Arizona

Well, I made it back to the States without problems. I'm hanging at a friend's house in Tucson. My goal is to sell the bike and use the proceeds to fund a trip to South America.
I'll be sad when I say goodbye to the Suzuki Bergman 400, ye of little wheels and big heart. We've done 14,000 fun miles together and except for the time it landed on my ankle, it's been very good to me.
Anybody want a sweetheart of a bike, one that's proved its mettle by delivering me far into the Mexican highlands, gulping that thin air and sipping gasolina like it was born in the Alps? Apply within.

The ride to the border took eight days, counting four days without progress in Guadalajara. Day one of the trip was two hours from Mazamitla to Guadalajara, where I stayed at a friend's house. Thomas' place is luxury's lap itself, a nice break at the start of the trip. Then just before 6 am on Easter morning, I loaded up the bike and shoved off for the toll roads north. The rear tire was flat, though, and I didn't go anywhere that day, except back to Thomas' house. Few motorcycle shops are open on Sundays in this very Catholic country, and this was Easter Sunday. On Monday I couldn't find a shop that had the tire, so I got the tire patched and left on Tuesday bright and early. Then it was four days straight through: Guadalajara to Mazatlan, to Los Mochis, to Hermosillo, to Tucson. No hassles, no problems with the federales, no inspections, just a long-ass line at the Nogales border.

The day I crossed into Arizona, my last remaining living uncle passed away. On Monday we had a nice little ceremony in Phoenix, well really Mesa, and he was placed next to his dear Delsie. Goodbye, Uncle Jim. Thanks for the fireworks, for my first Playboy magazine. Thanks for letting me learn to drive with your VW bug. Sorry I got it banged up.

My dad was one of seven siblings and mom one of six, so at some point I had more than twenty aunts and uncles. Now there's just two left - mom's sister Violet in her 90s and dad's sister Amy in her 80s.

I'll do Tucson and Phoenix for a few weeks, I've got a dog-sitting gig coming up, I'm working on the master's stuff, have an appointment with a bike shop to get the thing cleaned up and ready for sale to the highest bidder.

Then it's Chile, Argentina, Peru or Ecuador. The average high temperature in Buenos Aires in June, July, and August is a sweet 59 degrees. Cusco, Ecuador: 66 degrees. Santiago, Chile: 58 to 61. These all sound great numbers to me. I suspect I'll fly to whichever is cheaper the day I choose to go, unless you've got any suggestions?