7/11 This morning I noticed several ants around the ground and mentioned this to Geoff who also had a couple welts on his forehead from the ants, apparently this breed of ants like foreheads and were not to happy with us lounging about. After packing up the sleeping bags we set off, we were on the road by 10:00 and it was already getting hot. The roads got more technical and harder to manage but I did quite well and was getting better on the bike. We were driving through this field when we came across an old tank sitting in the middle of a field. Being a bunch of children at heart we got off the bike and went to explore. It was quite interesting the minus and engine and a welded cap over the barrel the tank looked like it had only been there for a short time and if need be they could get it up and running in a weeks time. Geoff told some stories of tanks he had seen in Africa and how they would be stripped by the local down to the point it was a just a bulk of metal. After spending 20 minutes looking around the tank we were back on the road. It was getting quite hot, about 110F in the sun so when we came across a nice stream it was an easy decision to go for a swim for about an hour. By 5:00 we were all quite tired and hot even though we had actually on ridden for 3 hours and 50 miles it was an easy decision to get a hotel at a nice little Spanish town that we came across. As I was unpacking I discovered that my sleeping bag/air mattress/ and tent poles had fallen off the bike during the day. I was quite bummed since that was a very expensive sleeping bag but I was quite glad to be free of the miserable leaking air mattress. But being of the mentality that I shouldn’t be too attached to anything material on this trip, it is just stuff and can be replaced. I set off to the swimming pool with a pitcher of sangria. After a swim and siesta we all headed off to find some dinner. I think we managed to find the worst restaurant in Spain before calling it a night. Today’s Specs Weather: 110 F, Hot and Sunny Distance: 50 miles, some cantina by a castle to some small town in Spain   7/12/03 This morning as I was loading the bike I noticed the rear sub frame that supported my top box had a major crack in it. I realized that I was in the middle of a streak of my bad luck 3’s again. I told Geoff and Ian that I had to find a metal shop to fix my problem. The said no worries and they would find me in about an hour. I came across a large metal shop that seemed to specialize in Semi trucks. Ange’l fabricated a great aluminum brace that looked better than anything I could have bought from an aftermarket company and he only charged me 15euros. In an hour I was back on the road ready to conquer some serious dirt track today. We stopped and picked up some more Salami and cheese at a little local market in the city center. I had one of the best times shopping ever, the store was only about 30feet deep and 10 feet wide with most of the stuff behind a meet counter. It was quite crowded and there was an old Spanish lady who was quite happy to help me select my food and give me the history of each. By the time I left all 10 people (it was quite crowded) were almost in tears of laughter of me and this lady shopping. Well nothing in the last two days would prepare me for the roads we came across today. There were several times we came up to these steep roads that were lined with ruts and boulders the size of basketballs covering the whole road. Even Ian who spent 20 years competing in trials riding said this was pretty tough. I did alright only falling off 3 times but it was definitely taking a toll on the bike. The fix on the sub frame was not enough to prevent other cracks from forming and eventually breaking. The clutch was starting to smell and in one fall off the brake line came loose and was dripping brake fluid. After tightening up the brake line, letting the clutch cool down and rescuing my luggage I told the guys I was in over my head(they weren’t too shocked). They convinced me to finish the day which I was quite keen to do since I am not a big fan of quitting. Luckily the worst was behind us and with the exception of a few rough spots and an occasional mud hole the rest of the day was pretty smooth. Both Geoff and Ian assured me that today was far more technical than anything I would come across in Africa unless I really went off the beaten path. That was reassuring and I am quite glad that I was able to push my abilities to their limits and find out what exactly my limits and the bikes limits are. All in all it was a very successful day. At the end of the day we came to Camperdon and got a cabin for 20euros a piece for the night. I couldn’t camp since I still didn’t have a sleeping bag or tent poles. Today’s Specs Weather: 110 F, Hot and Sunny Distance: 30 miles, Small town to Camperdon