Two Wheels Through Terror: Diary of a South American Motorcycle Odyssey - Softcover

Heggstad, Glen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1884313493 ISBN 13: 9781884313493

Publisher: Whitehorse Press, 2004

Synopsis

Glen Heggstad is an adventure motorcyclist who seeks out and rides the most

About this title

About the Author:

Glen Heggstad was the youngest Hells Angel ever voted in, and his story of harrowing capture by Colombian rebels has been featured on "48 Hours," "Larry King Live," MSNBC, a National Geographic Channel docudrama, and NPR. He is an international martial arts champion and the author of "One More Day Everywhere."

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

After clearing the last hairpin curve, I come upon a two-ton truck with a canvas-covered bed being waved on after apparently being stopped and searched by armed men in dark clothing. What happens next, on a late, warm, sunny afternoon, in the spooky silence of a towering encroaching jungle, will forever alter the course of my life. I am 5,000 miles from the safety of my home, on a desolate stretch of the Colombian Autopista, two hours from the security of Medellín, when Im stopped at the military-style roadblock by about thirty heavily-armed young men.

Theyre clean-shaven, short haired, dressed in black sweat pants and black long sleeved T-shirts with nylon ammunition vests. They bear AK-47 assault rifles. Several of the men step out from behind the truck, while others line the road in front and behind. They wave me over with their rifles in firing position, aimed directly at me.

This is my first encounter with rebel forces. I had imagined guerrillas would be attired in camouflaged uniforms with some type of military look to them. Im still uncertain who they are. Its possible theyre only bandits. My mind races to a pulsating red alert and for a moment, I consider making a run for it. The jungle on either side is an impenetrable wall of tangled green, shooting straight up the mountain on the right, and dropping off perilously on the left. There are only two choices, forward or backward on the road. I deliberate revving my motor and running on through until I notice the tall shiny antennas glinting in the air, connected to radios in hand. I assume theyre talking to lookouts in both directions.

Its unlikely I can safely elude a barrage of machine gun fire from so many troops. Even if I do, more gunmen up the road are certain to have better luck. Before I can collect my thoughts, the men shout commands in an unfamiliar campesino slang that doesnt register in my mental dictionary of second semester college Mexican Spanish. Gesturing by jerking their guns to one side and ordering me off the bike, several of the men jam gun barrels in my ribs as I dismount. I scan the scene, trying to stay calm as the reality sinks in. A moment I had feared has arrived with no escape. It hits meI may die here today.

As I step away from my bike, several of the men rip the electronic equipment off the handlebars in a wild frenzy. Others feverishly ransack the contents of my saddlebags, tossing clothing into the road. They are shouting, "Ropa, ropa." (Clothes, clothes.) Im not sure what they want, and still dont know who they are. I hope maybe, because they are stuffing my clothes in a sack, Im just being robbed. Then an older, light-skinned man in his mid-thirties, apparently the leader, yells, "Vámonos!" (Lets go!) Thinking he means for me to get on my bike and leave, I start to do so. This enrages him and its back to the gun barrels in the ribs. What he means is, we are leaving together.

Other stern faced men motion with their weapons for me to accompany them behind some dilapidated deserted shacks half buried in the jungle. My mind races for a way outthere is none. I have never felt heart-thundering, cottonmouth fear like this before. I now believe with absolute certainty that this is execution time. They want me behind those structures for fun and games before blowing my head off. Positive my life is about to end, Im determined not to die alone in the jungle and never be found. My only option is to stonewall and try to take it in the street where a bus had been stopped next to us. Let the terrified passengers be the witnesses to my murder. At least then my loved ones might hear what happened and get my body back. I would have a say in where I spend my final moments.

"No quiero ir!" (I dont want to go!) I respond, shaking my head while trying to conceal the fear in my quivering hands.

About this edition

• Publisher: Whitehorse Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1884313493
• ISBN 13: 9781884313493
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 276