Courtesy of Simon and Lisa Thomas

Simon and Lisa Thomas have been to 57 countries in four years.

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Debbie Denmon reports

2 Ride the World: Global Adventure

DENTON - Dread going to work? After one English couple's jobs became less fulfilling, they decided to quit their jobs and hit the road in an attempt to set a world record by traveling to 123 countries on motorcycles.

In the midst of their journey, the couple made a brief stop in a Denton County neighborhood.

Lisa Thomas said she and her husband, Simon, have received support from all over after they quit their jobs, sold their home and took off to ride around the world.

"We get lots of emails from people we have met and have not met saying you are living our dream," she said.

It was a trip a long time coming.

"There are just only so many bad days at work that you can cope with; and then after that, you begin to think there must be something more," Mrs. Thomas said.

The Thomases have been to 57 countries in four years.

Images from their trip captured the sites they saw along the way. Seeing the beauty of Ecaudor's live volcano was just one among many experiences.

"You catch yourself saying, 'I'm in Botswana on foot and there is a lioness and her cubs a stones throw away," Mr. Thomas said.

In Ghana, they were awakened by the noise of elephants taking a mud bath. But it was the Sahara Desert they said was the most exhilarating moment.

"It is the biggest buzz in the world," Mr. Thomas said. "And you look across and there's your wife doing 60 to 70 miles per hour on this BMW bike; and your going, 'That's my wife.' How cool is that?"

When the sunset and moon begin to fade, the couple said their memories will remain.

"What we have found is we've met the incredible, hospitable most generous people in the world, often when we wanted it the most," Mr. Thomas said.

Mr. Thomas said he owes his life to Brazilian surgeons who operated on him after a bridge in the Amazon gave way. The crash broke his neck.

"And there I am with a motorbike balancing on the bridge waiting to fall on top of him," Mrs. Thomas said. "He's out cold. I'm in the middle of nowhere."

But, they kept going. The couple said they have grown closer as the roads grow longer and said they can't wait to take their next winning snapshot of the world.

Thomas stopped in Denton to visit friends and said they will start touring Texas next week. The couple is scheduled to speak in Fort Worth in April.

E-mail ddenmon@wfaa.com