D-Day

Departure day (Friday 29th Aug) disappeared in a blur of tiredness, tears (I can manfully admit to the world), coffee and the thought of ever actually coming back to Norway alive! This latter thought has, strangely, been my main occuptation these last few weeks prior to my departure. I attribute this to the fact that my tiny mind can not seem to comprehend or digest what the hell I've got myself into. Anyway, I'm now in London and enjoying the fruits of Heathrow! I leave at 1545 for Anchorage, via an overnight stop in Denver, and the veritable chill of a 6 deg C Alaskan day. These tickets are non-refundable so there's no turning back now.

Two Days and Counting

It's Wednesday 27th Aug 2008 and I leave for TransAmericas this Friday from Norwegian shores! In my head I'm ready for departure but I wish someone would tell the rest of my body that as I'm going through all manner of emotions at the moment at the thought of spending 4 months on the road. But it's all good and once I've got a few hundred kms under my belt I'll feel a whole lot more relaxed.

Black Yammy has left the Building

After months of prepartation Stuart's Yammy is now on the long journey to Anchorage, Alaska, leaving the offices of DOF Subsea Norway today. The first half of the trip will be via ferry to London Heathrow and the home of James Cargo. They have the unenvious task of ensuring the bike is safely delivered to Anchorage by plane in time for my arrival on 31st August. For those interested, my bike has had the following modifications made to an otherwise stock XT660R motorcycle:

• Belly pan
• Scott Oiler
• Airhawk seat
  
• 26L fuel tank
• Larger screen
• Acerbis hand guards
• Trail Tech Vapor o/b PC
• Hepco & Becker stengthened pannier frames

Strapping the bike and my panniers down onto two pallets and putting everything on the back of a truck was only marginally less stressful than the summer of 2006 when I undertook 8 metrologies for the Ormen Lange field development! And trust me, that was a stressful time! But there is suddenly a sense of reality about the fact that the bike has now left the country. TransAmericas became very real at 1400 on Friday 15th August.

Stuart Duncan and Matthew Cowing were awarded (by themselves) their Duke of Edinburgh's Motorcycle Maintenance Badges last night, Wednesday 6th August. Amid much fanfare and a rare display of competence the aforementioned individuals fitted a Scott Oiler lubrication system and a Trail Tech rev counter to Stuart's Yammy. Trivial as this may sound this is a major milestone as we are both, it would seem, completely clueless as to how motorcycles function.

Stinging Nettles in Mexico?

Hola – Matt here. Well things are really hotting up now! Stu’s off in a mere 4 weeks and is brimming with confidence after his successful trial run with the bike and kit to Sauda(merica) – sounds a bit like South America don’t you think? Stu does!

I am some behind/atras in my prep, but with a little help from Mastercard & Thorsten at http://www.off-the-road.de/ next week my steed should start to resemble the lean mean km crunching overland machine that I have envisaged. Team Panamercia are having their final meet in Bergen on Wednesday to cover a few finer details (better beer? – Hansa or Heinken) and also to get the tool belt out and tinker! This is the point where it could go horribly wrong for Stu’s bike!! How many bits?

Some great news that Jose Puig, the chap wearing legend from Mexico featured in the photo on the right will be meeting us in LA on his new Harley Sportster for a week long road trip down through Ensenada and the Baja Peninsula. Mixing in some diving with whale sharks and some potential real off-roading!! Although my last flirtation with something other than tarmac ended in a ditch full of 6ft stinging nettles. Nuff said. I wonder if they have stinging nettles in Mexico?? Or is it just cacti?