The Border and Beyond

The Mexico/Texas border was the only thing on my mind as I rode north. Passing through Tampico I changed lanes without using my turning signal and perhaps got too close to the truck ahead. This precipitated an ad hoc meeting with the local traffic police that were following somewhere behind me. I tried asking them for a warning for this minor traffic offense. They tried to put the squeeze on me, saying the office where the fine would be paid was closed and that I would have to spend the night. My answer, “Ok.” They demurred, suggesting that $100 (USD) would solve everything. Calmly and with resolve I replied, “I don’t take care of problems like this on the side of the road.” The officer gazed into the distance, smiled weakly knowing he wasn’t going to get a bribe from me and handed my license back to me. Thanks Paul Stewart for sharing that you refuse to pay bribes.
With hours to ride before reaching the frontier, nothing but refueling and police check points would stop me. Nothing but a beautiful sunset over a lake, with mountains in the distance.

In 2009 I took this same route with Tom and John. The difference was less construction north of Tampico and a three hour delay fixing a flat. Just north of Tampico I heard a loud scratching sound and saw my right pannier coasting to a stop behind me. I had failed to properly secure the locking mechanism, again. Luckily the net cargo bungee hung on long enough for me to notice the sound of pulling the pannier or I might have gone further without notice. There are some curious “hero scratches” on the underside of the pannier.  Now I was facing sunset with hours to go to the border. I pressed on into the Mexican night, arriving in Matamoros after midnight, I checked into a “love hotel” for 8 hours. The hotels are cheaper on the Mexico side of the border and I had some souvenir shopping to do in the morning.
The next day I crossed into the USA without incident. There was more than a touch of apprehension fueled by travels to Cuba, but the questions asked at the border weren’t extensive and soon I was rolling north to San Antonio. At the Horizons Unlimited meeting in the fall of 2012 I met Andy Tiegs, who put me up in San Antonio. Now I would be stopping to see him and sharing stories from the road. Andy was meeting friends for happy hour and I set off to met him there. “Twin Peaks” is the name of the bar/restaurant, which made me think of David Lynch and his dark TV series. Wrong. Think Hooters, Texas style. Ahhh, its good to be back home.

The following morning we joined his motorcycle club for breakfast, where they plan weekend rides and generally shoot the shit about all thing on two wheels.

There were lots of questions about my trip, which I gladly answered. I was invited to join the club on a ride through the Texas hill country. My schedule wouldn’t allow it and I had to decline. The conversations moved out to the parking lot. That is Andy standing the left and an authentic cowboy hat on the ride side.


One of Andy’s friends is gearing up to make a short cowboy movie. The expected length is 20 minutes. He was gathering rifles which would be used as props. The truck of the car quickly filled with guns, then the back seat. It seems everyone in Texas has a gun. When I asked about the propensity of guns, there was group chorus that guns were carried everywhere, and with a smile they said they carry guns, “Just in case.”

Don’t mess with Texas…or gun toting Texans!

North from Mexico City, DF

Ingrid flew back home and I had the afternoon to find a new rear tire. The adventure motorcyclist website Horizonsunlimited.com has a community section where travelers can reach out to locals for advice. I sent a message to the Mexico City mailing list, asking for advice on where to get a new rear tire. Within hours I received messages from locals, some general advice and some mentioned specific stores. The later was what I was looking for and shortly after checking out of our hotel I made my way to Moto House. After consulting with the clerk I picked out a Bridegestone tire and went up the street to have it mounted. Within two hours I was on my way to Tuxpan, a town I had stopped in with John and Tom while riding north through Mexico in 2009.
Leaving Mexico City I hit a little rain, but it soon passed. The bigger problem were both hands cramping. I had taken a few days off riding and my fingers were not back in the swing of things. I had to pry my fingers straight on both hands for the next two hours. By early evening I reach Tuxpan, four hours of road time, but more like six or seven on the road.

The following day I was determined to reach the US/Mexican border before stopping. On route the road had other plans for me. Somewhere south of Tampico I noticed an asphalt ridge in the road was making my ride squirrelly. At first I thought the ridge I was crossing over was taller than I thought, cause my rear tire to wobble a bit. A mile or two later I decided to stop for gas and as I slowed down I realized the rear tire was flat or very low. Finding the air compressor and adding air only revealed a hole in the tire. Air being pumped in was coming out the hole in equal measure.
In Mexico you don’t have to go far before finding a tire repair service. I had to wait while the guy fixed a truck tire. He had problems seating the tire, so I bought him a soda, took the tire off bike and got lunch.



While waiting for the tire to be un-mounted and a fresh inter tube installed, a truck pulled up and a small crew of guys hung flags for political party.

Eventually the truck tire ahead of me was fixed and mounted. Within a half an hour a new inter tube was installed and the tire was up back on the motorcycle. The whole deal chewed up 2 or 3 hours. It was a good break and interesting/curious to see new political flags being installed. The rest stop would come in handy as I rode until after midnight to Matamoros and the US border.

Yucatán Peninsula Scrabble

To meet Ingrid in Mexico City I had to cover 1020 miles in two and a half days. I had my work cut out for me. First stop, the Customs facility southwest of Chetumal. Importation papers in hand, I set my sights on Cordoba. 664 miles to the west.

Cordoba Centro

15 hours of travel later, I reached Cordoba around 1:00 AM and went to the center of town and free Wifi. Next stop, a “love hotel” where I could get a room by the hour.

6-7 hours of sleep and I was on the road to Mexico City, where Ingrid was flying in just after twelve noon. I found the hotel after stopping for directions a few times and settled in.

The next few days days we went to several museums, fine art and archeological, and great food. Had to replace my motorcycle battery (still under warranty!, but I have to take it home to NJ) and buy a new rear tire…