Hi....I am now in the beautiful and friendly town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I have traveled 3 thousand miles from Maine and crossed over into Mexico from the border town of Eagle Pass , Texas. Yes, I was nervous about crossing into the northern border towns. I was told that their were still daily shootings and that I was crazy to cross as the cartel would love my bike and would shoot me in a minute and dump my body down the closest well.....WELL,  i did find a more positive opinion which told me that the shootings had stopped 3 weeks ago and that there was a big increase in the military presence. I crossed first thing in the morning and got away from the border town as fast as i could. The military were every where in full combat gear with machine guns. Check points were every 60 miles or so with 40- 100 men all ready for something to happen ?? The check points had a main stopping area maned by at least 10-20  guards all wearing black masks cover their faces and also men stationed at 4 other spot behind sandbag barricades ... It was a little intimadating but all actually went very well. It took me 3 days crossing the cool desert before arriving in San Miguel De Allende. Ill just post pics now..

The shake down has begun..

Left the beautiful state of Maine where the Mountains meet the Sea on Tuesday , Oct 23rd. I thought i had the bag situation down, but had to down size, repack and reconfigure 3 times. The bike is still very heavy and i very well may get rid of camping gear at some point. Staying in hotels in South American and Africa are cheap enough...I have tools, books , maps, and misc. that I dont need on a daily basis in the aluminum panniers. I highly recommend all waterproof heavy duty expedition bags. I have saddle bags from Wolfman that I have separated and placed perfectly on top of the panniers and a medium duffle from Ortlieb. ...   My back pack is also totally waterproof with a roll down top as well from Bags- Connection .. My favorite motorcycle gear and parts company is http://www.touratech-usa.com

I am now in Virginia and about 1200 miles down the road. I have been taking it easy as i am still experiencing pain from my recent appendectomy and getting use to riding a bike fully loaded riding longer hours. The beauty of riding solo is that there is no one to complain too. Heading for rain today and those of you on the east coast shall be hearing from storm Sandy..Have fun and take pics for me..xo

Finally Ready..

Hi..

I think I'm ready... but will i ever truly be ? Have maps, guides and tools... Cameras, laptop , ipad and GPS..Camping gear, first aid and riding protective gear... Yahoo. Leaving tomorrow heading south in a line for New Orleans, to Texas and crossing the border to Mexico. I am going to try and figure out how to connect these post to Face book as I prefer the interaction on FB. However, I know some of you are not on FB and wish not to be so I will keep this going as much as possible.  Anyone else, feel free to FB me and follow there... Thanks for stopping by... XO

Hey ...Just a quick update... Last Sunday night I ended up in the hospital for an emergency appendectomy.. It has pushed up my leaving date now until sometime after Oct. 22nd. Damn good thing it happened now as once out of the US , I would not have gone for medical help and or , there may not have been any around... Will head straight for the Mexican border now instead of the HUBB meeting that I was planning on attending in Calif. http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/meetings/California2012.php
I was really looking forward to the "Off Road" course that was being offered among many things....Back to learn as yu gooooo...
Mending well...Eliza

Spent some time this week with my Master Mechanic Guru Micah Fenwick of Belmont Motorcycle Performance ! I highly recommend him friends. He works on all models and makes. Learned how to change the oil, filters, fuses , plugs , tire repair, and general maintenance. Upgrades to the bike included crash bars, skid plate, hand guards, extra electrical outlet and fan switch.

Will have onboard..Zumo 220 GPS, "Spot" GPS, Laptop, and  cameras, Canon 1D mark ll and Canon GX1... and my ipad... i love the thing

Down Sizing

About two weeks until take off. Moving from a small camp on the pond to a small tent for the road ...No leaks or holes in the tent or sleeping bag !

Hi...This blog is officially open. Ill learn as I go ! Here is a new pic of me and my beautiful ride.. Please check out the entire site. Any and all suggestions would be great as this is all new to me. The route map will be changed as I nail down better routes in the Middle East/ Central Asia. AND...Please dont forget to DONATE to my cause. Anything is greatly appreciated !! Click on the Women for Women logo....THANK YOU ..