Day 2 (Thursday, 29DEC11)

The Wild Adventures of Roaming Hamsters...

Day 2...The Torture Continues

Miles - 100
Time -  2.5 hours

I don't think either of us were very happy about having to wake up this morning...let alone get up.  We were both feeling the "newness" of riding--physically speaking.  My legs didn't fall asleep today, but my sits bones are so tender and I'm in constant need of a shoulder massage.

Now, I know that a lot of you are shocked and surprised at the great distances we've logged each day, and it's amazing how fast we're traveling, but I just want to let you all know that we're doing just fine with our glacial-esque pace.  We're in the running for a world record of something for sure!  (Possibly with plate-tecntonics.)

Today we got lost trying to find the freeway in Salinas after taking a detour and I think we made a loop around the town looking for Highway 101.  (Christian René was right, we should've followed the Highway Patrol car...he confessed begrudgingly.)

Anyway, our top speed is about 65 mph but our average speed is around 60 mph.  Needless to say, we're not going very fast.  The up-side to this is that we're never worried about being pulled over for speeding.  And no, we're not worried about getting pulled over for going too slow, either.

Our plan today was to go to Hearst Castle and then camp at the San Simeon State Park but that plan changed when we realized how tired we were and also how close we were to Paso Robles and a possible FREE upgraded hotel room with a pool, hot tub and exercise room included.  What would YOU do????

BEFORE the rest......





So, we pulled over at a rest stop, called, and made a reservation for some much needed R&R.  My butt was very grateful, and so were my shoulders.  We stretched and walked and took a few pictures.  We're still having fun.

AFTER the rest......

After we were checked out by a throng of hotel workers and passers by (because we look so cool) and checked in to the hotel, we unloaded the bikes with the aid of that special contraption invented to make all travelers who are far from home with way too much stuff and shuttled our gear to our small piece of heaven.





Scenic Paso Robles

Next came lunch...  We took Maggie (the F650--my motorcycle).  It was just the two of us, like old times, zipping around town for fun.  She (Maggie) was light on her wheels and a joy to ride sans all the heavy gear.

We ate sushi and walked around the quaint little square/downtown area of Paso Robles.  They have some really fun shops; we stopped in one and I tried on some cute shoes, after all I  am still a girl!  I still love cute shoes, regardless of my all-to-attractive biker-chic look, complete with my ski-boot-like riding boots, my messy hair, no lip gloss and a downgrading of accessories and jewelry.  I am, however, glad that my fingernails and toenails were very nicely painted just before our departure, so that eased my mind of being put in the I-don't-care-how-I-look-because-I'm-a-hardcore-biker category.  I am still trying to figure out how to do my hair so that I don't have "helmet-head" all the time.

Heaven On Earth

Anyway, enough about all that.  We came back to the hotel and retired to the hot tub.  Boy was it heavenly.  We got in and practically melted with relaxation.  Christian René was actually floating face down in the water he was so relaxed!  (Cute for the first 30 seconds, but slightly disconcerting after he began to turn blue! hahahaha)  It was just what we needed; I've never been so happy to be a hot tub in my life.  I think whenever we have a house, we're going to have a hot tub installed!

Yadda, yadda, yadda, we have been relaxing to the therapeutic comedy of The Big Bang Theory.

I don't think either of us realized how physically tiring daily-riding would be for either of us.  We sound like wimps, I know.  But, imagine it like this--it's like being pushed over and over for 2.5 hours and having to resist, sort of like one of those old time inflatable punching bags for kids.  It's also equivalent to typing on a desk a little too high for you to be comfortable and typing for hours.  As far as hands go, it's like doing squeezing exercises over and over.  The resistance may not be very much but the repetition is tiring.  A veritable full-body work-out.  Surprisingly, my feet are tired too!  I don't have any idea why that may be, but a foot rub is always in order at the end of the day...or, at least that's what I tell Christian René!  (wink, wink)  It feels like I've walked as far as I've driven.

A Journey of A Thousand Miles Begins...with a stop sign

The Wild Adventures of Roaming Hamsters...

It's the day you've all been waiting for.......our adventure has begun!  We left Christian René's parents' house this afternoon and arrived safely in Salinas, California.

We're young, in love, happy and alive!

Check out his kick stand...I think we're going to have to get that fixed or reenforced soon.

You can't see it, but my kickstand is just fine.

Stopped for gas making a phone call

I figured you would want to see the evidence that we're still alive and well and happy so I put the photos first.  

What a day!  It was only decided a few days ago that we were going to leave for our trip.  I know that sounds spontaneous, although we've been planning the trip for months, we have been waiting for the right time to pack up and leave.  We'd been at Christian René's parents' house since October and I think we wore out our welcome (or close to it). 

In the interest of time and this being the first blog of the actual trip and the fact that I'm ready to fall asleep, I will list the events of the day, hour by hour.  Here it goes:

9:00 am   Breakfast (yummy coffee cake)

10:00 am Seal up our storage (Rats got into a few of our boxes)

11:00 am Seal up our storage...still

12:00 pm Load up Motorcycles (We have a TON of stuff and are already thinking of what we can leave.)

1:00 pm   Start up the motorcycles and hit the road

2:00 pm   Vallejo, CA (1 hour of riding. First time riding on the freeway for LaNova.  I did awesome.)

3:00 pm   East Bay, CA (Had to pull over on the freeway to reattach a loose strap.)

3:37 pm   Saw our favorite sign on our way from San Fran to LA..."Coyote Creek Golf Drive"

4:00 pm   Got on Highway 101

5:00 pm   Stopped in Salinas, California to get gas but decided to stay instead of riding in the dark.

5:30 pm   Checked into a hotel

6:00 pm   Ate a yum-o dinner at IHOP

7:00 pm   Ate free dinner at the hotel (Sloppy Joe's and salad)

7:05 pm   Checked out the indoor pool and exercise room.  I miss exercise!

8:00 pm   Watched TV and relaxed. Checked our Facebook and blog

9:00 pm   Updating blog

Needless to say, we're both tired.  My shoulders are aching, my butt went to sleep during the ride (which means it's well rested already) and I'm doing just fine.  Christian René is tired.  I told him that he's a wimp compared to me because he was ready for bed at 7:00 pm and I was thinking about taking a dip in the pool.    

We're glad to be together and have had a feeling of peace about our travels all day.  

We should be arriving in Camarillo/Thousand Oaks tomorrow and we're looking forward to being back in Southern California and seeing all our friends.

9:27 pm   Zzzzzzzzzz.................

We haven't left yet...

The Wild Adventures of Roaming Hamsters...

Blog update: We haven't left yet.

Departure date

The Wild Adventures of Roaming Hamsters...

Well, due to circumstances out of our control, we have moved our departure date back a little bit to November 11, 2011.  Sooo....now the departure date is 11-11-11!

We needed to get new tires put on the motorcycles, that's it.

Now, I know you all are excited for us to start our adventure and we are excited as well and I have to say we've appreciated all the support and shared excitement.  Having said that, we know that this is not a normal trip that everyone wants to take and probably not in places people normally want to go.  We know there are safety issues especially since we're riding our motorcycles.  But we've done a ton of research, we have friends in different countries to help us and we've talked to people who go down south all the time and love it.

We appreciate all your concerns for our safety.  We promise to remain cautious at all times and in all places.

We do have a few safety measures in place.  I think the biggest one is our SPOT.  We each have one.  It's an emergency locator beacon that works with GPS so that people can see where we are and how we're doing.  (If you want to know how they work check out their webpage - www.findmespot.com). There is a Mobius Travelers page on our Mobius Travelers facebook page.  (That sounded redundant but all you avid facebookers will know what I mean.)

We have lots of safety gear that ranges from clothing that has all the protection in the right places (think football player + soccer player + construction worker riding a motorcycle with heavy cordura pants and jacket instead of spandex), to boots and gloves and tons of research.  We've asked a lot of people who have lived in these different countries or have traveled extensively in these countries advice and we even have people in different countries who can give us the inside scoop of what to look out for.

We've also registered with the State Department so they will know of all the countries we will be visiting with approximate arrival and departure dates.

And last but not least, I'm going to try really, really, really hard to update our blog once a day so people will know how we're doing.

Oh wait, THIS is the last but not least and the most important of all, we're going to make sure we're constantly listening to the Holy Ghost.  We'll be reading our scriptures and saying our prayers and attending different Temples along our way as well as church on Sundays, fasting on fast sundays, paying our tithing and all the things we've been taught that have kept us safe and "in tune" all our lives.  We're relying on the Lord's promise in the Doctrine and Covenants that says, "I, the Lord am bound when ye do what I say, but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise".  I figure if we're doing all the things the Lord has asked of us, then he'll bless us with his spirit to keep us out of harms way if we're listening.

So, starting Friday November 11, 2011, there will be a blog post everyday and you all can see the ups and downs of traveling through many different countries on a motorcycle with your spouse.    The good and the bad, the funny and the serious, the tears and joys and the best part for you is that you can enjoy the experience at home in a comfortable chair.  Or, maybe it'll inspire you to get off your chair and come visit us!!!  Machu Picchu anyone???

Will it all fit?!?!?!?!

The Wild Adventures of Roaming Hamsters...

All our gear...or most of it anyway.

I thought I'd give you guys a visual right off the bat of what we're dealing with here.

The next photo you'll see is of me screaming in desperation knowing that I have 6 days to be completely ready for our trip.

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Okay, there's no photo so you'll just have to imagine it.

But we do only have 6 days until we need to be completely ready to leave and that does cause some stress.

The feelings I have besides stress are...excitement, apprehension, I'm feeling impatient, nervous, and I'm pretty much just ready to be done with all the planning and packing and research and planning and packing and research and start seeing all the cool things I've been reading about.

I'm trying to think of things to write about, but my brain is swirling and twirling and I can't seem to catch any of the thoughts long enough to write about them.

The "lists" are getting shorter though!  That's some good news!  I only have a few more things to buy....socks...and...ummm...I'll have to look at my list.

I still have to pack up stuff we won't be using or taking with us, I have to get ALL of our stuff out of the house of the generous Parent-in-laws, I'm still trying to find places to stay along our way (so check out our route tabs) to keep more cash in our pockets, and I'm trying to find and decide on all of the cool things I want to see and do. 

You probably can't see it very well, but we just spulurged and bought a Macbook Air.  It's pretty.  We will start a list...another list of all the things we're taking and I'm hoping...hoping, hoping that we'll be able to keep track of what we used and how often we used it as well as what we didn't use at all. I'm looking forward to seeing what we didn't use. 

We have sooo much stuff!  If we didn't have camping stuff...(I hear there is good camping in South America)...we wouldn't have as much stuff.  I should take a picture of how much stuff we would take if we didn't have camping stuff.  We'd probably just have clothes....I could take more clothes!!  As it is, I am taking 1 pair of pants, 1 pair of shorts, one skirt and 5 shirts.  That's it.  For any of you that know me, well, you know I'll be suffering for cute clothes and shoes.  You probably won't realize it unless you always read the blog and see me wearing the same thing everyday....oh, wait, I will be wearing the same thing everyday.  I'll be wearing my same pants and jacket and soon you'll all be able to tell me where they're starting to wear.

I'm afraid you'll be able to see the wear on me as well....wrinkles, tan, no tan, white hairs, weight...whatever wear you see in me, please, don't tell me.

Sleep is very important at this stage in our trip planning.  It's imperitive for keeping our good humor and calmness.  So is TV.  It's a de-stresser.  So, I'm going to watch some TV and then I'm going to sleep. 

The countdown has begun....

The Wild Adventures of Roaming Hamsters...

We have to be out of our little house a week from this Friday which is September 30, 2011.  We'll be staying in Petaluma until November 1, 2011 which is our departure date.  CRAZY!!!

So, I have 85% of our house and possessions packed up.  We were fortunate to buy a small trailer from a friend of ours which is really going to come in handy for moving all our stuff.

As I've been packing and unpacking I've been thinking about all the times I've had to move.  I have quite a few moves under my belt and yesterday Christian said..."You are so good at packing and moving! I don't care what anyone says".  I had to laugh.

Due to the stress, my wonderful and thoughtful husband made an appointment for me to get a massage today.  It was just what I needed.

What a guy!!

Lists here, lists there, lists everywhere....

The battle of lists has begun. 

As the time slips rapidly away for the time of our departure, we've begun writing lists in attempt to keep ourselves organized.  While it is very helpful to Christian, it is very stressful for me.  I see all the stuff we have to do and my brain goes into panic mode.  Never-the-less, we are going to persevere and make all the lists we possibly can so we can feel confident we didn't forget anything.  Please, if you think of something we've forgotten on one of our lists, feel free to let us know!

Here are a few of the lists that we have going:

Church Wards and Branches along our route
Temples along our route
Bishops
Missions
Mission office info

Projects in the areas we'll be going through
Contacts of the projects
Types of projects

We have a list of things Christian is responsible for such as:
He needs to list what gear we have, what gear we need and then figure out what gear we're going to take.

We have a list of US Embassy locations
We have a list of countries that require tourist visas
We have a list of countries that don't require tourist visas
I will be making a list of what is required to get the visas we need

We have a list of things we need to do before we leave as well as lists of lists of lists concerning those things.

See how I could become overwhelmed??  I was doing okay up until I stated writing this post and looking at our past lists and making this list of all the things that I still have to do.

But I will persevere!  I will not let these lists get the better of me!  I will check things once, twice and then cross something OFF the list and I will be the new "Conquerer of Lists! 

So far:
Lists 1
LaNova 0

Victory Shall Be Ours

The Wild Adventures of Roaming Hamsters...

It should go without saying that LaNova and I are excited to be getting married...but that the wait has been grueling.  Today represents a significant blow to that impetus foe!  We received the "go-ahead" to get married.  And, thus, with all of the speed and ferocity of a whirlwind...we embark on a hasty attack--a blitz, to strike against the evil that has plagued us with patience!


Friday, 1 July 2011 -- We shall be...
MISTER AND MISSES CHRISTIAN RENÉ LORAINE!!!

Post-Prelude...

The wild adventures of roaming hamsters...


As LaNova and I attempt to chronicle the misadventures of our contemporary version of "East Meets West".  For all those of you who stand East of the great state line (California/Nevada), there will be a short tutorial following.


Stay tuned for the next episode of The Wild Adventures of Roaming Hamsters, when LaNova attempts to make the great odyssey from a comfortable two bedroom apartment to a shoebox!

We've been talking about creating a blog for all of our friends and family to follow us when we start traveling for a while now and decided on the word MÖBIUS.  For any of you who are unfamiliar with the word (as I was) google it.  I thought it was a good word to describe us and our travel ambitions. 


As far as the "Laughing Hyenas and Wild Hamsters" are concerned, here's how that all came about.....


It was a cool evening in Camarillo, California.  Christian and I decided we wanted to get some ice cream at the local Baskin Robins for a treat.  We arrived and just as we were getting out of the car saw a  group of people walking in the store and decided we didn't want to wait around for them to decide what flavor they wanted so we changed directions and went to get something else from the grocery store across the parking lot.


After we got what we needed (ziplock bags) and were on our way back across the parking lot to the ice cream Christian said, "Look, a rat."  I looked at him and then realized he was talking about an actual rat that had just scurried across the road.  I didn't see it.  


(We're both laughing trying to remember exactly how the conversation went.)


Anyway, he said something about it being a rat, then the size of the rat being as big as a squirrel and then something about a wild hamster...(still laughing...) and I busted out laughing at the thought of a WILD hamster and then said "Like a ferrel hamster?" We both laughed at that and then I couldn't stop laughing at the thought of a hamster fending for itself in the wild, trying to fend off dangerous predators and searching for "hamster food".  


So wild hamster stuck and every time I think about a wild hamster I can't help but giggle.


I don't know how laughing hyenas came into play.... probably because we were laughing at "wild hamster"...


I'm not sure who the laughing hyena is in this relationship or who the wild hamster is. What do you think???

The adventure begins...........

The wild adventures of roaming hampsters...

Dang it! We wrote something really funny and clever and it totally rejected our witty About Us banter. 

Christian laments, "Oh, that the 'back' button could go back and pull up those lost pearls of wisdom. But, alas, we are destined to great woe and sorrow. What ever shall we do?" he said, dangling from the end of the rope.

Meanwhile...

LaNova recalled the escapade with much jubilation, rejoicing, "Alleluia! An end to the drama. Finally."

He's a bit dramatic folks. Handsome as anything, but sometimes a bit dramatic.