Motorcycle Adventure - Final Chapter

 On the third day of our time with Will and Kerri, we were in a rush to try to get as close to the Parque da Capivara as possible.  It was a bright Friday morning, and we still had more than 600 kilometers to go.  It wasn't looking too good, but we had high hopes and off we went.  Until Kerri saw a swimming hole.

And we did need to make a few adjustments like refilling our tires since we were fixing to hit asphalt and eat a few snacks.  So, we stopped and this is the place near Formosa do Rio Preto where we saw and heard a real live toucan.  That was pretty cool.  Just riding and no seeing isn't very fun at all.

And the same goes for stopping to eat.  When you're hungry on the road, you just got to stop even when you're in a hurry, right?  And don't you know that every time we stopped, I was working on the shipment plans of William's motorcycle back to the USA.  This time was no different.  And something was happening back home that William needed to attend.  The joys of wifi - getting messages in.

Now, we were much later and in a bigger hurry.  William and Kerri's days were quickly coming to an end.  We had places to go and people to see.  After some good meat and even some coffee we hit the road in a mad dash to see how far we could get before dark.

Nightfall comes around 6 pm in Northeast Brazil and when it hit so did our troubles.  Our Honda XRE 300 lost all power and electrical.  Everything went dark all of a sudden.  Byron did well to find the edge of the road. It took a while for William to realize we were no longer back there following them and to turn back.

It was decided that Kerri would stay behind with Byron and try to get the motorcycle going while William took me ahead to the next town where someone from a nearby house said there was a hotel.  I was "shattered" as the woman from the Itchy Boots YouTube channel frequently says when she is super worn out.  I had actually been considering how to just get off the motorcycle when we had to stop.  I was overheated and overtired.

We found the hotel, and I got dropped off.  I explained our situation to the owner who showed me a room with enough beds for all of us.  William went back to see about our motorcycle.  It took them a while to come back.  I was actually getting worried.  I tried taking a shower but had no clean clothes to put on and no soap or shampoo.

Byron had hotwired the motorcycle by-passing the ignition which seemed to be the problem.  William and Kerri had a tumble as they left the spot and fell in the middle of the highway with oncoming traffic.  What a crazy night!  They all made it to the hotel around 9 pm.  Thankfully the hotel had its own restaurant and the owner rustled up some supper.

We were still several hours away from the park.  It seemed inevitable that we would make it.  We all got up a little disappointed and glum.  We got close to the park around noon.  William decided to go on into the nearby city so we could get a switch to be able to turn on and off the ignition without hotwiring it every time and to get lunch.

We were supposed to meet some friends in that city later.  They were still on their way.  So, the decision was made to try to get into the park.  It was a holiday weekend, and they were people all over the city.  Word was getting into the park would be unlikely.  Each group has to pay for a guide to get in.  There are only so many groups allowed in each day.  Off we went...

It was hot as Hades, but we got in!  We were asked if we would accept a local non-professional guide and told we would have to wait and most likely not get in that day if we did not.  We accepted.  Our man was great and had his own motorcycle.  We followed him on the paths around the park with little problem.

Our boys had visited this park when they were all small.  William had really wanted for Kerri to be able to see the prehistoric drawings and unusual geographic features.  We got in and we were so happy.

That night we met up with some friends from closer to home that had ridden out to meet us, or rather the world travelers, that is!

The next day was a Sunday.  We headed to our stop for the night near the Dunas de Casa Nova.  There another friend arrived for the final leg of the big trip into "home" in Sobradinho.  That next day was a blur with photos in Sobradinho and Petrolina before heading to our house to end the big trip.

Our son and daughter-in-law had traveled from the USA to Brazil in 72 days.  We had traveled for a week and spent 5 days together.  There are many more details and stories that could be told.  There were hard times and crazy times, but I wouldn't trade the miles and the days for anything.  I am so glad that my husband and I got to do this.  I am thankful and very grateful.  

My left cheek still hurts from our first fall on the first day.  My husband still has some pain in his ankle.  But it was worth it all.

Thank you to William and Kerri of Stravig ADV for allowing us to tag along, to slow you up and to eat up all your food.  Thank you to Tim Reiner who found a place to stay near the big park and gave a free night's lodging and good food in his home on the last big night.  Thank you to Luis Vinicius who made the effort to accompany us on the final leg, and to Pastor Valdir who came to see the motorcycle from America.

Where shall we go next?