Do you remember when you were young and time expanded and the days were longer?

The last week before Christmas took forever! And the last week of school before the holidays dragged out to eternity. I can still see the round black clock on the classroom wall. That hour hand sometimes took half a day to go from 2 to 3. And then the blessed bell would ring and we were free at last!!!!!!!

Time expands when you travel as well. It’s like when you were a kid. I’ve been wondering why that is. Maybe because everything is new again. So much of what you normally block out since you’ve seen it a thousand times in your day to day existence suddenly isn’t there. Everything is different.

You cross over a border and the people are different, the money is different, the food is different. You have to pay attention to a whole new set of rules. Even in countries that speak the same language the words are different, the accent is different, the slang is different.

Now that I think about it maybe that is what I enjoy about living a nomadic life. It keeps you on your toes. Even here in the United States where I am sitting typing this you would think that it is one large country. And it is on the one hand. But Texas is not the same as Maine or Arizona.

You don’t find roadside stands in Texas serving lobster sandwiches. And I never saw Texas barbeque joints in Maine. Not to mention great Mexican food. In the northern plains where I come from there is no decent Mexican food anywhere. In Texas I got an excellent breakfast burrito from a junk truck parked in the parking lot at a Home Depot home improvement center. And it can be hard for a Texan and Mainer to carry on a conversation since their version of English is quite different

You would think that English is the common language of the United States. Well sort of. But when riding the tail of the dragon in North Carolina and stopping for gas, the store keepers might ask, “Wayull, whayr yawl frum?” If you’re from Nebraska you might have to say pardon me and have them repeat the question.

Even in New Zealand where you’ve read in books that they speak English you might be surprised when you stop in the southern mountains outside Dunedin where the Scots settled and they speak Kiwi English with Scottish overtones. I went into a little grocery store which they call dairies down there. The lady said, “tis a bit weet outside.” I stared blankly. It was raining cats and dogs outside and I finally realized that she was saying it was wet outside. Yes, yes it was.

AussieAlex sent some pics of how he uses a universal ram mount and a waterproof case for his iPad Mini to use as a big-ass GPS to mount to the handlebars on his TTR-250:

What a cool setup. It’s a little hard to see in the picture so he sent a pic of the ram mount from Australian e-bay:

I checked amazon and they have it here in the U.S. as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Ram-Mount-Universal-Including-RAMHOLUN8BU/dp/B006OQQ27E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428037597&sr=8-1&keywords=ram+mount+universal+x-grip+ipad+mini

Google emailed me. They sent a link to a free analytics tool for this blog. It turns out that thousands of people read it. Who knew? I thought it was just a couple of relatives and friends at best. This week the readers are coming from the United States, Canada, a ton of Swiss, Poland, France, the U.K., a bunch of Aussies, Mexico, Argentina, Germany, Panama, New Zealand and France.

I”d better step up my game and start posting more often. Who doesn’t need more free travel entertainment? I’m your man.

In case you don’t read the comments, I went over to read a commenter’s blog at:

http://2rods2wheels2up.com

He is currently on the Oaxacan coast heading south traveling two up on a GS with a couple fishing poles and a beautiful wife. Who doesn’t think that is a great idea? Go check it out.

Here is the better half of the expedition accompanying the GS in a truck to go get a new valve cover gasket. You meet the nicest people in Mexico when your bike starts spewing oil all over the place. Been there. The Sherpa had a leaky valve cover gasket for a few thousand miles. I looked at it as a feature to help waterproof my boots. Well okay, the waterproofing was only on my right boot.

If you aren’t familiar with a leatherman, it is an extremely useful tool to carry in your pocket:

Sort of a Swiss army knife for travelers. Folding out into needlenose pliers for removing cotter pins when removing wheels for a flat repair, screw drivers for quickly fixing things without having to get out your tools that are packed away. Knife, bottle opener, file, scissors. It comes in handy for a multitude of things and is great to have in your pocket where you can quickly get to it. You'll use it on a trip more than any other tool.

Alas, I lost my leatherman. And here is the problem. When I fly back to South America I don’t have checked luggage. I wear my riding pants and jacket, and have a small carry-on with my helmet and laptop. That’s it. No way I can get a leatherman through airport security.

The owner of leatherman had a similar problem. They wouldn't let him through security at Disneyland. No knives. Bummer. So he came up with a useful leatherman tool disguised as a wristband or watchband that he takes on trips:

It is approved for airport security but contains screwdrivers, allen wrenches and box wrenches within the band itself. Just take it off, fold it to the proper size tool and use the stiff band as a handle. What a great idea! Plus it will be harder to lose if it is actually on your wrist instead of in a pocket where it can fall out and become lost like mine did. It doesn't have the needle nose pliers and knife, but hey, it has box wrenches and screwdrivers which is what you need most of the time. And when you're too cheap to pay for checked luggage this is just the ticket. I can see that mat black one on my wrist. Not sure if it would work with my cheap Casio watch. But if not, I'll just wear it as a wristband on the other hand I guess.

There are better pictures and explanations of the Leatherman Tread bracelet over on the website I was reading:

http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/22/leatherman-tread-bracelet/

Your ADVpal,

John

When leaving home for unknown lands there is a point where familiar roads recede into the rear view mirror and new horizons present themselves. That is when the journey gets real. Similar to sailors losing sight of land as they set off into uncharted waters I suppose.

Many people ask me, “why do you travel?” You will face the same questions the next time you return to the familiar after a long journey. For me it is the excitement that comes with sailing into uncharted waters. I have always dreamed of far off lands. Perhaps it started early on in life. The nice thing about getting old is that it gives you an opportunity to revisit the books you read in your youth. When I was young, before the age of the internet, I used to read books about adventure and the high seas. I prefered first person biographical accounts of early sailors and explorers like “Two Years Before The Mast.”

I am re-reading that book. It is like a ride report. Recounting the details of day to day life on an 1836 Clipper ship voyage around South America and up to California. Only this time I have been to the places and can see the images in my mind of the lands he visited nearly two centuries ago. I can remember the smells and hear the birds and see the dolphins shimmering just beneath the surface of the water as they race the ship and leap for joy. I have seen it first hand when traveling by boat with my motorcycle across the Caribbean from Panama to Colombia.

There is no substitute for travel. Books and ride reports are necessarily abridged versions of the experience. To really get to know the world it is necessary to travel there and see it for yourself.

Money comes and goes. Travel memories live with you forever and can bring a smile to your face as an old man. That is why I encourage people to get out and explore the world. I get messages from around the world of people thanking me for encouraging them through my stories to get out and explore the world. It is my job, and I will continue to do it for as long as I am able.