Lalo's journey ends

Lalo is my hero.  He rode his motorcycle hundreds of miles to find me when he found out I was riding alone in the southern part of Mexico trying to get home without a GPS or map.  When we finally met, I gave him the biggest hug thanking him for coming to get me.  I am sure I would have been able to ride through Mexico alone, but he was able to get his friends to escort us through some of the most dangerous parts of Mexico and avoid riding through Mexico City.  The ride through Mexico City down was difficult, I did not want to ride through it again.

So, this is a sad blog entry because it shows Lalo's tragic accident in Monterrey Mexico.  Prior to the accident, we were having so much fun riding our motorcycles very fast with speeds over 100 miles per hour.  I don't know how we got away with it and did not get stopped.  Along the way, we encountered a group of Harley riders riding.  Lalo and I were going so fast that the group tried to catch up with us and they could not.  While I passed that group twice because we had to stop for a quick drink along the highway, I would wave at the boys and they would try to pass me.  Of course, I was not going to let that happen even if my bike was in desperate need of chain and sprockets.  I just rode faster and faster until their bikes could not catch up to me.  Lalo was so funny and said afterwards, "Madeline, you gave those boys something they will not forget for a very long time."  He told me that the men in Mexico are not accustomed to having a woman pass them riding her own motorcycle at those speeds.  Oh well, that is what I do......

We arrive into this beautiful city surrounded by mountains on both sides.  It was so beautiful that our eyes would look in the direction of the mountains versus the road.  We arrived into what seemed like an overpass and Lalo was riding so fast he rear ended an SUV because it slowed down.  It happened about 150 yards in front of me and I swerved into the yellow line so I would not hit them too.  When I saw Lalo bounce off that vehicle my heart dropped.  All I could think of was, "my Lalo is dead."  It was the worst feeling anyone could experience while riding a motorcycle to see your friend crash into a vehicle like that.

I ran over to help Lalo get off the street and he got up right away.  I was extremely happy that he was not injured like Jerry at the beginning of our ride.  He got up and all he wanted to do was to lift that bike and run away because he had not purchased the motorcycle insurance.  You need it in Mexico.  Well, hey, I did not buy it either, I just got very lucky.  The next day when I had to return to the border alone, I spend my $30 or so on this insurance just in case.....

As usual, I prefer to allow the pictures tell the story....

It was so hot in this valley.  No air circulated because of the mountains.  We were there around 7 hours and I was exhausted with no food.  At least I had a little bit of water left.  At one point, the police allowed me to cool off a little in the air conditioned car.  They were very nice to me, just like all the other police officers I encountered along the trip.  One thing I have to say about the law enforcement in Central America, they love a woman who rides her own motorcycle.

Since Lalo had no insurance, he made a deal with the SUV owner to pay him $1,000 American dollars.  He did not have the full amount and I had to give him $500 cash otherwise he was going to be arrested.  The SUV owner looked at me afterward he got paid and said to me, "You are a very good friend to help him!"  I had to help Lalo, how would I live with myself if I allowed him to go to jail?  He helped me when I needed help, the least that I could do was come up with some cash.  Lalo was extremely grateful for my generosity. 

The next day, I hired a taxi driver to lead me to the entrance of the major interstate leading to the Nuevo Laredo border crossing.  I rode alone praying that my bike would last with the terrible condition the chain and sprockets were in.  The bike was in such horrible shape that it kept loosing power, but I kept riding.  I was determined to cross into the American border.