From the Library

[Biggles]

After spending a day and a half at Bogota airport trying to organise the bike we arrive at the passenger terminal convinced this will be a breeze.
We get called up to the check in counter only to be told that can't get on the plane because we don't have a ticket out of Panama. Of course we don't. We have a motorcycle in Panama and will be riding out of the country.
The very pleasant young lady behind the counter is adamant. The fact we have a motorcycle in the freight terminal, and probably on this very flight, accounts for nothing. We still have to have a plane ticket out of the country. It is something to do with travelling on Australian passports.
Oh, you've got to be kidding. I'm angry. I get pissed off. I shout. I cajole. I demand to see the supervisor. The supervisor tells me she's rung Panama and they tell her we may be refused entry to the country if we don't have a ticket to leave.
No matter what I say they will not budge. Shirl goes and buys two tickets from Panama City back to Bogota. I hit the roof when she tells me they cost $800 until I find out they're fully refundable.
"Thank you, Sir. That's perfect."
Circle To Circle  Shirley & Brian Rix  p139

[Biggles]

We've battled plenty of borders with our very average Spanish. When Rae, our taxi driver who speaks English, offers to help us through the customs process for a few extra dollars we readily agree. It turns out to be money well spent.
The airport freight area is a jumble of small buildings and warehouses with no signs. Without Rae's help it would have taken ages to find the customs and freight offices, let alone get the paperwork done. The bike is brought out and I try to start it. It won't kick over. I can't believe the battery is flat after just a couple of days. There's no option but to try and push start it. I get a run up on the driveway and the Woody thing overbalances. Next thing I know it's lying on its side and Shirl is running towards me, panicking.
The bike is fine and I'm fine, but a little mystified. I didn't need to disconnect the battery for the flight. Then it dawns on me. I put the kill switch on when I lodged it at Bogota. It's something I rarely do. How embarrassing. A flick of the switch and it starts first time and we're on our way to the petrol station.
Circle To Circle  Shirley & Brian Rix  p141-2

[Biggles]

There's a fair bit of lightning about while we have dinner, but no rain. We need an early night after organising a wake-up knock on the door at 3.45 am. We've been asleep for a while when the rain comes, by the bucket load. The bike is parked right outside the room, but we can't see it from the window, the rain is that heavy.
We've been listening for a while when we hear an almighty crash. We get dressed, sort of, with just T shirts and undies to check it out. The bike was on rock hard dirt when we parked it outside the room this afternoon. That dirt is now mud and the bike is lying on its side against a stone fence. The bike has rolled forward making it difficult to undo the front of the bike cover. Once we manage that, Brian balances the bike while I get the disc lock off so we can move the bike. We shift it onto the stone path at the side of our room. We can't see if there's any damage, it's pitch black and it's pissing down. We put the lock and cover back on and go back to bed, listening to the rain until we eventually fall asleep.
Circle To Circle  Shirley & Brian Rix  p155

[Biggles]

Brian is getting sick. He has an ear infection and a sore throat. It's been a long six months on the road. We've had long days on the bike. The roads are not great, the maps are not great and the bike is heavy. All in all there's a lot of pressure on him. Because of the weight in the bags I can't help him repack the bike, so he ends up doing that everyday too.
After months of battling with the language, the bad roads and bad drivers, we're both looking forward to getting to the US. Just about every town in Mexico is guarded by speed bumps every 10 or 20 metres. They slow us down and they're not good for the bike or Brian's good humour. Each one seems to be a different size and design and they're in different states of repair and disrepair.
While Brian sleeps I check out Monterrey, our destination for the final run to the border. On the Trip Advisor website there's a travel warning. Foolishly I click on it. It's a big mistake. The Australian Government warning is quite clear. Don't go there. In August, 52 people were murdered in the casino. They also advise travellers to stick to the toll roads and keep doors locked while driving. Well, that's helpful.
Circle To Circle  Shirley & Brian Rix  p163

[Biggles]

Shirley: The wind picks up and now there's really nowhere to stop and put on our wets. The wind's howling and the rain starts to belt down. So much for skirting the storm. We have to pull up or we're going to get saturated. The wind makes getting our waterproof jackets on a real struggle. And then the rain turns to hail, hailstones the size of golf balls. They're so big they hurt when they hit.
We crouch down behind the bike but it doesn't help. Brian says should try and ride through it. It's as black as Hades and the hail is still pelting down. I try and tuck in behind Brian but that doesn't stop the pain. And it's cold, really cold, in the blistering wind. We don't get very far before we have to stop again.
The hail stops but the road's covered in ice a few centimetres thick, making it very dangerous. Brian picks his way through following tracks made by the cars and trucks ahead of us. He does an amazing job keeping us safe at times like this.
Circle To Circle  Shirley & Brian Rix  p174

[Biggles]

Brian: There are 5,000 people at the Overland Expo and somehow we need to track down our Aussie mates, Ken and Carol Duval. They're on their second ride around the world. Ken's in his early 60s and still rides despite having two hip replacements. Carol thrives on life on the road and is the master packer. She's so good at fitting every little item onto their bike she holds packing classes. I'm wandering through a group when an Aussie voice says, "Aren't you Brian Rix?" I don't expect to hear that, this far from home. It's an older bloke, who tells me it's my fault he's here. He met us after our last trip and that encouraged him to get off his arse and travel. Now he's riding a bike around the US. Good on him.
Circle To Circle  Shirley & Brian Rix  p178-9

[Biggles]

Shirley: San Francisco - what a city. Our hotel's in the Cow Hollow area. We love the houses, the bars, the restaurants. We ride the trolley cars, wander along Fisherman's wharf, eat fabulous seafood and even take in a movie.
We love San Francisco and what better way to farewell the city than to ride down Lombard Street, the world's most crooked street. It's great fun riding down the steep street with its eight hairpin turns. I get the feeling the driver of the car in front of us is scared we're going to end up in his boot. Poor Brian is being squashed against the tank because I can't help but crawl all over his back and push him forward, the road's so steep. It's a little discomfort for massive fun.
Circle To Circle  Shirley & Brian Rix  p187

[Biggles]

(In Alaska)
Brian: We're cruising along about 95 kph on the lookout for bears. Apparently they graze beside the road up here. Ken and Carol are behind us. All of a sudden the bike starts to sag at the back end and then there's an almighty grinding sound, the back wheel locks up as the whole rear of the bike collapses onto the wheel. I'm sure we're going to end up sliding down the road. I grit my teeth, brace my arms and ride it to a halt, coming to a stop with a screech of things grinding and the back wheel locked up. I know it's not good before I even get off the bike.
Ken pulls up and says, "Shit that was amazing! Bits and pieces flying everywhere! Have you blown a tyre? Is it bits of rubber?"
I wish it was that simple. When I look at the bike it's clear what's happened. The rear shock shaft has snapped in half, pushing the shock and spring into the plastic rear hugger I put on to protect the shock from mud. That's disintegrated and it's bitten into the tyre. It's a bloody mess, to put it mildly. The whole rear of the bike is resting on the back wheel. It's something I didn't expect to happen; it's an Ohlins shocker, the best money can buy.
Circle To Circle  Shirley & Brian Rix  p203-4

[Biggles]

John wants to take us to the town of Whittier while we're in the area. Built on the other side of the mountain during World War II, the only way to it is through the rail tunnel - on the bikes. It's only one train track wide and 4.2 kilometres long. They open the tunnel up to the town on the half hour and back on the hour.
While we wait for the tunnel to open Shirl reads the safety leaflet. She's a good worrier so this gives her something to worry about. John and I don't bother. She'll tell me if I do something wrong.
It's narrow, slippery and slow, but it's an amazing experience. I take the track between the rail lines, riding cautiously. A sudden rush of air gives me a hell of a fright and moves the bike around. It's the air duct pumping fresh air into the tunnel. I wonder if they're mentioned in the safety brochure. This is a real one-off experience. You don't get to ride a railway track every day.
Circle To Circle  Shirley & Brian Rix  p243-4

[Biggles]

We ride the Needles Highway - a most incredible road that winds its way through pillars of granite, known as needles. It's a twisty road through narrow canyons surrounded by stone cliffs, pines and fir trees. One tunnel's a single lane wide. A couple of blasts of the horn before heading through and you hope there's nothing coming the other way.
I don't think it can get any better and then we hit the Iron Mountain Road, highway 16A. It's 27 kilometres of incredible road through the mountains and boasts 314 curves, 14 switchbacks, three pigtails, three tunnels, four presidents and two splits. The presidents, of course, is the view of presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln at Mount Rushmore you can see as you ride out of one of the tunnels.
The tourist authorities describe it as an historical work of art. Some people might dispute it, but for a motorcyclist it's possibly the best road in the world.
I know that's a big claim, but it's awesome.
Circle To Circle  Shirley & Brian Rix  p268

[Biggles]

(In France)
Brian: The bitter cold and persistent fog make me realise we made right decision not to head to Turkey. Instead we go south to Spain for some better weather. Our first stop is a cafe in a little town just over the border. There are photos of motorcycle racing champion Carlos Checa on the walls. In broken Spanish I find out he has a villa nearby and often drops in for lunch, but not today.
The sun breaks through late in the morning and it turns into one of those magic days on the road. The sun's shining; the road is twisty with very little traffic. We hit the edge of the Pyrenees.
There are plenty of tunnels through the mountains - two kilometres, four kilometres and five kilometres cutting down our journey time. It's not cheap, though - the longest costs €11 (over $16.00) - and we spend more on tolls than fuel today.
Circle To Circle  Shirley & Brian Rix  p295

[Biggles]

We finally get the bike on Wednesday afternoon. What a palaver. It hasn't been damaged in transit, but it won't start. After using jumper leads to crank over the battery I remember that pesky kill switch. I forgot I used it - again.
Back at the hotel everyone is keen to see the mystery bike we've talking about for days. At last we can get on the road. It feels a little like leaving home when we finally ride out the gate.
First day on the road and the rear drive seal is leaking again. BMW's head office suggests we contact BMW Hillcrest near Durban. This is the eighth time and we've only ridden about 300 kilometres since the last fix in London.
The people at BMW Hillcrest are so helpful they even organise a B&B for us for the night. There's another Aussie at BMW, David Gow from Brisbane. This lanky biker is heading into Central Africa and is loping all the troubles that kept us from the north will be resolved before he gets there. BMW fix our bike for free, as a warranty job. They've been so helpful, Dave and I do the good Aussie thing and buy them a case of beer. Thanks.
Circle To Circle  Shirley & Brian Rix  p304-5