The plan was to wake up in the morning and watch the sunrise. Thunder convinces me that I should stay in bed instead. Around 7:15 we stir. Don is long gone and might be headed into rain. Mike and I have a route planned, but are very flexible. In other words, if it’s raining east, we go west. The fog is thick as we head out, but clears shortly.

At a Pemex we meet a couple ex-patriots who give us route suggestions, the biggest of which is avoiding Poza Rica. Mike suggests we head to Tuxpan along with directions from the previous couple. In Tuxpan, along the river we stop to eat and have some great broiled chicken. The road along the river has its charm with the town on one side. It’s cloudy outside so I make sure to leave my lights on as we eat which makes starting the bike difficult. If I was on my BMW I’d be pulling a fuel tank to get to the battery. With the Suzuki we pop the seats and I break out the jumper cables which takes 5 minutes. Yes, I carry everything on a trip because s#%@ happens and most of the time it happens to me.

The road north of Tuxpan is painful both physically and emotionally. Ditches are smoother than this road. I can see the faces of Chinese people at the bottom of the potholes. Let’s throw in a little rain. We shouldn’t still be having fun, but we are.

We can’t find a shortcut to go around Tampico and go up over the big bridge into the fun. After a couple of wrong turns and lots of mud we are almost out. The police have a couple of trucks pulled over. The trucks are sporting Che Guevara posters and trucker solidarity slogans. The police are all over these guys. So much for free speech.

We will scoot up to Aldana and call it a night. Mike has been using the Sanborn’s guide for the trip and all our other books and guides pale in comparison. This is a “must have” book for finding lodging. We find a nice motel for $36.00 and take care of our bikes. My chain guard is flopping around and gets cut off. Yet another part becomes one with mother Mexico.

A quick walking trip around town, and internet café, dinner at the best restaurant in town with a picture of dogs playing poker and some very forgettable ice cream ends the day. Jelly and coconut is not a good combination.