Day 14 - Marlin Manson, Slipknot, Wolfs and Buffalo Bill

Slip Knot and Marylin Manson at the Red Rock Amphitheater. Neck muscles on the ready! This is going to be massive!

Day 13 - Pikes Peak Hill Climb and the Big Foot

It is the year 1999 and I’m sitting in a seriously modified, 4 wheel drive turbo boosted Suzuki Culture. I have the engine up at launch rpm, the lights drop from 5 red and I ditch the clutch like it’s hot. In front of me is 100 years of racing culture, 100 years of man pushing the limits, 100 years of hill climbing legacy. It’s me versus Pikes Peak.

Day 12 - The Best Driving Road... In The World

It is sunrise next to the river. I hopped out of bed with the intention of heading up to the main house to brew up some coffee and rustle some breakfast. Popped on my sandals, jeans and shirt then headed up the path from the garden riverside cube to the house. Beautiful serene surrounds, crisp air and beams of sun light through the river valley. “Gobble gobble gobble”. Holy mother of Mary…that is a big turkey.

Day 11 - Doughnuts and The Colorado River

Soak in that vibe. Route 66 from Holbrook to Gallup is a great little ride. Simple and straightforward. The easiness of it all allows you to sag back into the seat and just purr along the open road. As you travel east away from Arizona the sun index and glare start to reduce which allows for comfortable summers day cruising.

Day 10 - Cowboy Boots, Route 66 and the Apache Trail.

Leaving Phoenix just as the heat wave entered on Day 10. The mercury was sitting at a sweltering 100 Fahrenheit as we hopped onto the Harley and headed north on our Rocky Mountains route starting at Albuquerque and up to Denver. 

Day 9 - Don't You Cry No More

“Sorry what was that?” as Jared Padalecki leans in closer to hear me repeat what I just said: “Those shirts are for you guys, its half Nelson Mandela’s Face and half a Lions face” I repeated. Barbara, standing on my right hand side, lines up Jensen Ackles and makes her move. We all heard this “oomph!” as she rugby tackled him. Oh shit…she wasn’t kidding.

Supernatural Season 12

Day 8 - Lay Your Weary Head To Rest

Day 8 of our road trip and day 2 of the Supernatural Convention. Yesterday we just tickled the tip of the ice berg (I was going for some other tip there – but let’s keep this clean). Today we have panels from the bulk of the cast as well as the show stoppers: Moose and Squirrel.

Day 7 - Carry On My Wayward Son, There Will Be Peace When You Are Done

There are hundreds of them and only a hand full of us. If things go sideways here I don’t think we will be able to handle the situation. What’s that? There’s a little shriek from the bottom of the hall way. Hundreds of women spike their heads out from the ticket line and they all spot the same thing. Misha Colins. The shriek turns monstrous as the panic makes the air thick around me.  Me, and the other few males in the queue, look at each other and realised this may be the end…we are going to die by way of female shriek stroke.

Day 6 - Supernatural Sedona to Supernatural Convention.

All the windows were shut tight, the patio light was left on and an old wooden chair had been propped up against the door. Okay, maybe that talk about Aliens with Paul last night got to me just a little bit.

Day 5 - Grand Canyon and Alien Contact

Standing in the queue to check out (yesterday, day 4) in the Vegas Motel 6. “Hey, that’s my phone!”, “Well, give me back my passport then” as this fight breaks out in the lobby. A good looking but slutty dressed lady and a guy with no shirt on. So my chivalrous instincts kick in as I walk up to grab the guy and boy did I get a lesson in the modern feminist movement. This chick threw in at least 70 punches per minute, ferociously punching his face. The dude cowers over and she starts to rake at his back with Wolverine savagery. She can handle herself. I stepped back into the line and the dude escaped her grasp and bolted for the automatic door. He hot stepped around me and misjudged the automatic door opening speed. “Gimme back my phone you asshole!” she shouts and this guy is jammed in the door (promise you, physically jammed in the automatic glass doorway) as she slaps and rakes at his back. Poor guy. I have no idea if he stole from her or what, but I get the feeling that not involving myself was a pretty good idea. It’s not my country, I don’t understand the dynamics and to be selfish – I can’t spend the day in the police station giving statements.

I forgot to mention that story in yesterday’s blog. Quite a laugh.

Day 4 - Hoover Dam and Off Road Action on the HD

30 hours in transit. 6 hours sleep. 500 miles ride through the most alien place on the planet. 4 Hours sleep. Barbara is still radiating heat like a hot potato from the sun stroke as I scrape myself out of bed and stumble over energy drink cans on the way for a cold shower. I brought along a mini South African flag which I attached to the Harleys antennae and we set off again on Day 4.

Day 3 - Part 3 - Vegas Baybeee!

The Las Vegas Strip. An extra crispy version of my wife is passed out for a short kip and I’m heading out to the corner store to get us some energy drinks. Let her sleep for another hour and then we are hitting the strip! Vegas Baybeee!

Day 3 - Part 2 - You're All Going To Die Down Here

We are on the way to Death Valley. Lovely little one horse towns along the way and great open stretches of road. The Harley on-board thermometer has just cracked over the 90 degrees Fahrenheit mark. Phew this is getting warm.

Day 3 - June Gloom, Black Bears and a Helicopter

June Gloom they call it. The air has a heaviness to it as the glary sunrise slowly filters over land and over the Los Angeles Long Beach area. I am across the road from our Hotel prepping the Harley for a long, long day out on the saddle. We have 500 miles to do and we need to do it in daylight hours.

Day 2 - Fokkit this thing is heavy!

Los Angeles. We have arrived. The action plan is to get a hold of a sim card and get ourselves 3 miles down the road to collect our Harley. Things are going along smoothly…so far.

Day 1 - Up and Away

“Any luggage to check in?”  the fair skinned Cathay Pacific fellow asks me. “No, no... Just these three tiny bags as take on luggage" I respond. He eyes me out, eyes out my obviously Mediterranean wife, looks down at the international tickets and takes a moment to process a good-etiquette response. He looked back up at me with his eyes full of amazement: “Umm, Sir…just those three tiny bags?” We shared a manly moment together – Yes... indeed. Me, Man, have successfully restricted a women to packing lightly for an international journey.

#banddamerica

Six months. It has been six freaking months since my last blog. Holy poo in a pie hole. It’s been busy this side with a new job, new house and a two percent hike on the repo rate…it’s all kept me quiet. However, I met up with Matteh on Thursday night and after the 10^th tequila and a loud conversation regarding the size of my ears I realised something: Shit happens. I went there for a quiet dinner and a bed to sleep on…not for chaos. Shit happens - Run with it. Same as this blog – shit happens – so let’s run with it.