Hear ye, hear ye

Months of speculation came to a sudden halt last night as the riders got their first look at an actual ButtLite routesheet. Four bonuses down came the answer to the question on everyone's mind and “se habla espanol” became the query of the evening. It was confirmed: riders would have the option to head, in the words of ‘ol blue eyes-hisself, “Down Mexico Way”.

“What?” I can already hear many members of the at-home endurance crowd saying, “they can’t do that!” To them, I’d sincerely ask “says who?” Everyone I know seems to have an opinion on riding in Mexico, and their stories are as varying as the country itself. It’s not safe, you’ll hear, followed by one horror story after another of the goings-on in the land where the peso is king. I’ve also been hearing these words for some time now, and have come to realize that while the speakers’ intentions may be the best, they frequently have little or no firsthand knowledge of the topic at hand. To quote the Reverend Adam, free advice is always worth what you pay for it.

I had heard that Eddy James had ridden down there last winter and asked him about his experiences crossing the borders, etc. His reply—“piece of cake. I crossed into Mexico at three different points from TX and was never asked question 1. The return trips at Eagle Pass, Brownsville, and the Falcon Dam all took slightly less time than this years crossings from Canada. All told, about 1 minute. Unbelievably easy.” 

Irregardless (I just love that word) of who says what, my opinion and yours don’t matter in this arena. The riders have the option given to them—they can take it or not at their choosing All the advice, guidance and suggestions of others shouldn’t matter. But neither should the boogieman stories.

As this bonus is just over the border in Nuevo Laredo, was this just another TeamStrange quirk, or a foreshadowing of things to come? Beats me-I’ve long since given up trying to predict these guys.

Summation: many bikes here have license plates that say “World’s Toughest Riders”. Some people might only talk the talk—I suspect that as this event unfolds, many riders here will walk the walk. There’s the old sign that says “in case of emergency-break glass”. I wouldn’t wave it around in front of some of these riders. They’ll break it alright-down to a fine powdery dust-and then go after the factory that made it. 

Riders have 4 different routesheets in their hands now, and if someone’s looking to make an early statement that they’re serious here, a run to Mammy’s Cupboard restaurant, Elmore James’ gravesite and Prattville Alabama's Cross Gardens on their way to MN might be just the ticket. Provided they don’t let anyone talk them out of it. 

Tell me how bad it can be. I’m at askdirkdiggler@hotmail.com