Christmas greeting

December from 328 Stories on Vimeo.

This is from Vinmeo...watch till the end...

I've been busy

I know it sounds like an excuse, but really, it's the truth.  A photo safe came from my buddy Keith who I traveled to South America with.  As if I didn't take enough photos, we now have copies from Keith, and our other friends in Austrailia, Jacques and probably a few more.  I've been trying to catagorize these.............. But trust me, you will be impressed.

Had to Share

Take a look.



The Sea Lions



I've been preparing

While it sounds like a lame excuse, I've been preparing.   I just received a "photo safe" containing multiple photos and videos that I didn't have room for on my ipad while traveling.

So, thanks for your patience, I promise the ride report of South America will be well worth your wait!

Until then, think bikes...........................

I took a week off..............

No bikes, no work, just rest, relaxation and fun in the sun!

 My wife planned the trip and I didn't find out where we were going until we arrived at the airport!

 The biggest joke was the Argentinian Steak house - I just left Argentina a few weeks ago and had my fill of Argentina steaks!!

 Obviously the low season for Cancun Mexico, but we had the beach to ourselves and the water temp was perfect.  Low crowds meant excellent service at the resort, but brutal all out assualts in the Mexican Market places!

 Big Sky, big seas and a good time!

 This picture says it all.

The view from our balcony, I miss it already.

Serious about riding?

I take all riding very seriously..............................

But sometimes others don't take my riding seriuosly.......................

Honda 70cc

Group Photo from the Andean Highlights Tour

Enjoy!

Still working on perfecting the photos - too many to mention.
9000KM + on the ride.......

USHUAIA, Argentina

Or, the end of the earth
Ushuaia is the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego. It is commonly regarded as the southernmost city in the world. Ushuaia is located in a wide bay on the southern coast of the island of Tierra del Fuego, bounded on the north by the Martial mountain range and on the south by the Beagle Channel. Its population is estimated today at about 64,000 (people) and double that population in sea lions and penguins!

View Larger Map

At this point, we can't go any further south without a boat and some really good cold weather gear. So, tomorrow we start our journey back up north! When I get home, I promise to post a boat load of photos. All is good, and when the wind isn't blowing us off the road, the riding is grrrrreat!

Keep watching for updates

Santa Cruz, Argentina PATAGONIA

View Larger Map

 PATAGONIA

If you don't have Google Earth...............get it for this picture alone.

I'm in Santa Cruz - near the glacier (If you have Google Earth, you can see the glacier on the satellite picture).

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-50.47536,-72.98111&ie=UTF8&om=1&ll=-50.47536,-72.98111&spn=0.073196,0.243416&t=h&z=12

The Glaciar Perito Moreno - This huge icefield located in the Los Glaciares National Park in the south west of Santa Cruz province, Argentina. It is one of the largest tourist attractions in Patagonia.

The 250 km2 (97 sq mi) ice formation, and 30 km (19 mi) in length, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian. This Ice Field located in the Andes system is shared with Chile. It is the world's third largest reserve of fresh water.

Aside from the wonderful scenery, the riding has been great!  Tough, but great, aside from multiple flats per day, we seem to be muddling through.

This is a wonderful Adventure, I hope you keep following along, the best is yet to come.

PUCON CHILE

PUCON CHILE

The Structured part of the tour is over and sadly we said our good-byes on Friday night. The four of us set out early Saturday catching one of the famous South American Busses to pick up new rental bikes. Here we are back in Pucon Chile. Here's a picture of me with the famous steaming Volcano Villarrica (2,847m), towering menacingly over Pucón. It looks like my brain is smoking!

Meanwhile, yes we are still eating like kings!

Here's the link to video of the DYNAMITE FLYING TIRE EXPERIMENT -   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHltb_XFv44&feature=youtube_gdata_player

(sorry I couldn't figure out the HTML Link) but watch the video, you will enjoy I swear!

Short on time today

I've been making friends during this trip, but this is the first friend I wanted to bring home!

 On the Road in Bariloche

who wouldn't be smiling?

 We've made arrangements everywhere we go to ensure the bikes are kept in a safe courtyard so they can be worked on and kept safe each evening.  Here we are gearing up in the morning for the ride out.

Still in Argentina - Patagonia today.  Looking forward to staying a few days in one place.  Will try to update you all.  I'm going to start my ADV RIDER post shortly, but stick with me.  I promise to add all the photos and maps to the blog.

Cordoba Argentina

Hello Argentina!  Boarder crossings in South America leave much to be desired.  After nine + hours at the boarder crossing, a switch in staff and numerous lunch and dinner breaks, we crossed into Argentina.  Phew!

I'm rushing the story abit, but I promise when I'm back on solid US Terra firma to elaborate on the entire trip.  Cordoba Argentina is located near the geographical center of Argentina and is the capital of The Cordoba Province.  It is located Northwest of Buenos Aires.  It is the second largest city in Argentina with 1.3 million inhabitants. Originally settled in the 16th century by the Spanish, the city had historical architecture, with alot of Spanish influence intermixed with the more modern structures.  There's a great deal to see and do here.

Weather has been for riding and we've been lucky enough after 20 days to only see a few sprinkles of Rain.

Sorry, not many pictures of me riding.

I love ths picutre.   I call it "Where's Waldo?"  If you look close,
you will find a rider and his bike, but it may take a moment.

Here we all are, the Road Crew

 (except for Keith who is snapping the picture).

Keep checking back for updates.  Heading to Mendoza, Argentina !

Still Riding

Now in Argentina


I must say the road conditions are much better.

View Larger Map

Still heading south.  Weather has been great and we are leaving Tupiza Argentina.

UYUNI

Still on the road. Today we are in Uyuni, on the edge of the great Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa). This is the world's largest salt flat at 4,086 sq miles. It is located in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes. It's elevation is almost 12,000 ft above sea level. The Salar was formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes. It is covered by a few meters of salt crust. The crust serves as a source of salt and covers a pool of brine, which is exceptionally rich in lithium. It contains 50 to 70% of the world's lithium reserves, which has yet to be extracted. The large area, clear skies and exceptional surface flatness make the Salar an ideal object for calibrating the altimeters of the Earth observation satellites. The Salar serves as the major transport route across the Bolivian Altiplano and is a major breeding ground for several species of pink flamingos.

You can see the salt flat on the map above.  It's the large white area.  Over 4,000 sq miles it is easily identified from the air. 

The Altitude provides wonderful vistas of the mountains.

The Children of South America

Narcotics stops and various other opportunities for stops and searches
are all over the roads.

DAY 4 - Still in LA PAZ

LA PAZ BOLIVIA

We've explored LA PAZ, on foot, by car and now by motorcycles. This is some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever taken in. However; the road travel is harsh. Here's a shot of the road conditions, check out the jagged edges on the rocks.

Those rocky conditions took their toll on Keith's tire which went flat during our venture out.  Unfortunately, it took this gringo a long time to find a pump given my lack of bien espanol, that we ended up on the Death Road back to LA PAZ at dark.  I don't recommend this.

Because of the extreme dropoffs, single-lane width, and lack of guardrails, the road is extremely dangerous. Lack of light and depth perception add to the danger.  Further still, rain and fog can make visibility precarious, the road surface muddy, and loosen rocks from the hillsides above.

In 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the "world's most dangerous road". One estimate is that 200-300 travelers are killed yearly along the road, or one vehicle every two weeks. The road moreover includes crosses marking the spots where vehicles have fallen.

Upon leaving La Paz, the road first ascends up to around 5km, before descending to 1079 ft (330 m), transitioning quickly from cool altiplano terrain to rain forest as it winds through very steep hillsides and atop cliffs.

The road was built in the 1930s during the Chaco War by Paraguayan prisoners. The road connects the Amazon rainforest region of northern Bolivia, or Yungas, to its capital city.

The good news is, when we returned to the hotel, dinner was served.   We didn't realized when you order Lamb for dinner, they bring the whole leg!  Look at this slab of meat!

Tomorrow we head off to Potosi, about 300 miles.

This could take a while........

Check back for more updates shortly! Thanks for visiting!!

LA PAZ BOLIVIA

Day 1 and Day 2! We have arrived. We came in a few days early to adjust to the altitude. La Paz is known as the city that touches the sky, is an apt description. Located high above sea level, La Paz sits in a bowl surrounded by the high altiplano. La Paz as it grows climbs the hills resulting in varying elevations from 3000 to 4100 m. Overlooking the city is towering triple-peaked Illimani, always snow covered and majestic. The famous road to get here is known as the El Camino del Muerte or The Road of Death! Yesterday we drove the road in a cab with our driver. Tomorrow, we set out on motorcycles to conquer the road on our own. I apologize if the blog posts are slow, the internet and download capabilities are slow, but I will do my best!

This is our new friend, guide and driver!  Here we are enjoying a typical Bolivian fish dinner.

PACKING BEGINS

I am packing now for the trip to South America. I will journey down via Airplane to LaPaz,Boliva and begin the trip on September 12th. The first 23 days are a guided tour with Compass. After that, just me and a good buddy will travel down to Tierra Del Fuego. Check back on a regular basis for photos and updates on my journey. I will try to keep the posts coming. Look for me on ADV rider as well - VTBeemer! Cheers!

View over the cliffs of Newfoundland

This time last year I was riding the Trans-Lab Highway, I thought I would share some of those photos with you now. Enjoy!