This project, a documentation of my motorcycling life, began as a result of countless requests and encouragement from friends and family over many gatherings and meal tables.

I must begin by giving my most sincere thanks to all who have expressed their genuine interests and have been waiting with endless patience, enough to give me the push, the encouragement, to find and make the time to share my experiences with them through devotion to this labor of love.
Needless to mention, I have had to dig into my various drawers and cabinets to get at all my contemporaneous notes, receipts, planning lists, photographs, tracking maps, video footage etc. etc., to consolidate all my acquired material in order to arrive at the starting point for this journey in my life that I feel so blessed to experience.
I can therefore not commence this project without expressing my sincere and ongoing thanks to them/you.
To my parents, who gave me life and cared for me when I could not take care of myself. Allowing and trusting me to spread my “2-wheel wings” as I grew, with oodles and oodles of lessons laced with caution and warnings and waited with abated breath and nervousness till I returned home safe each day. Who would not let me ride till my chores were all complete, …….. my list goes on and on. To exaggerate, could be endless! Mum, thanks. (I hope you will enjoy the videos I have produced). Dad, (R.I.P.) I wish I could turn the clock back and ride with you again. Maybe one day again.
My wife Yv who has been there every step of this journey, from our first ride together back in West Africa, allowing me to spend countless hours of family time to devote to this, keeping me fed and watered during the marathon weekend and overnight hours of editing that have eaten into a lot of our quality time and then having to endure my time out on the road, but have never ceased in your support of my motorcycling dream - I will be thanking you for the rest of my life.
Although you gave up riding years ago, I look forward to continue taking you and showing you around this wonderful country of ours we now call home. To continue showing and experiencing with you, all the magnificent and awe-inspiring natural beauty and endeavors of the human spirit in this country in which we have made our home.
My children: Punda, Tooie and Dee who still continue to wait in anticipation of the release of this project, but have kept up with me, checked on me on the road and plotted my routes as I have traveled this country, and endured me teasing them with just sneak previews of my videos.
My grandchildren Miims, Sophs, Pee, Baby Shark and Alise who are my constant companions and guardians on the road in the form of Scrappy, Teddy, Big-E, Sylvester, Troll, Llamy and Big Lips - my constant reminders to make sure that I do everything in my control to make sure that I get back home safely to you all.
To Muppy and Leon: your undying patience and ongoing anticipation of this project - is more pressure on me to accomplish than you realize. I hope it will be worth your wait. I look forward to being with you in New Zealand and to ride/tour in that also-lovely part of the world as your constant pictures continue to keep my dreams alive. (I promise also to “keep NZ clean”).
To my older brothers, Ralph, Leo, Pee and Syd, all of who taught me to ride, gave me access to bicycles, motorcycles and the good sense of mature, responsible and safe riding habits. All the “gas-money” and the forced-habit of taking good care or your property whilst in my possession, making sure to return them to you in good mechanical condition, clean and properly functional, the countless amount of time you all devoted to teaching me and sharing your individual experiences and expertise with me and the many nights I kept you all up sharing stories of my motorcycling escapades - my list of memories is almost non-ending.
My friends and colleagues with whom I have shared meals, ridden around with through all the years - on bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles and the likes, who have all given me nothing but encouragement and the push to see this get started - you all know yourselves. You are too many to mention individually.
But if I have to single out any one person, I cannot fail to mention you, Serge.
A great part of my exposure to “legendary” motorcycles and long distance rides is owed to you. Your genuine friendship and generosity through the years, goes to the heart of my “middle motorcycling life”. You made a lot possible and I for one, genuinely thank you profoundly.
Thomas “Don Tomasino”, Abbey, Obodai a.k.a. Bodie Boy (R.I.P.), Horst Kamolz, Mr. Ata, Little Joe (R.I.P.), Narh, Willi, Massimo, Georgie, Eddie Christian - my list continues.
Mike Conrad - the many hours of our dinners together at work during which your broad traveling experience and broad mind, knowledge of places far from the shores of this country, through which you have engaged me, stimulated my mind and caused me to research and travel to places far beyond my imagination - It ain’t over yet. Go buy that bike and let’s cruise bro, so we can scratch that item off our bucket lists. I await.
My list goes on and on. But you all know yourselves. Keep the memories alive. Perhaps we will get to ride again together one day.
To my “Sister-from-another-mother” Rebecca n.b.m.a. (knicknamed by me as) “Dillon”.
I am so excited that you were finally able to take that “first step” and made your first trip to Florida and came back with stories of the great time you had on the beach.
I am glad that I was, or should I say, I like to think that I was some sort of a catalyst in getting you to embark on that trip for yourself. So in between the current demands of our work lives, let me continue to encourage you to make that next trip by keeping your dreams alive.
Your constant curiosity, encouragement and anticipation of this project of mine, your being my constant “sounding board” and your undying patience, listening to my ideas and thoughts of this project over and over again have served to encourage me to keep pressing on to bring this project to life.
To those who have gone before me on their motorcycling tours and journeys that I have met along the way - my forerunners, who have opened their homes to me and shown warm southern hospitality, that have and continue to encourage me and patiently await the start of this website/blog, I look forward to meeting up with you again, sooner than later - Thank you.
……… and to The Honda Motorcycle Company, for making what is undoubtedly, the best Sport-Touring machine for me to date.

Ernest.
A.D. 2012