TRAVEL FEATURE - N o r t h A m e r i c a
JOHN ALLRIGHT
THE
ADVENTURER
HAS NO AGE
I
t seems to me that many people
are filled with a nagging sense
of spiritual emptiness, but life
is full of serendipity, too often
we miss the chance meeting, the
beautiful view as we rush to the next
destination. It is easy to forget that it
is the journey that is important, the
people we meet, the sights we see
along the way and the many beautiful
moments consigned to oblivion.
Back in England, after 6 months
away, I found some much needed
work to build up my travelling fund.
A practitioner of meditation, I had
always wanted to experience living
in a Buddhist community and I had
just been accepted to teach English
at an orphanage near Siem Reap,
Cambodia, ‘just let us know when
you are coming’. My plan to visit
South East Asia was formulated but
then … I was doing some remedial
building work at a food blending
factory and chatting to the boss over
a cup of coffee, he told me about
his ambition to ride his motorbike
from Deadhorse, Alaska to Ushuaia,
Argentina.
After a few days thinking I
was hooked, Asia could wait, my
reasoning; that I was 66, it had to be
now whilst I still could.
I am not a planner and my only
thought was to get a bike and head
off. I decided to buy a bike and ship it
over. I found a second-hand Triumph
Tiger 800 XCS; no miles, all the kit
except for panniers. The plan was
to ship it to Alaska but shipping was
a no go as there were no guarantees
of the arrival date, the ship could be
diverted to anywhere on route, flying
the bike and myself too expensive.
Change of plan. I found a regular
ro-ro ferry service Europe to New
York and Baltimore just be a bit
further to Deadhorse, so for £600.00
my Tiger could be on its way, the only
downside being the panniers had to
be empty so I would have to equip
myself in the States.
TRAVERSE 67