POHNPEI, Federated States of Micronesia (STPNS) -- ?I?ve been everywhere, man!...?  Johnny Cash?s song would have been significantly longer if Peter and Kay Forwood had written it.

The Forwood?s who hail from Australia have truly been everywhere and they?ve done it on a hog, not the kind that screams like a creature from Jurassic Park when it is feeding time but the kind that rumbles.  Their hog is a 1994 Electraglide Classic 1340cc Harley Davidson Motorcycle manufactured in November 1993 and purchased new in January of 1994.  They say it is the world?s most traveled motorcycle.



They have logged over 300,000 miles, nearly half a million kilometers traveling the world on their motorcycle since February 3, 1996.  Since that time they have ridden the bike in all but nine of the UN recognized sovereign countries on the face of the earth.  

They have visited 184 countries.  The travels have been mostly unsponsored by corporations.  Harley Davidson didn?t sponsor any of the trip but the Forwoods say they have been given generous treatment by local Harley dealers around the world..

They say they don?t have favorite countries.  They have been in Pohnpei since the 15th of January.  Of the six Pacific islands they have visited so far, Pohnpei, they say  has been  the friendliest, the prettiest and appears to be cleaner than the other islands they have visited.

Peter said that Pohnpei has hills and mountains which makes cruising fun, unlike the straight flat roads of the Marshall Islands where they visited before arriving in Pohnpei.

They say they don?t choose favorite places because each country is unique and each has its own special flavor.  Each location gives them a different sense of adventure.  Each place and each season when they travel is new and exciting.  They enjoyed traveling in the United States because of the beautiful parks.  They said that Norway had spectacular scenery but every country has something different to offer.

Peter and Kay say there are often no mechanics to help them out when they are on the road.  They rely on trial and error shade tree mechanical troubleshooting to get things repaired on the road.

Their journey isn?t always easy as they deal with customs, repairs, and shipping their bike.  Some places won?t even allow them to bring their bike into the country like Vietnam which has a 250cc limit.  Often they find that the only way to get in to a country is to bypass the system by talking to officials who don?t really know the rules and regulations.

Peter and Kay only rode the Harley four kilometers into China from the Pakistan side before returning on the Karakoram highway to the Khunjerab Pass, altitude 4700 metres (15300 ft)  When they returned from their short trip into China, the Pakastani official at the crossing threatened to arrest  them saying that they could cause an international incident.

The Forwoods normally transport their bike by plane if they can arrange it.  The bike is often disassembled, put into a crate and stuffed into the cargo hold.  If they can clear customs and get their bike out quickly they ride it away from the airport when arriving in a new country.  Sometimes the only way of transport is to put the motorcycle on a ship.  Planning each trip carefully is a must.

Peter and Kay are on the road about 10 months out of each year and spend the other 2 at home in Australia.  They plan to be finished with their worldwide journey in about 12 more months; then it?s off to revisit some of their favorite locations, mission happily accomplished.

The couple has been recording an online diary as they travel around the world and posting it online.  Some of the pictures they have taken are posted there.

You can find more information on Peter and Kay Forwood?s adventure at http://www.horizon sunlimited.com/forwood.

Be careful if you go to the website.  It is captivating and will draw you in for hours.

Why so few have offered to sponsor Peter and Kay we will never know.  After all, they?ve been everywhere, man.  I?d read the book!