The final hurdle

It always seemed somehow odd that the USA was the only country of the fifteen I plan to ride through that might require a visa for entry. I put off contacting the US embassy to clarify the visa situation for a few weeks - mainly due to the astronomical cost of calling - whilst I tried to find some info on the Internet. Finally, after failing to get anything concrete and not willing to risk being refused entry to the States, I bit the bullet and called the US embassy visa enquiries line at £1.20 a minute.

Naturally (on the basis that nothing is ever simple) they told me that the visa waiver program would not apply in my case as I had no return ticket, and I would need a B2 tourist visa to enter the US. They then told me the earliest interview I could get at the US embassy would be July 28th. As the trip was due to start on the 29th this wasn't the best news! For about thirty seconds I contemplated starting in Canada and flying the bike to Mexico, but it turned out I could potentially get a visa from the US consulate in Belfast, Northern Ireland. After checking with EasyJet that I would be ok to travel with no passport - it would be a UK flight after all - I booked a visa interview in Belfast and arranged a flight from Stansted.

It's a shame the rail companies can't take a leaf out of the EasyJet book - a return ticket from London to Stansted costs as much as a return flight from Stansted to Belfast!! They should replace the ticket machines at Liverpool Street station with large men carrying guns and wearing little highwayman masks.

I started to get really nervous that effectively my trip was now balancing on whether I could get the US visa or not. If there was a problem, I would have to arrange another visa interview and the trip would have to be postponed. Worse, if my visa application was turned down then the whole trip was in jeopardy. It turned out that I was interviewed by a nice lady who seemed primarily concerned with how much it might rain whilst I was motorcycling through the Pacific Northwest :)

Visa authorised I then went to the airport for the flight home and was promptly stopped at security, they were concerned that a roll of Duck tape I had might be used to restrain someone on the aircraft. They even bomb-tested my hayfever nasal spray!

But I'd cleared the final hurdle standing between me and my trip. Roll on Alaska, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, Arches, etc etc etc!

Fraser.