Donators

You'll never appreciate how big this giant is until you look up at it.

You’ll never appreciate how big a cypress tree is until you look up at one.

Unexpectedly, we’ve received overwhelming levels of support on our adventure from all walks of life from the well-heeled to the impoverished, in the most remote or unlikeliest corners of the world, which has left us dumbfounded, and grateful to the moon and back.

We would like to thank the hundreds of amazingly kind and generous people that have helped us along the way, with whom we’ve had the good fortune of crossing paths. Such people have gone beyond the extra mile by: furnishing us with directions and conversation; nourishing us with food; plying us with drinks; offering up their home sheltering our backs with a roof over our heads and a comfy bed to sleep in; allowing us to camp on the manicured lawn of your five star hotel; treating us to a complimentary night in your four star establishment; insisting on crossing our palms with silver; donating their iPhones; inviting us to dinner; and giving us access to a washing machine, tumble dryer and hot shower. All heaven-sent.

As well, rescuing this moto-damsel-in-distress when Pearl has broken down on the odd occasion; supported us with motorcycle maintenance and floorspace for tinkering on our wheels; taking us sight seeing and helping us to run our errands; and giving us a generous discount on lodging. Collectively, you’ve all contributed tremendously towards keeping us going and the bikes on the road through unconditional acts of kindness.  We couldn’t have done it without you, and you’ve made our experience from the outset all the more richer. Thank you so much. Without these brilliant beings, this four to five year sojourn through the Americas would not have been possible.

Learning important attributes on the road—patience, faith and resilience—is one thing. Immeasurable hospitality to which we’ve become unexpectedly acquainted, is quite another. On the receiving end of gestures of goodwill and proactive concern from strangers, seems to have dislodged an inner-emotional logjam in me, and while we don’t fully know how to return the generous gestures—it is good and we’ll find a way. What have we absorbed? Something warm, intimate, genuine. That friendship has no linguistic barriers. That’s the essence of goodness, which in our case stems from the fellowship of the road. The unforeseeable weave of human action. It leaves us flabbergasted to be a member of such a camaraderie-driven family. Isn’t it always the fruits of serendipity that taste the sweetest?

BIG MOTO-LOVE to all of you.

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Donators:

Sam Manicom: a dear friend from old Blighty and author of four fabulously un-put-downable motorcycle travel books bestowed a farewell gift upon us before departing on our trip.  His instructions were to spend the gift once we had reached “a place that doesn’t get much better than this”.  A top notch guy who oozes likeability in the bucket load.

John: A most amicable American bumped into us at Hierve el Aqua was overjoyed to see two bikers living their dream on the road.  He was excitement personified and insisted on crossing our palm with green backs.  Well John, that was assuredly the most unexpected thing we imagined to happen upon your super-friendly meet and greet.  Thank you.

Travel by Drone: Preston Ward at Travel by Drone kindly donated some funding in appreciation of our short films.  Truly, it’s our pleasure, and thank you so much.

Gabriele Giudici: A lovely person residing in New York who has told us that they truly enjoy following our journey. On his second(!) donation, he wrote: “As it is going to be a long time before you are up here in NY… (And rightly so!) I felt compelled to send another little sign of encouragement and thank you for the wonderful writing and exceptional photography!! Wish you safe riding and many wonderful adventures.” Thank you Gabriele, we are doubly humbled.

Stephen Fullerton: A cracking bloke from Cheshire, England who got in touch with a rather lovely sentiment, “Keep on rolling”; alrighty, thanks to you Steve, we will!

Carlos Eduardo Nuñez Parodi: Part of the great bunch of bikers that took the ferry crossing with us from Colombia to Panama, Carlos handed us some money in a currency we didn’t have on us at the time, in order to get our paperwork processed with ease and speed.  Refusing repayment down the line, we wanted to express our deepest gratitude.  Muchas gracias.

Janet Morris: The best mum in the world who backs our endeavours with unconditional love and complete understanding. She’s also my friend, an awe-inspiring role model and is undoubtedly our number one supporter!  Thanks mum, love you to the moon and back.

Trish Smart: One of my mum’s dearest friends, Trish is no stranger to travel. I adore the way this lady thinks nothing to taking off around the globe and seeing the world’s wonderful offerings. Age is just a number and no nagging limb or throbbing joint will stop this woman; an inspirational force to be reckoned with!

Quadman ATV Rental: Kelly and Ron, owners of a big quad biking rental place in Los Barriles on the Baja Peninsula got chatting to us about this and that.  They were gregarious as generous; not only did they take the time from their busy day to say hi for half an hour, they left us with a bottle of chain lube, scratch-removing visor polish and a microfibre lint cloth, which was unexpected and graciously received.  Later, they only went made an enormous donation to us for the purpose of paying for gas to get us to the States.  Wow, guys!  Thank you, you’ve rendered us speechless…a jaw-on-the-floor moment.

Dan Webster: A wonderful man with a quiet demeanour beneath which a fun-loving lust for life resides; he’s an artist, a ‘Burning man’ seasoned veteran, a motorcyclist, a hard-working father as much as a loving husband, and one of the best hosts (along with his family) with whom we’ve ever had the good fortune of meeting. He donated his satellite navigation device, which was unbelievably generous–going beyond the extra mile towards keeping us on the road, literally! Thank you so much.

Tyler Simmons: A pastor we bumped into on the outskirts of California while tinkering on Pearl’s loose battery connection, this wonderful gentleman (with quite the ginger beard!) made an unexpected donation accompanied by the words: “Blessings from that Pastor at the gas station. May this cash help yall ride on just a little longer.” Thank you very much Tyler, it most certainly will and you made not just our day but our entire week. Bless you.

Jim Lumsden: A family friend from Blackpool who still lives next door but one to our old house in which I grew up.  My ‘Uncle Jim’ has known me since birth, and is undoubtedly our most enthusiastic fan, avidly following our route and as he tells us, vicariously living the dream through our journey.   I adore you Uncle Jim: thank you for your kind contribution on my birthday, we will be putting the gift towards excellent use on our mini-adventure around the Grand Canyon.

Marco De Las Vegas: A superb guy from Switzerland who has made not just one generous donation to us, but two!  Double whammy, oh my. Thank you so much, it is hugely appreciated.  Hope to see you on the road one day, never say never!

Simon Mcanulty: A fabulous follower of the website from Yorkshire, just a stone’s throw from us on home turf, kindly donated an unexpected sum to us–just before Christmas, just in time for the next leg of the trip.  Thank you very much, Simon!  Incredible.  Have a wonderful time over the festive period.

Helen Billingham: One of our nearest and dearest buddies who lives in ol’ Blighty, made a hefty contribution to us during our cherished time on English soil for a whirlwind visit over Christmas 2015.  What a generous lady and a gorgeous friend.  Thank you Helen, you’re a treasure.

Eddie and Crystal Hales: Two integral members of the Fishhook Fatties, these guys love to ride, live life to the full and are not afraid to share the love. Magnanimously donating a Heidenau front tyre for Jason’s motorcycle, they left Jason’s jaw-on-the-floor and his bike raring to go again.  Thank you both, you have selflessly elongated our trip and given us many more miles to munch.  Super stars!

Michelle Munro: About as lovely as they come, this lady didn’t think twice before magnanimously donating her spare smartphone to us. An iPhone no less! A luxury we’d never have the budget to replace, thank you so much for this fantastic one-stop shop device to stay connected. Furthermore, Michelle makes the meanest blackcurrant and raspberry jam this side of south-central Alaska and for that, I’m in culinary heaven.

Josh Shoda: Hanging out with this guy over the summer of 2017 in Juneau, Alaska was something quite special; he’s a whitewater kayaking instructor with a quiet gravitas about him. He’s from Georgia giving him a delectable southern accent and is one of those people with whom in a blink of an eye, you’ve become fast friends. Wringing out as much fun life has to offer, he took us kayaking over Mendenhall Lake to camp overnight on Mendenhall Glacier, and then we joined him to kayak in Tracy Arm–two phenomenal firsts we’ll never forget. On top of that, he donated his smartphone! Wow wee, thanks man.

Neal Newnham – A supporter of Two Wheeled Nomad, it always bowls us both over to awake to the surprise of a donation from someone that follows our journey from afar. What a truly selfless, generous man. Thank you very much, we sincerely appreciate your support.

Sam and Darren Spilling – My dear friends from Dorking (now residing in New Zealand with their teenage kids), who taught me to scuba dive. Darren commented how he’s loves following our journey and can’t wait to see us enjoy the epic diving spots on the coast of Africa, so much so he gifted us some beer money! Thanks guys, you rock.