Interesting...

On my way home from the hospital I called in at the Heritage museum in Gayden, just off the M40. Lots of beautifully preserved old British cars, and a number of unusual prototypes and display items.

Very handy for slippery driveways once winter is here

Not sure what this does, but I'd love one in the garage

They say the best MGB is one cut in half

Me and the kid out for a Sunday morning ride

Had a good visit to the hospital; the cancer seems to be secondary & slow growing so I'll rely on my alternative therapy and a watchful eye from the hospital - I'll try not to mention the problem again here and concentrate on motorbike stuff.

On my way home

I spent three weeks in Dr. Romero’s clinic – treatment seemed to go well. We had a week to get back down to Cancun and our flight back to the UK, so we hired a car and went for a little tour. 

Doctor, LF, Seb the nurse

Fearsome Injuns, Hermosillo

Old Ford truck, backstreet Hermosillo

First stop was up in the hills alongside the Rio Sonora about 4 hours North and East from Hermosillo; got to the town of Acinipo then an hour up a dirt track we reached the hot springs. Seeping out of the ground the water is burning hot, there’s a series of baths constructed down the hillside that get progressively cooler down to about just bearable. We spent hours relaxing in the baths getting them good minerals into the body. Pretty isolated so we slept the night in the car then carried on bathing the next day till our skin got so wrinkled we had to leave.

Overnight accommodation at the hot springs

Hot springs

Chillies drying in the sun by the roadside

Next stop was down to the coast – San Carlos is a nice little town full of North American snowbirds, plenty of decent hotels, nice deserted beaches and good restaurants – we took a moonlight cruise around the bay in a little fishing boat and chilled-out for a couple of days.

San Carlos harbour

Full moon on the bay

Rugged coastline, deserted beaches

Next we headed back up the coast to Kino Bay; more great sandy beaches; walked up to the church on the hill to watch another sunset over the sea of Cortez.

Great views from up here

Statue outside church

We were having lunch one day in Casablanca, a great restaurant run by an American lady, when I spied a hummingbird in the greenery; crept around trying to get a photo of him, amazingly he didn’t fly away – says the owner “oh he lives in that bush, chases away the butterflies” so I managed to get a picture of him with me, although LF reckons ‘cos my shirt was the same colour as the flowers he didn’t spot me.

Hummingbird doing his stuff

Taking a break

Hummingbird ignoring El D

(As an aside, found out some information for Trobairitz or any other vegan heading for Mexico - don't eat the refried beans, they cook the beans in chicken stock, the blend them and re-fry them in pork fat.)

Kino beach from La Playa hotel

Weird-looking fishing boats

Pelican Island fro La Playa hotel

All too soon it was time to fly down to Cancun and home – 3 days travelling to get home to cold wet November England. Now I’m sitting in a hotel in Manchester, appointment at the cancer clinic tomorrow for a check-up; I’m hoping the treatment in Mexico will show up as an improvement, but regardless, my time down there opened up my mind to alternative possible life styles – I don’t have to live in London with all the stress that comes from a big city. Me and LF are hatching plans – we’ll see!

Spent two weeks in clinic staring at the walls, Sunday they gave me a day off so Lady Friend drove me through the edge of the Sonoran desert to a beach town - Keno bay on the sea of Cortez. It was nice and sunny and warm. Had a great day (and night). Took a couple of photos but unfortunately mastering the instructions in spanish how to upload the photos in the correct orientation defeated me. Still, if you move your head you can see them OK. Doctor in the clinic seems happy with my progress, time will tell. At least I´m smiling!

Your correspondant

Lady friend in hotel

Big Cactus Sonoran Desert

A slight change of plan

After a long day of riding I got to a little town in the mountains and stopped to look for a hotel. As I walked across the town plaza there were a couple sitting under a tree, she playing a harp, he playing pan pipes; lovely calming floaty type of music. I squatted down on a rock in the shade of another tree, head down looking at my dusty boots, listened and was carried away....next thing they're playing the Skye boat song " speed bonny boat like a bird on the wing...over the seas to Skye" and I'm sitting there tears rolling down my cheeks. Yeah, this lonely travelling isn't working out how I thought.

Next day I get a text out of the blue from my on-again, off-again lady friend; she's in Mexico, gone there to watch the summer solstice bring the sacred snake down the pyramid at Chichen Itza (but that's a whole other story), anyway, we send a few texts back and forth like why I'm not working, what the hell am I doing in Spain etc and I tell her about the cancer coming back and she says she's got a friend of a friend who works in a clinic where they cure cancer and I'm doubtful and cynical then I think - what the hell, I'm not exactly living the high life down here in Spain.

It took 3 days to ride back up through Spain and France on boring motorways, could have done it quicker but it was raining and I was tired and emotional. Got back to London yesterday, pile of letters waiting including one from my Doctor saying the blood test I had before I left showed my PSA had doubled in 6 weeks Oh shit! So I got on the internet and booked a flight, fly out Tuesday to meet L.F in Cancun; we've got to get up to Hermosillo in Sonora state somehow probably bus up to Mexico city then on from there. I've borrowed some money, probably sell the bikes when I get back home, return ticket in a months time.

Maybe I'll get some photos in the Sonoran desert of flowering cactus blooms, maybe see a whale in the sea of Cortez, maybe even get better in the clinic. If I get to an internet cafe I'll post up photos of whatever I do. See ya!

Enjoy yourself...

..it's later than you think
Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink.


With those wise words echoing through my headphones (courtesy Jools Holland & Prince Buster) I  quit my job, bought a used BMW GS and set off to tour Spain. I have to be back in the UK mid-November to start treatment, 'till then I'm aimlessly riding along beautiful deserted twisty roads in bright sunshine, stopping randomly in tiny mountain villages for food and drink and sleeping in whichever town I arrive at exhausted. Seen high mountain roads and deserted sandy beaches; spent quite a lot of lonely evenings thinking sad thoughts only for them to disappear the next day when I get back on the bike. Wish I could ride forever. 

Finally got to use that mesh jacket

Empty roads, stark scenery

Empty beach, Tarifa

See that little road behind? Riding Heaven

Classic cars

Nice style, pity about the waves

A treat on a bad day

I had to go to Manchester today so a man could put his hand up my bottom and fiddle about** (I know some of you will be wondering why I travelled so far when I could have got the same thing done free at my local public conveniences...) which meant a round trip of 400 miles in one day, so I went in my car. Fortunately, the route went through Birmingham, so I treated myself with a visit to the National Motorbike Museum, which I'd intended visiting last Saturday but didn't make.

Well, it was Fantastic! A large modern building, it had five, well-light halls crammed with British motorbikes. Names I hadn't heard of; every British manufacturer from Abingdon and AJS through to Williamson and Wooler (I particularly liked the Wooler Flying Banana); fantastic bikes of all description from early bicycles with engines right up through 30's to 60's plus some modern machines; prototypes; oddities; racing - bikes of every description. It truly is bikers heaven. I thoroughly recommend you to take a trip there wherever you live - it really is that good. I took loads of photos, here's a small selection.

Norton 900 Commando - I want one!

Beautiful Brake

Brough Jewellery

Impressive Broughs

Shapely BSA

Who're you looking at?

Forerunner to Triumphs Rocket3? 1912 Wilkinson 850cc 4-cyl shaft drive with comfy seat

Copperknob - Brooklands racer

The Wooler Flying Banana

Levis?

Beautiful Brough Luggage

Now, that's a Megaphone

Love the names!

OK Supreme

Implies engineering excellence

Not sure why its called a Multi when there's only one cylinder..

Watch out!

My Favourite 

Pretty Triumph prototype

Twin rear wheels - Austin car-engined Brough

**Christies cancer hospital - my prostate cancer has reappeared after apparently going away for seven years - bummer! (unfortunate choice of expletive there).