2025 AIS-5 Quintuple Quest, Sun January 26, 2025

Last riding day, Abidjan back to Accra

Can you believe it? We're on the home stretch. At 8:30am, I'm at my bike, strapping my luggage, but I see Joseph's Ducati without a front wheel, sigh...

Our Abidjan rider escorts show up on the cool bikes including a 2016 Honda FC6 Valkyrie! Ahmed is impressed.

We got out at around 11am and rode hard to the border. On the way, the zipper on my aerostich breast pocket failed and all my documents blew out. I didn't notice, but Dan was behind me. He remembered a story I told about Ron Ayers losing his receipts during an Iron Butt Rally when he forgot to zip up that pocket. This caused Dan to do a double take and go back to see what flew out. He found my passport, vaccination card, bike insurance and title, everything(!) still in the plastic bag. Miracle!! This saved us many many hours at the border.

The border processing was relatively quick and efficient. We get out of Côte d'Ivoire in about 45 minutes, then finish our entry processing into Ghana in another 45 minutes.

Then we ride hard again.

A bit after 3pm the sky begins to close in for rain. Still 5.5 hrs to Accra. I start to worry about riding in the dark and in the rain.

We get a brief spell of hard rain, but we ride out of the cell and it's not too bad. Remember that my suit is wide open with broken zippers and my rain gear was left behind when we packed light for unsupported riding. I'm damp, but not soaked and it's drying out quickly. Fingers crossed, I ride on.

We stop for fuel, and another tire repair --- this time Dan's bike. 45 minutes lost again. Best case, Accra at 9:30pm, a good 3 hours after dark. And there are some very bad roads with heavy traffic on the way. Fortunately it's late on a Sunday night, so the traffic is just terrible, not insane.

At 6:30pm, it's good and dark, and it starts to really rain hard. Visibility goes to shit and I decide I don't want to die. I'm going to get a hotel room, sleep now, and get up early in the morning to finish. But Dan isn't having any of it. He wants me to get in the support car and give my bike to Ekow for the finish. I'm pissed that he is pushing on because I think it is extremely dangerous. But Dan has a welcome back party event going on at Robust Engineering in Accra and he refuses to miss it. I reluctantly get in King D's Toyota Land Cruiser with Rufus driving and get some rest while the bikes roar off ahead. In a way I'm glad that Ekow gets to ride into the welcome back party. He deserves it after his heroic ride almost all the way back from Dakar. Fortunately, the rain lets up soon and it's mostly dry into Accra. I don't care. I'm so tired and done, I'm just glad to be sleeping in a car.

At 9:40pm, Rufus and I arrive at the welcome back party. There's an emcee interviewing everyone, videos and pictures are being shared. I meet lots of people who seem to know me, but I don't know them. Apparently a LOT of people have been following the adventure.

Day 15, Abidjan back to Accra

Ride Log