Ted Simon in France, 94th Birthday Special - Field Notes & ADV Cannonball News

Aaron travels to the South of France to visit with Ted Simon on his Birthday. We discuss Dreaming of Jupiter, Riding High, and Jupiter's Travels. 

Taylor test rides several bikes in Sweden and records Field Notes live on location. 

At the end of this Season 3 premiere, we provide some ADV Cannonball Rally updates.

Roll out music provided by: https://mobygratis.com/, free use license on file at ADV Cannonball LLC, WA, USA. "falling out of love inst mix ab oz" Moby 

Episode 1 Main Sponsor - Colombia Motorcycle Rental & Tour Co

Transcript

Welcome to the ADV Cannonball podcast where we discuss all things on two wheels, the adventure bike cannonball, and other motorcycle related nonsense. Season three episode one, the first episode of season three, in case you didn't gather from the season three, episode one bit. That's pretty exciting, Aaron Pufal. I'm excited, man. This is a a big deal.

I'm gonna I'm going to, have a little bit of my IPA for you. I'm, I'm sitting in Leeds, England, and cheers. Congratulations. Season three. Here we go.

My name is Taylor Lawson, and I am your host of Adventure Cannonball podcast. And if you haven't already picked it up, I am joined by Aaron Bufall, who actually is in Leeds. Yes, sir. I, I'm on my way to Linden Poskett's family's home, and they are near Leeds, in Yorkshire. Is Yorkshire in Leeds?

I'm not sure. And, yeah, I just finished interviewing Linden, which was fantastic. That's gonna be season three episode two. And I had an extra day and I thought let's go interview one of the best dads in the world. And that brings me to leads.

Doctor. Very cool. Very cool. Before we get going, I need to understand exactly what kind of IPA you're drinking. I'm actually not sure.

So it's England. So it's tough. I have to admit you go somewhere and I go, please give me IPA. Right. And they just hand you the stuff.

And it's, it's been tough. I'm not gonna lie. This, this isn't so good, but it is. It's not giving me a gag reflex, so I'm gonna call it a win. But the night is the night is young.

That is young. Alright. I say ode to the, ode to the Danish here. I know you always love this description. It's a double IPA, a dipa, and it is, described as the mighty double dipa the sorry.

That mighty double IPA from Erl City, explosively aromatic, fresh, and fruity. Wow. A little bit fruity. It's lots of fruity, buddy. Oh, yeah.

Wow. Nicely done. Alright. So, you had a pretty exciting interview. My goodness.

You've been doing some serious traveling, Aaron. Mhmm. So, my first stop in this trip was in the South Of France. I flew into Marseille, and, yeah, that was a little sketchy. But, anyways, I spent the night at Marseille, and let's just say I went back and left my watch in my room, walked down to the harbor and finished reading Riding High by Ted Simon and prepared for my interview.

And then I rented a car and I drove about three hours to the South Of France to a little tiny town where I spent the night, went to a cool little French bistro with a little drop in jazz band, which was fun, and, you know, just got ready for the interview. That sounds like fun, except for the sketchy bit where you had to you were down by the port. I don't I can't say that that was, you know, fun. Yeah. It was not it was not feeling safe, and I'm I'm comfortable anywhere.

I'm like, I know what's going on here. I'm going to walk like a crazy person quickly. So I'm not a soft target. And I went down, had my dinner and I actually Ubered back. Smart, smart.

So let's talk about something less sketchy than, taking a port, a ride through the port in that part of town. How about the fact that you got invited into Ted Simons home for his birthday week? How impressive is that? Yeah. It was flattering.

It was a lot, you know, to meet one of your heroes, and they say don't meet your heroes. But in this case, it's completely incorrect. And I was so pleased I got the Ted Simon description, and, which is important. And, you know, I was just so very pleased to meet my hero, and he did not disappoint. And it was everything that I wanted to be.

You know, when we talked about the fact that you're gonna meet him for his 90 birthday, look, I just got back from spending time in North Carolina with my with my mom and my, really, I spent time in a in an older age, yeah, a nice facility not assisted living, but a nice older a retirement community, if you will. Mhmm. And, and I spent time with people who are in their nineties, and they weren't nearly as sharp as Ted Simon is at 94. I was just really impressed with the whole interview with the questions you asked. You obviously did your homework, and he was sharp.

He had great answers, and he, yeah, he's still in there, man. Yeah. The only thing I wish I did differently was I wish I placed the microphones a little bit differently because he kinda, like, wandered away from them. Right? But, you know, other than that, I'm like, who who who says these profound things on a morning interview with some stranger that, you know, he never he didn't he didn't prepare for anything.

I didn't send him any questions. He didn't know who I was. Even just simple things like, we're talking about the modern day YouTuber as opposed to the writer, and he says, well, it's not the tool, it's the quality of the person. I'm like, wow, that's that's profound. Like, even someone who's 94 and, like, writes for for a living, he's okay with something that's modern and contemporary.

He's only concerned about the person and the quality of their work. He doesn't care about the tool, which is fantastic. Yeah. It's, yes, it's very astute, especially since, I used to, was he aware of, like, when he talked about, you said this is a podcast that he does, he listen to podcasts. Is he familiar with the medium?

Yeah. So he is, this is going to hurt. He's been on a couple of times on the number one podcast, you know, where he who not shall not be named. He shall not be named. Yeah.

And, anyway, so he's been on a few times on that, but remotely. And, you know, our policy is we we either provide equipment or we go in person, just for better audio quality. And, anyways, he's been on several of them, in the past. Well, that's not, I mean, that's not bad. If you think about it, he's been on the number one podcast and now he's been on the number two podcast podcast.

You haven't made it until you've been on number two. That's it. Yeah. So, I love the fact that when he's describing things like he does, he's amazing. You've talked about his, his description of you.

It was his characters, he has this wonderful way of explaining exactly. And by the time he he's finished with the description, you know exactly the person that you're sitting in front of. And I think, you know, knowing you and having spent time with you in person, I have to say he was generous with you, sir. Yeah. He was because he was being polite because I was sitting in front of him.

But, he goes on later in the podcast to say, well, do you remember the gentleman in Brazil? He goes, when I met him, he was dirt poor, and he was fat. I'm like, there you go. Like, we have even made it twenty minutes into this, and here you are describing people in that in a Ted Simon way. Yeah.

But so authentic. Right? He does it and he does it just out of, like, information just so you can capture who that who that person is. But anyway, he I don't think he has any it's a bone of malice in him. So I think it's I think it's a general It's just it's just it's English a matter of factness.

And then when when we were talking about about all the motorcycles sitting in people's garages, you know, he goes, well, I wonder about those motorcycles, and they're sitting in the garages by themselves, and they're surrounded by other bikes. He goes, I wonder what they talk to each other about at night. I'm like, who thinks of things like that? Like, you know, he's purely a genius. Right?

Yeah. Who personifies motorcycles. Right? Well done. Exactly.

Exactly. A literary artist, possibly. Yeah. Perhaps. Right.

Yeah. And, you know, his first book, Jupyter's Travels, is important because he was, like, the first person to do it and document it and write about it. And everyone reveres him, all writers revere him and will coin him in all of their books because not only was he the first document to write about it, no one's come close to to writing as well as him. And that's what drives me nuts is listening listening to his work, excuse me, is is is killing me the whole time because I'm like, I'm never gonna write like this. Like, come on.

How how are we supposed to compete? Yeah. He he does set the bar pretty high. Mhmm. One of the you know, when I listened to the interview, there was a couple of things that really stuck out for me.

So one of the things that I thought was interesting is that he talks about the the fact that we're in quite a polarized world right now, and he also talked about the medium. So motorcycles are a medium that bring us together and divide the sides, because with that, there's there's commonality. So I don't know. I like I like that aspect of it. Mhmm.

You asked a question about, how it is that he was able to sort of bypass all the the small talk chitchat, this, that, and the other, and just get invited right into people's lives. And it it it he didn't ask it exactly that way, but that was the gist of it. And he said that travelers are seen as really alive and as a state of heightened being. And he said, and this is what makes travelers and especially people on motorcycles very attractive, and people want to get more of that in their lives. So they invite them in.

Yeah. And I think people are looking for interesting people to talk to and, you know, talk about new things. I don't know how many times you you rock up to a pub and I'm like, yeah, I've heard this whole conversation. I know everything about you already by the three things you've said. And when you're a traveler, sometimes you can tell the story of the place you just came from or the place that you are from or the things you have observed along the way.

And people wanna invite you into their home or their lives to hear those things because we're just stuck in this this infinity loop of, you know, regurgitation of nonsense. Right? Yeah. It reminds me of, Tom Hanks did a movie called News of the World, and it was back before even newspapers were getting around. And he would take a modern newspaper, and he was very good at reading.

And he would take a modern newspaper, and he would have a like, in an old West town, he would sit down and he would have a reading of the newspaper, and people would pay a dime or whatever to come listen to him. And it was like news of the world. So if you think about that, that's what you described as people want they want to invite you and because they wanna hear news of travel. They wanna hear news of what's happening outside of their circle. For sure.

That actually reminds me of when I went for a tour of a Cuban cigar factory and they have the person reading, you know, the socialist memoirs to everyone while they're laboring away. That's that's really interesting. I've actually I've actually never seen that that movie before I have to, I have to say. And I also have to tell people that, you know, I was really nervous about this whole thing and I traveled the whole way and I was nervous. So please everyone, you know, forgive me about that.

And he gave me a book when I left and you can't see this, but it's it's entitled Don't Boil the Canary. And, I think it's his autobiography and he gave it to me and he signed it and, we took up a couple of pictures And I'm looking forward to smashing that on my, nine hour flight home, on coach. So, you know, it'll it'll ease the pain a little bit. Anything that use the pain. Yeah.

A couple more comments I want to make about this. One is that he said it's the people, not the places. Mhmm. So talk about meeting people there. And he's you asked the question.

It's like, why is it that more people don't just get out and travel? And he said the his response was that the sense of adventure must be greater than one's self sense of fear. Wow. There you go. That's profound.

Right? Yeah. And I think, I will save I will save you the the pain of of offering the trigger warning, but I think I thought about it. I said that to myself, but the guy is like 94 years old and he doesn't have time for the perfunctory nonsense with conversations. So if you take his, his resume into consideration, you know, he's he's traveled to 18 countries that a war was underway or had a revolution or were under dictatorship while on a motorcycle.

He's seen things like apartheid. There's no one more qualified to give you their opinion than Ted Simon. So give him a little bit of latitude and just enjoy the man being serious right off the bat, And, don't be so yeah. Don't be a snowflake. Yeah.

Fair enough. And, one of the things he said that was at the towards the end of the interview, and, unless you have more to add, I can I can potentially wrap this segment up with this? He said, he sets out to do good work, and I would say that based on his responses, first of all, to you, I think you did a great job with the interview considering the caliber of the individual that you were interviewing. And I'd say to Ted Simon, in this interview you delivered, thank you for taking the time. Registration is now open to the public for the next ADV Cannonball rally.

All riders on any motorcycle are welcome to join the adventure. Whether you're looking for an exciting and highly organized coast to coast ride with a group of like minded riders or a friendly competition for Cannonball glory, it does matter. Everyone can participate. Head over to advcannonball.com to secure your rally starting position today. Now back to the podcast.

We're in the South Of France at the home of Ted Simon. Thank you very much for letting me in your home on your birthday. Happy birthday, Ted. That's yes. That was yesterday, actually.

But it's still happy. It's still happy nonetheless. Yeah. We missed a big party. Did you get up to any any shenanigans?

Well, I'm afraid you're gonna miss that too because that's on Sunday. That's on Sunday. Oh, boy. Well, I said I'm travel I'm changing all my travel plans. Right.

There's, there's no doubt that Taylor, the actual host of the podcast, and I would have recapped Jupiter's Travels, and there's no doubt that we have, sung your praises well before we play this audio, so I'll spare you that. Is that okay? That's that's fine. I've had enough praise. Enough enough of that as well.

Lifetimes. Indeed. Indeed. Most people in the motorcycle community refer to you as a motorcyclist. And I've read a lot of motorcycle adventure books because of this podcast, and I'm insanely jealous of your writing.

And I describe you as a very good rider that just happened to have rode a motorcycle. Am I off the mark on that? No. You hit the nail right on the head. I I used the motorcycle in order to be able to write.

So that's and in a way, it stayed like that. I have enjoyed riding a motorcycle, but not nearly to the extent that most people who call themselves bikers do. I'm actually not the guy who looks for the twistiest road or tries to cross the Mio Bridge at 200 miles an hour. I don't do any of those things. But I think it's an amazing machine for for for taking you out into the world and finding people and finding sort of what we'd now call adventure.

Yeah. You've remarked that you've met many motorcyclists, and all of them are people or many of them are people you'd like to meet again. And then you go on to describe them. I'm a little worried how you're gonna describe me when I leave. Is it is that Aaron is, was disheveled, is out of shape, generally unlikable?

That's that's an appalling thing to have to say. I would say all that's exactly the opposite, I find. A most pleasant and unexpected, nice looking gentleman with a happy smile and a delightful beard. I've got the Ted Simon description. I'm so I'm so satisfied.

Why why do you think bikers tend to get along so well? And, you know, I have I'm 94 years old, for goodness sake, since yesterday. And, and you can't really expect me to be whizzing around the corners on on on on bikes. I've still got a scooter. So the I I guess the only biker that I actually know in in is is a Kiwi who lives, four kilometers down the road at a little place called Polon.

And, and he's helped me fix up a few things here and there. I've still got a wobbly mirror that he's promised to fix on my, on my Piaggio. But, and he's a lovely fellow. So, I mean, they all are lovely fellows, but I don't get to meet them very much. Right.

I just remembered in a lot of your in your writing that you had so many interactions with bikers that were so positive and it seems that that seems to be par for the course. As a matter of fact the gentleman that lent you his, his GS, That's a great example of one of your biker relationships. In that example, I think there are many bikes that are sitting in garages all over the place collecting dust, and that example I of of his story isn't so unusual. Why do you think that people are so afraid to get on their bike and go? Well, I don't know.

I mean, for one thing, a lot of them have far too many bikes. I I I I can't tell you how many garages proud owners have taken me to, and I feel so sorry for all those motorcycles sitting there, and nobody nobody ever gets to ride them. I'm wondering what they talk, how they talk to each other in in the night, you know, when we're not around. It it it seems a a pity to to leave a bike sitting somewhere just in order to have it. But but people love their bikes, and they love people who love their bikes.

So all you have to do to make friends with a biker is is, say how how how nicely you you manage your your bike and how nice it looks and so on. So we all connect on that basis, I suppose. I think one of the real problems that afflicts us all in the world at the moment is that we all we find it so much harder to talk to each other about the things that really matter because because, you know, we're we're becoming so polarized in our opinions, and it's almost one's almost afraid to tell people how, you know, what how you feel politically, how you feel religiously, how you feel, all those things. But bikers, I I would have hoped, would have a a way of when I'm talking about bikers, I'm talking about people who travel on bikes and not cafe racers. You know, I would have hoped that those people would find it much easier to to talk about important things as well as just, you know, the the the the the twistiest road that they recently didn't fall down on.

Yeah. That they that they conquered. You know, in in Riding High, which the book that I brought here with me today, you talk about and also in dreaming, you talk about when you travel to other countries, speaking of the conversations you have because of the motorcycle, a lot of people always said that, you know, it used to be better in this country. It used to be, you know, the the days gone by were always better. But then you would always make a social observation of a of an improvement that that's happened, a a a political improvement, a quality of life improvement.

Why do you think that a lot of these people you met were were always sometimes not were generally negative about the days gone by? Yeah. I don't. You mean you mean that they thought the days gone by were better? Yes.

I suppose it's I suppose it's just a human failing. I don't. I look back when I look back on on the this in the seventies when I when I was going around the world, at the time, I thought, good lord, this is you know, I I went to 45 countries, and 18 of them had had while I was there, had either had wars or revolutions or or or something akin to that going on. And at the time, I thought the world is in our people. When I look back on it now, those days seem really quite innocent.

And I think one of the real problems is that you want to be able to feel that however bad things are, things could get better, that, that we've got a handle on it. I mean, for for example, in in those days in the seventies, the the big problems in the world were pollution and overpopulation and and terrorism. You know? They're exactly the same problems that we have today. But at the time, I remember feeling that, well, we, you know, we can do something about this.

We, you know, we hadn't even had to think about climate change in in the seventies. I mean, we was only just beginning to realize that this was a problem. It was gonna be a problem. But the other thing is we thought, well, we can probably deal with that. But today, it's harder and harder to believe that we actually can handle it because, because things especially these last few years have have got really quite, quite scary.

It can be scary. It can be tough, and I think the harder conversation needs to be had and and and we don't have it enough. But I think in riding high and in dreaming of Jupiter, you were sometimes quite positive and I think it's important when you went back to South Africa Apartheid was gone when you went back to some Muslim countries women were were less covered and less subservient women were more liberated Just recently, I was in China. We're talking about pollution and motorcycles and stuff. And you stand on the street corner, and there's a million cars and it's silent because they're all electric.

You're you're not sucking the raw diesel fleet fumes like you do in India as you're as you're riding down the road. So we are taking progress, you know, forward. That's really good news, especially about China. Yes. You well, you're quite right.

And, of course, South America was when I first went there, it was a political nightmare. Everything was run run by very repressive police states. And, and today, of course, it isn't. So, no, there are there are big prove improvements. Thanks for reminding me.

It's hard, you know, sometimes to remind ourselves that, you know, we are we are moving forward. And speaking of, South America, when you were in Brazil and, yes, when you got out of jail, that's that was a positive thing. You had such a wonderful interaction in Rio. What do you think gave you that access into that lovely world? Well, I was very you know, the the thing is I was at the perfect age for doing that journey because I was old enough to have made connections, to have had some kind of a a real career behind me in newspapers.

I I it was it was easy for me to to make, to relate to to to important people. You know? I was as comfortable with presidents as I was with with jailers. So so so so that that's partly what it was. And and and I guess I guess people like well, I I was an I was a glamorous figure.

You know? Mhmm. And, and and even, among very poor people in in in villages here and there, I was always a figure of great interest because nobody had ever come there on a motorcycle before. So I had all that going for me in in those days. Today, I think motorcycles are pretty omnipresent, and and and it wouldn't you wouldn't get very very far just just depending on your on the fact that you're on a bike.

But but, you know, you can still make good friends as being a being a stranger. People do like strangers. People welcome strangers, generally speaking. So but but those days in the seventies, I was blessed. I was you know, I had enough I had enough behind me to be able to talk intelligently to to to people about all kinds of stuff.

And so, you know, there's always things added up to it. Yeah. I think also doing it at the your first check when you're in your in your forties. I think you're not a kid with a dirty backpack and you don't have anything to say it was it was lightning in a bottle that's for sure that I don't think will be captured again and I think that's why we we love your work because you were able to take those experiences and translate them to paper. I think it's interesting in riding high, you you said in response to interviews like this, you had severally precanned lengthy, answers.

So I I will spare you that. And I and I will repeat what you you say to people now is I did it because I wanted to. It's absolutely true. I mean, it's it's pure curiosity. It's that's what what what made me do it.

The curiosity was stronger than the fear. I was afraid of it, but I that I had to do it because it, because it was just an exciting extraordinarily exciting possibility. You must remember that I thought I that nobody else had ever done it before. I had no idea that several people had already been all over the place on bikes. But, but for me, it was and and the people who who supported me all thought the same thing, you know, that I was doing something that had never been done before.

You know, we were talking with, Elizabeth Beard recently Yeah. And, she had a really good point is it doesn't matter because there are so many people trying to do the first ever quick, you know, circle navigation or the youngest person to to do it or the quickest on two up and these are just check marks that people are looking to, to achieve. I think it's much easier now. We have so much technology in our in our in our pockets, on our on our phones and and you did it in a time where you had a a map in your pocket, and you made all these wrong turns. I think do you still feel that by navigating with the paper map and making wrong turns, that's that's still the best way to travel?

You can pretend that there's no there's there's no Internet, that there are no mobile phones. You can pretend all those things, but you know that they're there. And so you can't really get lost. You can pretend to be lost, but you but you you can't really. You'll never nobody will ever have the feelings that I had out there in the in deserts and mountains and so on, knowing that I was really alone.

Everything was up to me. But there are still a lot of people who get a lot of pleasure out of using maps rather than anything else, and and good good for them. I mean, I I would hate to see maps disappear. I did the whole of India on using using a a a couple of sheets of paper that the geo the geological survey people had done. There there weren't any maps.

Right. You know, speaking of India and in a totally different time and, you know, turning conventional thinking on its head, I remember reading that you were almost out of money in India, and they pulled some money together and gave it to you. Was was that an accurate story? Oh, yeah. I was I was I was better at begging than all the beggars that were scored heavily.

It's my silver tongue, of course, that was that I was able to persuade people in clubs and and and bike shops and so on, to to give me some money because because mine had run out. Yeah. It's a very I did very well. You know, we we were talking, off mic, and you mentioned that in your book, traveling slowly is more affordable. And I could just speak to that in the last last couple weeks of my travel.

If you're just on a bike and you're traveling, you know, a couple hundred miles a day or even less, it can be a lot more affordable. Do you think there's still truth to that in today's motorcycle travel that people can travel slowly and cheaply? Oh, absolutely. In fact, I really believe that if you get it if you really get it down to an art, you can make it almost free. You find there are so many ways If you put yourself at the right place at the right time, people will give you money, just because of who you are and what you're doing.

And and, you know, and and it's not a racket. You're you're not gonna end up with a profit or anything. It's not a way to make a bunch of money. But you can't you can't I I do think a a really in intelligent, biker could could make the journey self supporting. Yeah.

Especially especially outside the the most civilized of of places. You know? And and the the the wilder the places are, the more generous people are. Yeah. That's true.

And you had mentioned that, begging as as it was called in India was was a revered art, and it wasn't, it wasn't embarrassing for people. So you definitely acted like a local and it and it worked out. Let me ask you if this sounds familiar. Spaceship time machine I had ridden through the looking glass, on a head on collision with my dreams. Would it surprise you that that quote is being used today in some form or fashion with a lot of big YouTubers?

Thank you for reminding me of what I what I said. But having said it, I I stand behind it. And and, you know, I'm not I I'm not surprised because I yeah. It must resonate with with many bikers. Sure.

It does. Yeah. It's still valid today. You know? Speaking of YouTubers, there is a whole industry of folks doing the same thing that you did by using the Internet and YouTube as a means to to finance that.

Yeah. And as a tool for access to, for going for places and people when they're going around the world. Yeah. What do you think of the the modern version of the author and his pen and and paper? And today, it's a it's a iPhone and a microphone.

I can't. I I I I can't say, I think, one one thing or another because it it all depends on the quality of the person doing it. I mean, clearly, a really good a really good writer or a really smart person could make anything like that extremely valuable and interesting. Right. So it could be it could be you know, I I I don't think you can judge by the the tools that people use.

I think you have to judge the result. Speaking of progress and YouTubers and the author becoming, the YouTuber in in today's world. You you you often talked about progress at the sake of profit and at this expense of everything good in the world. Now looking back on your travels and looking at the world, do you think we've gone astray, or has progress been a positive movement? I have no idea whether progress is positive or negative.

I really don't I really don't know. Of course, you have to judge by by, by by the by the effect. But my criticisms of of progress, I think, were quite valid. I think an awful an awful lot of of what's valuable in the world is lost by what we call in in what we call progress. The whole question, of course, is what are we progressing to?

And and most of the things that I value in the world are are not the things that progress is aiming at. So so I'm to that extent, I'm I'm rather negative about it. On the other hand, I do know that more and more people value the things that are in danger of being lost in the course of progress. And so that is that is a kind of progress in its in itself. I think I I don't think I certainly think progress could be used for for and against.

It could be used in all kinds of ways as a term of, of of of, appreciation or or a term of criticism. But but, of course, you know, what you what you've been reading in in Riding High is very much what I think still that that, the the kind of society that we've been aiming at is is one that has been extremely wasteful and simply choose choose things up and spits them out, and doesn't really value things. Right. Progress for probably for, the sake of profit is, is is what you quoted. And you said you also made some interesting observations that were important that even throughout history when you're in Egypt, you were talking about building of those pyramids, you know, a folly of humanity and we're we're so we're so, pre preordained to, you know, repeat those mistakes and, you know, hopefully, that we learn something, hopefully, and we try to we try to improve on that.

But it's very rare that someone like you, an author who writes a story actually comes to fruition. And the very beginning of your writings, you start off in a stone house in France. You, and here we are full circle and you fulfilled the dream that you wanted. You are back in your stone house in rural France. It's very rare to see someone actually fulfill their promises.

Yeah. On an individual level, of course, it's been wonderful. It's it's it's been great to have survived long enough to be able to to to do that. But on the on the other hand, you're living as I do now back in my stone house. I I I can't help thinking that I was born I was born at a time when a a a fascist dictatorship in Germany was just getting getting stuck in, and the whole cycle of, of of repression and war and everything that's happened.

And then and then long periods of progress. In a sense, my I'm I have to I have to feel that I've been the luckiest of peep of men because my my life could not have happened in a better ninety years. But it's ending up pretty much as it started, and, and and now the world is going to appears to be going through the same cycle that began when I was born. And so it's a it's it's a strange strange thing to to observe at my age to see to to have seen it all turn through such a complete cycle, and people today young people today are quite unaware of what of simply repeating the mistakes of people in my generation. I think, adventure motorcycle travel can be a way for people to observe the world.

I think it's an important lesson that people should should do more of. I know you as a lot young man, I can tell by your writing, you were obviously admirer of many, literary authors and you talked about, we call it Paris syndrome now. So when you went to places like Alexandria, Tangiers, and Cairo, for example, we often are disappointed in the places that we we build up a imaginary world because of these wonderful authors. I think I wanna point the phrase, the, Ted Simon syndrome. Are you afraid that people, when they they read your books and aspire to travel, will be disappointed when they arrive somewhere?

How do they avoid the Ted Simon syndrome? Oh, I I think they'll they'll find their own way. Wonderful things will happen to them by accident. And and and it's all that's all it is. You know?

You you of course, you you wanna you wanna look at things that people have admired for for centuries and millennia and so on. But, but at the same time well, take my my example. I mean, I I I went to see the Pyramids, but but the most, the most interesting that happened there was the friendship that I made with two camel drivers. And it was a friendship that it that that, amazingly enough, endured for twenty five years. Although they'd we had not met for twenty five years.

They knew who I was when I went back. So I I I didn't need to get my kicks out of the pyramid. I got my kicks from normal human inter interactions and, and things like that. That's that's what made it wonderful. Yeah.

In dreaming of Jupiter, that's one of the smiles that, readers will have when you walk into the room and immediately you both looked at each other and you instantly you know, he remembered you, and that must have been so fulfilling. Yeah. Extraordinary. Yeah. You mentioned that interruptions are the journey, and that's a great example is that who cares about the the giant monument that was terribly built.

It it was about that interruption when you spent time, with those people. Can you think of some other interruptions? Never mind the fact that when you were 70, you broke your leg. That was, an an interruption that people don't that people don't necessarily want, but, you know, that was Africa's kindness that fixed you up and Africa's mud that put you on the pavement. But can you think of some examples of interruptions?

Well, let me think. I mean, I met the the shipping clerk who who put me on the boat to Brazil from from Lorenzo Mart at the time in when Mozambique was going through a a revolution. And and I met him again twenty five years later, owning the shipping line that he'd that he'd worked for twenty five years earlier, but was about to lose it because because political the politics had had made it impossible for him to function. And then and then that that extraordinary young young Brazilian man who welcomed me when when I first arrived in Curitiba, cold and wet and covered in oil and exhaust and took me into his into his flat. He was very a very a young man, just beginning life.

And when I came back, twenty five years later, he was, he was completely changed. He'd been enormously fat, and he was now very thin. And and and he he'd become very rich. And, and and and he'd kept he'd kept the helmet that that I'd left with him. All those years, he'd kept it.

And and his wife brought it out of the kitchen of the it was a luxury in the luxury apartment that he was now living in, and the and the helmet was there sitting on a cushion like this sort of, like a ultimately expensive Chinese vase of of some sort. You know? And that things it was the people. It it was the the people who gave me the the the pleasure and the excitement, yes, on on the journey. That reminds me of the story of the man who gave you your name, Jupiter.

It's a great example, and your story you just told, of people making an outsized, impression, on their lives. And I think that motorcycle travel will sometimes give you the access to these people to make a outsized impression on our lives. That's quite right. Because but because but just the mere fact of what you're doing raises the level of your own energy. You you somehow are able to transfer that to the people that you meet.

They they see someone who is really alive in a way that you don't normally see in everyday life. And so that that helps you to break down the barriers. Absolutely. You're you're, you're recognized and and you're valued because because of the the the heightened state of awareness in which in in which you live, necessarily live, in order to do what you're doing. You know, I never considered your whole time I was reading your books, I only thought about the impression all those people made on you, but now I'm starting to I need to go read everything again to think about the impression that you made on those people.

Yeah. That's an interesting thought. We have that responsibility as travel as travelers to maybe improve the the and make interesting the lives of the people that we visit on our travels. That certainly happens. Yes.

And speaking of authors, Mark Richardson and Sam Monica are both people that quote you in their books, speaking about making impression on other people's lives. I'm here because at the end of an interview with Mark he talked about repairing his Doctor six fifty at your place in California. In fact I saw a picture of it. Yeah. That was after his, Zen pilgrimage he calls it.

That eventually became the book Zen and Now. I'm writing my first article right now. It's about this journey as a podcaster and coming to visit you and if and a few other people. Can I get in contact with your agent? Maybe you can proofread my my work.

By all means. Well, I don't know. No. But I think it's important. All all joking aside, the influence you've had on other authors and you've always been, gracious with your time and, people like Mark and Sam, definitely quote you in their work, and you have made an impression on them and then by proxy on us.

So thank you for doing the work. Well, I'm very I'm delighted. It was never intended. I don't set out to do good works. I'm very glad I'm very glad that they, that they've, found me useful.

Yeah. Absolutely. Inspiration is important. I'm I'm actually gonna be going to, The UK in a few days, and I'm gonna visit your old triumph. Oh, good.

Is there any maintenance or things you need fixed on it that I can I can get for you done for you? They won't let you. They won't let you touch it. Not ever ever since did you did you ever hear the the frying pan story? No.

A couple of years ago, I think it was, somebody wrote to me and said, that his father had just died. And and before he died, he confessed that he had lifted a frying pan out of the out of the pannier on on my bike in in in the in the museum. And it was very embarrassing. He was very embarrassed about this, and and could he get it back to me? Oh my goodness.

And and and and and and I said, yes. But we could we could do that. And, and and he and he brought it back to me, and it wasn't my frying pan at all. It was completely different frying pan. So so what what the truth of that story is is very strange.

Oh my goodness. I have a history of jumping over velvet ropes of authors, Ware. Who's the guy who wrote, Old Man of the Sea? Hemingway. Anyway, so I was in Key West on a Hemingway, pilgrimage, I stopped and saw his boat, then we went to his house.

And when the tour guy wasn't looking, I had jumped over the velvet rope, and I pretended to be using his toilet. And I thought that he would really appreciate that. So you can get dump on Hemingway. Toilet. I think that he would appreciate that.

You know, of all of all of all people, he would appreciate it. So but I have just for the record, I have arranged with the museum curator Uh-huh. To have access to your Oh. To your motorcycle. If they're not looking, I may steal a frying pan.

There's no there's no guarantee. You're lucky to find one. Absolutely. I have something for you. We have a tradition in the podcast.

It's going to be silly. Just just let us do it. We have a sticker. Yes. That we give to people and there's only 100 of them in the world.

Oh, is that right? And it's a sticker with, an ass. It's a donkey. Yes. I see.

He's a badass, and he's riding a motorcycle. Yes. And it's a certified badass motorcycle sticker. So he wanted Yeah. He looks very much like me.

That's He's doing a wheelie and he's and he's handsome. Right? Yes. That's right. Yes.

One of my traditional questions we have for authors, it's more more funny, is why don't more modern authors use the Oxford comma correctly? Yeah. Because I couldn't give a shit. Well, I'm on a one man journey to to to bring back the the Oxford comma. Well, good luck.

Yeah. Well, I wanted to thank you for letting me in your home on this auspicious day, your your your birthday. Yeah. And, thank you for your books and inspiration, to ride and travel and and and most of all, thank you for being a good writer because people like me, it's hard to put pen to paper because of this monolith of your work, but thank you very much. Well, thank you for coming.

Thank you, sir. Very, very grateful. Welcome to Colombia. Colombia is home to some of the best adventure motorcycle riding in the world. Three Andean mountain ranges, stunning biodiversity, rich cultures, and roads that will leave you speechless.

Imagine riding through lush coffee farms, past streaming natural hot springs, towering 200 foot wax palm trees, trees, and into the high altitude paramos, otherworldly landscapes that can only be found here in Colombia. With no seasons, only altitudes, you can ride from cool mountain air to the hot, humid tropical lowlands in a single day. At Columbia Motorcycle Rental and Tour Co, we take care of everything. Whether you're looking for an all inclusive experience, a guided tour, or the freedom of a self guided route, we've got you covered. All you have to do is ride.

The Colombian Andes are calling. Are you ready? Visit columbianmotorcycletour.com and start your adventure today. And we are back. What a great interview.

Yeah. That was fantastic. Well, he was fantastic. I was a a ramble fool, but, yeah, it's fantastic. You can really tell he's a quality dude, and, and you're right.

We're so privileged to, to have some of his time. That was fantastic. Yeah. It's nice. And it's nice that he could spend some time with the number two podcast as opposed to the unnamed number one.

I wanted to mention, you know, I had some time to reflect about reading his books. So I made the mistake one time of reading Jupiter's Travels and then immediately reading Dreaming of Jupiter. Don't do that. Read Jupiter's Travels, take a break for a few months or a year, and then read Dreaming of Jupiter. Dreaming of Jupiter is especially good if you're an older dude.

So if you're like 70 years old and you're a little, you know, wind blown from the road, you'll appreciate dreaming a little better. And then like a year later, when you're like, I wish I had some more Ted Simon, then go read Riding High. You'll have to actually read that and you'll have to get it as a used book on like Amazon. And then I will report back in a few weeks or a month or so and I'll give you a little report on Don't Boil the Canary, which sounds like an autobiography. Yeah.

Sounds good. Alright. So, you know, the introduction is sort of the intro to our next segue, but I've gotta front load this for the simple reason that it was it was horrific on my part. And the It was not. So so the before we do field notes, I wanna say the intro of the Field Notes talks about our shaming and our embarrassment, and this really just nails it.

You did that intro a long time ago, and you wrote that script probably having It was more for my benefit because I know it's gonna be a total disaster every time that I have a few beers and start talking on the mic in the middle of a desert somewhere. It's gonna be a nightmare. It's gonna be bad. Yeah. Alright.

So it was, there's no really there's no real excuse for it. Like, it wasn't like it was 05:00 in the morning, like some of these rides that I go off on. It was, like, you know, 10:15 when I met up at Perre, and then, and we went out. And then, so let me just say a couple things. I do know the difference between automatic clutch and a quick shifter.

I know. I just couldn't come up with it at the time. Forgive me. And, and in terms of a, the gearbox, as I was describing, the the, the f 800 GS gearbox, what I was really trying to say, although I did not come close to it, was the throw. Like, the distance was very, very short in the actual shifter, whereas this longer in the in the in the t seven.

Yeah. So and that's probably because the the GS gearbox is just mechanically tighter. So that that physical distance you have to raise the the shift lever to change the gear is is different. That's all. Yeah.

So, so as I was sitting there talking, I was doing sort of one of these notes. I was chatting with the guys before either I went out or before they went out, and then you get fifteen minutes. So the sort of setup is there's one guy, actually, the, one of the people who was giving out the, sort of collecting your driver's license, giving out the the keys to the bike was, the owner's, daughter. And she's like, yeah. My dad owns all of these dealerships.

So it was Ducati, BMW, and Triumph, and they all sit right there. So they have about and probably throughout the day, it was from ten to three in the afternoon, and they probably had about 500 to 600 people roll through there. Wow. And most people came on motorcycles as you could imagine. They had a whole field full of parking for your bikes, and then there was a area where they had these, you know, these big, like, blow up tents, you know, with the big, you know, like, rally.

You know? Here's what you're finishing on the rally Red Bull. And you would go to those areas, and then there'd be a couple people behind out of the tent, and you would give them your driver's license. And then on the Swedish driver's license, they have a QR code, and they scan it, and it pulls up your whole life history, everything you've done from the time you, you know, you you spat on your teacher in third grade. Oh, yeah.

It's all taken all there. That would be like Yeah. It's a rap sheet. Like, it was like a comical rap sheet where the guy goes, and it, like, hits the ground. Right?

Remind me never to go there. No. Okay. Yeah. You're you're officially uninvited the next one, but we're going for sure.

Fair enough. Fair enough. So they, they have, like, a a plastic formed thing. Think of it like a a a silverware drawer. And then they have a key, and they have driver's licenses.

So they put your license in. So you give up your license to wait in line. And then when it's your turn I didn't I I don't think I waited more than seven or eight minutes for any bike all day. And, they take your license. They ask you for either your phone number or for your email address, and then they have you sign the phone, which basically says, you break it, you bought it.

And they tell you it's, you know, it's a $1,500 deductible, and, go out and have a good time, bring the bike back in fifteen minutes, hopefully, in the same condition that you got it. So and then they kinda give you a recommended route depending on what you wanna go to. So I did the same thing. It was down past the school zone. It was a Saturday.

His school zone was closed. So, it was just a straight shot down past an industrial area, which is nice. But on these field notes, I talked about riding this 900 scrambler. I never actually got on it because I wanted to ride on the 400 instead. Mhmm.

And then it by the time I finished this this, this field note, the, the the the 400 rocked up, and I was like, boom. I swapped out the keys, and I went back out. So anyway You know what? I just wanted to I wanted to add something. Your friend, who is very astute, said that, you know, let me paraphrase, that the GS 13 sounds like a wet fart, I think what he was trying to say.

And, you know, he's completely accurate, so much so the last three GSs I've owned, before they arrived, I had ordered online an Akrapovic slip on at minimum. And I will tell everyone that the last time I ordered one, I got duped. I ordered a Akrapovic BMW slip on. So that sounds like a dry fart. And I'm really upset about that.

I would love to rip that whole system out from the manifold down and replace it. But unless the angels are showing up with a gift tonight, that's going to remain sound like a dry fart. But he's right and it's a shame. And I understand why all the regulations, but the first thing you should do when you order a GS is get a proper slip on with a proper sound. Well stated.

And with that, roll the field notes. It's time for field notes. Oh. A collection of voice notes recorded on location while we're on wildly exciting motorcycle adventures hacked together for your amusement and our public shaming. Alright.

It is Saturday. What what day is it today? Saturday what? We have to look at our phones. We have we lost track entirely?

Second in May? The second in May. It's a second away. So I've met my friend, Per. And, I met Per when I was actually training for my motorcycle class, and he had actually, he was doing the same thing.

So we were over on the on the slow course. And, yeah. So I went over there, and we, we met and we chatted then. I did my best to speak Swedish, and then he quickly recognized that we should probably switch to English because as you will quickly find out, his English is amazing. So, Per, welcome.

Pleased to be on the podcast. I've been a faithful listener since day one, so this is great. Yeah. It's nice to have you. It's nice to actually get a chance to go out and ride with you since, it's been a while since we've had a chance to, to twist the models together.

Yeah. Exactly. I was telling my daughter that since I listen to the pod every week, it feels like I'm meeting you all the time. And in reality, it's been ages since we were up riding. So this is great.

It's a good day to go riding. So, what are we on what are we on the way to go do right now? So today is like a motorcycle dealers day or something. Everybody's got like an open house thing going, bikes to test ride, maybe some snacks. Who knows?

So I'm planning to hit at least three locations today, and, we'll see. Where were you you wanted to go to the the car, right, first? Yeah. I'm I'd like to actually I was hoping to get on a four fifty on the GS on the on the new four fifty, but I didn't I didn't see that on offer. I think they're really trying to promote the, the f, 800.

They have a special on the f 800 GS and the f, 900 GS, but I didn't see that on on offer. But I like to ride some Triumphs because I'm interested in potentially getting a Scrambler. Oh, okay. That's what my brother just bought, and I'm trying to get it help him get his license so I can tell you a bit more about the Scramblers, a bit later. Alright.

Fantastic. And with that, we have other friends to meet. We got Vijay and Kale, and they're gonna meet us there. I'm I'm sorry. I didn't mention that to you earlier.

Go ahead. Vijay from, Vijay from, the podcast and also Khale from the last, few drops ago. And, and with that, let's go. Alright. So I just got back from riding the f 800, the BMW, the new 2025 f 800, GS, and my first impressions are well, I mean, I rode here on a Tenere 700, which was 100 cc's less and, and surprisingly faster than this 800.

The BMWs do deliver the, the smooth the just the mechanics and the gearing of them are are are so smooth, and and the tolerances between all of the moving parts are so precise. So you absolutely feel that when you're riding it. It's a bit, a bit clunky in low gear. For example, like, you know, the flywheel didn't feel like it was big enough in a second gear just thumping along. On the tenor eight.

It'll it'll, move me along quite easily. Thump, thump, thump, thump. Whereas on this machine, I had to go down to first gear, and, normally, it would be in the, a second gear in the, on the tenor eight. So, on the top end, I have to say I was I was nearing I was sort of in a school zone area, so I wasn't able to take it to the highway and wind it out. But I did jump it up to about, a hundred kilometers an hour, and it was smooth to get there.

On the top end, it was super smooth, and the, and the shift the distance in the shifting is extremely low, the distance actually on the on the on the upshift. And it has the, the auto shifter or the, you don't have to clutch in. Can't think of the name right now. Anyway, it was really nice to, to ride that. I'm gonna try to get over to, the Triumph.

So right here we have, Ducati, BMW, and Triumph. And I might actually, like, swing my leg over this, BMW electric c e zero two. These, these promise to deliver. It's like a looks like an an ironing board on wheels, but extremely they're extremely fast. More later.

Alright. Here we are. We are at, Moto Test Day, and I am here with Vijay. Vijay, you know from V Day with g Vijay episode and several other rides. Welcome.

Hey, Taylor. Great day to be out. Lovely weather. Tons of bikes. I'm not sure which one I'm gonna try first, actually.

I just got back from riding the, the GS 800, and it has a typical smoothness that you would expect in, in a BMW machine. Although, 800 delivered what you might expect when I'm used to driving a twelve fifty, so it was a bit underpowered for me. What do you wanna get your hands on? I'm gonna try the Triumph for sure. Three cylinders promises to be smooth.

I tried it last year. The quick shift shifter was lovely on that bike, so let's see how that goes this time. Fantastic. Alright. Calais, you've been on the last episode, although, like most people, you do not like to listen to your own voice.

That includes me, Aaron, BJ, all of us. So maybe we'll get you on to listen to this one. So what are your expectations for today? Just, having fun, and, I see there's a lot of people compared to, last year as well. I don't know if the weather is better, but, it's, looks like fun.

And I'm also a bit hungry. Yeah. This is a good place to get something to eat as well. So, yeah. So I'm gonna go out.

I'm gonna get my hands on what do I have a key for. I've got a key for a Speed Twin 900 demo, which is a triumph. Let's give it a whirl. So tell us, so far, what did you just get back from riding and what are your impressions? Just tried the new 1,300 GSA, the manual version.

As a GS rider, this has been a big big thing, you know. A lot of people don't like the design of the new one. I'm one of those people. And I thought, okay, but maybe maybe the technology and the engine and that all that stuff is gonna be, win me over. But I was actually really surprised.

I'm kind of a I'm kind of a tall guy and, the GSA felt so different from my my current, twenty eighteen GS eight hundred rally. So that's a that's a big bike. It's a high rise, the handlebars go up really high. Getting on the GSA felt like a like a more like a street bike, a low low chunky bike. Really wide, obviously, the GSA tank.

And and I'm getting too old for that kind of seating position I'm feeling in the hips. But the engine sure, the engine was great. I mean, a lot of power, but it's just I don't like the sound. It sounds more like a, one of those rideable lawnmowers than ever before. So that's a big minus.

Big minus for me. But, yeah, I sort of knew beforehand that I'm probably not gonna be getting one of these bikes, and I'm feeling even more certain about that right now. I'd rather I'd rather keep my old one or probably, like, the the last version of the old December GS. That's probably, the bike that I'll be looking for. Fair enough.

Good. Thank you very much for that. And, I'm on the way out to test drive this Speed what is that Speed Twin 900 Triumph and, back in back in '15. See you then? Alright.

Here we are having spent two and a half hours here. Oh, yeah. Hear it. Listen. Listen.

Yeah. So I'm sitting here with my friends, two of whom have already been on the podcast, Kale and Vijay. And we have our new friend, Par. So, Kale, what is your what are your reflections on today? Well, I had a lot of fun.

I'm not gonna go just yet. I, tried two bikes and waiting for one more. And, believe it or not, I'm hungry again. You're hungry again. I believe it.

What did you try and what of of of those bikes, what has been your favorite so far? Well, I tried a 1,300 GS with automatic, and I was, I was surprised. It was pretty good, actually, like a better, quick shifter, I would say. So I like that. And then I tried a v two s, which which is a Ducati.

And, I like that as well. I mean, it doesn't sound as good. I think you need an exhaust to it, an extra exhaust. But, otherwise, I tried f 900 GS, and then, I'll see if I'll wrap it at a. Fantastic.

Thanks for that. Far, what are your thoughts? I know you I know I've seen you on how many bikes now? Today, I guess, three or four, but, I was thinking that if I was a filthy rich and I wanted to organize a birthday party, this is exactly the kind of event I'd put together. This is awesome.

So, for me, the fun part today was trying out a barber, a triumph barber, Bonneville barber. Really fun to ride, and, I started thinking about getting myself a street bike, and that might be it. We'll see. So since you, you wouldn't characterize your body type as short, quite the opposite, how does that fit with you with body style on that for a tall guy on a bike like that? Yeah.

So yoga needs to be on the agenda somehow. A bit stiff there, but, I I I can still ride it, and it wasn't didn't have the forward footpegs that I would obviously go for. So that's, that that's gonna be okay, I think. So So overall, final reflection for the day. You gonna get any more bikes before the day is over?

Have this shopping list to fulfill before, so I need to be leaving soon as well. So probably not. Yeah. Fantastic. Thank you.

Vijay, what are you what are your thoughts on today? And there was a really interesting comment when you got off the 1,300 automatic. So how many bikes have you been on today, and what's your experience so far? Yeah. It's been three or four.

I can't count anymore, Taylor. I'm going through a bit of an existential crisis here. I mean, motorcycling was all about, you know, the clutch and changing gears and feeling it. But the 1,300 GSA automatic, oh my gosh. That's changed my perspective on, you know, what a motorcycle could or should be.

So you'll need to give me a minute to kind of get over myself and figure out what, you know, what biking is all about. Now Bueno was a fantastic bike, I guess, because I ride a GS, it felt more comfortable, you know, the geometry and the engine and stuff. But just not having that clutch, you know, that bike actually came together really, really well. I was very, very impressed with that. What's on the left hand if there's no clutch?

A bunch of buttons or something. I don't know. Maybe one's for an indicator and one's for something else. But, yeah, there's no lever. There's There's no no lever.

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. There's no lever on the left. So yeah.

So, anything else you're gonna ride today? If you're looking for a ride, I would recommend the 1,300, the, GSA or the GS, without the clutch without the clutch lever. Definitely, definitely worth a try. I tried the the Explorer, the Tiger Explorer 1,200. Very nice bike as well, three cylinders.

Again, you know, the the gear shifting was really, really cool. But I must say the GSA, you know, was the highlight of the day for me today. Fantastic. Thanks for your comments, and, it's been a pleasure. Thank you all very much, and, I hope to, twist the swaddlers with you here in the near future.

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, could I please have your attention? I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story, And I need all of you to stop what you're doing and listen. Cannonball. Hey, Cannonballers.

Thanks for subscribing to our podcast. We appreciate it. If you're not a cheap Canadian and want to buy us a coffee, head on over to buymeacoffee.com, or better yet, buy us a case of sweet ass craft IPA. We'll list it on patreon.com. Links are in the show notes.

Now back to the riveting podcast in progress. And we are back. And that's field notes. Aaron Mhmm. Have you got any Cannonball news to share?

I do. We have Hunter Ray just finished riding days five through eight of the 2025 route pre ride, and he is over the moon about it. And we will have him on as soon as humanly possible. I'm just traveling, and the time zone differences are killing me. But by the next time we have an interview, we will make sure we have his pre ride.

He also, he was a champ when he also rode days seven, six, and five of the 2026 route, doing as much as the off road as he could, which was open, and he reports back that that was also, even more gooder. So we're looking forward to the 2026, route as well. First of all, I just wanna make a comment about before we jump any further, I wanna say, Hunter Ray, man, he has he he's got amazing, like, microphone presence and the information he puts up. Yeah. I think that, you know anyway, if you put too much of Hunter Ray on here, you'll be looking for, you know, a new host.

You'll be looking for a new producer. I'm like, it's gonna take over. He's great. We are definitely lucky lucky to have his time and have him on here. I just wanted to mention that, inbound shipping is sold out.

I just sent out the last invoice. I'm assuming that gentleman will pay. And we have three spots from the finish line. So if you need help getting your bike home from the finish line, from the Portofino, there are three spots available. Please, please send me an email.

And there are five hotel rooms available for the 2025 ADV cannonball, and 2026 is not available yet, but will be soon. And that's all the cannonball news I have, sir. Alrighty. That was, that was fun. Thanks very much for taking the time.

I appreciate it. Yeah. Thanks for, thanks for hosting, man. I know it's a it's a pain with the job and, the family and the home renovations you're always doing, so thanks for taking the time out. Absolutely.

And I wish you a safe travel back to a safe trip back to America. Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. And on that note, let's roll the outro. Thanks for listening to the ADV Cannonball podcast.

Please give us a five star review on your preferred podcast platform. That really helps us with the algorithm gods. All hail the algorithm gods. You can buy us a coffee on buymecoffee.com/advcannonball, or directly help save this sinking ship for the price of a pint at patreon.com/advcannonball. Follow us on all the socials with the handle at adv cannonball.

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