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 transportation didn't arrive to our hotel until 11:30AM. Our driver, Rovni, brought a couple of other men to help load the bike into his short-box Ford Ranger. I had to ride up a steep ramp into the lobby of the hotel and execute a multipoint turn around. Rovni backed the truck up as close as he could but it left a one and half foot vertical gap between the ramp and the tail gate. No problem. I eased the bike forward within an inch of the truck and Rovni's buddies manually lifted the front wheel onto the bed. I rolled forward a little more and they lifted the rear end up. A little jockeying to wedge the bike in diagonally and a few straps to secure it and we were on our way. Tameka rode with our gear in the truck and I rode her bike. We made our way down a rough road to a small ferry that took us across the Magdalena River where we could join the main highway. From there it was a three and a half hour ride to Ibague.

Arriving in Ibague we went in search of a moto garage called Carlos Customs. I had chatted with Carlos via WhatsApp but had no idea what to expect. When we found his shop Carlos and his family helped manhandle the bike out of the pickup. I asked if the parts had arrived and they had. First thing was to get the bike washed. Carlos and I rode about 8 blocks to a bike wash. While the bike was being washed. Carlos discussed what needed to be done. We went to a moto supply shop so that I could buy synthetic motor oil and he borrowed a torque wrench. With the bike now clean we returned to his shop. By this time it was 6:30PM and already dark. We went to work draining the oil and dissembling the clutch. When Carlos removed the clutch cover you could smell the burnt oil. The clutch pack was a mess and there was damage to the friction plate. My heart sank as I did not have a replacement for that. Carlos said that he could repair it and we walked two block to another shop that was owned by his brother. After a quick introduction Carlos led me into the back of the shop where they had a metal lathe. It took some time to center the friction plate on the lathe but when complete Carlos very competently resurfaced the part to a mirrored finish. "Fansatico!" I said and we walked back to his shop. He finished reinstalling the clutch while I changed the oil filter and fluids. By 9:00 PM we both test rode the bike and were satisfied it was good.

It was a long day but the Tiggrr is back in action. And!!! It didn't rain today!