Wednesday 9th July 2025 Ciudad Madero to Gonzalez
Not a lot happened last night, just a few beers, then an early night, too tired to venture out again, to be honest, sorted some more routes and made mental note to fill out the USA entry form in the next few days.

Good nights sleep, but woke up with an eye infection or something, bit swollen, don’t think I have been stung by any insects, maybe a bit of stuff in my eye, anyway it does not hurt and i have another eye, thats just about works, take a anti-heistime tablet and have my epi-pens at the ready. Breakfast all sorted wheel the bikes out to the front of the hostel, it is chucking it down and pretty dark only 5:30 in the morning! We both sit like caged lions, be fidgeting all over the place, just want to ride, first spec of dawn, we are out and on the bikes, in the pouring rain, big city, awful road surface and me with one eye hopefully, nothing can go wrong!

Took a wrong tuning after 1/2 mile, but don’t count that as going wrong, that’s normal, big place Tampico, said to Bingo at the traffic lights, after an hours riding and still only on the outskirts of the city. Tough technical riding with storm gutters overflowing, really dangerous grates over some drains and none over others, very treacherous, gripping onto my handlebars with all my strength. Glad to get out of the city limits, motorbikes not allowed in it, cant help myself in the pouring rain pothole after pothole, banging out Nutbush City Limits, not sure where Nutbush is though, the Ed is getting better he will surely put me right soon [is a semi-autobiographical song written by Tina Turner which commemorates her rural hometown of Nutbush in Haywood County, Tennessee, United States. Originally released as a single on United Artists Records in August 1973, it is one of the last hits that husband-wife R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner released together: Ed].

So good to be out of the city, proper countryside cycling now prevailed, still quite green, but the trees have been replaced by shrubs, seems to be getting drier now, ironic as it is still pouring down, hopefully it will stop eventually. With the rain still hammering down, we witnessed the melancholic sight of hundreds of little tiny frogs, these plucky little creatures trying to cross a busy road, find themselves squashed, by those who, unequivocally own the roads, or more importantly think they do, such as a sad sight, just hoped some of them made it. On we went, with the thought of all those tiny frogs, just as I was getting over it, a small tortoise was on the side of the road, sure we can help this little man or women out, (allegedly not so easy to determine the sex of tortoises, well down right impossible for me), got the young tortoise to the field on the side of the road, hope we had him / her facing the correct way, sure we did, left it on its merry way and assured the tortoise is still winning the race.

On we go, the rain, seems to be easing up a little, loads of time today as we are only doing about 60 miles, so pull up at the next Oxxo shop, they are go to place at the moment, nice coffee and very cool inside, today we needed a towel though, nice hot drink then back on the road. Taking it steady, the bikes will need a good going over this afternoon, mine is making some weird noises, not good, with around ten miles to go we pull into a small cafe, just outside “Estacion Manuel” spot of lunch both have omelette, refried beans and chips, mine without the ham!, never happens, but Bingo always happy for a bit extra, though, nice stop, good food and company.

When we went in the little cafe, the sun was trying to come out, afraid to say it did not win, chucking it down again, oh well just get on with it, only 10 miles, few miles down the soggy wet road, Bingo had a bit of a mechanical, fair play he stopped, straight away as his rear tyre split, not even a puncture, so had the spare tyre on and back on the road, with a massive thought clean the bikes when we get there.

Soon arrive at the digs all good, very helpful. managed to locate water hose, here we go, wash down the outside of the bags first, then full clean and lubrication of the bikes, well Bingo did most of that, I was tasked with finding some beer, self praise is no praise at all, but it is one of the things I seemed to be good at, not sure why. Waited around the corner till my bike was done, then mystically appeared with the god given riches of beer, only joking, I did my bit, pulled the ring tab on Bingo’s can for him.

Bikes are looking a bit tired I must say, not surprisingly, with a bit of love and attention we will get them over the line, they look a bit better a scrub down and a lubrication, think the same could be said for me, my feather cut is coming along fine, to be honest can’t wait to cut it all off, but that not going to happen yet.

Little update on Steve, progress is good, he is slowly and surely on the road to recovery.