internet Café yesterday and most of the locals seem to be aging hippy artists or younger travellers on the Gringo trail. Interesting mix, I love people watching.
The town has a harbour where you can have a go at every watersport you can imagine. We watched two tall ships go out on short day trips and as it was Sunday lots of people sailing and kayaking. The surf is huge, and as you can imagine it is a big surfing area. You would think it is a sport for young muscular blond men and women but we saw plenty of middle aged and older retired people out enjoying themselves.
I don’t think we will stay in the US once we pick up the bike, it is too expensive, we are already over budget, and the weather is a lot colder than we thought it would be so we will head south.
We are heading south back towards LA now, spent the night in Carpinteria, camping right next to the beach, it is so beautiful, the birdlife is very diverse, we ate our tea watching coots, and other waders and an egret fishing along the shore line. The sunset was incredible and before bed we went for a moonlight walk along the beach. The Harbour Seals are breeding at the moment so we plan to have a walk this morning to see if we can spot any before heading off south again. Last night I fell asleep listening to the surf crashing up the beach, wonderful.