As the final episode of Mondo Enduro came to an end I turned to my wife Jen and said that I felt the need to do something similar. Jen was one step ahead of me and knowing me all too well had seen this moment coming for weeks and so had kind of prepared herself.
The inspiration was still coming from Mondo Enduro and now Austin and the Boys were at it again with Terra Circa, another round the world adventureI had now got the inspiration and the team for the big trip, all I need now was a destination!I had agreed with Jen that I would be away no longer than three months and so a round the world trip was way out of reach. I considered heading off for a particular destination but I have never been keen on re-tracing my steps and certainly couldn't afford to have myself and bike shipped back from a distant land.
Hermans Tenere blew a head gasket and the cam ate itself after just 200 miles. This was taken in good spirits as were most disasters which befall Him.I should point out that some preparation took place well in advance of other decisions being made, especially the choice of bike. Although my inspiration had come from Mondo Enduro, the Suzuki DR350's the boys used didn't really fit the bill for us.
August 2003 was also the month that Jen and I announced to the world that she was pregnant and would be expecting our baby in March 2004Following the demise of Hermans Tenere engine I decided to carry out a complete strip down and rebuild of my bike. Adam was also having doubts about the reliability of his bike and shipped it off lock stock and barrel to Dave Lambeth Rally & Overland (http://www.davidlambeth.co.uk) for a major overhaul.
this drew absolutely no sympathy with me, not only was I the only married one of the group but Jen was expecting our first baby in March 2004At the very outset of the Arctic Camel Project I had it in the back of my mind that there was a likelihood someone would drop out for one reason or another, and because of this I had given everyone a deadline of February 2nd 2004 to confirm that they would definitely be coming a long and that they would have all the resources required.
I consulted Andy, he gave the new route the thumbs up and we were back in business. I buried the hatched with the Jibbers and we arranged to meet up for another trip to DerbyshireNow that there would only be Andy and myself heading off on the trip, we re-evaluated what was achievable. The imminent arrival of a bouncing baby was also weighing heavily on my mind; Compromises would have to be made!
Herman had always proved to have a cool head in a crisis and was a lot braver than the rest of us!On a cold February night in 2004 I arrange to meet my close buddy Baz in the local.
Once in hospital it was discovered that Id punctured my lung and broken five ribs.Once the finer details of the relay team had been ironed out it was all systems go and everyone busied themselves with preparation. By the end of 2004 everything seemed sorted, the bikes had all been through Dave Lambeths fingers so we were all feeling confident that they would stand up to the challenge. Wed been doing a great deal of riding on and off road; we were frequent visitors to Derbyshire and were getting quite used to picking our bikes up after numerous falls.
at least the bike was still running albeit slowly with a smoke trail worthy of the Red Arrows display teamOn June 16th 2005, following three years of planning and preparation we were finally going to be on our way. Maisy was just over a year old and was fully mobile and beginning to talk, I lay in the garden with her on a gorgeous summer morning with less than an hour before we were due to leave. She pulled the top off a daisy and with a big smile she gave it to me, now for the very first time I had grave doubts about what I was about to do and wanted to hold onto this moment for ever.