The adventure ends
It was an absolutely perfect day to ride down the Columbia Gorge on my way home. I love living in the Pacific Northwest and I was reminded exactly why that is. It was a brutally cold start to the day. The first hour of my ride was between 26º and 30º. I stopped in Kennewick to have lunch with my Mom...
Final Ride Stats
Duration - 150 Days Distance Traveled - 26,728 mi (43,015 km) Circumference of the earth - 24,901 miles (40,075 km) Fuel - 605.7 gal (2292.1 L) Average $/gal: 4.12 US ($/L: 1.09 US) Fuel Economy: 44.13 mi/gal (18.76 km/L) Average distance traveled: 178 mi/day (286 km/day) Most expensive fuel: $7.32/...
Last stop
I got a scolding from one of those voices in my head. You know the one... "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" "Zip it! I'm trying to concentrate!" Granted, riding a snowy mountain road at 35º in the rain does beg the question. I swear I scoured the weather reports last night and there was no...
The cold and lonely road
There is nothing like the feeling of having a remote highway all to yourself. I only saw a couple of cars during the entire three hour ride from Cedar City, Utah to Ely, Nevada. The wide open spaces really appeal to me and I was surrounded by snowy peaks all day long. I took advantage of the shift t...
Zion National Park
You really can't take anything away from the American Southwest as one of the most beautiful places on earth. I had a spectacular albeit chilly day riding around the northeast end of the Grand Canyon. Highway 89A from Sedona to Flagstaff was a delightful twisty jaunt along the Red Rocks. Early in th...
Heading North
When you have been moving for so long, returning to things that are more familiar causes a bit of mental distortion. Spending a couple days with Julie and Bob not only gave me an opportunity to refit the bike, it was also a good time to share some stories and enjoy the first stages of reentry. Tiggr...
Chiricahua Wilderness
I had a really lovely wild camp in the Chiricahua Wilderness last night. At over 6000 feet it was pretty cold, dropping to 28º over night. I had to jump around to warm up while I was packing my gear this morning and used my warm coffee mug to thaw my fingers. Riding through the wilderness area this...
The Border Wall
Today I rode along the US, Mexico border on Highway 9. I caught this remote road just outside of El Paso, Texas and followed it along the south edge of New Mexico to Arizona. I took this route because I wanted to see (or not see) the border wall. Some part of me hoped that it really didn’t exist… bu...
Big Bend National Park
Once again I’m camping where there isn’t any cell signal. Hard to believe I had better mobile coverage in Bolivia than I do here but its true. It’s okay though, I’ll post this sometime tomorrow when I stop for gas. I had a lovely night of stars out in the desert even though it was a little brisk. T...
West Texas
Yawn! West Texas is only slightly more interesting to ride across than the central part of Argentina. Endless straight road and is flat as flat gets. Coming from the Pacific Northwest I really cannot understand people's love affair with Texas. To each their own as they say. It is remarkable that pe...
On the road again
I think American's should travel more. It would help them appreciate just how amazing the United States actually is. This morning I took an Uber to the cargo terminal to pick up my bike. I was amazed as to how incredibly efficient the whole process was. It only took about ten minutes and I was on my...
A combination of skills
They travel on bicycles, motorcycles, and various other larger rigs. Overlanders seem to prefer to travel solo or in pairs though I have encountered a few larger groups. Unlike backpackers who rely mostly on hitchhiking and public transportation, overlanders attempt to be as self-sufficient as possi...
The Paris of South America
I certainly got a workout today having walked from my hostel to central Buenos Aires to join a walking tour. A little over 14 miles in all. I met my guide and a small group of other tourist at the iconic obelisk which marks the center of the city. If you happened to watch the NEWS during Argentina's...
Ride Stats - End of South America
Just in case anyone is interested. Here are some stats. Days Since Departure - 132 Distance Traveled - 23,172 mi (37,292 km) Fuel - 512.5 gal (1940.1 L) Average $/gal: 4.27 US ($/L: 1.13 US) Fuel Economy: 45.21 mi/gal (19.22 km/L) Average distance traveled: 175 mi/day (282 km/day) Most expensive fu...
Bu-bye Tiggrr
Yesterday was my bike prep day. It was difficult to find a place to wash my bike on a Sunday but with enough asking around I eventually did. I took the clean Tiggrr back to the parking garage where I applied my last two flags (Brazil and Uruguay) to the pannier, making it 17 in total. Steve helped m...
Last stop in South America
I had a lot of different emotions running through me all day. Part of me is ready to head for home and part of me thinks we should push back up through Bolivia. "Let's just keep going!" I think Tiggrr is ready to go home as it has acquired several new rattles and vibrations over the last few weeks....
Sustainable living
Riding into Montevideo early this afternoon, I was reminded about the complexities of riding in a city. Navigation, traffic, pedestrians and noise. When was the last time I was in a city? Santiago. That seems so long ago. After getting checked into my hotel and parking my bike, I spent several hours...
Tagging Uruguay
“You don’t have the right documents” the police officer at the border control checkpoint said to me. I had just passed into Uruguay about 20 minutes before this encounter through a very obscure border. I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t have the right documents because the agents at the border didn’t...
Tagging Brazil
If you think I would shamelessly cut through a corner of Brazil just to put another flag sticker on my bike... well, you would probably be right. I have no illusions that exploring Brazil is its own separate adventure. It is a continent onto itself as it is larger than Europe and, unlike the rest of...
Iguaçu Falls
I'm so glad I made the effort to get here. Iguaçu Falls was nothing if not one of the most magical places I have ever seen (and I've been to Disneyland!). I think you will enjoy my photos but really it is a place that defies photography. It is not a waterfall but rather a waterfall complex made of m...
Through wind, heat and rain
I did it. I'm not sure why exactly but in a pure display of suborn determination I rode the entire length of Argentina from south to north (~2800 miles) just to look at a water fall. It is the biggest waterfall in the world so I'm thinking it's going to be worth the effort. We'll see tomorrow. When...
Epic day in the saddle
I didn’t set out to cover 1000km today but I finally got that Goldilocks day I was looking for. Temperatures in the mid-80s and no wind. The rural highway I started my day on became progressively busier as I approached the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Slow moving cattle trucks would stack up trains of...
Into the farm belt
It was little easier day today as the arid waste lands turned green, becoming corn fields and ranch land. I wouldn't call it hilly but after the last two days the slight roll of the land was enough to make the ride more interesting. The reintroduction of trees into the landscape was the best part as...
More endless horizon
Midafternoon and I was getting beat by the wind again. My thermometer showed 102º and I could feel the sweat running down between my shoulder blades. Somehow I had missed the Goldilocks zone between freezing all day yesterday and now roasting in the sun. It was another day of endless plains and an u...
Chasing the horizon
I only needed one photo from today because the scenery never changed. Just hold that one up in front of your eyes for five or six hours and you will get some idea of what my day was like. The only thing that kept me awake was the frequent herds of guanacos. I don’t know why they insist on standing...
Four borders and a ferry
I'm in my sleeping bag trying to warm up and dry out from the day. Leaving Ushuaia the weather looked promising as it was brisk but clear. The ride through the costal mountains was highlighted with a spirited romp around the twisties as I enjoyed my last views of the snow covered peaks. The rain sta...
The actual end of the road
The Super Bowl party at the end of the world was very fun. I met some interesting riders and I enjoyed hearing about their adventures. I mentioned that section of road that I had struggled with a few days back and everyone had a story to share. I heard about several crashed bikes and everyone agreed...
Fin Del Mundo
Mother Nature made me earn my miles today. Through the rainy, cold and windy conditions, I patiently counted down the miles. I intended to reach the Fin Del Mundo (end of the world) today. Ushuaia had been a fantasy for over 20 years and finally it was becoming a reality. I know that Ushuaia is just...
Back into Chile
The morning sky was clear and I was treated to my last views of the Andes today. They have offered me so many spectacular experiences all the way from Colombia to the tip of Chile. I was sad to see the last of their snowcapped peaks fading into the distance. As I left the Andes and headed for Terra...
Perito Moreno Glacier
I decided to have a rest day today. I slept in, loaded the bike and went in town to find a nice coffee shop for breakfast. After attaining the proper balance of blood in my coffee stream I set off for the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares (The Glaciers National Park). Since I wasn't in any particular hu...
A very physical day
"Aye!" The wind felt like it was trying to twist my head off. It had been a constant menace all day but now a gust had caught me off guard. The bike wobbled and skated across the unpaved surface, my front wheel plunging into a deep rut filled with pea gravel. I could feel the front end give way as t...
Back into Argentina
I had to dress in all of my layers this morning as it was a very cold start. It had rained all night leaving a fresh coat of snow on the hills just above where I was camped. Having completed the Carretera Austral , I now had to backtrack in order to cross back into Argentina. Once there I would stil...
Why ride to the end of the road?
I couldn’t help but question my motivation to ride to the end of the road. I knew what was going to be there. The exact same thing that is at the end of every road. An anticlimactic barrier of some sort and then you turn around. Even though I knew that would be the case I was still possessed to go...
Dust and washboard
The wind last night was incredible. Despite my best attempts to get it tied down, my tent kept collapsing under the 40+mph gusts. It would spring back into shape when the wind abated but it woke me up every 20 minutes of so. In the morning it was a bit of a scavenger hunt amongst the other campers a...
Ride Stats - End of Chile
Just in case anyone is interested. Here are some stats. Days Since Departure - 110 Distance Traveled - 17,595 mi (28,316 km) Fuel - 379.6 gal (1436.9 L) Average $/gal: 4.44 US ($/L: 1.17 US) Fuel Economy: 46.35 mi/gal (19.71 km/L) Average distance traveled: 160 mi/day (258 km/day) Most expensive fu...
Patagonia!
From Puerto Montt I can't go any farther south without taking one or more ferries. It was difficult to figure out a route because all of the ferry lines are independent and they sail from different ports on different days or different times of the day. With the help of Tameka, I finally decided to t...
Ruta de los siete lagos
Leaving San Martin I followed what is called the Route of the Seven Lakes. I counted more than 18 so I’m not sure which ones were the “official” lakes. The weather was intermittently nasty with cold wind and rain but the ride was fantastic and the lakes were beautiful. I admit, I was a bit disappoi...
Sagebrush and jackrabbits
"Buenas dias!" a woman's voice startled me. It was 6:30 AM and I was in the middle of enjoying my cup of coffee and spacing out. Besides, I thought this place was deserted. "Buenas dias" I replied reflexively turning around to see a petite old women dressed as a cowboy. She looked to be a at least 1...
More toughness training
You would think with all of this toughness training I should be getting super tough. Apparently that’s not true as Argentina beat me up today. It all started okay. In fact the first 200 miles was nothing but fun. The abundant farmlands, orchards and vineyards eventually turned to open range land. S...
Argentina!
In the months leading up to this trip I had a very difficult time telling people that I was planning to ride my motorcycle to Argentina. Every time I did, it just sounded so preposterous. Even though it had been done by many motorcyclists before me, it seemed to be an impossibly long way to go. It w...
Ready to roll
My new friends at Zona BIkes in Santiago went above and beyond to make certain that Tiggrr was ready to go again. I have a fresh new set of beefy tires. German made Heidenau K60 Scouts which are known for their durability. They replaced both my front and rear brake pads, changed out my brake fluid,...
Valparaiso
The small, sprinter van, tour bus picked me up at my hostel at 6:30AM. There were 12 of us headed for Valparaiso and it was quite the international contingent. Ireland, France, Japan, Brazil, England, Colombia and the United States (me). Our driver/tour guide, Edson, impressively gave his tour in En...
Serendipity
I love it when random but necessary things seem to magically appear when you travel without any particular plan. In fact, I tell other travelers not to plan so far ahead. Rather allowing the universe randomly connect them to things you can't possibly find on the internet. Yesterday, when I arrived i...
Long day into Santiago
Two 500+ mile days, back to back, was definitely hard on my neck. I'm not riding that far again on this trip (or ever, if I can help it). Additionally,, that is the last I want to see of the Panamerican Highway. The roads and traffic behavior in Chile are about the same as in the US or Canada. The l...
A whole lot of not much
A sleep under the stars makes all the difference and let me tell you, the stars were so bright in the desert sky. I decided to make a charge for Santiago. There is a Triumph dealer there and I need a few parts and possibly some new tires. I'm hopeful that I can get the bike serviced on Saturday so t...
Rest Day
I was a little off my game this morning and could not decide what I wanted to do. After breakfast, I ran some errands. I needed to find an ATM and fill up with petrol. I finally decided to ride out to San Pedro de Atacama because I found a place that I could camp. I haven't camped since I was In Pan...
200 miles of Bolivian hard pack
It was a long but interesting day. Leaving Uyuni, I meant to I take Highway 5 towards San Cristobal but took a wrong turn and followed the nicely paved Highway 21 for about 20 miles before discovering my mistake. I had to backtrack all the way to Uyuni and then discovered why I had missed it. "Highw...
A day on the salt
The thunder storm last night helped me make my final decision not to risk taking Tiggrr out onto the Salar. I so wanted to though. Instead, I talked with the host of the hostel and opted to take a one day tour in a Land Cruiser. The Salar de Uyuni was on my original list of places to visit on this t...
The high plain of Bolivia
It felt like I was approaching the edge of the map. A little further and I was sure I could look over the edge of the earth. Getting out of La Paz was a whole lot easier than getting in. Of course it was early on a Sunday which made all the difference. It's not like it was traffic free, it was just...
Exploring La Paz, Bolivia
If the Spanish would have known how big La Paz would eventually grow to, they would not have placed it at the bottom of such a steep canyon. The reason La Paz seemed so large to me riding in was because it is actually two cites that are conjoined. El Alto is the second largest city in Bolivia and it...
Dodging thunder storms in Bolivia
Riding along the shoreline of Lake Titicaca this morning, I could see I was in for an extreme weather day. Bright bolts of lightning danced on the horizon and ominous clouds loomed overhead. I stopped to pull on my puffy jacket. Over that, I zipped up my riding jacket and fastened the collar prepari...
Lake Titicaca
I don't know if anyone remembers the comedian Steven Wright. I remember a line from one of his performances. In his signature dead-pan delivery, he said "I live on a one way dead end street... I don't know how I got there". That summarizes my entry into Puno today quite well as I found myself landlo...
Machu Picchu
I did not get back to my hotel until after midnight last night so I decided not to ride on towards Bolivia today. I'm just going to take a rest day in Cusco. Yesterday morning began with my alarm going off at 3AM. A tourist van picked me up in front of my hotel at 3:30 and we drove around Cusco pick...
Exploring Cusco
Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire which stretched from Quito to Santiago. The Incas built a huge system of roads connecting their empire referred to as the Inca Trail. All of those roads originate from Cusco. Of course when the Spanish arrived they quickly demolished the Inca city. Using the...
Mountains and more mountains
Even after all of that whining yesterday I still rode to Cusco today. It probably had more to do with a persistent stubbornness in my personality than any particular fortitude. Besides, I had already booked a hotel. I couldn't let that go to waste. The truth of the matter is that I only intended to...
Back up the mountain
Peru has proved to be a challenging and fascinating place to visit. It also has the worst coffee and driving behavior. I had a long ride planned today so I got started early. I thought I could ride to Cusco in two days but the roads today were a little too taxing. I made it to my destination of Puqu...
Down the mountain and through Lima
It was a cold night but I slept better than expected given the altitude. I woke a little after six to the sound of rain. Damn! Aaron and I walked across the street to have coffee and some breakfast. The weather looked completely ugly with cold rain and dense fog. We decided to tough it out and head...
Huascarán
I’m shivering in my sleeping bag as I write this as we ended our day staying in a very rustic roadside hospedaje (lodging). This village is at 13,434 ft (4100 meters) and it is pouring down icy rain. We started the day with a perfect, crisp, sunny morning. After loading the bikes we walked down int...
Ride to San Luis
Today was not quite as scary as yesterday but it still had its moments. The road from Sihuas to San Miguel is unpaved, which in my opinion is far easier to ride than a road with bad pavement. It rained for several hours during the night and periodically throughout the day leaving the roads sloppy an...
Second scariest road I have ever ridden
When you are an adventure rider this is the kind of day that you dream of. An epic ride up into the remote regions of Peruvian Andres. It is also the kind of day that haunts your nightmares. It was an epic. Taking almost 10 hours of riding to cover the 148 miles. We started at sea level and climbed...
Chimbote
The lady serving breakfast at the hotel seemed to take a liking to me. She picked up that I liked black coffee without sugar and she made sure my cup stayed full. I hit the road fully caffeinated. I had no idea that this part of Peru was so desolate and dusty. I have no idea what drives the small se...
Into Perú
Today was the antithesis of yesterday. The lush mountains faded away and became an arid plain. The rollicking twisties turned into a flat, unbending ribbon of asphalt. The border crossing today was the easiest I have encountered. I arrived before 8AM so I was pretty much the only one there. What rea...
Epic day to Macará
Dear Ecuador, I will really miss your endless mountain twisties. I never get tired of riding them. Wow! It was an "Iron Butt" day in the saddle. My intended route dead-ended in a landslide and I had to backtrack an hour. That tacked on two hours on to an already long day. I got much better sleep las...
Ups and Downs
I did the one thing you should never do. Read stuff on the internet about places and things in the future. I started by trying to figure out which of the three border crossings into Peru I should take. Before I knew it I got sucked down the rabbit hole of reading blogs and watching YouTube videos. P...
Riobamba
My wish came true and it didn't rain today. Unfortunately I forgot to wish for a view of the mountains which were stubbornly obscured in the clouds all day. I tried to ride up into Cotopaxi National Park but I was told that motorbikes are prohibited in the park. I considered taking the bus but the w...
A day in Quito
I found a free walking tour of the historic district of Quito. It met at a hostel that was about a 20 minute walk away from my hotel so I signed up. They said on their website that you can experience all four seasons in one day in Quito so prepare for every kind of weather. Today it was overcast and...
Ride Stats - From home to the Equator
Just in case anyone is interested. Here are some stats. Days Since Departure - 77 Distance Traveled - 11,235 mi (18,081 km) Fuel - 240.3 gal (909.5 L) Average $/gal: 4.55 US ($/L: 1.20 US) Fuel Economy: 46.8 mi/gal (19.9 km/L) Average distance traveled: 145 mi/day (235 km/day) Most expensive fuel: $...
Into Ecuador
At some point today I crossed the Equator marking my approximate half-way point. If there was a sign marking it, I surely did not see it. I was hoping for the obligatory photo but I'm not riding back there to try to find it. It was a very long day and my body is sore. The mountains in southern Colom...
Pasto
After breakfast I loaded the bike, said a last goodbye to Tameka and headed out. I had a long ride ahead of me so I was eager to get started. It being New Year's Day, there was absolutely no traffic on the roads out of Cali. I could not have asked for a more interesting and beautiful ride today. The...
Buenaventura
New Years Eve and Cali is a ghost town. We got up and had a delicious breakfast. I'm in love with Colombian coffee... it's so tasty. We decided to spend the day riding down to Buenaventura on the coast so we stripped the luggage off of Tiggrr and rode two up. Out of Cali we immediately climbed up ov...
Filandia
Escaping Medellin required some creative riding in the intense traffic. Tameka did a great job staying on my tail as we weaved between the trucks and cars. As we climbed up and out of the Medellin valley it, of course, started to rain. The winding mountain road was slow going with slick conditions,...
Exploring Medellín
I don't think Tameka slept last night because she presented me with an elaborate plan to explore the city this morning when I woke up. At least the plan began with breakfast and coffee. We put a lot of miles on our walking shoes today. The most investing part was taking the metro train down to the c...
Riding to Medellín
It rained with thunder and lightning thought the night. We suited up preparing to ride in the rain but as we descended towards Medellín the sun came out. It was a short ride but beautiful ride along a river basin and of course it became uncomfortably hot the lower we got. By the time we stopped for...
Christmas Eve ride to Jardin
Neither of us slept that great with the altitude but we got up and had a morning soak in the mineral pools which perked us up. After breakfast we started down the curvy mountain road, back into the hot and humid valley. In the afternoon we started up another mountain pass. This road soon turned into...
Nevado Del Ruiz
What a ride today! Tameka and I both ended the day with huge smiles on our faces. Leaving Ibaque we rode about 60 miles to the north through the Magdalena valley. It was so hot that we were reluctant to stop. When we turned off the main highway towards our destination it was 92º (88% humidity). Ridi...
The plan comes together
Sometimes adventure travel is about the places you visit, the things you see, the roads you ride and the foods you get to enjoy. Today it was about the obstacles and the people that came together to solve them. This morning we waited patiently to see if our plan would come together. Our transportati...
Hoodoos
For a place that gets less than 40 inches of rain a year we got dumped on overnight and into the midday today. The thunder and lightning was spectacular, rocking our little hotel and lighting the sky. The streets filled with water and the ground became a thick mucky mess. We pretty much spent the mo...
Tiggrr needs a clutch
La Plata is a busy little town that doesn't see very much tourism. This morning we retrieved our bikes from the parking garage and rolled them around to park in front of our hotel. While I was loading the bikes and strapping everything down, Tameka was up grabbing the last of her gear from the room....
Toughness training
It's been a couple of epic days. Leaving Popayan we climbed over a 10,800ft pass. It was a really beautiful ride of waterfalls and lush jungle ridges. About an hour into the ride the skies started looking a little ominous and we could see lighting in the distance. Fat drops of rain spotted my visor...
Ride to Popayán
Tameka and I started the day riding 2-up on my bike from our hotel to EpiCO MoTo Adventures. We had met the owner, Ricardo, at the Touratech rally that we attended in Northern Washington last summer. Here we picked up the bike that Tameka had rented, a KTM 390 Adventure. This is the same bike that T...
Cali
I woke to the sounds of thunder and heavy rain. I thought of my ride yesterday and how different it would have been in the wet. It makes sense though, with so much hot and humid air in the lowlands you are bound to get a lot of precipitation in the mountains. Colombia has three ridges of the Andes f...
Into the Andes
I got up at 6:30 thinking it would be cooler in the morning. The AC unit in my hotel room wasn't very good so I mostly used the ceiling fan to keep cool during the night. When I opened the door of my room I was greeted with a wall of humidity. It was already 90º! I don't think it cooled off at all d...
First "real" ride in Colombia
I went out to load the bike this morning while I surveyed the three steps I would have to ride up in order to get out of the hostel. Tiggrr was so big sitting in the courtyard, I wasn't sure I could even maneuver enough to manage the angles involved. I decided to go to breakfast before attempting an...
Catedral de Sal de Zipaquirá
Once again I didn't make it very far today but I did manage to escape Bogota. Lisa, Micha and I went to the Seguros office and were admitted right away but it still took more than three hours to process the bikes. OMG! At one point the process came to a halt because my motorcycle title did not show...
Bike pickup
I didn't make it far today but I was reunited with my bike. Mr. William from Overland Embassy met me at the hotel at 7:30 to head to the airport. After arriving at the air cargo terminal, Mr. William did all of the work. My part consisted of waiting in various offices for the paperwork to be process...
A city of art
Today I found a free walking tour lead by a local art collective down in the central district. It was raining this morning but I was interested in learning more about the art scene in Bogota. The tour took about two and half hours and it was worth getting wet for. I learned a lot about the history o...
Walking around Bogota
I had an absolutely delightful day walking around Bogota. It is a city unlike anything I had seen before. It is a huge city of more the eleven million people but unlike Panama City there were few buildings taller than 15 stories. It's as though Bogota was stunted in its urban development 30-40 years...
Ride Stats - Central America Complete
Just in case anyone is interested. Here are some stats. Days Since Departure - 52 Distance Traveled - 9007 mi (14495 km) Fuel - 194.8 gal (737.4 L) Average $/gal: 4.66 US ($/L: 1.23 US) Fuel Economy: 46.2 mi/gal (19.6 km/L) Average distance traveled: 173 mi/day (279 km/day)
Last day in North America
I met Jose at the cargo terminal at 9AM sharp. Jose is Alejandro's father from Overland Embassy and he directed me first to Customs to get the bike checked out of Panama. It was a very different experience at the airport than at the border. The customs agent, a black woman about my age, came out and...
Panama Canal
I started the day with a beautiful morning walk along the Amador Causeway to look at the Panama City skyline and the Bridge of the Americas. This causeway was built using the excavation tailings of the Panama Canal. After my walk, I loaded the bike and rode up to the Miraflores Locks to watch ships...
Panama City
I rode a little farther than I had planned today. Sometimes I'm in the groove and I just want to ride. Panama doesn't have very many roads that run east-west so it was hard to be creative in creating a route. I thought the Pan-american Highway One would be boring but it turned out to be a nice ride....
Rio Soreno border crossing and into Panama
It only took about 15 minutes this morning to reach the border of Panama. I knew I had made a good choice by driving up to Sabalito because the road leading to the border crossing was only about a lane and half wide and had absolutely no traffic. When I rolled into Rio Soreno there were only a handf...
Last day in Costa Rica
Tiggrr was still a little sleepy this morning and decided to go for a little dirt nap. I would like to blame that I hadn't had any coffee but that was not the case. The woman camped next to me offered to share some coffee with me and we had an interesting chat. She is from Holland and is just finish...
Tiggrr gets a bath
Got up, made some coffee and went for a walk along the beach. Even at 6:30 in the morning I was already sweating. I took my time packing up and tried to clean some of the mud off of my riding gear. I had planned to visit the Manuel Antonio National Park today but I didn’t know that you have to pre-b...
Just because there is a line on the map…
I spent so much time yesterday looking for a creative route form La Fortuna to the Pacific Coast. I, of course, learned that just because there is a line on the map, it doesn’t mean that there is a rideable road there. Leaving La Fortuna the weather was perfect. 77º and mostly clear skies. Making my...
La Fortuna
I really enjoyed Panama Beach. Over breakfast, I could feel the tropical beach vibe sinking in into my body. I was watching a pair of Red-Lored Parrots squawking in nearby tree and my mind just wandered off for a bit. When it decided to come back from its vacation, I said goodbye to the campground h...
Costa Rica and Panama Beach
Once clearing the border it was about a two hours ride to Panama beach. About an hour in, I was slowly melting in the 98º heat. I was delighted to see a sign for an organic coffee roaster. The sign had a photo of an iced coffee and in bold letters "Turn right in 50 meters". You can bet your life I t...
Managua
When I went down to have some breakfast this morning I was joined by a group of expats who all have been living in Nicaragua (one of them for over 20 years). Two were from Texas, one from Colorado and one from Bellingham, Washington. They didn't know each other but apparently they were all friends o...
Two borders
That was a long day. I really tried to be optimistic about the border crossings but they were difficult. Getting out of El Salvador was easy enough. I got there early, passed a huge line of trucks on my way to the Auduna. Several guards directed me to the right parking lot and to the correct office....
Across El Salvador
Today I got a lesson in just how small these Central American counties are. I got up at 6:00AM to have some breakfast, coffee and pack up. Again, it rained most of the night so all of my gear was wet and muddy (a bit unpleasant to cram back into my panniers). It was nice and cool, about 64ª, at 7:30...
Volcán de Santa Ana and how to make the best cup of coffee
It rained throughout the night. I wasn’t sure if it would be possible to climb this morning but by the time I had to go meet my guide (guides are mandatory on this volcano) it was a pleasant 78º with partially cloudy skies. The guide service cost three dollars and the entrance fee into the nature pr...
Into El Salvador
I got up early to try to hit the border before it got too hot but it was already hot at 6:30AM. I started loading the bike and Javier, the owner of La Combi, walked over and offered for me to join him for coffee. How could I refuse? The campground’s common area was an open 300 sq ft enclosure with i...
La Combi
A much nicer day today with clear blue skies. I got up and walked down to the lake. Wow! what view of Volcán Atitlán (11,602ft). The lake is a large crater lake, much like the Cater Lake in Oregon. I walked back to my hostel to have breakfast. I saw a lot of hung over 20-somethings emerging into the...
Coffee tour
I slept great to the sound of rain falling on my tent. Waking at about 6:30, the rain was really coming down. I laid there in my sleeping bag for quite a while listening to the patter and contemplating what my day was going to look like. At about 7:30, I thought the rain might be letting up so I sta...
The unexpected ferry
I had so settled into the relaxed vibe of El Remate that I was reluctant to leave. But, after another amazing breakfast I headed out. Even at 8:30AM it was already hot and humid. Its not so bad when I’m riding because the air blowing through my jacket gives me some evaporative cooling but when I sto...
Tikal
My alarm went off at 5AM and met my shuttle bus at 5:30. I opted for the shuttle bus because it was free and I really needed a day off the bike. It took about an hour to get to the National Park where I bought a ticket for 150 Quetzals or about $19USD. I decided to go with a guided group so I could...
Ride Stats - Mexico Complete
Just in case anyone is interested. Here are some stats. Distance Traveled - 6880 mi (11072 km) Fuel - 151.4 gal (573.2 L) Average $/gal: 4.72 US ($/L: 1.25 US) Fuel Economy: 45.4 mi/gal (19.3 km/L) Average distance traveled: 202 mi/day (325 km/day)
Guatamala border crossing
Yesterday, when I rolled into Tenosique, I spotted a lavado de auto (car wash). That is what Tiggrr needs! So, this morning after breakfast, I went to see if they would wash my bike. I met two young men who were more than eager to knock the layers of mud off. One of the young men was from Belize and...
How to stay positive
I woke early to blue skies and cool weather and I knew it was going to be a good day. Rolling out of San Cristóbal de las Casas I stopped to fuel up and drink a mediocre cup of gas station coffee. I was sitting on the curb enjoying my coffee when a Mexican man on a beat-up moto rolled up and gave me...
Road to nowhere
"Whoa! Whoa!" I either said out loud or thought very loudly as the bike squirmed in the wet clay. The road was steep and I was struggling to keep control as the front wheel tracked unpredictably. Finally the rear tire broke traction and spun unrestrained. Without forward propulsion the bike came to...
Better roads
I could smell the rain coming. On the motorcycle you are more aware of subtle changes in the environment. I could feel a slight drop in temperature and what were sharply defined shadows of the road now faded to a flat grey, matching the sky. I was riding into a stiff crosswind, bobbling my head, ben...
Monte Albán and Oaxaca
I like to walk through the areas of a city where people live and work. This morning while it was still cool, I decided to walk to an archeological site just outside of Oaxaca. It was about a two hour walk with some very steep trail sections. The walk allowed me to see the small workshops, schools, s...
To Oaxaca
Riding out of Mexico City this morning I realized that my 12 mile walk yesterday really didn't even scratch the surface of this massive city. Maybe if I had walked 100 miles. It being Monday morning the traffic was heavy and required a lot of patience. Once on the highway headed toward Puebla the ro...
Exploring Mexico City
My feet are tired after walking over 12 miles around the city today. I got out early and walked about an hour to reach the Museo Nacional de Antropología (National Museum of Anthropology). It is the largest and most visited museum in Mexico. It contains many artifacts from Mexico's pre-Columbian her...
Riding into Mexico City
One thing that most people don't know about Mexico City is that it is very high. About 7500ft. Like Kathmandu, Mexico City sits in an ancient lake basin and is surrounded on all sides by mountains. From Guadalajara to Mexico City the highway gradually ascended to about 9000 feet before descending in...
Lane spitting in Guadalajara
Those ominous grey clouds that have been following me all day finally decided to open up. I felt the first few drops splash off my open visor. Three lanes of traffic are stopped and I think I have traveled about two blocks over the last 20 minutes. I'm hot and sticky in the hazy humidity and my radi...
A tale of two highways
If you look closely at the map you will see two highways connecting Durango to Mazatlan. Mexico 40D is the new, modern super-slab. It comes complete with long tunnels and huge viaducts that bridge over the many canyons. It is a toll road which reduces the travel time between these points to less tha...
Durango
The ride to Durango was across a high plateau marked by dramatic skies and long views of the Sierra Madres. I must be hitting the season just right because the plains seemed so green and lush. Many of the cacti were blooming. I rolled into Durango City around 2:30. It's a fairly big city with lots o...
Batopilas
Batopilas is a hidden treasure which does take some effort to get to. The town was founded in the early 1700s and was a hub for silver mining in the canyon. It is also home to the Tarahumara Indians who are indigenous to this area. I had a relaxed morning exploring this well preserved town. It's not...
Copper Canyon
Last night when I rolled into Yecora, I noticed a very nice BMW 1250GS parked in front of the hotel that I was scoping out. A tall Texan named Jimmy introduced himself. He told me he had stayed at this hotel many times over many years and it was one of his favorites. Good enough for me. We went to d...
Into the Sierra Madre
Launching off of the ferry I was in such a good mood. The ferry was so fun! I headed for Los Mochis where I continued north on Mexico Highway 15 which is a typical super-slab toll road. Not that interesting but it was fast and flat up to Ciudad Obregon. Turning off onto Sonora Highway 117 the road t...
Baja Ferry
My ferry didn't depart until 11PM so I had a chill day cleaning gear and doing some maintenance on the bike. I packed up and headed to La Paz as it was getting dark. I stopped along the Malecon in La Paz to watch the sunset and enjoy all of the people out walking, running, skateboarding, rollerbladi...
Ride Statistics - Baja Complete
Just in case anyone is interested. Here are some stats. Distance Traveled - 3954 mi (6362 km) Fuel - 86.5 gal (327.4 L) Average $/gal: 4.55 US ($/L: 1.20 US) Fuel Economy: 45.7 mi/gal (19.4 km/L) Average distance traveled: 219 mi/day (353 km/day)
Back to La Paz
Not a long day of riding but I was feeling a little low today. I think I got a little too much heat yesterday. Woke headachy and lethargic. Then, I tweaked my low-back pulling on my sock! Nothing better to start a day. I headed out early (7AM) in attempt to ride in cooler temperatures which did help...
Baja Ferry Ticketing
I met the most patient ticket agent at the Baja Ferries. I went there to try to figure out the ferry schedule. There were no signs or anything to indicate a customer entrance. I asked a security guard and he pointed me in the general direction but I had to go through a gate marked "Authorized Vehicl...
Gulf Coast
A very relaxed day. I woke late and took my time packing up. I wandered around Santa Rosalia for a while and enjoyed a peaceful cup of coffee in a cafe overlooking the town square. The barista was very nice and kindly spoke Spanish slowly so I could understand her. I've noticed that some people intu...
Baja
I woke before dawn. Actually I'm not sure I really slept at all. The wind rocked my tent viciously all night. I thought I might be meeting the Tin Man and the Scarecrow soon. I was tired but I needed to get out of the wind so I packed up. All of my gear and the bike was covered in a thin layer of gr...
Tiggrr’s Blustery Day
Any previous post where I used the adjective “Windy”, I take it back. Apparently I didn’t know the meaning of the word. I started my day very early as I was a little nervous about the border crossing. I went out to load the bike at 5:30AM and I could not believe the weather. The winds in Yuma were 3...
Thunder Storms
I woke up to the sound of thunder and heavy rain. I was pitch black out but I had to go rescue my helmet which was still sitting on the bike. The ground around my tent had turned to muck and I gained about three inches of mud on my shoes in the ten steps to and from the bike. Just before sunrise I p...
Petrified Forest National Park
After leaving Durango this morning I rode south through the Ute and Navajo nations. I have to say that the land we gave them is pretty sad. Desolate. No trees or water. Just a few small, dusty settlements resembling FEMA villages. The wind out here is insane. Bucking the bike and straining my neck m...
Mesa Verde
Today was a little shorter. I started the day by riding back to Natural Bridges National Monument and went for a couple mile hike down the canyon to view three natural bridges. Then a quick 40 minutes over to Blanding, UT for fuel. From there I headed to Mesa Verde National Park. This park mostly cl...
Million Dollar Highway
5 star day! A very brisk morning walk along the canyon rim to watch the sunrise. Packed up and headed for Escalante. There is a piece of highway that connects Escalante with Boulder, Utah called the “Million Dollar Highway”. It’s somewhat famous amongst motorcyclist and I was eager to ride it. Nothi...
Bryce Canyon
First leg from Cathedral Gorge to Cedar City was pretty wide open, straight and... boring. After filling up with gas in Cedar City I found a really nice coffee shop called "The Grind" with the best coffee I have had so far. Heading east out of Cedar City the road turned into stunning and fun. Steep,...
Winnemucca to Cathedral Gorge
Before I started this trip I took an oath that my tires would not touch an interstate highway. Apparently you cannot leave Winnemucca without getting on I-80. So I started my day wit 51 miles of Interstate Highway... I guess you will just have to subtract 51 from my overall total millage. Nevada is...
Steens Mountain loop to Winnemucca
Very brisk morning ride from Burns to Frenchglen (44ºF). I had to stop to get some coffee and get the feeling back in my fingertips. Then taking to the gravel I climbed to the top of Steens Mountain (something I've wanted to do for a long time). Totally worth it! The view was spectacular. Unfortunat...
Blast off
After being delayed yesterday by thunderstorms, I'm finally on the road. What a prefect day too. Sunny and 60 degrees with fall colors decorating the Columbia Gorge. After crossing over at Biggs Junction, I had a spirited ride through the canyons. I thought I could make it all the way to the Steens...
Bike Prep
Bike preparation included rebuilding the front shocks with new seals, new chain and sprocket set, new wheel bearings, new brake pads, valve service, oil change, air cleaner replacement, coolant flush and replacement and, finally, installation of new high-capacity fuel tank.
Tiger Transplant
6 weeks before departure while preparing the bike I discovered an oil leak. Turned out to be a crack in the engine casing. What a disaster! I decided the best option would be to purchase a used bike of the same year and transplant my equipment on to that frame. After searching Marketplace and Craigs...
First installment of Arctic trip August 2004
As I sit here typing this email, I am experiencing a strong sense of familiarity. I am sitting up in a narrow bunk with the reading light on behind me. The boat is gently pitching with a few rolls thrown in for good measure. There is a constant hum and vibration from the engines and generators. Than...