Let's talk about awesome people: William Gloege
"Hey Te-jas!" some random motorcyclist shouted as he sped around me. "I'm from California."
Green, Marcela, and I had been making a leisurely climb toward Meteora, enjoying the views of massive monolithic rocks an as the sun came up, when some West Coast hoodlum started yelling at us. He soon pulled over for fuel, and so we had to chat him up for a bit.
William Gloege is on his second trip around the world. Sponsored by Honda to ride the Africa Twin, Klim to use their gear, and Gerber to cut stuff with their knives. So... stinkin'... jealous. I'd later grab beers with him in Istanbul, where our paths parted as I went north and he continued east.
Will boil it down to some key quotes:
- "Don't use the 'W' word around me...it makes me a little sick to my stomach." Self-sustained adventure motorcycling is a rarity...and the mention of work could definitely induce nightmares once one has achieved such status.
- "Dude...Russia is so awesome...whatever people tell you about that place, don't believe it. But, continue to spread the rumors so we can keep the awesomeness to ourselves." A couple other Americans who have traveled Russia alone recently have confirmed that good times and great people await on this leg of the journey.
- "I used to carry one of those silly expandable batons...such a waste...people in this world are great. No one is out to get you. Just be smart." Wish I'd have listened to this before crossing into Ukraine with one of those.
- "It's amazing how much extra crap we pack at the beginning. I manage to get by with less and less as time passes. With the cheap alternatives for lodging, a tent is almost not necessary anymore." Amen, brother. I think I have a tent buried somewhere in a side bag.
It was a pleasure to make William's acquaintance. He's somewhere in Iran now, and I hope to bump into him again sometime...hopefully in Africa.
Check out his VLOG. His hair isn't as cool as mine, but William is much funnier than me.
