Seeing the world by motorcycle

English couple makes a stop in the valley on world tour

If world-traveling motorcycle adventists Lisa and Simon Thomas let their lives be determined by their afflictions versus their dreams, they'd never have left cozy England.And there's a lesson in that for everybody.Instead, the sharp-witted, fun-loving English couple is in the fifth year of an around-the-world motorcycle journey and in the course of their adventure, their trip has become a lifestyle, versus a destination.I have a heart condition arrhythmia, and high blood pressure and Simon has epilepsy. I also have arthritis, and Simon broke his neck in a motorcycle accident in the Amazon Jungle. But the way we look at it we could feel the same way with our aches and pains and be back home miserable and doing nothing in England, or we could be out here, seeing the world, said Lisa, 46, while Simon, 38, gunned the throttle of his BMW motorcycle outside the offices of The Conway Daily Sun following an interview Wednesday, Aug. 13.Their respective families back home also face health challenges Lisa's dad has a heart condition and Simon's mother is battling cancer.If all that weren't enough, Lisa added that Simon in 1999 all but severed his right foot and crushed his lower right leg in a motorcycle accident and was told after surgery that he would always walk with a limp and would not likely run again. After 12 months of no walking, months of agonizing physical therapy and five major operations over two years, he not only set about learning to walk again, he eventually ran in a half marathon, rock climbed in Yosemite, walked in the Grand Canyon and played rugby.As for Lisa, she said she prefers to call herself determined, adding, But my father, of course, does not call it that he calls it stubbornness and pigheadedness.The two did not meet because of motorcycles. That all came later. Simon ran a marketing company, which focused on physical fitness, and Lisa ran her own gym.Together, they decided to leave it all behind and to go on the ride together.When you do something like this, it has to be 50-50, and a total commitment by both of you because otherwise, five months into it, the one will have had enough and the other is still wanting to go, she said.They thought the journey at first would take two years. We were both geographically dyslexic, joked Simon.Now, they think it may be an endless journey.We think we are about halfway. We keep revising the outlook every two and a half years. Threeyears ago we said five years now it's looking like another five years, said Lisa. They came east from Maine to Mount Washington Valley Aug. 9 not only because it is a beautiful place, but also because they wanted to discuss a possible book deal with Dan and Judy Kennedy of Whitehorse Press, the company on East Conway Road that publishes books about motorcycles and catalogs containing motorcycle gear.Dan asked us what would be different about our story, our book. I told him what a friend had told me that differentiates us. My friend said that unlike so many, we will not go home and summarize when we get back: We are permanent nomads. We have no place to go back to. We have nothing to go back to, no stocks or savings. This has become our lifestyle, said Simon.Lisa added they are writing for several motorcycle magazines as a way to produce income.Lisa is the factual one with the memory; then I then fluff it up, said Simon about their duo-writing endeavors, noting that Lisa is the more linear, organized half of the partnership who tends to focus on local customs and visa applications beforehand.Judy Kennedy brought the Thomas couple to The Conway Daily Sun for the Aug. 12 interview, during which they described what it's like to leave your job, your family, your worldly belongings and all else to pursue a dream of riding two BMW motorcycles around the world. Like the old Endless Summer surfing movie of the late 1960s or the motorcycle classic movie, Easy Rider, the two have set off on an endless quest for adventure, sightseeing, and contact with the world's peoples.Before setting out on the trip, they say they were tired, bored, stressed and no longer happily engaged in their former professional lives. They now live in the moment, unsure of what any day of their gypsy lifestyle will bring them although they admit during this American stretch of their journey to be more restricted by a schedule than their normal routine when in such places as Africa or South America.We're on more of a schedule here in the states because we've got several slide show and speaking engagements lined up, explained Lisa.As of this month, they have roared through 58 countries and 31 states, counting New Hampshire. They have been throughout Europe, including Russia; they have ridden to the Arctic Circle, four days across the roadless Sahara Desert in 100-degree heat, and throughout South America and Central America.They first arrived in the United States in March 2007. Their visas generally allow for a three- or maximum six-month visit, so they have had to either head to Mexico or Canada whenever their American visas expired.They have Asia ahead of them, with Japan next on their list. They are worried that their big BMW cycles may be too big for China, but they are hopeful they can work out a visit.Their travels so far have taught them what many world travelers report: that most people are the same. They want to live good lives. They want to take care of their families. They want to have good jobs. And they like to be treated the same as they treat others, the proverbial Golden Rule.The reception we have received globally has been very welcoming, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact we are husband and wife, said Lisa. She stressed that when in Rome, they do as Romans do in other words, they make sure they follow local customs and do not cause a scene in terms of how she dresses or is treated as a woman. They are also careful not to impose their values or political beliefs on anyone.In Africa, Lisa was seen as my property. So that created some issues regarding her bike, as it is registered in her name," said Simon."However hard that was for me to accept, you adapt to their customs, said Lisa. So I let Simon do the talking which turned out to be quite nice for you, didn't it? laughed Lisa to her husband.After visiting 58 countries and twice as many border crossings, you do pick up a sense of street smarts. We are not fearful it really is about gut instincts, said Simon.We have learned that the world is a gracious and sociable place for the most part, Lisa echoed, adding, People want to share what they have with you. It really strikes you how little most of the world has, and how lucky we are.They travel with side saddles on their BMWs, in which they carry a camera and laptop computer. They have one set of motorcycle clothes, and a second set of zippered long pants that can be turned into shorts. They have jackets, polar fleece pullovers and a T-shirt each. Teva sandals, too. They travel light, and spend many a night in a tent but they have stayed in hotels when in cities.They pack a portable stove, with Lisa doing all the cooking, often stopping at local markets. They always carry emergency supplies.After leaving New Hampshire Aug. 15, they were headed south to New Jersey and then down the Eastern Seaboard to the South. From there, they were to head west to Texas and Mexico, a country they have already visited several times, due to visa stay restrictions.We hope to get to all 50 states, said Simon.They have ridden from Mexico up the West Coast to Canada, down into Idaho and Montana, and across the plains, going from the farthest western point of Washington state to the easternmost point of Maine.A highlight was seeing a moose and elk in Colorado. You've got to remember, we're English. All we have are squirrels, said Simon.The weather this summer has often been less than hospitable for motorcycling they encountered the flooding and tornadoes of the Midwest on their way east.We rode through four weeks of rain heading east to Maine, said Lisa. Maine was rainy with high gas prices sort of like being back home in England, quipped Simon, ever quick during the interview with snappy retorts, and often finishing Lisa's sentences and vice versa, as married couples who are on the same wavelength often do. At times, their dialog was reminiscent of a Monty Python's Flying Circus routine or perhaps even an exchange between the married couples on television's syndicated Everyone Loves Raymond program. I was just about to say that, Lisa would often say during the interview. You stole my line. It was my line, Simon would retort.When asked the greatest lesson of their journey, Simon seemed to surprise Lisa with the wisdom and grace behind the following insightful answer:I am much less materialistic, said Simon, adding, That doesn't mean I don't like having BMWsor a nice Ralph Lauren shirt or a nice hotel room with a Jacuzzi. But what it does mean is that we no longer use these things to define who we are. They are still nice, we will still enjoy them. But we have come to the conclusion that we are the sum of our experiences, not of what we own.Where did you get that? queried an incredulous Lisa.I made it up. It came to me today I had an epiphany. It happens. Really. Not wanting to give him the last word, Lisa said, Before, we had a good income, but we worked for so many hours. Now, we have no money but we have a quality of life you could not put a price on. Travel is not a God-given right; it is a privilege.For more on the couple's journeys, go to www. 2ridetheworld.com.