5-26-2006 Update

We are not dead!..thanks for all of the concerned emails.  Even the newspaper made it sound like we had gone missing.  Please understand that we cannot update the page often.  We are shooting for once a week.  So don't be alarmed if there is not an update immediately.  We have currently ridden about 1800 miles and are in Vienna, Austria.  The delays with customs in London cost us time in Europe.  Our Russian Visas give us a 30 day window in which we can pass through Russia.  This window opened on May 15th.  We would all love to see as much as Europe as possible, but are concerned that we may be pushing it with getting through Russia.  The new plan is to go north from Hungary and get into Kazakhstan at a reasonably fast pace.

The travel so far has been great.  However, there has not been a single day without at least an hour of hard rain or snow.  Eventually, it becomes impossible to stay dry.  We are all ready for a shower and some clean/dry laundry.

I'm not sure if it is the piles of gear in trash bags on the back of our bikes or the 1800 miles worth of road dirt and sweat staining our skin that makes us stand out.  Everyone points and stares.  Cars slow down for a closer look.  Little kids faces are pasted to the car windows as their parents drive by.  There are many bikers on the road here, but none that look as homeless as us.   

-J.