Brian and Conchita's Adventures

GS Trophy - South Africa!

2010-11-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

Wow! What an event!!

Team Canada was able to hang onto fourth place, even after some fairly serious injuries.

Costa Mouzouris, Brian Kiely, Pat Horan, Dominique Lemaire

You can imagine how giddy 40 grown men were when faced with a barn full of brand new bikes!

With our names and countries on them as well!!

Camping in the touratech compound just outside of Johannesburg - all tents supplied by BMW Motorrad. It was a very nice piece of property - too bad for the 8 foot fence topped with electrical wire.

All bags to be loaded by the specified time, otherwise you are riding all day with your 50lb duffle bag! Everyone made sure to have their bag to the shuttle on time!

I am soo excited - cant you tell?

Camping at the Country Trax Motorcycle Training Ranch. Pretty much all the land you see in the background is part of the ranch.

Country Trax as well - media, doctors and BMW organizers had use of the cabins. Poor buggers - they never got a chance to be one with nature....especially when packing up camp in the rain.

Team Canada with Hanz - the VP of BMW Worldwide. He is a Canadian !!

GS Trophy South Africa!!

2010-10-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

On Nov 11th, I am off to South Africa to compete in the BMW sponsored GS Trophy Challenge. Pat Horan of Alberta as well as Dominique Lemaire from Quebec will be joining me, and together we will make up Team Canada.

After competing in the Rocky Mountain GS Challenge here in Alberta and coming in second to Pat (shown here), I thought I would try my luck in Quebec for the final spot on the team.

I rode 3,600 km in three days, crossing the geographical centre of North America in the process.

You gotta love fall in the East.

I arrived at the Pourvoirie du Lac Beauregard ready for battle.

This time the tried and true, mighty GS1200 Adventure with 70,000km on the clock, took me to second AGAIN - after second place finisher was disqualified. In the end, it proved good enough as Marc-Andre could not make the trip.

Luc, me and Marc.
Winners of the team challenge 2010!

More GS Challenge photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bckgsphotos/sets/72157624878825029/show/

Here is the GS Trophy Kit that BMW sent to every participant.

Rally 3 suit - check out the Africa 2010 logo on the arm

Brian - Team Canada

Neck brace system

Sleeping bag and pad - very comfy

MSR Hubba two man tent

Along with a few shirts, a hoodie and a cap - very impressive - thanx BMW Motorrad!!!!

Alaska Bound - B and C (even D) ride again!!!

2009-07-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

We have decided not to post while on route this time and instead wait until we get back home to do a ride report.

We have one week to check out the Alberta Rockies and then we are heading north with a couple of friends that we met on our trip to South America.........

Check out the slideshow of our trip - just click on the title.

Traded in the GS for this...!!!??

2008-11-12T20:13:00.000-08:00

Just kidding. It will be a long, long time before I get rid of the BMW. Even then, it would probably be for a newer GS.

Hmmmm...I don't think Conchita would approve of riding on the back of this anyway!!

KLR450R
These new 450's rip pretty good, but the manual says do an oil change every 1000 km and change the piston and rings every 1500 km!!!!! hahahahahah....ya right.

It feels really good to get back into dirtbiking. The quads are sold. We weren't really using them anymore, and the thrill was gone for me. Biking gets the heart pumping again. Let's me know how outta shape I really am!!

The GS has come home from South America.

2008-03-31T16:53:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh the bike is back home!!! Finally!!!

We loaded Dan's bike as well as ours onto the trailer at Leo and Cheryl's for the last leg of the journey. I hooked up the battery on the GS and the old girl fired right up!!

Now, I just have to change all the fluids and it will be ready for another great year of riding. Too bad I am fresh out of holidays until 2009.

Ben's bike is vacationing in Red Deer until his owner is able to make it to Canada. Getting the KLR through customs at first looked very tough, until we were informed that all we had to do was pay duty on it. A refundable fee (when Ben is in Canada) of 5% on the estimated value of $2000 seemed like a fair enough deal.

Dan's KTM has a few bruises after the 24,000 km trip. A flat front tire with a dented rim, a dead battery and one leaky fork seal. All well worth the experience I am sure!!!!

Calgary Bound

2008-03-05T17:12:00.001-08:00

The word on the street is that the Sea Container with the 5 bikes is due to arrive in Calgary on Friday, March 7th!!!! Hopefully the bikes are still in one piece, and the WD40 I sprayed on the metal when loading the GS in Ushuaia helped keep the rusting sea salt away. We should find out soon enough.

Where is our bike!!!??

2008-01-15T16:29:00.000-08:00

Last we heard, the BMW was on the ship heading up the coast of Peru. That was a couple of weeks ago, so we are not too sure where it is now....hmmmmmm. I said to myself that I would not worry about it until mid February. We are keeping our fingers crossed!!

Alberta to South America - "Two up going down!!"+1

2007-12-11T18:38:00.001-08:00

For those of you who may not know the story, three of us (Conchita, Dan and I) will be riding down to South America for 10 weeks. Conchita and I will be leaving Alberta on Sept 28th, whereas Dan will be leaving on Oct 2. After C and I check out the sights and sounds of Las Vegas for a night, we plan on meeting up with Dan in Southern Arizona on Oct 5th before heading into Mexico and ....beyond!!

Dan will be riding a KTM 950 Adventure solo, while Conchita and I will be two-up on a BMW GS 1200 ADV.

All this nonsense was Dan's idea, so if anything goes wrong, we can all blame him!!!

Dan D

Check out this link for a little teaser:

http://www.thrillingwonder.blogspot.com/2006/11/most-dangerous-roads-in-world.html

Enough planning - let's GO already!!

Immunizations:

Yellow Fever (done)

Typhoid Fever (done)

Hepatitis A/B (done)

Tetanus (done)

Rabies (2 out of three so far):

Rabies vaccine was $625 for each of us. Interestingly enough, it is exactly the same shots you would get for free if you happen to be bitten by a dog!! Had I known a little earlier..........! Hey, there is still time to convince Conchita!!

Oooppps.....maybe not!!!

Ouch!!

"Is that you, Conchita?"

"Yes, it's me Brian." (sigh, eyes rolling)

Drugs:

Malaria pills galore!!

(1/day x2 and 4 weeks after returing home-150 pills. If the Malaria doesn't kill you, the drugs will!!!!)

Pills to prevent altitude sickness

(La Paz in Bolivia is over 12,000 ft)

Pills to deal with altitude sickness if you do get it

Pills to stop diarrhea

Immodium

Allergy Pills

Foot powder (stinky feet are bad)

Makes us wonder if we should even be going to these places!

Last week of work

2007-12-11T18:35:00.000-08:00

Alllllrighty then.......here we are finally in the last week before the big send-off (won't be much fanfare actually).

All our documents have been scanned and photocopied. Conchita is still adding the final touches to our "Red Cross" medical cards that we will carry in/on our tank bag in a visible place (in case we crash and the medics need our vital info: blood type, allergies, etc).

I don't think the whole concept of where we are riding to has really set in yet. I don't feel super excited. That will all change after a couple of days on the road thinking about 70+ holidays left ahead of us. Wow, this will be a first - not only where we are going, but also how long we are going.

It sounds like C and I may be able to scoot off a little ahead of schedule on the 28th. Possibly 3 PM. That should give more than enough time to ride the 450 km to our first stop - friends Ken and Linda's place in Red Deer, Alberta.

Day two should get us into the US and down into Kalispell, Montana, where we have been invited to overnight at a fellow ADV rider's place. Life is good!!! Or rather.....GOING to be good!!!

Dan is also going to be able to get away a little earlier than he had planned. He is aiming to meet us in Las Vegas on Oct 4th. We offered to share our room at the Flamingo Hotel. He will have to sleep on the floor though. I am quite sure he won't mind. The floor at the Flamingo is probably way nicer than some of the places that we will be sleeping in over the next 2 1/2 months.

About 18 hours to go

2007-12-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

19,370 km on the odometer right now. I am pretty sure that will more than double by the time C and I are done.

Mom came over to wish us a safe and happy trip. Thanx mom!!

The idea is to make it as far as we can into the US on this tire, and get fresh ones just before we cross over into Mexico and down into the Copper Canyon. We are going to try and get about 3000 km out of it. The flatness of this tire is a testament to the crap biking roads here in eastern Alberta.

First Full Day is Done!! (click here for the slideshow link)

2007-12-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

Now there is a good-looking, hardworking bunch of people!!!

Not too bad - only 40 kilos over the GVW. Still handles perfectly at high speeds (nothing over the limit of course), but I wonder how long the rear shock will hold out. Let's not tell the BMW warranty guys......shhhhhhhh.

Andy and Debbie from Edson took some well-needed time off from their house renovations to meet us for supper in Edmonton. Debbie gave C a valuable tip: the blueberry tea recipe....that has come in handy ; ) Supper was fantastic, but it put us a little behind getting to Ken and Linda's in Red Deer. C and I rode through 3 degree temps, the rain and in the dark. It all added up to a very "thrilling" first day. Remind us why we are doing this again?? Ken and Linda had the hot chocolate and Baileys ready for us, and were also kind enough to crank up the heat. Thanx guys.

I finally broke down on Saturday, and had to try out my heated liner. C has been wearing hers pretty steadily since she got it, but I have never felt cold enough to use mine. Today I did!! And the balaclava as well!!

It was the first time I saw the flashing snowflake on the bike!! It actually got down to 1.5 degrees, but Conchita was shivering too much to take a clear photo (kidding)! All in all, we did fine in the cold temps. Hopefully, in another day or so, we will not have to worry about that anymore.

The adventure continues!! (title is the link to more photos on flickr-slideshow)

2007-12-11T18:28:00.000-08:00

Dan leaves Hinton today!!

We have not heard anything from Dan yet. I hope he has a good ride, and misses all the snow.

Saturday we met up with GS Gal in Kalispell right on time....well, not really. We were an hour and a half late. It must have been Conchita's fault!!

Even though we were a little late, we still met up with some other fine folks for supper. It was really enjoyable and relaxing to hang out with them. It is too bad that we were not able to spend more time with Sylvia. She is a gracious host, whose enthusiasm for motorbiking is contagious. She ALMOST convinced Conchita to start riding her own bike! Thank you so much for the hospitality!! We look forward to meeting up with you again one day. Kalispell is not THAT far from Cold Lake.

Beware!!

National Historic Site - St. Ignatius Church.

Sawtooth Pass in Southern Idaho - today.

I certainly was not expecting below zero temperatures and snow storms!!

Good thing we brought the heated liners, or things would have been real nasty.

We rode through this for 150 km. The snow was accumulating on the road in some spots.

I am not sure if the temp gauge goes below zero. Don't really want to find out either!

Today we rode 598 km from Missoula, Montana, to Hailey, Idaho. The twisties were perfect....until the snow hit.

Tomorrow we will have to make a short detour to the BMW dealer in Boise, Idaho. Seems the rear tire isn't going to last as long as I had hoped. Hopefully they have a tire in stock, and are able to change it for us.

Warmer weather is upon us(new photos here-slideshow)

2007-12-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

Check out the ADV Rider link to the right (in red).

Today was a great day of riding: good weather, good roads, very little traffic and very few cops. And not a deer in sight!!

The bike was serviced today after a slight detour to Boise, Idaho. Big Twin BMW got us in right away, and we were back on the road in about 2 hours: new final drive oil and engine oil (all synthetic). Now we need a new front tire before crossing into Mexico.

My brother, Mike, and I had an easier time lining up the splines than this guy did.

This Metzler Tourance should do the trick for a while. I figured that the old tire had another 1000 km in it, but Conchita wasn't ready to test my theory.

Don't panic!! This isn't our bike. I guess this guy was doing some serious off-roading, and overheated the clutch which caught on fire and melted the wiring harness. Note to self: do not overheat the clutch!

Tonight we are staying in a town called Winnemucca, 156 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada.

Too tired to post......did link to photos though.

2007-12-11T18:25:00.001-08:00

Feeling somewhat refreshed today

2007-12-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

The night before last, we stayed at Donna and Gary's place in Reno. They had invited us over through the ADV Rider forum. The detour we made was well worth it. It was great to meet them.

We had the bonus of Donna's company on the ride into Las Vegas - 710 km worth!! Donna has only been riding for 3 years now, but she does very well on her Bandit 1200.

An early morning start - 7 AM.

Donna was leading the way.

Nevada sure is a different place. I have heard that it is the most 'barren' of all the states. I believe that!!

We had to make sure we had enough fuel. You wouldn't want to run out of gas on some of those deserted stretches.

We did see one tree along the way.

And we met up with Dan D, trip planner and all around good guy.

The ride south continues......

http://www.bckgs-south-america-bound.blogspot.com/

Tuscon, Arizona!!

2007-12-11T18:21:00.001-08:00

Before leaving Vegas yesterday morning, we checked our maps knowing that there would be yet another desert on our way to Casa Grande, Arizona. Sadly, it was time for Frank Thomas to depart. It had been a good friend, but could not cut it in the heat. Conchita was devastated to see a good "amigo" shoved in a box and sent home (compliments of BMW Las Vegas). It was time for Olympia Mesh gear to take over. Now Conchita is ready for all the deserts ahead of us.

(No, she is not standing on the bike!)

Joshua Forest somewhere between Las Vegas and Tuscon.

Our accomodations for the night. Friends of Dan's father-in-law's hosted us. They were excellent. We were even treated to her famous Burrito Breakfast!! Thanks a ton, guys!

Dan crossing the Hoover Dam.

We rode into Tuscon expecting to get new tires for the bikes. A front one for ours and a rear one for Dan's. C and I had no problems at all, but Dan was out of luck. No rear tire in all of Tuscon for his bike!! Can you believe that? Not wanting to be stranded in Mexico with a bald tire, the only choice he had was to ride the 170 miles back to Phoenix. Bummer!! We had planned on crossing into Mexico today. Instead we will meet up again in Tombstone and camp there.

"The adventure starts when things stop going as planned" - Striking Viking.

Link for the rest of our trip to South America:
http://www.bckgs-south-america-bound.blogspot.com/

We are in Mexico, my friends!!!(title is link to photos as always)

2007-12-11T18:19:00.001-08:00

But first we were in Tombstone!!!!

Dan figured he should have a six-shooter in his hand while he pulled that wheelie. Maybe shoot out a few windows. That new back tire has really inspired him!

Of course I didn't want to feel I was being left out.

After creating a ruckus in Arizona, it was time for the two-hour border crossing into Mexico.

Some nice roads were waiting for us.

First roadside stop in Mexico. The food here was very good, and the people were friendly.

And then we have the card-eating ATM machine. Dan was so impressed with his account total in pesos that he waited a little too long to remove his card from the machine. So here we are stuck in Nuevo Casas Grandes waiting for the bank to open tomorrow so he can retrieve his card. At least we ended up in a hotel with internet access!!

Tomorrow it is Copper Canyon time!! All is well with the bikes and all our gear. So far so good!! Although we do have a long way to go yet, and seem to be falling a little behind schedule, life is still good!!

We have an internet connection!!! Title is the link...

2007-12-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

Wow! We sure have had some eventful days.

Dan was able to get his card back without a hitch. He was all smiles and, I am sure, very relieved.

The night before the card retrieval, we had to drink a few beers - just to ease the stress.

Copper Canyon was fantastic. We met many other ADV Riders there.

At the Divisadero, Conchita met some Tarahumara women who were weaving tiny little baskets while rocking their children. This indigenous people live scattered around this region.

Later that day, we met Gilo and his family. He offered us a place to camp on his property in front of the house. We are poor and humble, but very good people were his words to introduce his family.

When chatting that evening, we found out that Gilo organizes backpack and horseback riding tours in the Copper Canyon area. He told us a little bit more about the Tarahumara families, the thermal waters and vegetation in this area. Very interesting! This family had no running water in their home. The kids were brushing their teeth by the rainwater bucket outside in the morning.

After more than 20 years of riding with only one flat tire, the road from Copper Canyon to Choix did it to us again. 250 km of twisting gravel took us over 10 hours to ride.

Right now we are in a small town called San Blas, approximately 300 km south of Mazatlan. We are staying at some friends of Dan’s. Ken and Sheila own a B & B right on the ocean (Aticama Bed and Breakfast). They were very kind to let us bunk here for the night.

Tomorrow we are hoping to put in a full day of riding. Have to get up early, so I should get to bed.

Southern Mexico!!

2007-12-11T18:15:00.000-08:00

Tom got up early and was very chipper. I think he wakes up like that all the time.

Life is good in Mazatlan, even though we did not catch a glimpse of the Striking Viking (ADVRider guru).

A stop for some lukewarm coconut water in San Blas. Yuk!

Ken and Sheila's B and B in Aticama. They treated us like kings .....and a queen!!

Their Bed and Breakfast is right on the ocean just South of San Blas. You should look them up if you are going to be in the area.

Our muy macho bikers could not resist these homemade palitos. This Palitero has been making these ice-creams for 27 years! There was actually a smile on my face after eating this.

Let's try going this way!???

Fixing tires,meeting new friends, crossing borders and breaking windshields...

2007-12-11T18:13:00.000-08:00

The plug I had installed on the back tire started to leak, and was getting worse. It needed to be fixed properly. Getting a tire patched, or vulcanized, is a real experience in itself. First, we found the Honda dealer and thought we were set, until the owner showed up to open the place and all there was inside was three scooters and a desk. No accessories or lubricants for sale, just three scooters and a desk! We told him our situation, and he says, "No problem. The mechanic will be here in just a few minutes. You take the tire off the bike, and he will look after it."

That's the owner in the red.

So I take the tire off the beemer, and hand it to the mechanic who is about 19 years old. I wasn't about to let the wheel out of my sight, so I followed him thinking that he had a tire machine inside. You can imagine my surprise when we walked two blocks down the road to a tire shop!!!

It was a family business: a father and his two sons. They did a superb job. All work was done by hand - no tire machines here. It took the three of them about an hour to fix it, and the whole thing was a grand total of $4.00.

Ooopps........

Even though we have had some problems, so far the trip for us just keeps getting better and better. Last night, we stayed at the nicest hotel of the trip for $20 Canadian, or American, for that matter. We even had our own garage. Here in the city of Tapachula, 20 minutes from the Guatamala border on the Mexican side, we met the first other long-distance bikers of the trip.

It turns out that Leo and Cheryl are from Red Deer! Not only that, but Leo's brother Norbert owns the Honda shop in Cold Lake! What are the odds of that?

Here they are just arriving at the hotel. Each of them is riding a BMW GS 1150.

A night out on the town before the first of the famed Central America border crossings. We all felt just a little better crossing as a group.

Dan is surrounded by the "border helpers." It is mostly kids that are trying to make a buck by helping you through the whole confusing process. Notice that one of them is holding his helmet.

With all those people jocking for attention, the KTM got knocked over suffering a cracked windshield. We were all very impressed with the way Dan handled it. He taped it up wearing a smile, and said "I didn't really like that windshield anyway."

After crossing the border, things changed. We all felt it. Gautemala seemed greener, cleaner and more friendly than Mexico. We rode up to 9,000 ft through little indigenous mountain towns.

Mam is the first language in this town, with Spanish being taught in school.

Riding through the city of Quetzaltenango, we met up with the character on the right. He said he belongs to the local BMW club, and invited us over to meet some other members. Dan was able to repair his windshield using a drill and some zip ties, and we met a bunch of good people. Later in the evening, after showing us to our hotel, the club members picked us up and took us out for dinner - with the president footing the bill. Amazing!

Today we are off to Lake Atitlán and the city of Antigua. Our Lonely Planet guide book says these are some of the highlights of Guatamala and of all of Central America as well.

B C and D

Lake Atitlán and Antigua, Gautemala-link here

2007-12-11T18:11:00.001-08:00

Have you ever seen a shower head like this? This head is what heats the water. We didn't know how to work it until after Dan had a cold shower. We just had to flick a switch on the wall. Very neat, but probably dangerous.

These girls were selling souvenirs at a stop overlooking Lake Atitlán. When Conchita asked if she could take a picture, they said "Yes, if you give us a quetzal .....each!!!" They were real little business people.

This photo was taken in the town of San Antonio pictured below - one of the twelve towns that surround Lake Atitlán. This Cakchiquel woman shared a lot about her culture, her language and some of her everyday experiences while finishing this scarf for Conchita. Mantiox (=thanks), Olga.

Lake Atitlán is surrounded by volcanoes. Even though we did not get to see the tops because of the weather, the scenery was impressive.

These buses with their helpers were probably the most memorable thing about Guatemala. These things drove around as if it were the Indy race. It seemed as though actually stopping the bus was against policy. The helper was always moving around on the outside of the bus at any speed, as he prepared the luggage for the passengers that were getting off. The bus would slow down, people would jump off, the helper would jump down hand the luggage over and have to chase after the bus to get back on. All the while with the air horns going to warn people and vehicles alike to get out of the way. It was amazing to watch.

We didn't spend too much time in the Colonial town of Antigua Guatemala (the old city). It was pouring rain, and we were running short on daylight, so we opted to just do a drive through. We could see that the Spanish definitely left their mark here.

Riding down from the San Salvador Volcano

2007-12-11T18:09:00.000-08:00

We are staying in San Salvador with some AdvRider friends who are treating us like royalty. It has been so good, that we have stayed longer than we had originally planned. Thanks guys!

Mario and his wife Fernanda took us for a ride up to the Volcano near the city. It was fun to ride without all the gear on the bike. It may take a bit of time to load the video. Check out Mario's flying topcase near the end of the clip.

Our certified tour guide, Mario, says that there used to be a lake here (San Salvador Volcano) until 1917 when the last eruption happened.

We thought we were cruising along really well, until the chicken delivery guy passed us on his scooter! Check out the chicken waving goodbye. Conchita and I had a good laugh.

Our gracious hosts. Fernanda was wiping the sweat from Mario's brow. He'd stirred the paella once, or twice.

Even though Mario lives in a gated community and inside a secure, guarded condo, I was surprised to see that his apartment had an open concept. This means that there is a wide open area to the outside that cannot be locked or even closed for that matter. Temperatures here allow for this type of set up.

Waiting out the rain at Mario and Fernanda's lake cabin. Now this is the good life. Dan had actually forgotten that we were on our way south!

Roadside Repairs and New Friends

2007-12-11T18:07:00.000-08:00

Our weekend in El Salvador came to an end. We had a blast, but it was time to explore new lands and face new adventures. Mario and his friend Mario (#2) escorted us first thing in the morning, after giving us some valuable tips on the best roads to follow and some typical food we should try.

Mario got to ride Dan's bike, and compare it to his KTM 990. Boys having fun!

Once again, Mario was right: the ride to the border would be quite interesting!

Crossing borders in Central America has been a unique experience. It's quite amazing to see how this rather intricate mechanism works. The first step is meeting a "tramitador" or helper, who is supposed to help you with all the paperwork. We thought we needed someone in Honduras, where the border crossing seemed to be chaotic and time-consuming. Little did we know at the time that our fancy helpers (driving this red vehicle around - beware!) would end up ripping us off! They made us believe there would be a fumigation and bag inspection. It would cost us $10, and an extra $5 would speed things up. A police officer confirmed what we'd suspected: there was no fumigation for bikes in Honduras!

Instead of feeling discouraged because we'd been waiting for three hours, we managed to keep ourselves entertained: C updated her journal, we chatted with other travellers, and checked out what other services could be obtained while we waited. Whether you need someone to look after your bike, something to eat, or your shoes polished, there is always someone who can help you.

Why look for a bank, when you can find people who will gladly help you with any currency you need......even after hours!! This guy was a lot of fun.

This morning it was Dan's turn to have a flat tire. It would not have been as painful if it weren't the blazing heat, the close proximity to the highway, and the fact that there was no shade!

We ended up being the main attraction on the road. Truckers were honking, people were waving, Conchita was taking pictures, and even Ivan, an Argentinian biker who has been travelling around the Americas for over two years, decided to join us.

A local cattle driver joined us as well. Initially, he was just hanging out, and helping a bit, but eventually he decided to call his kids to join us. He wanted a family picture, so they would see how a digital camera works. He offered to let me sit on the horse for a photo, but I declined. He said to Conchita "Your husband is a chicken?"

After documenting the flat tire ordeal, Conchita had found herself a tiny shaded spot to relax. This friendly Nicaraguan and his children joined her, and talked a bit about life in Nicaragua. He works seven days a week, and makes $70 a month!!

A familiar sound made us look down the highway.

There could not have been a happier ending to this story: ice cream for everyone!!

Our very first police check. We have driven through quite a few of them, but this was the first time that we got asked for our papers. He checked our passports and sent us on our way.

Lake Nicaragua with yet another spectacular volcano.

Another fun day of travelling is over. We spent last night in San Juan del Sur, not too far from the Costa Rican border.

All is well!!!

2007-12-11T18:05:00.000-08:00

We have made it to Panama! Everything is perrrfect! The Flickr web site we use to upload our photos is blocked on this server...???? Too bad, we have lots of good photos of Costa Rica and Panama. We will try to upload tomorrow from the airport while we work on shipping the bikes to Colombia. Imagine who we met when we pulled into the Airport hotel here.....Leo and Cheryl!! Remember them?

Check back soon for the update.

B C and D

Costa Rica: Pura Vida!!!!

2007-12-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

"Pure Life"

When a country has a phrase like this, you know it is going to be a lot of fun.

The Arenal Volcano area of Costa Rica was excellent. Arenal Volcano is the most active volcano in the world. At night we could see lava flowing down one side. It was quite something to see; unfortunately, we were not able to capture that with the digital camera. However, having a relaxing supper at a nearby restaurant while watching it will always be a fond memory.

Zip line gear!! Doesn't she look sexy!??

Zip line gear!! Don't I look sexy!!?

Video of Dan out of control on the zip line. May take a bit before it is available for viewing. U tube needs to verify it first.

Our new friend, Ivan, suggested the ride over to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica to a small hippie/surfer/backpacker type of town called Puerto Viejo.

The sign reads "Let's keep Puerto Viejo clean and safe." Irony or truth?

This nasty bridge crosses the river at the Costa Rica-Panama border. Some bikers have ended their trip on this bridge. Planks are missing in places. Sometimes there is no railing at all. Footing is not easy to find when you lose your balance because of the line between the boards. Worst of all, there is another bridge after this one 15 km down the road that is longer and nastier than this one. By then though, we were pros !!

The five-meter drop into the water doesn't help matters.

Ivan lightening the mood at the border into Panama. He paid this boy to be allowed to clean HIS shoes.

We ended up saying goodbye to Ivan in Almirante, where Columbus first set foot in Panama. We had four fun days together. Hopefully, we will have a chance to meet up again sometime. Cheers Ivan!!!

Ivan, a photographer who's travelling, or a traveller who's photographing? He has not decided yet!!! Ivan has surely found an interesting way to extend his trip in the Americas.

After the bridge crossing, we rode through some of the best scenery and roads through the whole trip. On the northwestern end of Panama, the Ngöme-Buglé dwellings dot the setting. These homes are very simple but also very clean. These girls, another sister and a baby boy live in this hut with their mom and dad.

Across the Darién Gap into Bogotá, Colombia!

2007-12-11T17:29:00.000-08:00

A new chapter begins: South America!

Disconnecting the battery.

Trying to get an early start for the shipping process and making sure that we were running our bikes really low on gas, Dan ran things a little too close and ran out of fuel two kilometers from the terminal. While we were deciding what to do, 6 other adventure riders waved to us as they rode by. We caught up to them at the terminal, and one said that he had recognized us from our ADVRider thread. Neat.

After spending two hours trying to line up quicker transportation for the bikes to Cartagena, we ended up falling back to our original plan. Leo, Cheryl, Dan , Conchita and I pulled into the Girag shipping office at the Panama International Airport at around 9:30 AM on Oct 29th, along with one other biker on a KLR (Ben from Australia). Several hours later and $550 poorer, the bikes were left in the hands of the experienced Girag personnel. We set off with our fingers crossed to find a flight to
Bogotá for ourselves. The bikes were scheduled to arrive in Colombia at 10PM on the 30th, so that gave us some leisure time.

Conchita, Dan and I opted to fly out of Panama on the same day at 7 PM ($275/each), while Leo and Cheryl decided to fly out the next morning.

The 1 hour and 40 minute flight was uneventful, except for our video cam getting heisted out of our checked-in luggage. Copa Air says, "Sorry, we are not responsible for that sort of thing." It is my own fauly really. I should have carried it on, but I had forgotten about it. Oh well.

Stepping off the plane, we noticed that the temperature was way cooler than what we had gotten used to. It was a surprise to learn that Bogotá's yearly average daily temp is only 14 degrees. An elevation of 8,600 feet is responsible for the chilly weather.

Overlooking Bogotá on Mount Monserrate (recommended by my brother, Mike). It is the funniest thing - we keep on bumping into Leo and Cheryl. In a city of 7 million, what are the odds of bumping into them again at the bottom of the tram?? Very good, apparently!

They had hired a taxi driver as a tour guide for the evening, and he took us all over the city. First stop after the tram was in the University district to try Chicha, a very cheap drink (less than $1) made with cornmeal. It is popular with the students because of the cost. Chicha was unanimously disliked by all of us!!

But it was fun!!!

Then it was off to try some typical Colombian food. A full meal for seven of us including drinks was only $179,000 pesos. About $85.

Now we are off to Girag to find out how the bike made it. Wish us luck!

THIS is Colombia!!!

2007-12-11T17:26:00.000-08:00

C and I are riding solo these days. Dan was itching to make some serious miles south, so we decided to split up and hopefully meet up later in the trip. We received an e-mail from him today, and were happy to hear that he is riding with Ben, the Australian. He is two days ahead of us right now.

There she blows!!! All was well with the beemer when we arrived at Girag,
Bogotá. Alfred "the German" was also there to pick up his bike. The other four bikers had already been by, and scooted off before us.

I was a little too fast down the ramp for Conchita. We had to ride right out the front.

After leaving Bogotá on the bike, we rode up to a little town called
Zipaquirá. Many had told us not to miss the Cathedral of Salt here. When we first arrived, we thought that the town was a bit of a dud, until we walked downtown and found a huge Halloween party going on. The town square was also very impressive.

The Cathedral of Salt was not what I had imagined. It was actually an underground salt mine that had been turned into a church. Not a Cathedral made of salt!!!??

Conchita was not feeling her greatest on the tour. Claustrophobic or not, she was hanging on till the end!!

People in Chiquinquirá were very enthusiastic about our visit. We felt like stars!! THEY were the ones asking questions, and taking pictures.

These two girls were very interested in the colour of my eyes. Can you blame them??

Colombia has been a surprise for us. It is a beautiful, clean country with fantastic people. It does not feel in the least bit unsafe.....so far. Military check points and police abound.

This is STILL Colombia - titles are links to slideshows.

2007-12-11T17:22:00.000-08:00

We were smiling all the way down this one.

One of many landslides. Hopefully one of these does not land on us!!

Right after this photo was taken at the Plaza Mayor in Villa de Leyva, I lost my footing on the stones and down we went - bike and all. Once the GS decides it's falling over, there isn't much that can stop it. Conchita was too busy dragging herself out from under the bike to take a picture. Can you believe that!!??. No damage done though - to us or the bike.

We are now on our way to Medellín to try and round up a new back tire. This bald one isn't too good in the mud.

A tire is found!!

2007-12-11T17:21:00.001-08:00

C and I pulled into
Medellín around 3 PM searching for a bike dealer named Ruta 40. Even with a taxi driver's help, we had no luck tracking them down. We were just about to give up and get something to eat, when these guys pulled up. BMW logos were on the truck, on their hats, on their t-shirts: we knew they could help us out. Mauricio and Álvaro got right on it. They called Ruta 40, found out they were closed, and then let us know that Monday was also a holiday. Not good. But wait!!! Mauricio happened to have the exact tire we were looking for at his shop. It turns out he rides a GS as well, and likes to keep a spare tire because they are hard to come by in Colombia. Perfect!!! He sold us the tire, and had a dealer install it for us. We were set for another 12,000 km or so.

Álvaro, Mauricio's wife, Mauricio and me . Not sure who that guy in the back is!!

Thanx a lot guys. You saved the day!!!

Still lovin' it!!!

2007-12-11T17:19:00.000-08:00

In our last couple of days in Colombia, we met Carlos and Alba. We ended up riding with them for two days on their way back to their home in Cali. They showed us the sights of ¨The Coffee Route,¨ and we also enjoyed some natural hot spring pools. Just what we needed after riding 13,000 kilometers!! These guys rode to Patagonia two years ago, and had a lot of good tips for us. Carlos's trip diary says that they put on a total of 12,056 kilometers on their one-way trip. Ouch....still a long ways to go for C and I. Thanx for everything guys!!!

Typical Colombian breakfast, Calentado, includes rice and beans, cornmeal arepas, and hot chocolate with cheese. As you can see in the top photo, Alba loves her hot chocolate and cheese!!

On the ride from Medellín to Cali, we stopped at a nice restaurant overlooking this river.

The Coffee Route included a stop at the Parque del Café, where you can see the coffee fields from a lookout tower, get an informative tour on how coffee is made, and stroll through a park dedicated to the coffee traders. Instead of all this insightful stuff, we opted for an ice cream!!

There are many military checkpoints on the roads in Colombia making us feel safe throughout our trip. This was the only time that we were asked to stop. We suspect that checking out our gear breaks up the monotony of their very long days.

This time of the year, landslides are very common.

Ooooppps.....we are being ejected from the internet cafe - it is closing time. More on Colombia and beyond soon......B and C

Falling behind on the blog..and on the ride (title is the link to more photos)

2007-12-11T17:17:00.000-08:00

In the border town of Ipiales, Colombia, there is the church of La Virgen de las Lajas. This majestic site is well worth the short ride out of town (10 - 15 minutes). It is said that an image of the virgin appeared on the wall of the canyon. This same piece of rock is the back wall of the cathedral. Awesome!! Thanks for your tip, Carlos!

Look closely, and you will be able to see the Cathedral in the canyon.

This is the Tulcan Cemetery in Ecuador. It is commonly referred to as the "Edward Scissorhands Cemetery." If you happen to be in the area, do not miss it!!

The caretaker started a trend when he asked to have his photo taken while sitting on the bike.

Culture is still vibrant in the mountainous town of Otavalo. Children and adults alike can be seen wearing traditional outfits. Schools allow children from traditional families to combine their outfits with the school uniform.

Latin American children are hard workers. They can be seen herding sheep, hauling bundles of firewood, or fetching water in the early morning.

Parents work hard as well. In Ecuador, it was quite common to see women working in the fields.

The Pan American highway in Ecuador.

A good portion of the riding was above 7,000 ft, sometimes even reaching altitudes of over 10,000ft. We were both surprised to learn that the country that is named after the equator is actually quite cold. This is only the second time on this trip that I've used my heated liner for warmth.

Hey!!! Get your head out of the way! I am trying to take a photo here!

Until the next internet connection. In the meantime, be sure to check out our ride report on ADV Rider for more pics and information (the link on the left-hand column).

Máncora, Peru

2007-12-11T17:16:00.001-08:00

We needed a bit of a beach break after all the mountainous riding in Colombia and Ecuador, and Punta Ballenas Inn in Máncora had been recommended to us. It didn’t look like much of a place when we first entered the property, but it is right on the beach and we thought it had a friendly, relaxing atmosphere. For $50 a night, we got a decent room with its own porch and hammock overlooking the ocean. Breakfast was included in the price, and we also got a nice fruit basket. Harry, the owner, is a fantastic cook and whips up awesome dishes of fresh caught fish. Last night, barbequed tuna was on the menu. It’s a small inn, and there were probably only eight guests. Harry does not want too much publicity, as he enjoys the slower pace. We met some great people here with a lot of travelling tips. The bike was parked right in front of our room. If you decide you would like to stay here, take the first right after the bridge on the south end of the town.
The highway from the border to Máncora is in excellent shape. We ended up riding the last 100 km at night without a problem.

Here is the Inn. We were having lunch one day, and saw a bunch of dolphins right from the picture window!! Awesome.

The view from our room.

It was a nice relaxing break.

Peru, a country of extremes: from garbage and poverty to fantastic roads and scenery...and of course Machu Picchu....wow!!!

2007-12-11T17:14:00.000-08:00

At first glance after the border crossing, Peru is a place that you do not want to be. The Pan-American Highway is strewn with garbage. The desert sand is one big dump. This, coupled with extreme poverty, makes Peru very undesireable. Until you venture inland!!! Then you can see what Peru has to offer: fantastic mountain passes and scenery that rival anything we have seen. Machu Picchu is definitely a highlight of the trip.

Corn drying.

First crash of the trip!!!!

2007-12-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

We came around this innocent-looking hairpin turn at a hair-raising speed of 20 km/h. Next thing we knew, we were pointing the wrong way on our side. I figured something was not quite right at that point!!

No injuries - all is well.

We were riding through the highlands of Peru at over 13,000 feet when we came across a couple of dwellings with kids playing outside. We decided to take a little break, and Ben had the smarts to pull out some cookies and chips for the kids. They were all very polite, saying "Thank you," and also sharing with the smaller children. Mom was sitting nearby smiling, and I thought, "These kids are not concerned about taking food from strangers like they are in North America." It was nice to know that in some parts of the world, people still trust strangers.

Even though these kids had wind/sunburnt faces, they all seemed very happy.

In the highlands, you can find young kids and adults alike tending to the animals. This is the typical dress for the women here.

You never know what kind of animals you will come across being herded down the highway.

Or what kind of debris your tires might pick up. This is the second flat of the trip.

One big sand dune!!!

Machu Picchu......old mountain

2007-12-11T17:12:00.001-08:00

No time for a real post, but here is the link to the photos. Will try to add comments when we can.

Lake Titicaca, Bolivia/Peru, and the ride to Potosi - the highest city in the world (13000ft)

2007-12-11T17:10:00.000-08:00

Check out the slide show for now. Will add comments when we can.

20,000 km on the clock and about 4,000 more to go!!!

2007-12-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

Riding 120 km on the salt flats of Uyuni, Bolivia, was an experience we will not soon forget. It reminded me of snowmobiling on Cold Lake.

We met up with this tour, and they offered to show us the way across the flats.

Wow, Dan is stronger than he looks!!!!

This is the view from the "island." It is truly a sea of salt. It is huge!!

This is how they build the salt hotels in the area.

...like the one we stayed in for $3.00 per person. Of course there was no running water, or electricity, but the candles made for a romantic atmosphere!!!

Tearing up the salt flats. Can the KTM keep up to the Beemer couple??

The final push.....

2007-12-11T17:07:00.001-08:00

Check out the ADV Rider Report. Dan seems to have lost one of his side cases.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=259451&page=18

C and I are pushing hard for the last 3,000 km. There is not really too much to see, and the wind is really nasty. It doesn't let up at all; 800 km makes for a really long day.

Right now we are about 900 km from Ushuaia, our final destination. We should be able to make it the day after tomorrow. Then we have to get the bike loaded onto the Sea Container, do the paperwork, and then look into how we ( C and I) are getting home.

Wind, wind and more wind

2007-12-11T17:05:00.000-08:00

This is just off the Pan-American Highway in Chile. The new guy is Marco, a Peruvian riding by himself on a KTM 950 just like Dan's.

The top third of Chile is all desert. After three days of riding and not seeing anything green, we were ready for the scenery of southern Chile.

Ben decided to lose his muffler first though.

After crossing the Andes into Argentina, we hit the flat lands of Patagonia and it was windy!! Riding in endless wind for three full days (2000km) across barren plains does not make for the best riding. By the time we rolled into Ushuaia, we had had enough riding for the time being.

Mission accomplished: a small flight for some, one heck of a long ride for us!

2007-12-11T17:03:00.000-08:00

Just a mere 24, 416 km from Cold Lake, you can find yourself in the most southern driveable place in the world: Ushuaia, Argentina!!

We stood in circle, and patted each other on the back for a job well done.

The scenery here in Ushuaia and also the ride through the border into Argentina reminded me a little of the Rockies back home.

Now we have to get things in order to get ourselves and the bikes home. The bikes are supposed to be loaded onto the sea container on Friday sometime. Hopefully before our (B and C's) flight leaves at 4 PM. So far, it looks as though we will arrive home on Sunday afternoon. Then it is back to the grind, which we have come to realize isn't all that bad.

First though, we are going to see the Penguin Colony nearby. That should be cool.

Time to start thinking about work again

2007-12-11T17:01:00.000-08:00

For all inquiring minds, the southernmost city in the world is at the same latitude as good old Cold Lake, Alberta, 54 degrees north/south. Interesting indeed.

We went to check out a colony of penguins that were a 2.5-hour boat ride from Ushuaia. These little guys were fun to watch. Man, can they swim!!

The five-hour outing took our minds off the bike shipping problems that we have encountered over the last 4 days. Getting a Sea Container to load our bikes into before we fly home tomorrow is proving to be quite a task. The last word that we had is that it is all a go for tomorrow. We have our fingers crossed.

Bikes are loaded and we are home (which isn't so bad)

2007-12-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm.....is that ANOTHER flat tire on the KTM??

Securing a Sea Container proved to be quite a challenge. Leo and Cheryl haggled with the shipping agent for 10 days, and were also on the sat phone to their contact in Red Deer.

(The paragraph and the following three photos were taken from Leo and Cheryl's blog)Here is their site:

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/guruzers/2007-due_south/tpod.html

Friday, Dec 7 - Today we heard the good news that we've been waiting to hear for over a week..."We have a ship and container for you and your bikes can be loaded this afternoon." Talk about waiting until the last minute and right down to the wire. Brian and Conchita had a flight to Buenos Aires at 6:30pm, Dan's flight was at 9pm and we were told we can load at 4pm. Leo and I are booked to go to Antarctica on Sunday Dec 9, so we didn't have any extra spare time either. It had to happen today and somehow it did. The challenges and surprises continue. In addition to the 3 people we met from Alberta, we also have Ben, from Australia shipping his bike with ours to Canada. Ben is kinda making his plans as he goes and figured he might as well ship while the shippin's good. He is going back to Australia in January and will come to Canada when it warms up to continue his trip.

Even the Kawasaki was experiencing some problems on the last leg of the trip. Ben is in need of a new battery.

Two bikes in and three to go.

The mighty GS 1200 went in first with only one inch to spare from the topcase to the wall of the container. Then the KTM and Kawasaki followed by the two GS 1150's.

We flew from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires via El Calafate. We spent less than 16 hours in Buenos Aires, but it was long enough to know that we would like to go back one day.
We jumped on the subway, and were surprised to see the windows wide open. I guess they figure it is common sense not to stick your hand or your head out the window.

The magnificent Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral on Plaza de Mayo with its Mausoleum, which encloses the tomb of the Argentine hero Jose de San Martin.

"Don't cry for me, Argentina."

We traded in the motorcycle for a Boeing 763 on the last leg of our trip. The 11-hour plane ride from Santiago to Toronto was the longest flight we have been on.

Time to start thinking about work again

2007-12-06T15:03:00.000-08:00

For all inquiring minds, the southernmost city in the world is at the same latitude as good old Cold Lake, Alberta, 54 degrees north/south. Interesting indeed.

We went to check out a colony of penguins that were a 2.5-hour boat ride from Ushuaia. These little guys were fun to watch. Man, can they swim!!

Mission accomplished: a small flight for some, one heck of a long ride for us!

2007-12-05T02:35:00.000-08:00

Just a mere 24, 416 km from Cold Lake, you can find yourself in the most southern driveable place in the world: Ushuaia, Argentina!!

We stood in circle, and patted each other on the back for a job well done.

The scenery here in Ushuaia and also the ride through the border into Argentina reminded me a little of the Rockies back home.

First though, we are going to see the Penguin Colony nearby. That should be cool.

Wind, wind and more wind

2007-12-04T19:32:00.000-08:00

This is just off the Pan American Highway in Chile. The new guy is Marco. A Peruvian riding by himself on a KTM 950 just like Dan's.

The top third of Chile is all dessert. After three days of riding and not seeing anything green, we were ready for the scenery of southern Chile.

Ben decided to lose his muffler first though.

After crossing the Andes into Argentina, we hit the flat lands of Patagonia and it was windy!! Riding in endless wind for three full days (2000km's) across barren plains does not make for the best riding. By the time we rolled into Ushuaia, we had had enough riding for the time being.

The final push.....

2007-12-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

Check out the ADV Rider Report. Dan seems to have lost one of his side cases.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=259451&page=18

C and I are pushing hard for the last 3,000 km. There is not really too much to see, and the wind is really nasty. It doesn't let up at all; 800 km makes for a really long day.

20,000 km on the clock and about 4,000 more to go!!!

2007-11-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

Riding 120 km on the salt flats of Uyuni, Bolivia, was an experience we will not soon forget. It reminded me of snowmobiling on Cold Lake.

We met up with this tour, and they offered to show us the way across the flats.

Wow, Dan is stronger than he looks!!!!

This is the view from the "island." It is truly a sea of salt. It is huge!!

This is how they build the salt hotels in the area.

...like the one we stayed in for $3.00 per person. Of course there was no running water, or electricity, but the candles made for a romantic atmosphere!!!

Tearing up the salt flats. Can the KTM keep up to the Beemer couple??

Lake Titicaca, Bolivia/Peru, and the ride to Potosi - the highest city in the world (13000ft)

2007-11-24T05:16:00.000-08:00

Check out the slide show for now. Will add comments when we can.

Machu Picchu......old mountain

2007-11-24T05:13:00.000-08:00

No time for a real post, but here is the link to the photos. Will try to add comments when we can.

First crash of the trip!!!!

2007-11-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

No injuries - all is well.

Even though these kids had wind/sunburnt faces, they all seemed very happy.

In the highlands, you can find young kids and adults alike tending to the animals. This is the typical dress for the women here.

You never know what kind of animals you will come across being herded down the highway.

Or what kind of debris your tires might pick up. This is the second flat of the trip.

One big sand dune!!!

Peru, a country of extremes: from garbage and poverty to fantastic roads and scenery...and of course Machu Picchu....wow!!!

2007-11-19T19:19:00.000-08:00

At first glance after the border crossing, Peru is a place that you do not want to be. The Pan American Highway is strewn with garbage. The desert sand is one big dump. This, coupled with extreme poverty makes, Peru very undesireable. Until you venture inland!!! Then you can see what Peru has to offer: fantastic mountain passes and scenery that rival anything we have seen. Machu Picchu is definitely a highlight of the trip.

Corn drying.

Mancora, Peru

2007-11-15T05:10:00.000-08:00

We needed a bit of a beach break after all the mountainous riding in Colombia and Ecuador, and Punta Ballenas Inn in Mancora had been recommended to us. It didn’t look like much of a place when we first entered the property, but it is right on the beach and we thought it had a friendly, relaxing atmosphere. For $50 a night, we got a decent room with its own porch and hammock overlooking the ocean. Breakfast was included in the price, and we also got a nice fruit basket. Harry, the owner, is a fantastic cook and whips up awesome dishes of fresh caught fish. Last night, barbequed tuna was on the menu. It’s a small inn, and there were probably only eight guests. Harry does not want too much publicity, as he enjoys the slower pace. We met some great people here with a lot of travelling tips. The bike was parked right in front of our room. If you decide you would like to stay here, take the first right after the bridge on the south end of the town.
The highway from the border to Mancora is in excellent shape. We ended up riding the last 100 km at night without a problem.

Here is the Inn. We were having lunch one day, and saw a bunch of dolphins right from the picture window!! Awesome.

The view from our room.

It was a nice relaxing break.

Falling behind on the blog..and on the ride (title is the link to more photos).

2007-11-12T19:39:00.000-08:00

This is the Tulcan Cemetery in Ecuador. It is commonly referred to as the "Edward Scissorhands Cemetery." If you happen to be in the area, do not miss it!!

The caretaker started a trend when he asked to have his photo taken while sitting on the bike.

Latin American children are hard workers. They can be seen herding sheep, carrying bundles of firewood, or fetching water in the early morning.

Parents work hard as well. In Ecuador, it was quite common to see women working in the fields.

The Pan American highway in Ecuador.

Hey!!! Get your head out of that way! I am trying to take a photo here!

Until the next internet connection. In the meantime, be sure to check out our ride report on ADV Rider for more pics and information (the link on the left-hand column).

Still lovin it!!!

2007-11-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

In our last couple of days in Colombia, we met Carlos and Alba. We ended up ridng with them for two days on their way back to their home in Cali. They showed us the sights of¨The Coffee Route,¨and we also enjoyed some natural hot spring pools. Just what we needed after riding 13,000 kilometers!! These guys rode to Patagonia two years ago, and had a lot of good tips for us. Carlos´s trip diary says that they put on a total of 12,056 kilometers on their one-way trip. Ouch....still a long ways to go for C and I. Thanx for everything guys!!!

Typical Colombian breakfast, Calentado, includes rice and beans, cornmeal arepas, and hot chocolate with cheese. As you can see in the top photo, Alba loves her chocolate and cheese!!

On the ride from Medellin to Cali, we stopped at a nice restaurant overlooking this river.

The Coffee Route included a stop at the Parque del Cafe, where you can see the coffee fields from a lookout tower, get an informative tour on how coffee is made, and stroll through a park dedicated to the coffee traders. Instead of all this insightful stuff, we opted for an ice cream!!

This time of the year, landslides are very common.

Ooooppps.....we are being ejected from the internet cafe - it is closing time. More on Colombia and beyond soon......B and C

A tire is found!!

2007-11-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

C and I pulled into Medellin around 3 PM searching for a bike dealer named Ruta 40. Even with a taxi driver's help, we had no luck tracking them down. We were just about to give up and get something to eat, when these guys pulled up. BMW logos were on the truck, on their hats, on their t-shirts: we knew they could help us out. Mauricio and Alvaro got right on it. They called Ruta 40, found out they were closed, and then let us know that Monday was also a holiday. Not good. But wait!!! Mauricio happened to have the exact tire we were looking for at his shop. It turns out he rides a GS as well, and likes to keep a spare tire because they are hard to come by in Colombia. Perfect!!! He sold us the tire, and had a dealer install it for us. We were set for another 12,000km or so.

Alvaro, Mauricio's wife, Mauricio and me . Not sure who that guy in the back is!!

Thanx a lot guys. you saved the day!!!

This is STILL Colombia - titles are links to slideshows.

2007-11-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

We were smiling all the way down this one.

One of many landslides. Hopefully one of these does not land on us!!

Right after this photo was taken, I lost my footing on the stones and down we went - bike and all. Once the GS decides it's falling over, there isn't much that can stop it. Conchita was too busy dragging herself out from under the bike to take a picture. Can you believe that!!??. No damage done though - to us or the bike.

We are now on our way to Medellin to try and round up a new back tire. This bald one isn't too good in the mud.

THIS is Colombia!!!

2007-11-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

There she blows!!! All was well with the beemer when we arrived at Girag, Bogota. Alfred "the German" was also there to pick up his bike. The other four bikers had already been by, and scooted off before us.

I was a little too fast down the ramp for Conchita. We had to ride right out the front.

After leaving Bogota on the bike, we rode up to a little down called Zipaquira. Many had told us not to miss the Cathederal of Salt here. When we first arrived, we thought that the town was a bit of a dud, until we walked downtown and found a huge Halloween party going

on. The town square was also very impressive.

The Cathederal of Salt was not what I had imagined. It was actually an underground salt mine that had been turned into a church. Not a Cathederal made of salt!!!??

Conchita was not feeling her greatest on the tour. Claustrophobic or not, she was hanging on till the end!!

People in Chiquinquira were very enthusiastic about our visit. We felt like stars!! THEY were the ones asking questions, and taking pictures.

These two girls were very interested in the colour of my eyes. Can you blame them??

Colombia has been a surprise for us. It is a beautiful, clean country with fantastic people. It does not feel in the least bit unsafe.....so far. Military check points and police abound.

Across the Darien Gap into Bogota, Colombia!

2007-10-31T07:17:00.000-07:00

A new chapter begins. South America!

Disconnecting the battery.

After spending two hours trying to line up quicker transportation for the bikes to Cartagena, we ended up falling back to our original plan. We (Leo, Cheryl, Dan , Conchita and I) pulled into the Girag shipping office at the Panama International Airport at around 9:30 AM on Oct 29th, along with one other biker on a KLR (Ben from Australia). Several hours later and $550 poorer, the bikes were left in the hands of the experienced Girag personnel. We set off with our fingers crossed to find a flight to Bogota for ourselves. The bikes were scheduled to arrive in Colombia at 10PM on the 30th, so that gave us some leisure time.

Conchita, Dan and I opted to fly out of Panama on the same day at 7 PM ($275/each), while Leo and Cheryl decided to fly out the next morning.

The 1 hour and 40 minute flight was uneventful, except for our video cam getting hiested out of our checked-in luggage. Copa Air says, "Sorry, we are not responsible for that sort of thing." It is my own fauly really. I should have carried it on, but I had forgotten about it. Oh well.

Stepping off the plane, we noticed that the temperature was way cooler than what we had gotten used to. It was a surprise to learn that Bogota's yearly average daily temp is only 14 degrees. An elevation of 8600 feet is responsible for the chilly weather.

Overlooking Bogota on Mount Monserrate (recommended by my brother, Mike). It is the funniest thing - we keep on bumping into Leo and Cheryl. In a city of 7 million, what are the odds of bumping into them again at the bottom of the tram?? Very good, apparently!

They had hired a taxi driver as a tour guide for the evening, and he took us all over the city. First stop after the tram was in the University district to try Chicha, a very cheap drink (less than $1) made with corn meal. It is popular with the students because of the cost. Chicha was unanimously disliked by all of us!!

But it was fun!!!

Then it was off to try some typical Colombian food. A full meal for seven of us including drinks was only $179,000 pesos. About $85.

Now we are off to Girag to find out how the bike made it. Wish us luck!

Costa Rica: Pura Vida!!!!

2007-10-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

"Pure Life"

When a country has a phrase like this, you know it is going to be a lot of fun.

The Arenal Volcano area of Costa Rica was excellent. Arenal Volcano is the most active volcano in the world. At night we could see lava flowing down one side. It was quite something to see, unfortunately we were not able to capture that with the digital camera. However, having a relaxing supper at a nearby restaurant while watching it will always be a fond memory.

Zip line gear!! Doesn't she look sexy!??

Zip line gear!! Don't I look sexy!!?

Video of Dan out of control on the Zip line. May take a bit before it is available for viewing. U tube needs to verify it first.

Our new friend, Ivan, suggested the ride over to the Caribbean side of Costa Rica to a small hippie/surfer/backpacker type of town called Puerto Viejo.

The sign reads "Let's keep Puerto Viejo clean and safe." Irony or truth?

This nasty bridge crosses the river at the Costa Rica-Panama border. Some bikers have ended their trip on this bridge. Planks are missing in places. Sometimes there is no railing at all. Footing is not easy to find when you loose your balance because of the line between the boards. Worst of all, is that there is another bridge after this one 15 km's down the road that is longer and nastier than this one. By then though, we were pro's !!

The five meter drop into the water doesn't help matters.

Ivan lightening the mood at the border into Panama. He paid this boy to be allowed to clean HIS shoes.

We ended up saying goodbye to Ivan in Almirante, where Columbus first set foot in Panama. We had four fun days together. Hopefully, we will have a chance to meet up again sometime. Cheers Ivan!!!

Ivan, a photographer who's travelling, or a traveller who's photographing? He has not decided yet!!! Ivan has surely found an interesting way to extend his trip in the Americas.

All is well!!!

2007-10-28T17:52:00.000-07:00

We have made it to Panama!! Everything is perrrfect!! The Flickr" website we use to upload our photos is blocked on this server...???? Too bad, we have lots of good photos of Costa Rica and Panama. We will try to upload tomorrow from the airport (while we work on shipping the bikes to Columbia) if we can. Imagine who we met when we pulled into the Airport hotel here.....Leo and Cheryl!! Remember them??

Check back soon for the update.

B C and D

Roadside Repairs and New Friends

2007-10-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

Mario got to ride Dan's bike, and compare it to his KTM 990. Boys having fun!

Once again, Mario was right: the ride to the border would be quite interesting!

Crossing borders in Central America has been a unique experience. It's quite amazing to see how this rather intricate mechanism works. The first step is meeting a "tramitador" or helper, who is supposed to help you with all the paperwork. We thought we needed someone in Honduras, where the border crossing seemed to be chaotic and time-consuming. Little did we know at the time that our fancy helpers (driving his red vehicle around - beware!) would end up ripping us off! They made us believe there would be a fumigation and bag inspection. It would cost us $10, and an extra $5 would speed things up. A police officer confirmed what we'd suspected: there was no fumigation for bikes in Honduras!

Instead of feeling discouraged because we'd been waiting for three hours, we managed to keep ourselves entertained: C updated her journal, we chatted with other travellers, and checked out what other services could be obtained while we waited. Whether you need someone to look after your bike, something to eat, or your shoes polished, there is always someone who can help you.

Why look for a bank, when you can find people who will gladly help you with any currency you need......even after hours!! This guy was a lot of fun.

This morning it was Dan's turn to have a flat tire. It would not have been as painful if it weren't the blazing heat, the close proximity to the highway, and the fact that there was no shade!

Our very first police check. We have driven through quite a few of them, but this was the first time that we got asked for our papers. He checked our passports and sent us on our way.

Lake Nicaragua with yet another spectacular volcano.

Another fun day of travelling is over. We spent last night in San Juan del Sur, not too far from the Costa Rican border.

Riding down from the San Salvador Volcano

2007-10-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

We are staying in San Salvador with some AdvRider friends who are treating us like royalty. It has been so good, that we have stayed two days longer than we originally planned. Thanks guys!!

Mario (and his wife Fernanda) took us for a ride up to the Volcano near the city. It was fun to ride without all the gear on the bike. It may take a bit of time to load the video. Check out Mario's flying topcase near the end of the clip.

Our certified tour guide, Mario, says that there used to be a lake here (San Salvador Volcano) until 1917 when the last eruption happened.

We thought we were cruising along really well until the chicken delivery guy passed us on his scooter!! Check out the chicken waving goodbye!! Conchita and I had a good laugh.

Our gracious hosts. Fernanda was wiping the sweat from Mario's brow (he stirred the paella once or twice).

Waiting out the rain at Mario and Fernanda's lake cabin. Now this is the good life. Dan had actually forgotten that we were on our way south!!!

Lake Atitlan and Antigua, Gautemala-link here

2007-10-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a shower head like this?? This head is what heats the water. We didn't know how to work it until after Dan had a cold shower. We just had to flick a switch on the wall. Very neat, but probably dangerous??

These girls were selling souvenirs at a stop overlooking Lake Atitlan. When Conchita asked if she could take a picture, they said "Yes, if you give us a quetzal .....each!!!" They we real little business people.

This photo was taken in the town of San Antonio pictured below - one of the twelve towns that surround Lake Atitlan. This Cakchiquel woman shared a lot about her culture, her language and some of her everyday experiences while finishing this scarf for Conchita. Mantiox (=thanks), Olga.

Lake Atitlan is surrounded by volcanoes. Even though we did not get to see the tops because of the weather, the scenery was impressive.

These buses with their helpers were probably the most memorable thing about Guatemala. These things drove around like as if it were the Indy race. It seemed as though actually stopping the bus was against policy. The helper was always moving around on the outside of the bus at any speed. He would prepare the luggage for the passengers that were getting off. The bus would slow down, people would jump off, the helper would jump down hand the luggage over and have to chase after the bus to get back on. All the while with the air horns going to warn people and vehicles alike to get out of the way. It was amazing to watch.

Fixing tires,meeting new friends, crossing borders and breaking windshields...

2007-10-18T05:23:00.000-07:00

The plug I had installed on the back tire started to leak, and was getting worse. It needed to be fixed properly. Getting a tire patched, or "vulcanized" as they say down here, is a real experience in itself. First, we found the Honda dealer and thought we were set, until the owner showed up to open the place and all there was inside was three scooters and a desk......?? No accessories or lubricants for sale, just three scooters and a desk. We told him our situation, and he says, "No problem. The mechanic will be here in just a few minutes. You take the tire off the bike, and he will look after it."

That's the owner in the red.

So I take the tire off the beemer, and hand it to the "mechanic" who is about 19 years old. I wasn't about to let the wheel out of my sight, so I followed him thinking that he had a tire machine inside. You can imagine my surprise when we walked two blocks down the road to a tire shop!!!

Ooopps........

Even though we have had some problems, so far the trip for us just keeps getting better and better. Last night, we stayed at the nicest hotel of the trip for $20 Canadian (or American, for that matter). We even had our own garage. Here in the city of Tapachula (20 minutes from the Guatamala border on the Mexican side), we met the first other long-distance bikers of the trip.

It turns out that Leo and Cheryl are from Red Deer!! Not only that, but Leo's brother Norbert owns the Honda shop in Cold Lake!!! What are the odds of that???

Here they are just arriving at the hotel. Each of them is riding a BMW GS 1150.

A night out on the town before the first of the famed Central America border crossings. We all felt just a little better crossing as a group.

Dan is surrounded by the "border helpers." It is mostly kids that are trying to make a buck by helping you through the whole confusing process. Notice that one of them is holding his helmet.

After crossing the border, things changed. We all felt it. Gautemala seemed greener, cleaner and more friendly than Mexico. We rode up to 9,000 ft through little indigenous mountain towns.

Mam is the first language in this town, with Spanish being taught in school.

Riding through the city of Quezeltanango, we met up with the character on the right. He said he belongs to the local BMW club, and invited us over to meet some other members. Dan was able to repair his windshield using a drill and some zip ties, and we met a bunch of good people. Later in the evening, after showing us to our hotel, the club members picked us up and took us out for dinner - with the president footing the bill!! Amazing!!

Today we are off to Lake Atitlan and the city of Antigua. Our Lonely Planet guide book says these are the some of the highlight of Guatamala and of all of Central America as well.

B C and D

Southern Mexico!!

2007-10-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

Tom got up early and was very chipper. I think he wakes up like that all the time.

Life is good in Mazatlan, even though we did not catch a glimpse of the Striking Viking ( ADVRider guru).

A stop for some luke warm coconut water in San Blas. Yuk!

Ken and Sheila's B and B in Aticama. They treated us like kings .....and a queen!!

Their Bed and Breakfast is right on the ocean just South of San Blas. You should look them up if you are going to be in the area.

Our muy macho bikers could not resist these homemade palitos. This Palitero has been making these ice-creams for 27 years! Brian actually smiled after eating his.

Let's try going this way!???

We have an internet connection!!! Title is the link...

2007-10-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! We sure have had some eventful days.

Dan was able to get his card back without a hitch. He was all smiles and, I am sure, very relieved.

The night before the card retrieval, we had to drink a few beers - just to ease the stress.

Later that day, we met Gilo and his family. He offered us a place to camp on his property in front of the house. We are poor and humble, but very good people were his words to introduce his family.

When chatting that evening, we found out that Gilo organizes backpack and horseback riding tours in the Copper Canyon area. He told us a little bit more about the Tarahumara families, the thermal waters and vegetation in this area. Very interesting! This family had no running water in thier home. The kids were brushing thier teeth by the rain water bucket outside in the morning.

After more than 20 years of riding with only one flat tire, the road from Copper Canyon to Choix did it to us again. 250 km of twisting gravel took us over 10 hours to ride.

Right now we are in a small town called San Blas, approximately 300 km south of Mazatlan. We are staying at some friends of Dan’s. Ken and Sheila own a B & B right on the ocean. (Aticama Bed and Breakfast). They were very kind to let us bunk here for the night.

Tomorrow we are hoping to put in a full day of riding. Have to get up early, so I should get to bed.

We are in Mexico my friends!!!(title is link to photos as always)

2007-10-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

But first we were in Tombstone!!!!

Dan figured he should have a six shooter in his hand while he pulled that wheelie. Maybe shoot out a few windows. That new back tire has really inspired him!

Of course I didn't want to feel like I was being left out.

After creating a ruckus in Arizona, it was time for the two-hour border crossing into Mexico.

Some nice roads were waiting for us.

First road side stop in Mexico. The food here was very good, and the people were friendly.

And then we have the card-eating ATM machine. Dan was so impressed with his account total (in pesos) that he waited a little too long to remove his card from the machine. So here we are stuck in Nuevo Casas Grandes waiting for the bank to open tomorrow so he can retrieve his card. At least we ended up in a Hotel with internet access!!

Tomorrow it is Copper Canyon time!! All is well with the bikes and all our gear. So far so good!! Although we do have a long way to go yet, and seem to be falling a little behind schedule. Oh well, life is still good!!

Tuscon, Arizona!!

2007-10-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

(no, she is not standing on the bike!)

Joshua Forest somewhere between Las Vegas and Tuscon.

Our accomodations for the night. Friends of Dan's father-in-law hosted us. They were excellent. We were even treated to her famous Burrito Breakfast!! Thanks a ton, guys!

Dan crossing the Hoover Dam.

We rode into Tuscon expecting to get new tires for the bikes. A front one for ours and a rear one for Dan's. C and I had no problems at all, but Dan was out of luck. No rear tire in all of Tuscon for his bike!! Can you believe that!?? Not wanting to be stranded in Mexico with a bald tire, the only choice he had was to ride the 170 miles back to Phoenix. Bummer!! We had planned on crossing into Mexico today. Instead we will meet up again in Tombstone and camp there.

"The adventure starts when things stop going as planned" - Striking Viking.

Feeling somewhat refreshed today

2007-10-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

The night before last, we stayed at Donna and Gary's place in Reno. They had invited over through the ADV Rider forum. The detour we made was well worth it. It was great to meet them.

We had the bonus of Donna's company on the ride into Las Vegas. 710 km's worth!!Donnas has only been riding for 3 years now, but she does very well on her Bandit 1200.

An early morning start - 7 Am.

Donna was leading the way.

Nevada sure is a different place. I have heard that it is the most "barren' of all the states. I believe that!!

We had to make sure we had enough fuel. You wouldn't want to run out of gas on some of those desserted stretches.

We did see one tree along the way.

And we met up with Dan D!!
Trip planner and all around good guy.

Too tired to post......did link to photos though.

2007-10-04T23:57:00.000-07:00

Warmer weather is upon us(new photos here-slideshow).

2007-10-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

Check out the ADV Rider link to the right (in red).

Today was a great day of riding. Good weather. Good roads. Very little traffic and very little cops. And not a deer in sight!!

Mike (my brother) and I had an easier time lining up the splines than this guy did.

This Metzler Tourance should do the trick for a while. I figured that the old tire had another 1000 km in it, but Conchita wasn't ready to test my theory.

Tonight we are staying in a town called Winnemucca, 156 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada.

The adventure continues!! (title is the link to more photos on flickr-slideshow)

2007-10-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

Dan leaves Hinton today!!

We have not heard anything from Dan yet. I hope he has a good ride, and misses all the snow.

Saturday we met up with GS Gal in Kalispell right on time....well, not really. We were an hour and a half late. It must have been Conchita's fault!!

Beware!!

National Historic Site- St. Ignatius Church.

Sawtooth Pass in Southern Idaho - today.

Well, I certainly was not expecting below zero temperatures and snow storms!!

Good thing we brought the heated liners, or things would have been real nasty.

We rode through this for 150 km. The snow was accumulating on the road in some spots.

I am not sure if the temp gauge goes below zero. Don't really want to find out either!

Today we rode 598 km from Missoula, Montana, to Hailey, Idaho. The twisties were perfect....until the snow hit.

First Full Day is Done!! (click here for the slideshow link).

2007-09-29T23:25:00.000-07:00

Now there is a good-looking, hardworking bunch of people!!!

Not too bad - only 40 kilos over the GVW. Still handles perfectly at high speeds (nothing over the limit of course), but I wonder how long the rear shock will hold out. Let's not tell the BMW warranty guys......shhhhhhhh.

Andy and Debbie from Edson took some well-needed time off from their house renovations to meet us for supper in Edmonton. Debbie gave C a valuable tip: the blueberry tea recipe....that has come in handy ; ) Supper was fantastic, but it put us a little behind getting to Ken and Linda's in Red Deer. C and I rode through 3 degree temps, the rain and in the dark. It all added up to a very "thrilling" first day. Remind us why we are doing this again?? Ken and Linda had the hot chocolate and Baileys ready for us, and were also kind enough to crank up the heat. Thanx guys.

I finally broke down on Saturday, and had to try out my heated liner. C has been wearing hers pretty steadily since she got it, but I have never felt cold enough to use mine. Today I did!! And the balaclava as well!!

It was the first time I saw the flashing snowflake on the bike!! It actually got down to 1.5 degrees, but Conchita was shivering too much to take a clear photo (kidding)! All in all, we did fine in the cold temps. Hopefully in another day or so we will not have to worry about that anymore.

About 18 hours to go

2007-09-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

19,370 km on the odometer right now. I am pretty sure that will more than double by the time C and I are done.

Mom came over to wish us a safe and happy trip. Thanx mom!!

The idea is to make it as far as we can into the US on this tire, and get fresh ones just before we cross over into Mexico and down into the Copper Canyon. We are going to try and get about 3000km out of it. The flatness of this tire is a testament to the crap biking roads here in eastern Alberta.

Last week of work

2007-09-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

Alllllrighty then.......here we are finally in the last week before the big send-off (won't be much fanfare actually).

All our documents have been scanned and photocopied. Conchita is still adding the final touches to our "Red Cross" medical cards that we will carry in/on our tank bag in a visible place (in case we crash and the medics need our vital info: blood type, allergies, etc).

I don't think the whole concept of where we are riding to has really set in yet. I don't feel super excited. That will all change after a couple of days on the road thinking about 70+ holidays left ahead of us. Wow, this will be a first - not only where we are going, but also how long we are going.

It sounds like C and I may be able to scoot off a little ahead of schedule on the 28th. Possibly 3 PM. That should give more than enough time to ride the 450km to our first stop - friends Ken and Linda's place in Red Deer, Alberta.

Day two should get into the US and down into Kalispell, Montana, where we have been invited to overnight at a fellow ADV rider's place. Life is good!!! Or rather.....GOING to be good!!!

Dan is also going to be able to get away a little earlier than he had planned. He is aiming to meet us in Las Vegas on Oct 4th. We offered to share our room at the Flamingo Hotel. He will have to sleep on the floor though. I am quite sure he won't mind. The floor at the Flamingo is probably way nicer than some of the places that we will be sleeping in over the next 2 1/2 months.

2007-09-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

I bought a Garmin Etrex. Nothing fancy, but it might get us out of a bind if we get lost. Much easier than turning the laptop into one. Even though the mapping in South America isnt very good, the GPS will still track where we are going and will be able to back track us if we run into a dead end. Now, I just have to figure out how to use it!!

2007-09-15T07:55:00.001-07:00

Brian's documents

2007-08-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

Alberta to South America - "Two up-going down!!"+1.

2007-08-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not know the story: three of us (myself, Conchita and Dan) will be riding down to South America for 10 weeks. Conchita and I will be leaving Alberta on Sept 28th, whereas Dan will be leaving on Oct 2. After C and I check out the sights and sounds of Las Vegas for a night, we plan on meeting up with Dan in Southern Arizona on Oct 5th before heading into Mexico and ....beyond...!!

Dan will be riding a KTM 950 Adventure solo, while Conchita and I will be two-up on a BMW GS 1200 ADV.

All this nonsense was Dan's idea, so if anything goes wrong, we can all blame him!!!

Dan D

Check out this link for a little teaser:

http://www.thrillingwonder.blogspot.com/2006/11/most-dangerous-roads-in-world.html

Enough planning - let's GO already!!

Immunizations:

Yellow Fever (done)

Typhoid Fever (done)

Hepatitis A/B (done)

Tetanus (done)

Rabies (2 out of three so far):

Oooppps.....maybe not!!!

Ouch!!

(is that you Conchita?)

"Yes, it's me Brian".. sigh-eyes rolling

Drugs:

Malaria pills galore!!

(1/day x2 and 4 weeks after returing home-150 pills. If the Malaria doesn't kill you, the drugs will!!!!)

Pills to prevent altitude sickness.

(La Paz in Bolivia is over 12,000 ft)

Pills to deal with altitude sickness if you do get it.

Pills to stop diarrhea.

Immodium.

Allergy Pills.

Foot powder(stinky feet is bad).

Makes us wonder of we should even be going to these places!