Friendly kidnappings by Russian bikers, flying motorcycles off of cliffs in Mongolia and adopting a beach dog in Thailand are all part of Sherrie & Patrick's year of chasing summer.
In the summer of 2011, Sherrie and Patrick say goodbye to their home in Germany and take a truly long way to Sherrie's home in Newfoundland. Since meeting Patrick on his first world trip by motorcycle, Sherrie had the plan to ride her own bike on a world tour. With her BMW F 650 GS named Betty, she set off with Patrick to do just that.
Pointing the bikes eastward they set off towards Russia with the plan to eventually make it all the way round back to Canada.
Thier adventures take them through Romania, Ukraine, Russia and Mongolia before an argument with gravity left Sherrie's bike in a condition where shipping it onwards costs more than the bike is worth. As changing the plan is part of the plan, they sell the bikes and move onto South East Asia, where they buy moscoots and experience tropical paradise, survive monkey attacks and end up with a co-dependent dog in a make shift basket they attach to the front of Sherrie's new bike.
Finally, chasing summer they end up catching up with winter, and in North America they buy a van to tour the states before rolling into Newfoundland on four rather than two wheels.
This is the collected essays of her Chasing Summer column she wrote during 2011 and 2012 for the Newfoundland and Labrador's Independent magazine.
A just over year long adventure that is a must read for anyone who has ever dreamed of packing everything up and hitting the road.
