18 - Spain and France

We leave Madrid around 11.30am, after uncrating the bike. We have the same strategy for this leg as we did for the first. No sleep. Ride, ride, ride. As the sun goes down we are riding to Barcelona.

We cross into France at about 1.30am.

We rest for 1/2 hour en route to Tolouse on a park bench. We arrive back in Calais at 4.00pm on Saturday 22 June 2002. A final mammoth 1,764 miles in 30 hours.

13 - Alaska

We left Anchorage at 10.00am Monday 10 June. Bike's right handlebar was slightly damaged in transit to Anchorage, but nothing too bad. Perfect conditions - little traffic, long sweeping roads and incredible scenery.

Scented pine forests, deep river valleys, glacial lakes, jagged snow capped peaks.

If only we could stop and enjoy it!

14 - Canada

The Alaskan Highway seems to disintegrate in places. The roads get eaten away by frosts in deep winter and summer is the only time to dig them up and re-lay the tarmac.

We have to follow Pilot Cars and slither around on deep gravel. The scenery remains perfect.

15 - United States of America

We have planned for riding on InterState through the US. It might not be interesting road, but its up to five lanes wide, with a 75 mph speed limit.

We do divert to take in Monument Valley, the Navajo Indian Reservation and a little of Route 66.

Then we head south to El Paso.

16 - Mexico

We make the Mexican border by rush hour. Bad move. Time on this border counts and we spend more than 4 hours getting immigration stamps and the temporary vehicle pass.

Due to a huge storm, we are forced to wait at the border town overnight.

We complete the Mexico riding (913 miles) in the next day, via Torreon, Monterrey and Saltillo.

17 - Southern States, USA

As Miami draws nearer, the cumulative effect of the riding and the tiredness becomes more debilitating. And then the final 3 electric storms to contend with. In the space of 3 hours we get soaked, dried, soaked, dried, soaked and dried.

We arrive at Ibercondor, our air freighter, without a hitch. It is 6pm. We are knackered, filthy, heads buzzing with lack of sleep. Our American leg has taken just over 7 days and 6,777 miles.

8 - United Arab Emirates

We arrived at Sharjah around 8.00am in the morning and we did not leave the docks until mid-day - this was after some clerk had made a typing error on our documents and we could not go until it was corrected.

It was only a 30 mile ride to the Dubai Cargo Village and Cathay Pacific.

Cathay were all prepared for the bike and had set everything up for us to air freight it to Oz.