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I am not a sentimental person. I often get asked what the name of my car or motorcycle is, and they are shocked to hear I don’t have one. I have owned many cars, most notably my Land Rover that got me through two-thirds of the Pan-American. I certainly have fond memories of that workhorse. But in the end, it’s just a thing, a tool used to escort me through my adventures. It makes the breakup easier. I’ve heard many…
Continue readingRiding the entire length of a continent, you ultimately have days where you are just trying to cover as much distance as you can. You may be 500 miles from the next interesting town or national park. So you have nights spent in small unnoteworthy towns or campgrounds that don’t get many foreigners. They are just stop over places to eat and rest before carrying on. In a country like Chile that stretches 3,000 miles from top to bottom (LA…
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Sunrise comes late this time of year here in Northern Chile. I’m up and moving with it still a little chilly before the dry air has a chance to warm up. I push my bike out of the hostel lobby onto the street. And begin my daily inspections of checking the oil level and tire pressure. While lubricating the chain I notice it’s getting a little loose, I’ll have to adjust it at the end of todays ride. I turn…
Continue readingIf I could blame someone for making my trip too easy it would be an American ex-pat named Toby. I found out about him through a motorcycle travel forum online. He lives in Huanuco and organizes motorcycle tours of Peru. He also preps and sells bikes for people like me, those crazy enough to ride around South America on their own. He made the process of buying the bike from him 2 months ago easier than it was to buy…
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Humidity exacerbates tasks that are typically mild, like riding a few hours or walking a few miles. So as I was dragging my feet down this badly pot holed road, beads of milky colored sweat ran down my skin. I had just put that mosquito repellent on, I thought to myself. I only rode about 95 miles today but I’m exhausted and don’t feel much like walking but I must. As I continued making my way I eventually found a…
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As I was standing there in a dirt lot on the roadside, stretching my legs. Three men pull put next to my bike and head into the restaurant, the older of the three stares at the back of my bike for a while then looks at me. He asks if I’m Peruvian, as my license plate suggests. I tell him no but I bought the bike there. We talk for a bit about the bike, me trying to follow the…
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The day started out sunny and cheerful. I woke up in San Ignacio about to make my way into Ecuador. I eat a big breakfast, pack up and head out. An hour ride on a beautifully paved road and I reach the border. With no one else at the border, it takes no more than 45 minutes to stamp out of Peru and get my vehicle permit for Ecuador, plus it didn’t cost me a penny. As I’m packing away my…
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Deciding what gear to bring is the single most important prep work on a multi-month long trip. To know what to take you have to first know what your going to be dealing with, what the weather will be like, are you camping or sleeping in a bed every night, will you be doing any outdoor recreation, what’s your primary means of transportation? To answer most of these questions you have to establish a baseline for what level of…
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