Tiffany Ambling through America

Glad to see you enjoying the US of A. Being from another country myself we always believe that Americans aren't friendly but it is quite the opposite once you get to know a few of them. That been said enjoy the rest of your travels and stay safe out there.

Later
John

HI Sion
thanks for that about the Magna group- apparently Alon is a member of it and says it's been a useful source of information and advice. I must admit I hadn't realised that it was an unusual bike!

Having had a very sociable time in Austin and managing to catch up with one of the guys I rode to Tibet with last year, it was time to say my farewells. I finally remembered to put my new sticker on



It seemed very appropriate for Thelma.

Sonny accompanied me out of town on his GS



Luckily for me the brutal summer weather had cooled a bit.

I stopped at a garage to get some petrol and got talking to the owner, he had an unusual accent and so I asked where he was from. He replied "Hunza",
and then was most surprised when I said it is one of my favourite places in the world...and I launched into a long conversation with him and his brother about Gilgit and Ishmaili people, they said it's the first time anyone in Texas has ever even known where their home village is and when I showed them some of my photos from that region (Northern Pakistan), they were almost in tears. Such lovely people.



In typical Ishmaili fashion, they were falling over themselves to provide refreshments and food, but I had to continue as I knew friends were waiting for me further down the road..

land of crocodile-infested swamps and creeks

This has been a great journey Tiffany, thanks for dragging me along... I have been missing the US a lot lately, and this has helped make it better and worse I need to get over to Georgia soon, I have not visited my friends there in two years

Hello Reaper
you'll be pleased to note that I've had no shocking food hygiene photos for you this trip.
as for your questions... yes, it's true, I don't seem to have changed much from when I was 10!
as for other motorcyclists in my family, nope, not one. My brothers and sisters aren't interested, though they all like to travel. My Mum likes to go on the back of my bike, but my Dad isn't too keen.

As for shipping...you should move to Europe! We can ride everywhere except the Americas and Australasia without shipping. The paperwork, getting quotes etc is just something that you have to bite the bullet and get on with it. It's definitely THE most stressful part of travelling.

And I agree with you about a reasonably priced bike rental company- that would be a good idea, I've had friends who have flown into the UK and looked into renting, the companies all seem to charge a lot.

Lafayette and staying with my good friends Bob and Phyllis, I first met them 10 years ago in Ecuador.




Strange itmes on the shops in this part of the world

Worms in the fridge




I had to take a closer look,


To my surprise the the containers aren't even covered. I don't think we sell worms like this in shops in England, everyone has plenty in their gardens.

And then fishing hooks almost the size of my hand..to catch alligators with




Bob has a new toy, a Honda 90 scooter,




He asked if I wanted to ride it- I've never ridden anything that size before




It's a blurred picture as the scooter shot off out of control and I felt I was going to die on it.:eek1 Luckily the fence was there otherwise I would have ended up in the river.

My wounds after I had demolished part of Bob's fence...





These were the only injuries I sustained this trip. Plucking up my courage I got back on (with Bob nervously taking a look at the damage to his fence!!)
This time I got it sussed, the bloody thing has NO clutch, my problem had been that I'd revved up and then kicked it into gear which meant it had shot off with me on it.
This time I took it more slowly and was soon sedately riding around the garden.



Then out on the river for a trip in the boat with Captain Bob at the helm,


he informed me that it's not a river, it's a bayou. Admiring the scenery,
though not all of it was picturesque, it was still interesting







Enjoying the peace and quiet of being away from the road and traffic, or at times going underneath the roads




And all while enjoying a nice glass or two of chilled white wine



Lots of reminders that we're in a french-speaking part of the world




I caught up with some old friends, who have a couple of vintage cars



Complete with genuine Vote for Hoover number plate from 1928



I found their town rules quite amusing, with fridge magnets telling them when they may or may not water their gardens


More socialising when Bob and Phyllis hosted a party for me, I loved the tortilla chips in a brown bag



We had quite a crowd



This was me at the end of the evening, "hoovering" up the leftover food and making sure the wine didn't get wasted (not realising that Bob had my camera and was gathering evidence!)



These Cajuns know how to party and the following night I had another social event- the Swamp Scooters Club Meeting, I've heard a lot about them and about their rally they host each year.
I couldn't have had a warmer reception and was welcomed to the club, I gave a talk about one of my overseas bike journeys which they enjoyed.
Here's a link about their next rally.

http://swampscooters.net/wp/

It's the Cajun Swamp Scooter Rally, this year it's on November 9th to 11th, near Lafayette. Unfortunately I won't be able to make it....as they say in this part of the world
"Laisser les bons temps rouler"

Exploring the area by pick up truck with Clint- a fellow off-roader from my ride through Ecuador- we'd taken to the truck as the rain was torrential



We admired swamps, levees and bridges



This was definitely the wettest part of my whole journey.

I was also thrilled to getthe chance of going to the drive-thru bank; with friends who were most amused at me pulling out my camera to take a picture.



Looking at the picture, I've realised the bloke looks like a mannequin.

The afternoon was spent on my computer at the dining table, looking out through the window I realised I had company




Instead of updating my blog, I spent time watching him (or her)




to us Brits, it's an exotic sight to see a bright green lizard.

The following night to a packed audience at the Pack and Paddle Canoe shop in Lafayette, I gave a talk about my travels..and yes, there is a canoe connection, as I have crossed the Niger River in north west Africa in a dug out canoe with my bike. This was a precarious operation and one that is not recommended, the canoe trip NOT the talk.

Just found your RR and couldn't stop reading. You are certainly a very amazing person.
I have a question, I noticed that you have spoke wheels on your bike so I didn't think they could be tubeless but you wrote
However I was unsure about re-plugging a hole that had already been plugged once and so wanted to check.

I was just curious

Paddy

Spoked wheels can support tubeless tires. You have to use a tubeless valve stem and some kind of sealant on the spoke nipples. Its kind of a pain in the ass to do, but it can be done.

..and BMW GS spoked rims support tubeless tyres since the first R100GS.

good on them...I'm not a BMW rider, so I didnt know that...but I do know that you can convert a normal spoked wheel

Thank you for the reply...I didn't know that

I have never owned a BMW but have always had a respect for the brand because of the high mileage they achieved even back in the day

And you may get to go to your first Hurrican party!

Hope things continue well for the rest of your trip - which way next?

Thank you for your concern and yes, I have headed to New Orleans after Lafayette, however as this RR is not being done in real time, I have moved on and I'm in a safer place, however I am watching the weather reports with some concern as my friends live in New Orleans.

Tiffany, I didn't realize you knew Bob, John, Cindy & Jerry in Layfayette.

I go down to the Swamp Scooters rally every year since like 04. It most certainly is a small world afterall huh?

Hey Kevin, it really is a small world, and those Cajuns get everywhere

East from Lafayette and to the city of New Orleans, the most European looking place I've been to on this trip.



It was to be a brief visit, but we managed to pack quite a bit in. Naturally the heavens opened and I got rained on for much of my stay. There are still a lot of reminders from Hurricane Katrina



We watched tourists doing the touristy thing, from the traditional



to the more modern




In America the phrase "open containers of alcohol" has strong implications, bascially it seems like you can't drink anywhere except at home or in bars. However in parts of New Orleans, they allow drinking in the streets and there are crowds of Yanks wandering around very self-conciously clutching their drinks, even in the rain. I ventured outside the bar just for a quick photo



Before heading down to the river for a paddle in the water



The famous Mississippi, seen from a different angle

Tiffster-- I think you're pretty bold to go wading in that river. Yuck. By the time it gets to NO that water has to be nasty. But then again, all those rocks in the foreground of the last shot remind me of what they call a "beach" in the UK!