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MESSAGES OF SUPPORT FROM NEW FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY

Friday, 15 May, 2009.

Eastern Daily Press

Amazing global journey on two wheels

LAURA DEVLIN

22/04/2009

Lesley and Nick Poole who have just returned from a round the world trek on a BMW R1150 GS Adventurer motorbike.

They got caught up in political turmoil, suffered sickness, endured mechanical gremlins in the jungle and had one or two anxious moments...

But they also came across some of the friendliest people you could ever wish to meet, and in the unlikeliest places.

For former police officers Nick and Lesley Poole, the world was their oyster during a global trip that took almost three years to complete.

Now, having covered 89,000 miles on a second-hand BMW motorbike, the Wymondham couple are back home - or nearly, because they've taken up residence for the time being in what they call a garden shed across the Suffolk border at Wattisfield.

But Nick and Lesley have no intention of returning to domestic bliss just yet - they are already planning their next adventure, a cycling tour of Africa.

On their motorbike travels they took in North and South America, Australia and South-East Asia.

“We met because we were in the police force and there was a mutual interest in motorcycling which brought us together,” said Nick, 52, who served as a full-time motorcyclist with the Norfolk force and was once the youngest police instructor in the country.

“It's a lovely romantic idea, taking a vehicle from home and seeing the world, but it is an expensive luxury shipping out the bike, and then there's the maintenance.

“We were lucky, as I retired from the police with a small pension and we had the property to rent out. And we were very comfortably off compared to some of the other places in the world.”

“We both loved Colombia. After all the hype and expectations that you will probably get caught up in the crossfire of drugs cartel shootings, it was the nicest country with the friendliest people.

“And I have to say there was nothing that was a heart-stopping moment: where you are going to die!

“We were in a beautiful park with wax palms, which is the national tree, and there was no one else around when coming towards us were four or five scruffy-looking guys in camouflage gear with assault rifles slung over their backs.

“For a few seconds we didn't know whether to run or hide, but as they walked closer to us they were smiling, and it was the military.”

On another occasion they were pressurised by young military conscripts who demanded money for their families. Thinking on his feet, Nick replied: “Gracias, senor” when one of the soldiers held out a bank-note. A tense situation dissolved into laughter.

“It was the adventure of a lifetime, and it was even more than living the dream,” said Lesley, 51, who served with Suffolk Constabulary.

“You think you are going to ride a motorcycle around the world but you don't have any idea of all the different things you are going to experience, and seeing all the people - they are just amazing.

“The less people have the more generous they seem to be; they will give you anything. Little families in Guatemala would give you their last tortilla - and always smiling!”

The couple set off on their epic journey in July 2006, visiting 28 countries and returning on Good Friday this year, when the theft of Nick's mobile phone came as

an unfortunate welcome-home-to- Britain experience.

Towards the end they got caught up in the violent turmoil in Bangkok involving the People's Alliance for Democracy in Thailand, and this forced them to abandon a planned excursion into India.

“The TV and radio station building right behind us had bullet holes in the wall, and the airport was shut for 10 days, which put the kibosh on our plans.

“I was really ill at the time and had to have blood tests, so we holed up in Kuala Lumpur and then decided: 'Let's go home now,'” said Nick.

“When I bought the BMW R1150 GS Adventurer it only had 1,000 miles on the clock. It's now got 103,500 and it did 89,000 on the trip. We had a few mechanical problems, mainly running gear. We had bearings go, oil seals fail and the electrics went big- time in the jungle in Malaysia.”

Total strangers helped them out, providing transport, a roof over their heads and food and drink while the bike was being repaired, as well as showing them local places of interest.

And what now, after all that excitement?

“We are living in a garden shed at Wattisfield at the moment. Renting out the house at Wymondham is now a business: we are not planning to go back, and we have got another adventure lined up.

“We are pedal cycling to Africa. We thought that we would have a change of pace, and it's a lot cheaper!” said Nick.

                                          See more of their pictures at www.pooleglobaltrek.com

21 April, 2009.

Hello & Congratulations.

 I don't know if you remember us but we met you in Key Largo, Florida. We are Richard, Anna-May and the 4 kids. We have followed your blog and will miss the updates and the stories. We are glad you are home safe and sound. Please put me down on your list for a signed copy of your book.

Regards and all the best, Richard

 Richard Taekema
Acosta Canada - Customer Manager
E-Mail:  rtaekema@acosta.com
Phone:  604) 513-5539

Sunday, 19th April, 2009.

Home at Last

By email

I have followed your journey with admiration and some jealousy since we met in Parkersburg, West "By God" Virginia USA. I was one of the three motorcyclists who talked with you at the motel.  My only regret is that because we had been on the road ten hours and were pooped that we did not spend more time with you and Lesley.  I guess when you finally got to Europe and got the bit between your teeth that home wasn't far away.  I was sad that you missed the trip through the Punjab but look on the bright side . . . that's trip for another day.

Best regards,

Herb Poole, (your distant cousin?)

Statesville, North Carolina USA

Eastern Daily Press

14th October 2008

They’ve travelled to the other side of the world, but Norfolk motorcycling couple Nick and Lesley Poole just keep going, as ANGI KENNEDY discovers.

Bikers live the dream

IF YOU ENJOYED WATCHING THE EXPLOITS OF MOTORCYCLE-MAD ACTORS EWAN MCGREGOR AND CHARLEY BOORMAN on TV during their Long Way Round and Long Way Down mammoth bike trips, then you’ll understand the attraction of Nick and Lesley Poole’s three-year quest.

Unlike the celebrity bikers who undertook their rides around the world and from Scotland to Cape Town, this Wymondham couple have had no TV crew and medics with them and no large back-up team at home organising their safe passage from country to country. Rather, Nick and Lesley Poole are living their dream themselves, travelling by motorbike at their own speed and following the road wherever it takes them. And so far, the road has taken them over two years and some 79,000 miles.

To date they have clocked up 21 countries in their journey, from Norfolk to Canada, USA, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and now to Thailand.

From there, Nick and Lesley, who worked for Norfolk and Suffolk police and who are now both in their 50s, e-mailed EDP2 with news of their latest plans. “We’re currently in a hot and humid Kanchanaburi, Thailand, where we’re renting a house boat on the River Kwai,” they said. “From our deck we can see the bridge made famous by the film, and all for £8 a night! “We’re heading north towards Chang Mai where we hope it will be cooler. From there, we drop into Lao, Cambodia, and back to Thailand and Bangkok to sort shipping to India.”

They still have a long way and time to go before they expect to be home. Currently, they intend to be back in Wymondham in mid-June next year, just right for their son’s wedding – by which time they will have been away for almost three years.

The trip was a long-held dream for the couple, who share a passion for motorbikes. It was, in fact, bikes that brought them together 30 years ago; they met at a police training course when they fell into a heated discussion about motorbike great Barry Sheene! Just 10 days later the couple were engaged.

Although they had ridden their motorcycle across Europe, their ambition was to bike around the world and three years ago their plans began to take shape. Nick retired from Norfolk police after 30 years’ service – unsurprisingly he was a police motorcyclist and had earned the distinction of being one of the youngest bike instructors in the country back in 1984. Lesley had worked with the Suffolk Constabulary.

With their two sons, Daniel and Ian, in their 20s, the Pooles decided it was “now or never”.

The workhorse for their trip was to be a second-hand BMW GS1150 Adventure that cost £8,000 – they have certainly got their money’s worth from the bike so far! By the time they return to Norfolk, the Pooles expect to have clocked up 200,000 miles on their meandering routes.

They set up a website before they left and along the way they have been keeping it updated with news and photographs of their experiences. And most recently they have written of some wonderful times in Thailand, where they managed to take a brief break from the open road.

In recent updates they wrote: “On the west coast of Karon we based ourselves at the quiet end of a crescent-shaped beach and pretended we were on holiday for a few days, exposing ourselves to the hot, burning sun and swimming in the clear, turquoise sea.” But it has not all been so easy. Crossing Australia, for instance, meant many back-achingly long days on the bike, and there have been several worrying moments when the faithful BMW has shown the signs of wear and tear. But, as they told EDP2: “This adventure has without doubt changed our perspective on the world, and made us realise that it is filled with fantastic people.

“Some are struggling more than others, but all are struggling with their countries’ politicians and the policies they adopt without consulting the people. The poor appear to get poorer and the rich richer... no change there then! “The bottom line is that everyone is trying to put food on the table for their families, and it doesn’t matter where you are. Most people, whether from an indigenous hill tribe in the Andes or the city of Santiago in Chile, are happy to see a stranger passing through and will help you where they can. “I think also we realise how fortunate we are to be able to fulfil our dream.”

 6th October 2008,

From Pico Picolomini, Thailand.

Dear Les & Nick,
It was a real pleasure for Sao and me to meet both of you. You are wonderfully energetic. The photo is just great.
Unknowingly you have given me a lot to think. If I would venture out, it might be more prudent to do it with a BMW bike converted to my needs. Why? Well, I find Honda shops at every corner but by the time one finds one able to handle big bikes many years may have passed.
That is different with BMW around the world, no BMW at every corner but always into big bikes and a better chance of being trained. But the seat must be turned into a sofa. I never would have your 120.000km keister endurance.
We wish you a 100% save journey; we will be following you cyber-wise.
With fond regards,
Sao + Pico

September 2008

Greetings from Nick  and Lesley.

We received this kind message from Roger Anderson, the preacher who said a prayer for us when we were in Mexico, he even said a prayer for the mechanic who was going to look after our bike!!

Hi, I am Roger Anderson and we met in San Augustinillio in Mexico. I am Presbyterian Pastor and Missionary to East Africa and have been reading you news which is very inspiring.

I Hope you are feeling better Nick, I am saying a pray right now for your health and safety.

Love and Blessings, Roger,   WW 2 Naval pilot

August 2008

Around the world motorcycle journey rolls into Coonawarra

BY JASON WALLACE, The Penola Pannant.                                                  

AN English couple who left home two years ago on a motorbike totravel around the world spent last week in Coonawarra sharing tales of their journey with a “long lost cousin”.

Nick and Lesley Poole shipped their BMW motorcyle from England to Canada to begin their journey on July 1, 2006, in Halifax on Canada’s east coast and have since clocked up 120,000km.

“We are a couple of Poms on the road - we’re both loving it and will never be the same again,” Nick told

The Pennant. “After leading structured lives with a career, appointments, deadlines and occasional holidays here and there we’ve cast that all off and become a pair of nomadic gypsies.”

The pair has visited Alaska, zigzagged from the east to west coast of the US down to the Florida Keys, traversed the Gulf of Mexico and explored Central and South America. “I come from a motorcycling family - my father and grandfather had bikes and I have too,” Nick said. “There was always that dream to do the ultimate bike ride around the planet.”

With their sons now aged over 20, the pair of former police officers decided to move on from raising a family and working full-time to using their pension and income from renting a house to travel, rather than seek an idle retirement. “We’ve lost three friends since we’ve been away and this morning heard of another friend with bowel cancer,” Lesley said. “You don’t know when your number will be up so have to go out and enjoy life while you can.”

Nick and Lesley have equipped their motorcycle with camping equipment, living cheap on the road and spending from a few weeks up to several months in some countries. “It’s always been enough time to have a scout around and get under the surface of the country, meet people and find out how they click,” Nick said.

The couple spent four months in New Zealand, visiting friends and exploring both the north and south

Islands, before flying to Brisbane on June 11, travelling up the east coast and along the Top End to Broome. “We then went down to Perth and into the wet, cold winter weather,” Nick said, adding the couple then crossed the Nullarbor and stayed with a cousin in Barossa. “We spent time warming up there by the log fire then rode here to Coonawarra.”

The couple stayed with their fellow motorcycle enthusiast cousin, Bruce Gregory, last week, who immigrated to Australia with his mother and siblings in the 1960s. “The whole family left the UK to start a new life,” Nick said. “After all these years we’re now starting to get to know each other.”

Nick and Lesley planned to head along the Great Ocean Road at the weekend and then spend time in

Melbourne. Their journey will then take them through central Australia, travelling to Darwin before they head to South East Asia to continue exploring. After viewing the Himalayas, the couple then hopes to travel through Iran, Turkey and back to Europe. “We’re probably looking at another year or two by the time we get back,” Nick said.

Lesley said she would be keen to undertake more journeys when the current global circuit ends, but take two motorcycles next time. “The good side is I can look around, but I wish we’d done it on two bikes,” she said. She said she had enjoyed breathtaking sites around the world, from watching grisly bears fishing for salmon and feeding their babies and viewing whales near the Nullarbor and off Argentina, to exploring the Bolivian salt flats, “which are flat for as far as you can see”.

“We rode for 100km and the horizon didn’t change and there was not a sound, just white,” she said. The Iguazu Falls at the junction of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil were also “awesome”, she said. Nick said he was stunned by the Machu Picchu settlement on the mountaintops of Peru, built by the Incas. “Up in these massive mountains there is this graphite formation full of trees and up on top a little town, which is spectacular,” he said.

Lesley said the couple had learnt a lot about travelling during the journey. “We were used to two weeks holiday in summer and two in winter and it was interesting to see how we would get on long-term together 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” she said. “But we’ve survived that - it’s been great.”

Nick said modern communications also made the journey easier. “If you have an ounce of commonsense and a bit of adventurousness, anyone can do it,” he said.

Nick Poole pictured on the Bolivian Salt Flats, where Lesley had some fun with the camera playing with the unusual backdrop.

 More images of the couple’s journey are available at www.pooleglobaltrek.com

7th March 2009

Easy riders fulfil free-wheeling dream

By Matt Rilkoff, Friday, 07 March 2008

CAMERON BURNELL/Taranaki Daily News

"Nick and Lesley Poole have travelled through 17 countries and covered 92,000km so far on their BMW motorbike."

An interview with English couple Nick and Lesley Poole takes one question.

For the past 18 months the pair have been travelling around the world by motorbike and yesterday stopped in at New Plymouth.

After a short how do you do?’ their stories poured forth with little prompting.

“It was always a dream of mine since I was a little kid. So now that we’re doing It, you could say we’re fulfilling and living the dream,’ Mr Poole said.

“It’s just such a great way to travel. You’re right in the environment, right there with the elements,” Mrs Poole said.

The pair started their travels In Nova Scotia, on Canada’s east coast and have ridden their BMW adventure bike 92,000km through the jungles of Columbia, deserts of Argentina and now the highways of New Zealand. “We weren’t going to go to Colombia but everyone we met said we’d regret it if we didn’t go. It’s beautiful and the people were lovely,” Mr Poole said.

“There are dangerous places in every country, just like there are safe places, and Bogota wasn’t any different to any European city,” Mrs Poole said.

The retired pair are half way through their journey and keep everyone updated on their progress with regular reports on their website.

“A friend of ours does the website so we just send him e-mails with an update. We both do them without conferring so they can be a bit different. Lesley gives a bit more of a feminine view than me,” Mr Poole said. “I’ll read his when it gets put on the website and think ‘well, no, It didn’t happen quite like that’,” Mrs Poole said.

The couple’s route home to England will take them through Australia, South-East Asia and the Middle East. Their ETA is some time in the future.

21st January 2008.

Hello Lesley, I met you a few days ago as we crossed by Cordoba. I would like to have known you both a lot more but instead I command you to take some pictures. Very nice website, greetings and good luck!

I hope to find you both some other time by Argentine!!!     Gabriel...

29^th June, 2007.

Hello Nick and Leslie, Tim here - we met in Costa Rica at the end of May; I was riding a GS like yours. 

I've just got home to London from Buenos Aires, my final destination, and picked up a copy of MCN - you were in it!  Of course you knew that, but it was a nice surprise for me. I gather you met up with my mate Josh in Ecuador too?

I hope everything's going well for you. Best of luck with the rest of your epic journey,

Tim, at www.timjamesmorgan.com

8^th June 2007

NICKO & LESLEY
Hello there....it's been a while now but I just found your pictures and wanted to wish you the BEST on the rest of your journey - BE SAFE.

Enclosed are the pictures we took in front of my
‘SCOOTER'S DELI’ ...enjoyed your company ... Hope you enjoyed the deli sandwiches?
I'll keep looking to see where you’re at...
God Bless ---- Be safe,
Scooter Joe, Titusville, Florida, USA.

15th May 2007

Rear Wheel Bearing Failure!

Hi Nick and Leslie

That was a bit of bad news on the bevel drive front. We have just returned from Spain and Portugal, and I found we had knackered our new bevel drive big bearing. It was a bit of a shock as it was new last August and had only done 11000 miles. I know it was OK before the trip because I changed the oil and the magnet was clean. I have not bothered to go back and complain because I believe the bearing was not faulty, and was fitted OK. I believe it was due to the bike being a bit overloaded with the 2 of us and all our camping gear, and being ridden over some very rough tarmac roads (30mph maximum speed) Portuguese cobbled streets (1st and 2nd gear maximum speed) as well as a few Spanish gravel and dirt roads at up to 40mph, all with the camping gear on.

It seems like we have found the limits of the design. I knew the bevel gear was failing because on very smooth bits of road on a closed throttle at about 50mph in top gear I could feel a faint thrum thrum thrum of vibration which corresponded with the rotation of the back wheel. When I got home I drained the oil out and the magnet was covered with a little heap of metal flakes.

I decided that if it was going to happen as easily as that I would need to know how to fix it, so I mended it myself. It was actually quite straight forward for someone used to fixing things, and I now feel confident I could do it on a campsite, if I had to. I'm not suggesting you should do the same. There is a bloke called Steptoe on the UK GSer site who carries a spare bearing on trips to Morocco, and claims he can do it at the side of the road.

I knew the bike was overloaded, as I had weighed everything including us in our gear, and we were about 10 - 20 kg over the bikes maximum gross weight, but I thought I had solved that with a £500 Ohlins rear shock. The handling and suspension is fine.

The problem is not just the weight, as we went to Austria last October with no problems, so I think it must be the combination of the weight and riding on very rough roads, which might be relevant to you. You were OK in Canada and the USA but had problems further south.

If you catch it early it need not cost a lot to repair. The bearing is £32 from Motorworks. If the old oil seal is not leaking you can leave it in and save another £16, and also if you catch it early you are not riding around with all those metal flakes going round the other bearings.

You need to be familiar with what it feels like. Yours should be OK, so put the bike on the centre stand and rotate the back wheel by hand. It should feel silky smooth. If the surface is flaking off the bearing there will be a slight roughness. It is not much, but I am sure a sensitive guy like you could feel it. Also, if Leslie presses the back of the bike down and you hold the top of the wheel you may be able to rock it slightly from side to side. The big bearing affected is basically the wheel bearing. Once you know what it feels like when it is good you will know when something is wrong.

You've already had it once, and you know it's not such a big deal, so I hope I have not ruined your day, and if you can't sleep at 2am at least you will have something to think about.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87214&page=2&highlight=bearing - a little light reading

http://www.motorworks.co.uk/bmw/home.php - Motorworks catalogue

Keep you a troshin' anyway.

All the best from Philip and Anne

6th April 2007

Hello Lesley and Nick.

This is Mariana from La Botella de Leche hostel.

I send all my love and hope to see you soon.

Good luck; Mariana.

I send you this last picture of you !

Love Mariana

11th January 2007

I was sent this photo of the Tropic of Cancer sign by Steve, another traveller.

Les and I passed the sign but didn’t stop for a picture – I was enjoying the road too much.

--------

Hi Nick, here is the picture of the Tropic of Cancer I promised you, Vaya bien!
Cheers, Steve Hauser.

Norfolk's Eastern Daily Press; 23rd December 2006.

Mexico stop-off for duo

A Norfolk couple who set off on a motorcycle trek around the world in June will spend Christmas in Mexico. Nick and Lesley Poole expect to clock up about 200,000 miles on their epic journey, riding a second-hand BMW GS1150 Adventure. They have already covered 25,000 miles across Canada, Alaska and other American States and are expecting to circumnavigate the globe within three years. It is a lifetime ambition for Mr Poole, who was a former police motorcyclist with Norfolk Police, and his wife who served with the Suffolk Police. Follow their progress at www.pooleglobaltrek.com.

15th December 2006; Bandera, Texas.

WHEN I SEEN YOUS WALKEN DOWN THE MAIN STREET IN BANDERA I THOUGHT TO
MYSELF, THEM FOLKS DONT BE LOOKIN LIKES THEYS FROM ROUND HERE!
      THANKS FOR HAVING A BEER WITH US AND SHARING YOUR ADVENTURES. I
WILL NOT FORGET YOU AND YOUR JOURNEY. I WILL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE
NEW INFO ON YOUR WEBSITE. BEST WISHES FOR A SAFE TRIP.

ED AND KAREN LONGHURST,

SILVER SADDLE REAL ESTATE BANDERA TEXAS.
 

 15th December 2006

Leslie,
Stephanie thought you guys might like to read the story that ran in this week's Courier so I am including it here.

It should be up on our website in a couple of days with the photo, etc.

www.banderacountycourier.com
       Hope you both have a great trip.
       Gail Joiner
       Publisher
       Bandera County Courier

 
Serving local communities with yesterday's values and today's news.

Homeless for Christmas - and loving it .           
By Stephanie Day

    Nick and Lesley Poole expect to work in a soup kitchen feeding the homeless this year, but even knowing that they will be without home, hearth, Christmas tree, shopping or presents-they are revelling in the Christmas of a lifetime.
    The Norfolk, England couple have embarked on a thee-year motorcycle trip around the world. Their progress can be tracked on the Internet at www.pooleglobaltrek.com.
    By accident, they wound up in Bandera last week and enjoyed their one-night stay so much that they extended it. "It's the most liberating experience," Nick muses poetically, reflecting on their 24,000 miles and counting, "shaking off the shackles of nine-to-five and chasing one's dream." Lesley adds, "We’re fortunate enough to be able to do it. That's why we would like to help somewhere on Christmas Day."
    The trip around the world began with a three-month "test ride" to Australia so the couple, who has been married for 28 years, could make sure they still like each other enough to spend a lot of time together.
    With their individual jobs and obligations prior to Nick's retirement from the police force, they were like "ships passing in the night" and would go for days at a time without ever seeing each other.
    The three-month test ride proved a greater-than-expected success. Nick and Lesley say that they have always been best friends. Now they have fallen in love with each other all over again and realize that they are enjoying every minute spent together. They were both already in love with motorcycles.
    Nick's lifelong love for motorcycles began with his earliest memories. His grandfather's only transportation was a motorcycle with a side car. His dad commuted on a motorcycle. When Nick took his first job, he arranged a loan and purchased a bike. When he joined the police force in 1978, he became a fulltime police motorcyclist and one of the youngest motorcycle instructors in the country. He spent 18 of his 30 years on the force in the motorcycle division. Lesley worked as a motorcycle instructor before turning to a career in adult education.
    Lesley met Nick during a police training course. It is not surprising that the couple felt the need to test their relationship prior to travelling around the world together since that relationship began with a heated argument over sports. Fortunately, things improved with marriage and they enjoyed their family, sons Daniel and Ian. When the boys grew up and left home, Nick and Lesley decided it was time to get out and enjoy life while they were still fit and in good health.
    Friends suspected that Nick and Lesley were crazy when they sold everything they owned that would sell and gave away the rest. Even the small house they have left is rented out for the next two years. Fortunately, sons Daniel and Ian supported their parents' decision, a decision that followed son Daniel's harrowing experience in the Sri Lanka tsunami that claimed thousands of lives. Daniel was swept away by the tsunami and it was days before Lesley and Nick learned that he had survived.
    "We had talked about an around-the-world motorcycle trip for years," Nick and Lesley explain. "We realized that if we just sat around and waited a little bit longer-it might never happen." Leaving planning up to serendipity, the couple has a general north-south and east-west route for their trip. Other than that, they get on their bikes and ride, letting coffee table conversation and the events of each day write the map. They have had their picture taken at the Arctic Circle, have dodged moose in the Yukon, have ridden across Canada and have visited 28 U.S. states. They rode through the mountains of Colorado, toured Yellowstone National Park and stood beside the geysers feeling awed by the pressure beneath the thin layer of earth's crust that supported their feet. They were equally awed by the majestic span of the Grand Tetons.
    Nick and Lesley spent two weeks on an island off the Florida coast getting back to mundane chores like washing clothes. The stay itself was not mundane; they watched dolphins herd fish up against the beach and snap them up, were followed through the water by a shark and narrowly missed a direct hit from a tornado.
    Their southern trek took them to Peabody Hotel in Memphis where they marvelled at the live ducks that played in the fountain the hotel lobby during the day, then followed a red carpet to a lift that took them to the roof to roost for the night. Their southern trek also took them through economically-deprived Mississippi and hurricane-hurt Louisiana. Then, of course, it brought them to Bandera.
    Thus far they: watched their first baseball game at the Cardinal Stadium, listened to bluegrass music in Alaska, jazz in New Orleans and experienced country music in Bandera with the Almost Patsy Cline Band. Country music, Tex-Mex food and horseback riding-their first in western saddles which they found comfortable-convinced them that Bandera, the "Cowboy Capital," rated more than a one-night stay.
    Nick and Lesley camp out in good weather and find affordable accommodations when winter snares them. Bandera was their last stop before heading to Mexico.
    They describe every moment of their five-month and counting trip as "a good experience. We've met nothing but nice, friendly, helpful, curious people."
    Speaking together as the team they have become, Nick and Lesley explain that their favourite part of the trip in every country and across every U.S. state that they have visited thus far "is the space." Not that they have ridden away from the differences that make them unique individuals. Nick could ride forever without stopping, eager to see around the next curve. Lesley finds herself overcome by "information overload" from so much to see and learn in every location where the wheels crowd the pavement. Each of the 28 U.S. states they have visited, she explains, have been refreshingly different from each other-a new experience. Each day has been a new experience. The unfamiliar is both exhilarating and exhausting!
    So five months into their anticipated three-year trip, Nick and Lesley happened to ride into Bandera...We're glad they did.

7th December 2006

Dear Nick and Lesley,

    Thank you so much for stopping by the museum. I had a lovely time chatting with you both; I can't wait to see more pictures from your travels.

 Best Wishes, Chasity Dees,  Tupelo, MS.

31st October 2006.

From Glenn at Sunstates Security; Raleigh, NC.

Nick & Lesley.

     Glad to hear all is going well, I would like to get down to the Keys one day.  Sorry to hear about your tooth, I would be interested to know what is causing it, should you find out .....We have never been to them before so we want to know how they did with you before we did go there!.....joke.

I have attached a copy of the newsletter we just produced, it is also available on our website at - www.sunstatessecurity.com. It might be nice to attach a copy to your site as there is a nice mention inside. I look forward to hearing about the west coast of Florida, I am told it is very nice, have fun, be safe and stay in touch!

Glenn, Kathy, Chris, Ash (+ Angie & Archie!).

Below is a copy of the story which appeared in the Sunstates Security News Letter, The Lancer.

A Special Visit

On Friday October 13 the corporate office in Raleigh, North Carolina was privileged to welcome two special people that had travelled over 23,000 miles to reach us. They are Nick and Lesley Poole who are riding around the world together on a motorcycle; Nick and Glenn Burrell were police officers together in the UK during part of the 90’s and when it seemed likely that they could fit in an unscheduled stop the opportunity to get together was not missed. Nick recently retired after 30 years police service and along with Lesley his lovely wife of over 28 years decided to fulfil a lifelong ambition of riding around the world on a motorcycle. They have two sons who are both travellers themselves, their eldest son (Daniel) was missing for two days when the tsunami hit Thailand on December 26, 2004, it was feared that he and his party did not make it along with the many hundreds of thousands that perished in that terrible tragedy. Thankfully they did and although badly injured managed to get home after a three day overland walk away from the devastated area. Their youngest son (Ian) remains in their home city of Norwich, Norfolk and stays in touch by e-mails and tracking his parents’ progress via the website.

Having set off from the UK on June 25 they arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia where they met with their BMW R1150GS (adventure) which had been shipped earlier. From there they headed west toward British Columbia, finally to Alaska and as far north as the Arctic Circle. They then headed south to meet up with some old British friends who live in Leadville, CO. Next stop was to be Raleigh, NC to meet up with Glenn and his family.

Nick and Leslie were last seen heading south following the coast toward the Florida Keys before coming back up the western coast of Florida and heading west toward Texas. They have a rendezvous in Mexico in late November which marks the beginning of the South American leg of this epic journey. They expect to circumnavigate the globe within three years of setting off; and on behalf of everyone at Sunstates Security we wish Nick and Lesley safe travels! You can follow their travels on a special website that chronicles their mammoth journey which is updated regularly.

3rd October 2006

Hi Nick and Lesley.

With pleasure we read your entertaining web site. We met you world adventurers at the turnoff of the Casiar Highway, which we enjoyed very much! We did complete our bicycle ride on 16 Sept. in San Francisco without any mishaps or trouble. Only 1 day of rain on the whole trip from Anchorage. We wish you a safe and enjoyable continuation of your trip and maybe in the future we might see you in Auckland…..We will keep on following your progress.    

Arnold and Marieke van Zon      Tricia xx

3rd October 2006

Have a safe trip.

Hi! My name is Jo Ann, and I met you at the BP gas station in Athens, Ohio on October 3, 2006!

What an exciting adventure and an ambitious undertaking!  You remind me of the sailors hundreds of years ago that just set sail across the ocean to discover new and exciting lands and people!  Just wanted to let you know that it was a privilege to get to meet you and be a tiny moment in your trip.  Good luck and the best to you both!  (Still say you should be on a Harley though...ha ha ...just kidding. I’m a die-hard Harley girl myself...but I’ll admit...it may not stand up to YOUR kind of a trip...) Have a great day! 

Sincerely, Jo Ann Wolfe, Athens, Ohio 

22nd September 2006

Hello Nick and Lesley.

I'm Jim to the left, Ron next to me, Rich and Mike. 

I hope you remember us from our short meeting at the gas station out side Zion Park. We were so thrilled to meet you both and to hear about your trip. The second picture was our second meeting at Bryce canyon, wasn't that an amazing place to see? Wow, double wow. The third time we saw you; we went passed both of you as you had lunch at a small cafe on Route 12 - we were going north. We had a get trip and have named our trip, ‘Canyon Tours 06’.

I have already checked out your web page and will follow your adventure. I wish you both the very best and may the lord watch over you both. I hope to see the pictures I sent you on the web page some day.

 Your new friend on two wheels, Jim Austin.

8th September 2006

Dear Nick, I met you in the Rio Grande Trailhead parking lot in Aspen. It was an inspiration to meet you and learn of the epic just beginning to unfold for you and Les.

I find yours and Les' commitment to living your lives - and thoroughly truly seeing our expanse of Earth - so heartening. While Aspen is full of many who are seeking a happiness and fulfilment that can be bought, I find your frugality and prioritization a lovely counter to the life-models held before younger people like me, here.

 I look forward to staying tuned to your journey, and thank you for living your reminder to all of us: voyage on!

 Piper Foster

13th August 2006

Hi Nick and Leslie, how is the trip going? 

This is Ryan emailing you; myself and a companion, Richard met you in Whitehorse at the campground.

  I just made it home myself and was eager to check out your homepage.  It
sounds like things are going well for you, hope that streak continues for
you.  Our trip was good as well, except for the absence of sunshine and dry
weather.  The highlight for me was definitely the trip to Deadhorse, AK.  It
took about 9 hours from Fairbanks and I thought I was going to crash a
couple of times, mostly because I was travelling really fast on the Dalton. 
After we left Fairbanks, we have been following you without even knowing it,
we keep finding your names in guest books, and people keep talking about the
lovely couple from England who are going around the world, I think that
means you are now official celebrities.  Anyways, gotta run, I will be
looking constantly for updates on the site as well as using some of you
excellent links, good luck and I hope to hear more from you both real soon. Ryan.

July 2006

P.S. .... Yes, we do have "Indians" in Canada- but they are all from the Pacific rim.... India.  In Canada, our native people or Aboriginal Peoples prefer to be identified as "First Nations Peoples". If you had planned to go down through Calgary and Lethbridge, Alberta on your way to the States- summer is Powwow season and there are numerous Native gatherings that are huge.  These gatherings are usually held in conjunction with rodeos- tacky sounding but you could have your fill of "cowboys and Indians".  These are spiritual gatherings within the Native culture, and are serious in nature.  There are many ceremonies; boys passing into manhood and maidens to womanhood, men become "Sun dancers" and "Warriors"; Elders advise and predict the future of their tribes.  They can be political planning sessions.  In all, they are spectacular and the drums are very loud and rhythmic!  It's too bad if you missed them as they are unique to the Western Prairies of Canada.  There is an incredible site at "Heads-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump" in southern Alberta.  It is an interactive site- and very educational. Oh well- next time maybe?

Picture courtesy of the Eastern Daily Press, 12/06/06.