After a few weeks of banding about with telephone calls and e-mails between UK and USA, I finally got the tickets booked for a visit to Texas. Stonecoat Inc to be exact in Arlington . The job is to train some guys in the art of stone effect carving (decopierre), and I will stay a few weeks to see if there is a more perminent position with the company. Not much riding to report as my bike will stay here under wraps, but that doesn't mesn I won't be looking for something to ride out there. I got a four page spread in a UK maga2ine called Motorcycle Sport & Leisure. Plus the section header page show my on the Dragon Tail. Great to see some press about my trip.

Horse shoes and turbo bikes.

Running afew days behind blogging my Bennetts Biker Dream has been a juggling act. Some days more things worth a mention happen and fade out the previous day. Today the 8th June, I started early and left the Super8 Motel at 7.15am to get to Manchester within half an hour. This has allowed me an 312 miles spin and an early finish in Kimball South Dakota. So here is a double report to catch up.

SS Badger, the oldest coal fired ferry on lake Michigan was ready and waiting when I rode the 1/2 mile main street Ludington to get to the port. Just 7am and a few cars had already beat me to the queue. the officer in charge of security and his 'sniffer' dog, waited. Carrying any arms, sir? I was tempted to say only these two, but he looked like a man not too happy to be up so early , so refrained.

$118 seemed a bit steep, but the option to ride 200 miles around the lake and through Chicago, was the other one . The 4 hour rest and experience was enough and meeting Liisa, a designer from Harley, plus the daft bingo manon board made the journey worth while.

Corey Clark a Tech teacher and biker who found me via advrider.com and facebook suggested the SS Badger and a visit to his place for beer and a bed for the night. Hard to refuse and a quick call once in Wisconsin ensured a great night of chicken wings, horse shoe throwing and bike talk.

Fame at last. Motorcycle Sport & Leisure a UK motorcycle mag has a nice 4 page spread in their travel section.................... about ME. I posted out short versions of my journey and as well as this great mention, I hear that Bike, Ride and Overland mags will also mention 'one' in their autumn-winter editions. Funny how it was over a year ago that I completed this life changing mission, and the one down-up side is the bug that has bitten. I read a lot about the 'what do you do after' syndrome and have come to the realisation that it really exists. One is supposed to settle down and get back to reality when a great journey is completed, but the fact remains I didn't get to all 33 Manchesters and with another UK couple already on their way to complete a 50 Manchester world trip, I am trying had to get my book finished to get a QED once and for all. My Twitter @Road2Manchester page is suffering with still under 1500 followers, not sure why but just thought I would mention it as 18100 pageimpressions and 8000+ readers on this blog I should have a few more Iguess....... 80( October weather is even wetter with floods and rain for weeks, buttoday Sunday 6th was sunny though colder than recently. The clocks go back shortly which means dark mornings and evenings in Britain. Winter draws on, as they say. TTFN

October 1st 2012 I have to say that September just went by in the blink of an eye and as Autumn (Fall) arrives,the summer that never was has started to dissapear. Searching for work was on the cards, and despite getting a job in a warehouse, the wages are low and hours very long. The UK biking scene has struggled this summer. The rain has fallen just about every day for a month and despite being hot, nobody wants to sweat in full weather gear whilst getting wet on the outside too. At one point I was telling the world I was going back to the USA to work in the stone effect wall sector that I have been involved in here. All was suddenly stopped at the eleventh hour as my hosts pulled out due to 'directors issues'. October is now here and shortly the clocks change to winter time and its dark in the mornings and dark at 4pm. No fun for those working indoors as they only see sunshine at the weekends. Still looking for a better job, I can only stand 6 days, 60 hrs for a short time, and though I love to work, the place and the peoople need to be half resonable. ends

Only in real life... a week like that one

Over the fence at the back of our house, a neighbour was chatting about the weather, the other neighbours and the time of day. The subject of engines came into the conversation and the question did I know about narrowboats. (Barges). My limited knowledge about Perkins diesel engine resulted in an invitation to take a look at it and fix a few issues in exchange for a weeks free rental on the Bridgeater Canal. First visit I located a few leaks in the fuel system and sorted that out. Second visit saw us put-putting down the canal for about 3 miles only to find the engine over heating to 180 degrees, so we returned. The 'free week' coincided with Sharon having a week off work, and a bank holiday weekend so plans `to take the dogs for a few days in the Cheshire countryside at the top speed of 4mph was on the cards. The next berth at the marina had a live-on-board chap who said he was a marine engineer, so with permission to have a look, we set up our gear for a Wednesday sailing. The barge wasn't done and the week was running out, so a change of plan. Get the dogs 'sat out' with family, get the tent out, the motorbike and go to Wales to see the Cardiganshire coast. Early rise, loaded and we set off in a threat of rain but ready for anything. 40 miles down the M56 motorway, I pulled over for petrol, and the bike won't start. Battery flat, NO turn-over..... nothing. With the help of a passing Cheshire Police breakdown truck, I got a jump start and decided to go home rather than take a chance. Car loaded (with more stuff than we had on the bike), we set off again and eventually arrived in Bala with the rain looking inevitable. 15 minutes we were set up, kettle on and it started. Rain, thunder, more rain and a blessing that we were not on the bike after-all. Good old Fish n Chips in the town, a few pints, game of pool, darts and a bit of a shop for breakfast stuff, and we were in bed for 10pm. The campsite was mad busy due to the holiday weekend and the combination of the rain, thunder and partying families a fractious night was the result. The man next door had pitched under a tree that had the effect of bullets hitting a door as the dripping rain added some volume to the rest of the mayhem. In a short respite from the rain, the morning saw us pack up very quickly and hread for the coast. The coast road (A487) is very similar to Highway 1 on the west coast of America, though perhaps not quite as long, or winding, but with the sea on the right and hills on the left, it was close enough. The sun was out and getting warmer, we found a quiet site for £15 a night which though expensive for a 9ft x 4 ft patch of grass was not as bad as the £19 at Bala. With a visit to Aberaeron the highlight of the weekend, we enjoyed that essential English Saturday night meal................ a curry, and a Beer and live band across the road on the harbour. A real gem of a town, busy and very pretty with almost every building a different colour than its neighbours. A 'real' sunset and a 11pm return to camp, the weekend was a real result. We will return to the area, and would like to go back on the bike and I can recommend the area to any traveller. Back home now and with Monday off work, time to reflect and plan another trip.

Time for a major change in life.

What depressing times. Not much work to be had, and struggling to keep the bike (my only transport at the moment). Jobs are rare, and good money even harder to get. About a month ago iwas in contact with Stonecoat in Texas, who promised me a job over in the USA, all bell and whistles, and a month to see if we got on, and then possible long term career in the States. Then nothing.......... eventually and e-mail, stating that it was on hold. GREAT ! ....... Having to do some driver-multidrop work to try and make ends meet, even that has dried up today. 10-12hrs days take their toll, but even that will not settle the bike payment issues, though BMW Finance have been great. On a better note, I got the pictures back that Matt and Alexa had used for the single copy book I got for my birthday this year. So here are a few to see.

Funny how a reasonably simple month long road trip can alter ones whole 'being'. Seeing the other side of the Atlantic and being active on various forums within the Adventure Travel sector http://www.adventurebikerider.com/forum I find myself looking towards travel as a real must do. Sharon is getting the vibe too, as things here get into a daft state of wanting more and ending up with less. Talk of us selling up and moving on are in the throws of making sense...... keep watching.

15th July 2012 where has this year gone. 8500 hits to me blog.....................thanks guys. Fantastic. Funny how life pans out. I has been looking forward to a potential new opening in Texas USA. My proper job 'Decopierre stone effect', has ground to an all time low here in the UK, with NO new enquiries since March, and the other potential work in Bordeaux France suddenly was not forth coming, so contact with Stonecoat Texas, was a great surprie when the owner showed great interest in me getting over there ASAP to help out training, applying and generally becoming the Euro-Face of their operation. Flights planned, dates sorted, lots of calls and e-mails..................... then nothing !!!! No contact for 2 weeks, then a short e-mither saying, its not going to happen after all. Cheers guys ! No explaination, just not at the moment. So back to square one. In the mean time I am doing some multi-drop driving, and how things have changed. 50-60 parcels a day, used to be the norm. That was prettyhard work, but these days 100+ is normal. I have discovered one thing though. 70% of houses do not show the house number. 50% of homes with no number but a name, do not show the name on the gate post, or a legible sign that can be seen from a van, in the rain. (Can't imagine what its like in the dark winter months). and the bigger the house, the less likely it is that the owners add a sign or number though they find time to have a 'Private Road' or 'No Parking'or even better 'No Turning' sign fitted. IF YOUR HOUSE HAS A NAME, PUT A SIGH UP THEN DRIVE AT 15 MPH, IN THE RAIN, AND SEE IF YOU CAN SEE IT. AND putting the sign on the gate itself, then going out leaving the gate open, means the sign can NOT be seen ...... WHILST ON LINE ORDERING YOUR TAT, ORDER A bloody house number or sign. Or you might not get the tat at all. GRIPE OVER. Now this is a road............. NO TURNING signs not needed.