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TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN (TAIL OF THE DRAGON)

Friday, December 7, 2007

ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME IS CIRCLING GLOBE ON MOTORCYCLE

Starting from Edmonton, her epic ride takes her through 44 countries on six continents and she racks up 120,000 kilometres in a travel odyssey that would consume three years.
Doris Maron is the lion-hearted motorcyclist who rode away from a safe and secure life in Edmonton to pursue a lifelong dream -- to see the world from the saddle of a motorcycle. Last week, Greenwoods Bookshoppe in Edmonton hosted a book launch party for Maron's story, Untamed Spirit -- Around the World on a Motorcycle.
Maron is believed to be the first North American woman to circumnavigate the world solo on a motorcycle -- an accomplishment that the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin recognized by putting her Honda Magna on display as part of a major motorcycle exhibit in 2005-2006.
A hardy crowd of friends and motorcyclists braved weather more suitable for snowmobiling than motorcycling to attend the book launch and hear Maron tell memorable tales of her incredible journey contained in her book. "Bolivia was the most treacherous part of my trip," she recounts. "I had to ride 500 kilometres of rock and sand along a dry riverbed."
"Everybody says my trip was courageous. For me, it was a passion to see the world," she says humbly. When asked if her route was 'planned,' she explains, "I had it mapped out kind of where I wanted to go," adding "but it changed a lot!"
Some of Maron's biggest challenges and stresses occurred at border crossings.
"Border crossings were tedious. (At some crossings) it would take two-to-four hours," Maron says. "You have to be patient and follow the rules. And I didn't have to bribe any officials, but in hindsight, maybe I should have a few times; it might have made things easier."
When asked about her choice of motorcycle, Maron had ridden a Honda Goldwing touring motorcycle for number of years, but decided a lighter machine would be a better choice for globetrotting. She selected a new Honda Magna 750 with chain drive, and said it performed flawlessly during her trip.
"There were always people around to help me. My Magna wore out four chains and I had the tires changed six times. I only had one flat during the whole trip, and I never had any trouble finding parts or tires. The only time I had trouble finding tires was in Northern B.C."
Maron had some interesting encounters riding through the Middle East. In Iran, women are supposed to cover their head. Respectful of local customs, she carried a head scarf in her luggage. She walked into the the border crossing office carrying her helmet and riding jacket, but forgot to take her scarf.
"The border guard yelled at me, 'Cover your head!' I didn't know what to do, so I put my helmet back on," she says with a laugh.
Maron relates the story of one encounter with the police. "In Pakistan, in one town, every hotel I went to was 'full.' Finally, I asked a clerk if the hotel was really 'full,' or if the problem was that I was a woman travelling alone. He said the problem was that I was travelling alone and I needed to go to the police station to obtain a permit to get a room.
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1 comment:

Lisa said...

Hi just flicking through the blogs and came up on yours. Great site, I Live on a boat in the uk in England. We have many same interests! Me n tuther half lke bikes, now tourers, but only because my stupid tuther half started colecting points on his licence with sports bikes!. So the tourers have slowed him down. We are bikeless at the moment as we are traveling the uk on our boat. Anyway, My blog is http://thenarrowshop.blogspot.com feel free to visit sometime. Thanks. Lisa