Steven's Blog

The end?

2012-01-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

Well, I have made it home and am already back at work for a month. The last couple of days I spend in Buenos Aires walking around and taking some more pcitures. And then I deleted them. Small mistake. I flew home with a direct flight, payed for by my frequent flyer miles!
Coming home was strange but I quickly got used to it, I had some things to do before returning to the ship. Unfortunately, I had an accidant on the highway with my other bike, some dude decided to drive off from the shoulder onto the second lane, and that is where I was driving. So after an asphalt inspection of about 60 meters I walked away with only a dislocated thumb. But my bike is a totall loss and so is my outfit that kept me dry and warm over the last 36.000 kilometer.
I do know that this wasn't my only big trip. Being on the road for so many days really relaxes me and makes me happy. Next time I'll be heading East. Vladivostok? China?
I would like to thank all of you for reading my blog and your comments. Hopefully you enjoyed it and if you have any questions about any part of this trip, please let me know.

Buenos Aires

2011-11-30T16:04:00.000-08:00

Driving in Buenos Aires is not that bad compared to other cities, but it still isn't really fun, specially if you are at the same time trying to take pictures. Luckely there are lots of trafic lights, so I was able to take this one. 11 years ago I was on this same spot.

Evita's balcony

I did a lot of walking, and came across this old navy sail boat. I had a look around, they allow you to go almost everywhere, even the engine room.

Main switchboard.

Today was the last day I rode the beast in South America. I dropped it of at the cargo area at the airport. Notice the windscreen, if I would have rode all the way like this, I would have been ever faster, I am sure. I have a flight on Friday, the bike will also leave on Friday but be in Amsterdam on the 5th. Nicely wrapped and secured to a pallet. Two more days of sightseeing and some more paperwork, that is all that remains.

Almost done

2011-11-26T15:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I drove from Bahia Blanca (where the dakar rally goes trough) to Villa Gesell, and I had the wind in the back, that was great. Today I spent on the beach, which looks a lot like the beach I grew up on. It was a nice relaxing day, tomorrow I drive to Buenos Aires, I have a meeting on Monday for the transportation. 500 kilometer to go and it is done.

lion seals and tumble weeds

2011-11-24T18:01:00.000-08:00

Nothing really to report today, in the morning I visited some seals and then got hit by the worst winds ever, all day. It does take the fun out of riding a bit.

Thumble weeds and lots of flat land. I am today in Bahia Blanca, tomorrow I drive towards the coast, so I can spend Saturday on the beach, Sunday I drive to Buenos Aires, where I will prepare for going home.

more wind and penguins

2011-11-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

I drove to Puento Pyramida today, for the wild life. I saw some penguins, an austrich and an amarillo. Tomorrow I hope to see some seals and then it is back on the road again, still heading north. The winds here are incredable, over 100kph and that is the steady wind, with a gush, I don't know how hard it blows, but it is not very comfortable on the bike.

I do like penguins, they are funny. Not like the internet that I have at this moment, I'll post some more photo's when it is better.

More wind and Penguins

2011-11-23T15:38:00.000-08:00

northbound, not that much to report

2011-11-22T15:05:00.000-08:00

Some strange clouds again, and as you can see, wet roads. But not that bad and the winds are also not that bad. Today I stay in Comodore Rivadavia. A not very special town, what I can tell is that there are very little hotels in this town.

The beach, they use it as a big garbage dump, what a shame.

Yesterday was a great day on the road, with a ferry, two border crossings and dirt. O, and wind.

The last bit of dirt road, well, besides the road works. It was very windy, the wind was about 90kph.

It's not all done yet

2011-11-20T15:44:00.000-08:00

Today I did a short drive up north, just to see if I can also drive north. And I can. I came across this old bridge that is washed away.

I drove to cabo san pablo to visit the shipwreck. I got the beast stuck on the beast, but I also got some great pictures

This group of people all wanted a picture with the beast, it must have taken 15 minutes to leave the place. The beast was feeling like a movie star

A small town, about an hour from Ushuaia, has some whale bones. really cool to see

I am now in Rio grande, tomorrow I will really start driving north, it is almost 3000 km to Buenos Aires, and I need to be there next Monday to start with the transportation stuff. So that should not be a problem, looking forward to some warmer weather, it was cold today on the road.

Ushuaia!!!!

2011-11-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

33000 kilometers on the road, 16 countries, lots of pictures and an adventure of a life time! I have made it to Ushuaia, drove from the most northern driveable town to the most southern driveable town on the continent in 80 days!

I had to take a very from Punta Arenas to Povenir.

the first 100 kilometers where off road. Great off road and the wind was in my back.

The proof that I made it!

back in Chile

2011-11-17T14:30:00.000-08:00

My hotel in El Calafate, it was very nice, great view over the lake and the mountains.

The glacier, stunning as they always are! It is difficult to imagine the size. it is huge. I saw some blocks falling.

The rest of the day was not that special, lots of nothing. The crossing back to Chile was simple and took about half an hour. I am now in Punta Arenas, tomorrow morning I take the ferry to Tiera del fuego. It is great driving here, I am on one hand happy to reach Ushuaia, on the other hand, it does mean that the trip is coming to an end, and I don't really like that. But first let's get to the other side of this water.

Ruta 40

2011-11-16T15:17:00.000-08:00

Today was all about the ruta 40, a mix of dirt, asphalt and constructions. It is a love/hate relation. When you are on the dirt and it gets bad, you really want some smooth road. But when you are on the asphalt, it is boring and you want the dirt back. The only thing I don't care for is the constructions. I also got a taste of the wind down here. They are strong!!

A different kind of llama here. Bigger and a nice color

My first serious water crossing, deep and rocky and it filled up one of my boots. But it was fun.

Icebergs! I am in El Calafate today, tomorrow morning I visit the glacier and after that I want to try to make it to Punta Arenas. The end of the road is near.

more austral

2011-11-16T14:48:00.000-08:00

Caretera Austral, part 2

2011-11-16T03:11:00.000-08:00

My hostal in La Juncta, a very nice little place. It was cold at night, but I had the best bed with a hugh blanket. Slept like a baby

The road was about 50/50 asphalt dirt. Very nice driving again, with beautifull weather

They made this road just for the picture, I am sure!

Strange clouds here, I suspect to be followed by alliens

Back in Argentina, the view of Chile

At first I thought it was a bridge, but it is snow just under the rim. This road was 90 kilometer from the border to the town of Perito Moreno, where I spent the night. Tomorrow I ride to El Calafate, where I will visit a glacier

more pictures, 2

2011-11-14T18:02:00.000-08:00

carretera Austral, part 1

2011-11-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

The morning started of dry, and it stayed dry!

small thing of the day, a 250ml coke bottle. It seems like they have small things in Chile, let's see what I can find tomorrow

Just amazing views in the morning.

my four hour ferry ride awaits

two spanish riders are also doing the same route, I will be meeting up with them along the route

One of the spanish riders

It is really stunning here, the road is ok for a dirt road, the views are amazing and I am really enjoying myself. Very happy with the new tires, the weather is great, sunny but not to warm, the beast is doing very well and I also feel good. More of this tomorrow

going south, deep south

2011-11-13T17:06:00.000-08:00

This must be the smallest bath ever made! It was in my room in Conception

44444km on the bike, this also means that today I passed the 30.000 kilometers on this trip!

It started of nice and I was on my way to puerto montt, trough the lake district

When I got to puerto montt, I went to the ticket office to buy a ticket for the ferry tomorrow. The girl there adviced me that it was better to go to the ferry place Hornopiren today, but this was at 6pm, and it is another small ferry trip and 60 km dirt road away. So I was not sure what to do. As you can see, I did go and I arrived at 9pm. 12 hours on the bike, but I have already done a bit of the Carretera Austral now. In the rain and the dark, let's see what it brings tomorrow. Well, it will start with a ferry ride of 4 hours, that is not too difficult.

Not sure what is wrong with my face.

breaking in the tires

2011-11-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

Just some driving south again, I took the highway the first part, the second part I took the Ruta de conquadores. And all of a sudden the country side became very nice and the road was also great,

lunch spot

There was a lot of construction along the road, I had to wait a couple of times, great moment for a picture. I am in Conception today, tomorrow the plan is to drive to Puerto Montt.

My final country, Not before some waiting.

2011-11-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

Today was about getting to Santiago to get set up for the tire change tomorrow. I wanted to make sure I got there in time so I asked the GPS to take me there. A nice 5 hour drive. But soon after I took the road suggested, it turned into a gravel road, and that turned into a dirt road and turned into a dirt track. So I was delayed. But the view was stunning and it was worth the extra time.

Then I had to drive up the Andes to the border.

An old natural bridge, called the Inca bridge.

Then the border, that was different, all cars, busses and trucks get checked and therefor it takes for hours and hours, well, 3 to be exact. I met up with two argentina riders on a ktm (somebody needs to ride those as well) and together we waited. Entering Chile was beautifull, but I was worried about getting to Santiago.

I got to Santiago, decided to have a look at the shop, and it was still open! So I got the tires changed today, the beast without shoes. I got the tires changed at the moto adventura centre, a nice shop, and very helpfull. Thanks, guys.

View from my hotel room. I now have a day extra, I will sleep in a bit tomorrow and then drive towards Osorno. That is in the chilean lake district, and if the stories are right, it is stunning.

Going the distance

2011-11-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

Today was another day of making kilometers. I woke up and it was raining. I can't remember driving off in the rain and it took me a long time to get ready. It cleared up during the day and it was a great day just do miles, not too warm, sunny and empty roads. It did get a bit boring, so I had to remind myself that I was driving in Argentina on my own bike, doing just fine. That got me going again and I was happy for the rest of the day

Somewhere along the road I must have hit this bird, sorry for that, bird.

If this is not a great spot to have lunch, what is

another railroad bridge. I do like them.

Vineyards and cyclist, I am in France.
No, in San Juan, wine country and tonight I am going to celibrate that I am off anti biotics with a nice steak and a glass of wine. Tomorrow I cross into Chile, I hear stories about border crossings again. We'll see. I have to cross the Andes, so back in the mountains. That is great for views, not great for making time. I need to be in Santiago tomorrow evening, I'll let you know how that works out.

Back in canyon country

2011-11-09T18:45:00.000-08:00

Today was again about making some distance, and I must say, I succeded. I drove just over 700 kilometers. I need to be in Santiago on Saturday, for new tires, so there is a need for speed. The views today were good, nice canyons and all kinds of different climates. I started of in dessert, then up the mountains and into some kind of rainforrest. I am now in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca. Sounds great and it is a nice town.

Tomorrow I'll do some more, Argentina is great, and the people are actually driving according some rules. Well, in the country side that is, in the city it is still survival of the strongest. Or, the biggest car.

Argentina!!!

2011-11-09T18:08:00.000-08:00

My last day riding with the group, I made my way south and rode for 40 kilometers with the group.

Not before another stop to repair one of the bikes.

Entering Argentina, a friendly reminder that I still had some driving to do.

Today was the second day that I had serious stomach issues, the first time was after eating too much beef sticks, this time it was of the pizza I had. Therefore, not too much driving. I found a nice little town called Humahuacas to rest and get the system back to normal. I have also finally stopped with my anti biotics, that might also have something to do with my stomach.

trains, hills and history

2011-11-09T17:51:00.000-08:00

outside Uyuni is a grave yard for old steam trains, they were used in the past for the mines and just left in the dessert. Unreal to see this.

I drove with the group again, we went to San Vinceso, the rest place of Butch Casside and the Sundance kid. The town itself is an mine town and is at 4600 meters and a 60 kilometers dirt road. What a great ride to get there

the museo of the two gentlemen.

Driving down the mountain was great, we were running a bit late because of another battery failure

Riding off road gets you dirty! But it was all worth it.

more pictures

2011-11-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

our hotel, made out of salt!

riding over saltwith some great people

2011-11-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

A hugh meteorite crater, the pictures are a bit random, sorry for that. The guy standing at the motor was Max, the tour guide for the group of motors below. I met them at the hotel when I checked out, they were also going to Uyuni, but via some great off road tracks. It was a tour of 7 days, organized by bmw bolivia. They let me drive with them and we had a great time, on the bikes and off.

Bolivia gas station, don't tell them you are a foreigner, you don't get any fuel. Again, it was very good the guys were with me, they gave me a full tank!

The beast on a salt flat, amazing views, I will post some more pictures later

The dirt roads here are hard for a big bike like the beast, but he did great

My bike and the support van.

during the 3 days that I rode with the guys, 3 batteries died, all of the f800gs, very strange. It was a great day and I was very happy to be riding with the group. I wouldn't have done this by myself

no pictures

2011-11-08T15:14:00.000-08:00

Yep, it is sad, but for the last 3 days I have not been able to update the blog. I am now in Humahuacas, North Argentina and I spend the last two days riding with a group of fellow bmw riders from bolivia, we did the salt flats, saw the trains, did lots and lots of off road driving. This afternoon I parted from them and crossed into Argentina. I wll make my way down to Mendoza and cross into Chile for some new tires and make my way down. Hopefully I can post some pictures tomorrow, as I have some really good ones.

The police again!

2011-11-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

You know when the entrance of the hotel looks like this, it is going to cost you. But it was a very nice hotel, met some great people there and relaxed. I slept in, woke up at 8!

The drive was nice, sunny and smooth. Some more old stuff on route

An old women, nice thing to see is that everybody where the local outfits, it is not a tourist thing.

back in the mountains, 4000 meters.

I am getting a little bit frustrated with the police now, they stop me frequently and all want money. Sometimes they are very insisting and you can't get away without paying. It is just so normall over here, it is wrong. Today is my last day in Peru, I drive to Bolivia tomorrow.

Macchu Picchu, what can I say. I know, it rained.

2011-11-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

But that didn't stop me from having a great time there, such a stunning place, every minute the scenery changes with the clouds and the fog.

We were with 3 people from the hotel and had a guide all the way trough, very nice girl, explained alot about the place and got soaked with us.

I was still a bit dry here.

It was a great day, this place does have something special, and I am not the person to say that quickly about a place. Go there, if you have a sunday off.

This is what it's all about!

2011-11-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

What a day! I got on the bike at 06.30 to climb some mountains. I reached 4566 meters! I must say I did get very strange in the head, even more then usual. I am now at 3400 meters, still high, but no side effects from the altitude.

It started of with climbing and dessert, truly nothing there.

Besides this animal, I don't know what it is, but there are plenty along the first part of this road.

The valleys are green and lots of farming going on.

A Lama. I had to keep moving, didn't want to be spitted on.

More of his or her friends. It looks like they are just eating dirt, but there must be something there that they like.

Just a picture of the very blue sky.

4566 meters! The bike did great, better then me, I was struggling a bit with keeping focussed, I got easily confused between clutch and break and stuff like that. Funny to notice.

This was a while later, the gps and google maps told me it was a 7 hour drive, it took me 11.5 to do 557 km and I still didn't reach my destination. Maybe if I hadn't stopped to look at this rather big spider, I would have.I got to Urubamba when it became dark, I wanted to push on, but then I almost went full speed over a speedbump and I decided to check into the nearest hotel. I found a hotel, it is above my budget, but it is really nice, and they could arrange the trip to Macchu Picchu for tomorrow, so all is well at the end. It was a great drive trough the mountains, with friendly people, cows, pigs llama's, dogs, cats, goats and sheep. Very long, maybe too long, but I made it, tomorrow is a rest day for the beast and then it is off to Puno, the last stop in Peru before entering Bolivia. Below is a picture of the sunset on some farmlands. It was stunning.

The sand continued. So did the riding

2011-11-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

Another great day, not too much to report. I am in Nazca now, famous from the massive lines in the earth. They can only been seen from the sky, and as the beast is capable of many things, but not flying, no pictures of that. Above some guys playing soccer in the mud.

Dessert town, I got pulled over for speeding here, and I did, so I had to pay a fine. I could pay at the bank, or at the men in blue. At the bank, 36 dollar, the men wanted 10. I know it is not correct, but it saved me a lot of trouble. I did take it a bit slower, but it is strange here, one moment it is 60, then 90, then 80, there are so many signs.
I also drove trough Lima, 7 million people life there. I think they were all on the road when I drove trough.

One moment I ride in the dessert, the next moment it is all green

View from the roof of my hotel, these guys must have some serious reception. Every taxi that drives around here honks his horn about every 3 seconds, so it is a very noise town.

My bike is once again parked in the lobby of the hotel. So nice. I did 751 kilometers today! Tomorrow I go to Ollantaytamba, the gateway to Macchu Picchu. Back to the mountains, with a pass of 4360 meters! Let's see how I do without oxygen.

Sand, sea and wind. And lots of kilometers

2011-10-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today was all about dessert. The roads are great and I can make some serious speed.

Unlike this guy, but if one breaks down, the other one helps out.

hugh sandunes are everywhere.

overloaded truck. I was driving behind another one, when one of the axles broke. one wheel came off and nearly hit an oncoming car, then went to the left and back on the road again to the otherside. Strange things happen on the road here.

It doesn't bother the beast, he keeps going.

Hugh waves on the pacific coast, they create a haze all over the coast, but I like the smell of salt water! Also it brings a very strong, fresh wind, so the temperature stays at a nice 25 degrees.

The fishing fleet of Peru.

A great day of driving, trough the dessert and small and bigger cities. I did almost 700 kilometers, I have another day planned tomorrow along the coast, I hope to do another 700 km, that leaves me one more day to get to Cuzco, the gateway to Macchu Picchu. It's great to be back on the road, Peru is a nice country to make some distance and the people are friendly as well. Lots of police, but they seem to like sitting in their cars.

Country number 12! And what a ride...

2011-10-30T18:46:00.000-07:00

I got up early today, ready to make some miles. The elbow is still big and red, but feels better. I first drove south, via a beautifull road, almost nobody on it and lots of great views. I'll let the pictures talk.

It's been a while that I really enjoyed myself this much, I like it better when I don't have to constantly watch the traffic and have some time to look around and see some of the country side. I hope this is a sign of things to come. Also, no rain today!!

This was my lunch partner, about an hour before the border crossing with Peru. I chose the one at Macara, only good things I can say about it. All and all less then an hour and friendly people. I like it when they are like that.

The mountains are behind me, and so is the cold. I drove off this morning with 10 degrees, in Peru, the max temp was 36.

Lots and Lots of these little taxis, almost no cars. So I was worried if there was a rule in Peru that you can't drive on Sunday or something like that. If so, I got away with it!

So the road was gone, but luckely, this little bridge was still there, made for the little taxis and my bike. The local guys were very cheerfull.

The beginning of the desert, I am now staying in Piura, tomorrow I drive as far south as I can, to make some miles. The roads at this moment look good, so I should be able to do some distance. In the last two days I did just under a 1000 km, so that is good. I hope I can keep it up.

No time to waist, I've got to move with haist

2011-10-29T16:31:00.000-07:00

Back on the road! The elbow is still big and red and hot, but the doctor gave his ok, I do have some more pills to take and creme to put on. But at least I am on my way south again. Yesterday I also was able to pick up my bike, with some issues of course. Although the rules are there also for tourists, the system doesn't know Dutch license plates, so when I went to pay the fine, 88 dollars, the system couldn't handle the number. So I couldn't pay, so I couldn't pick up my bike. Luckely the guys from the hotel helped me out once again and it was sorted and I could pick it up, below is the office and my friends!

My hotel room in Quito for the last 5 nights, a very nice place, good service and friendly staff.

A snap shot of the cotopaxi, a very high volcano, covered in snow and clouds.

the drive was great, the start had still alot of traffic, but the more south I got, the better the roads and less cars and trucks.

I peaked today at 3611 meters, and you can really notice the thin air, you also have less resistance driving. But it is also cold, I had to change from warm weather gear to cold weather gear.

I can't find where this place is, but it looked nice.

Cuenca, they have a flower market. It is a nice city, not as busy as quito and not that many police men. Good.

Tomorrow I go to the border with Peru, looking forward to a new country. Ecuador was nice, but I did stay here way to long. I have another 10.330 kilometers to drive in 30 days. I can avarage about 450 kilometers here, but more south, that becomes different. We'll see. So far I have driven about 23.000 kilometers, used two rear tires, 1 front tire, got the bike serviced twice and I think I must have filled up the bike about 65 times and have hit 42340 bugs. Give or take a view.

the Equator revisited. And lucky number 7?

2011-10-27T21:36:00.000-07:00

Gerben and I wanted to see the monument on the Equator, as it is pretty special to cross. Gerben crossed it going south and now going north again, I only cross it going south. It was a very nice day, lots of pictures and then we find out that it is actually not on the right spot, but 190 south of the reall line. Somebody must have made a whoopsie there. But it still looks good.

They have some lama's there to keep the grass short, better then the machette swinging roadworkers.

Gerben and I checking out both sides of the world.

Nothing to do with the equator, but this is a restaurant feeding the grill is a special way with wood. The wood is outside on the pavement, the grill is inside.

Quito by night! And the basilica

Right, and now about number 7! Yesterday I brought the beast away for a service, today I could pick it up. Yeah. So I was on my way back to the hotel when I got pulled over. Something about my license plate. Ok, let's have a look. It ends on a 7, that is correct. O, I can't drive with that. Well, I can, just not on Thursday evening between 16.00 and 19.30. Ok, I didn't know that, I am sorry. Well, that didn't impress the police much, I had to drive the bike to the impound lot, where it is sleeping now. Tomorrow I have to pay a fine of 88 dollar at the bank before I can pick it up again. It is the law, that is correct, but how am I to know it and why does it also work for tourists on a foreign license. It is a couple of hours ago that it happened, so I am more relaxed about, but the police here in quito now know a couple of rather strong Dutch swearwords. Tomorrow I first go to the doctor, fingers crossed I am good to go, then pay at the bank, then pick up the bike and then leave Quito and continue with the trip. It's been a while since I've been on the road.

Out of the hospital, spending some recovery time in Quito

2011-10-26T09:04:00.000-07:00

On the last two days, I had to have my valve on an other location, as the one in my hand got irritated. So they placed it right there. Not the best location for moving around, or sleeping.

Checked out at the desk, bye bye lovely nurses of the hospital. And of course the doctors, they were good as well

When I got back to the hotel, they moved my bike to the otherside of the court, all looked ok

Some sightseeing, many of this kind of churches in Quito.

The dog got his nose stuck in the coca cola cup. It must have been the painkillers, but I thought it was the funniest thing. In fact, I still think it was funny

See that little red button? That is the deadman switch. Yesterday, I made arrangments via bts, thanks Ignacio and Rene, to get my bike serviced here in Quito. I wanted to start the bike, but nothing, lights came on, horn worked everything seemed to be working. besides the nice boxer sound coming from the engine. Anyway, I was not happy. We called the bmw dealer and they came around by 4. The guy looked, flicked the red button and there was that nice sound that I have been missing for the last week. When the people from the hotel moved the bike, they must have flicked it. I felt really stupid. I was already thinking about removing the side stand switch and tried to find out what other causes there might be. And on board, I always tell everybody to think simple if something doesn't work that worked the day before.

This morning, I went to the hospital for some blood tests, Friday I have to return to meet with the doctor and hopefully then I will get the ok to travel again. I have lost 11 days with this little adventure, I can't loose anymore days or my deadline (Ushuaia and eventually Buenos Aires) will be very difficult to keep.

hospital update.

2011-10-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

the elbow, on Saturday morning. The swelling is going down, so is the redness, but the centre, right on the elbow, is still very swollen, red and hot. Tomorrow there is another blood test and I will know more about the discharge date. Like my dress?

This is the view from my room. It's nice, but I have seen it now.

crossing the line....

2011-10-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

I have a valve in my hand!

This is my room for the next couple of days, tv, internet, sofa and a bed. Nothing wrong with that.

But this was the room I had for the first night I stayed in Quito. With a fire place, something I really miss in my new room

I did drive the day before yesterday across the equator. Cactus, palm and a snow covered mountain. That is a bit strange, but I am at 2800 meter here.

I did it! Drove the beast and myself from Alaska and the arctic circle to the equator. I missed the road with the monument, so I only have the gps position to prove it.

It was a great drive down to Quito, lots of mountains, canyons and very good roads.

As for the elbow and the anti biotics, they haven't kicked in yet and the inflamed area is still growing, but I am in good hands. I won't check out tomorrow that is for sure, I suspect it will be after the weekend. No fun, but I still have a couple of days spare, before the trip comes in danger, so I am staying positive and hope to finish the trip.
I'll keep you posted.

Intermezzo

2011-10-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

Not sure what to tell here, i am in the hospital for two days so they can give me an iv treatment of anti biotics. I woke up this morning feeling crap and knew that riding was no option. So i hope to be back on the road by saturday. I like the painkillers they have here, and i have a room by myself.

more colombia, more elbow and a very nice hotel staff

2011-10-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

I woke up a bit later then planned, I took a couple of painkillers during the night and they made me sleep very well. The morning was filled with rain again, but after lunch it all went alot better.

beautifull views

The elbow has grown a bit more, so I decided to go to the doctor. I asked the people of the hotel for a clinic, one of the staff walked with me to the hospital and took care of all the translating. They took some blood to see what was going on, they suspect an infection! That was what I figured as well. So the hospital drove me to the pharmacy with an ambulance and then drove me to the hotel. By this time the kitchen was closed, but they ordered me some food and all was well. I hope tomorrow the pills will kick in and the pain goes away. Tomorrow I drive to Quito, Ecuador. Hopefully with some less pain. I keep telling it's all part of the adventure, not sure if this is really needed to create a adventure.

Colombia has a lot to show, and it did!

2011-10-16T17:28:00.000-07:00

So I made it to Colombia, with a small hick up at the beginning, I boarded my plane, we moved away from the terminal and we moved back to the terminal, everybody off, security check and everybody back on board. I was in Bogota at nine, to the office to pick up the beast and by 12 all was done, a very smooth operation. I decided to stay in Bogota for the night, to do some sight seeing, instead I fell asleep and only went out for a meal.

As it is very green here, there is bound to be a lot of rain. And that was true again. I would like to have a day without rain again. I drove the ruta 40, very nice until the last mountain range, crazy amount of trucks, landslides, rain and traffic. It was good to be on a motor, but the the max I could drive was about 40, and that for two hours. No pictures of this event, it rained too hard and I really had to pay attention to the driving style of the locals

I woke up in Bogota with a painfull elbow. This picture is in Cali, and it has swollen to a proper golf ball. O, and it hurts whenever I move it, but not when I am driving. Tomorrow is a national holiday in Colombia, not sure what to do, stay here for another day, or make it to Equador and visit a doctor there. Or, maybe, tomorrow it will all be back to normal.

Panama City.

2011-10-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

I had some time on my hands here in Panama, so I decided to open op a shop in the local mall

It is a big mall, well, I think it is.

I also went to have a look at the miraflores locks. It was nice to see it from the otherside.

This is were I had to leave my bike. It is strange to just leave it in a warehouse. I hope to be re-united with the bike tomorrow, I fly to Bogota at 6 in the morning. I am ready for the next part of this trip and hit some roads again.

Panama City, I've made it. With some delay

2011-10-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

The beast in it's resting spot for the night.

Some people didn't want me to make it, so I had to call the riot police and clear the roads

And there it is, the puenta de Americas. Sailed under it 20 times or so, it was a special moment for me. Now I am staying at the panama passage, a place for overlanders, I guess I am one as well. Tomorrow I get all the paperwork done, I hope, and then fly the bike and myself out on Friday. My central america driving days are over, South America, here I come.

on the wet, wet, wet road again

2011-10-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

So after a couple of very nice days in hotel club del mar in Jaco, together with Julie, it was time to hit the road. I got a new rear tire in the morning, on the road by 09.30 and in the rain by 11.30. It is the rain season in Central America and I can tell you, it really rains over here. I had my dry suit on, a bit warm, but it worked, so that was not a problem, the potholes, mud slides, trucks and school busses were. I crossed the border not in paso canoa, but at rio sereno, a very nice place to cross. It still takes an hour and half, but the people are friendly and the "helpers" are nowhere to be found. And you get a little bit of off road and a very nice mountain road.

Jaco in the rain

Palm trees in the rain

Even the waterfall was wet! Today I sleep in David, nothing special and tomorrow I ride to Panama, to get the bike and myself across to Columbia. Hopefully in better weather.
O, and I got my parts for my helmet, for free from Schuberth USA. A big thank you for Phil and Jacky!

Libertad, 4 borders, 12 hours of waiting time, now in Costa Rica.

2011-10-08T19:00:00.000-07:00

I had to do some cathing up to do from my mistake earlier. So I got up earlier. Very early, (5.30) and took this picture before heading the road

Lots of Vulcano's in Central America.

The country side is very nice and green. Maybe because it is the rainy season, but I would find out about that later

The people on the back of vehicles are nice here, all waving, while I just want them to hold on with two hands!

Another vulcano, this time in the lake of Nicaragua

The zuiderdam keeps following me, this time I spotted her in Puerto Caldera. So the border crossing are painfull, long and hot. It is amazing to see how slow the process is and how semi corrupt it all still is. But, you have to go with the flow, smile and pay what needs to be payed. I used helpers on most of the borders, they cost a bit, but on all but one, they made the crossing go less slow as it would have if I done it by myself. Now, I am having a couple of days of with Jules in Costa Rica in Jaco, a surf town. So today we took surf lessons and we actually stood up and rode the waves! More later. O, and I found a rear tire here in Jaco, so the beast is getting a new shoe.

Guatemala to El Salvador and the never ending crossing

2011-10-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

My bed in Antigua, very big, soft and nice. I slept very well. Below is the outside of my room. As you might be able to tell, I really liked this hotel. It made me happy!

The proud owner of the two older GS's, together with the beast and the two. I let the 3 of them talk a bit before I continued. I think the beast liked it.

Trully the end of the road! I had to drive back a couple of kilometers to take a detour. The whole bridge was just washed away.

public transport el salvador style

I stopped for lunch, the food and view were great! I wish I can tell the same about the border crossing to El Salvador. All went well until clearing the bike, that took close to two hours, so in total I spend 3 hours at the crossing. Not that is was busy or anything, I was the only one there. Luckely I am very patient, otherwise I would have taken the gun from the guard and try to speed up the whole thing a bit. And trust me, the thought had crossed my mind. So only one border today. Tomorrow I drive to Honduras and hope to cross into Nicaragua. We'll see. For now, I am in Libertad, on the el salvadorian border.

Left Mexico, drove to Antigua on what must the the worst road in the world. Or not.

2011-10-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

It rained all night in Tapachula, so hard, that even the frogs came in for shelter. Luckely I had two beds!

Two cows and an open end truck. Better not drive too close behind it.

The roads here look fine, but for the rest it is really bad, cars and trucks are all over the place from left to right, avoiding the holes in the road. Some of the holes are up to 20 cm deep. So no time to take pictures of them, stay focussed.

It does look like a face!

So I found this hotel, camino real in antigua. It is way above my budget, but sometimes having the vallet guy look a bit strange is worth the money when you ask him to park it.

Stunning town, this Antigua, it has a tool shop. I am going to move here one day

Why don't we have nice town squares like this in Holland! Everybody comes out and sits for a bit, friends meet up here, couples make out, old men discuss the world and how much better it used to be.

Anybody looking for a nice GS, looks great. Tomorrow I am going to push it a bit, I hope to make it to Honduras or even Nigaragua. The border crossings are the only thing slowing me down. Today was ok, a bit more then an hour and 20 dollars for my helper. I am fine with that, it makes the whole deal go smooth.

back to huatulco, don't even ask, and back to Tapachula

2011-10-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

So I decided to make a very stupid mistake and leave my driving license at the bank in Huatulco. But to be able to do a driving trip, you need a driving license. That left me with no other option then drive the almost 6oo kilometers back to Huatulco, wait until monday for the bank to open and drive back to Tapachula. Needles to say, I was and still am not very impressed with myself! Will I ever leave Mexico? Anyway, the way to cut grass in Mexico is get many guys with Machette's and set them free on a field

Monday morning, going for breakfast and my support vessel (Zuiderdam) pulled in. As I was not in need of anything the Zuiderdam had to offer, I got on the bike, overtook this gentlemen and his mule to drive straight into the most amazing rainstorm ever. I have never seen it rain this hard for this long. I got soaked, and so did my wallet.

The bike is left outside. You can see the stream going down hill in the back

rTomorrow I will attempt to leave Mexico again! Guatemale it is, Antiqua is the town to visit. I'll have to drive a bit more the next couple of days, to make up for the loss, I hope the borders aren't going to slow me down too much

Huatulco to Tapachula, almost the end of my Mexico adventure

2011-09-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

And you can't do that without a glass of fresh orange juice and a nice view. 9 am, 31 degrees already.

stunning views, and lots of butterfly along the way

Sorry for that!

I checked in at the comfort inn, an expensive hotel for this area, 50 euro's but what a sunset. Tonight I am going to learn everything about the border to Guatamala. Wish me luck!

on to Huatulco, for a nice little break

2011-09-30T17:40:00.000-07:00

So I woke up early! 5 am and I could't sleep anymore, angry still about the police and about my glasses. Better hit the road, go to Huatulco and get some time in the sun

I pass all these little towns, most of them not really special. But I like this one. I am very aware of police now, but I am sure if they want to, they can stop me.

Not very clear, but I call this helmet face, you can see the white bits, were the helmet is. Tomorrow I drive to the border, let's see what that has install for me.

from Playa Azul to a place not to remember, But the police in Acapulco, I will!

2011-09-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

I stayed in Playa Azul, a strange little town with nothing and then this big hotel, I think there were only for guests and maybe 100 rooms. Very strange indeed.

Sunset in Playa Azul, nice swimming water

On my way to Acapulco, for lunch

Plenty beetles

I took this picture just after I got pulled over by the police for making an illegal turn. That wasn't true, I noticed the sign and pointed it out to them, but still, I did something wrong. They took my driving license and started to talk alot to each other. They came back and told me I had to go with them to the police station, wait there till 5 and then I could pay. But it was only 2. Or.... I can pay them on the spot and I could be on my way. I argued a bit, but as they had my license, what can I do. So I payed half the fine in cash and off I went. A bit pissed off, but hey, a reall mexican experience, right. 10 minutes later, I got pulled over again, I crossed a line I wasn't supposed to cross. Everybody else did it, but I was on a motor. Having learned from the previous event, I didn't give my license, so they decided to impound my bike! So I pay again and that was Acapulco for me. What a shame, that the only trouble I ran into in Mexico is caused by the police.

My stuff, minus my normal glasses, they are still in Playa Azul. I also make mistakes!

The mexican riviera, with my first mechanical breakdown! On the helmet that is

2011-09-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

My camelbak in the fridge in Puerta Vallarta, it was nice and cold until mid day.

Now that is security for me, right in front of the front desk

I will call this butterfly alley, it sounds nice, and it was, but I did get a lot of them on my windshield. Sorry for that.

Coconut trees

My spot for lunch, I wanted to have it at the restaurant, but as the ship, this restaurant was also not very fortunate. So I had some cookies and a coke instead.

Some of the views. It was a great road to drive, up and down hills, along the coast. As for my breakdown, I have a flip up helmet, that is very nice to get some extra cooling in these hot climats. One of the hinges broke and now it won't flip anymore and my see trough thing is also loose on one side. I will try superglue tonight and otherwise I will have to remove the whole part. That is not nice, as it is handy to have when it rains. I am looking now for a replacement part, any suggestions are welcome. Tomorrow I continue down the coast, passing Acapulco for lunch!!!

How the devils spine almost broke mine, Durango to Puerto Vallarta

2011-09-26T18:37:00.000-07:00

The road from Durango to Mazatlan is called the Devil's spine. If you google it, you will find a lot more pictures, I was to busy driving. This road started of nice like above.

I passed some towns

A lot of timber shops along the route, that also means a lot of log trucks, tricky to encounter, as they go about 10 km/h up hill.

And then it turned into a 150 km stretch of no straights, only hairpins, steep mountains, big drops and lots of trucks. At the end of the road, I really needed to stop, as my head was spinning and couldn't handle any more turns. It was a great drive, maybe the best winding road so far, but a bit too long to do in one go. There are many rest stops along the route, but why should I make use of them? Now I know.

After that the climate changed into tropical and so did the surroundings. A great drive to Puerta Vallarta, now I finally have an overnight here! What to do.

I am staying in Hotel Rosita, down town and this is the view from my balcony. Not bad for 60 dollar. O, and my bike is parked insight the building, in front of the lobby. Now that is secure! Tomorrow I drive towards Acapulco, I don't think I can make it, I can only do about 500 km a day. But that is ok, plenty of nice places along the road.

Durango, a short drive

2011-09-25T21:25:00.000-07:00

So today I drove to Durango, a short drive of just over 400km to visit Jen, a mutual friend of Jules. The drive wasn't very exciting, but still nice, I drove trough many little villages, all with a lot of sleeping policemen. Something you really have to get used to, they are rather big!

Jen, thanks for having me over on suchs short notice and only for one day, I hope to be back so we can explore a bit more of Durango.
In the back ground is a church and this is on the roof of their appartment block, very nice. Tomorrow I drive to Mazatlan, via the devils spin. This is a technical road with lots of turns and twists, should be fun. I get to see the ocean again, after 4 weeks of being inland. Can't wait to go for a swim!

The only was is up, I guess

2011-09-24T16:04:00.000-07:00

My hotel room in the dark. The oil lamp was there, and also the matches, so I decided to get romantic. What wasn't there in the beginning, but is there now, is the big black smoke mark on the wall. Sorry for that

These doorknobs are about knee hight, not sure why.

Luckely most of the first part of the track was in the shade.

The sunny side

Stay on the wood and look in the distance, the only way across this bridge.

Almost there, couple of corners, some construction, what can happen!

This can happen! I had to wait about half an hour so he could clear the big rocks, the smaller rocks I had to clear with the bike.

I made it, on to Hidalgo del Parral

The scenery changed as well. This was an adventure that went well. Not sure if I would do it again. If anybody else wants to do it, hurry up, they want to have the road build in 2013!

Creel to Batopilas, what was I thinking!

2011-09-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

Right, Copper Canyon, one of my highlights of the trip, I read about, saw the pictures of it and this was one of the things to do. It seemed like a good plan at the time. The first 60 or so km from Creel are amazing, not 50 meters straight and very little traffic.

O, and a very, very blue sky!

This donkey was looking at me in a funny way. He knew something I didn't

Never mind, I continue over nice roads, with great views.

No worries here, still asphalt

Why are these guys sticking dynamte in the wall? This was the end of the road, they are making the road right here!

This is from the top, 42 kilometers of this stuff. No problem for a nice light dirt bike, but for a big bmw fully loaded, different story.

The bridge to Batopilas, I made it! And I was happy, 35 degrees in the shade!

This is where I spent my afternoon, with my little spanish book

My hotel room

one of the two reading/relaxing areas of the hotel. Here I could sit and think about tomorrow. The road into this town, is also the road out! But the place is nice, once you get used to it. I must admit the culture shock from the states to here is rather big for me. I have been to Mexico before, but this is a total different Mexico compared to Playa del Carmen or Puerta Vallarta. Give me a couple of days, and I too will be washing my clothes in the river! Tomorrow I drive up the hill!

Mexico, we try it again

2011-09-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

So,, after a bit of an upset yesterday, I decided to give it all a new shot today.The bike was parked inside, very secure, they even parked an extra car in front. Very nice service. I went on line and booked the insurance that I needed, I finally found one that did bikes from Europe as well.

They make funny art in Mexico. This first part was very dry and flat. Nothing to write home about.

Nice clouds...

That turned into not nice clouds. I drove in the rain for about an hour or so. It does know how to rain here as well.

My hotel in Creel, my bike parked in between all the other guests. Unfortunately, they also cancelled breakfast, as there were only 4 guests. Back to my grenola bars.

The church in Creel, this town is very much about the tourists who do the train ride into copper canyon.

The rain has gone, it is going to be a nice ride tomorrow. It is already clear to me that I should have learned spanish before doing this trip. I was thinking I would be able to get by with the words I know, but to be honest, I don't know any words, and I keep mixing it up with Italian. O well, I have my little how to book that will help me, I hope.

200 meters in Mexico, the adventure has started

2011-09-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

So after a day of rest in Tucson, where the bike got serviced and I had time to do some laundry and float around in the pool, it was time to cross the border. I had planned this at Douglas, it was on route to Nuevo Casas Grandes, the place I intended to stop for the night. On my way I passed Tombstone, a town close to the border and famous for the western OK Coral.

Still nice roads

A day mine at a small town called Bisbee

And then I made it to Mexico, where the crossing went very, very smooth. Too smooth, I thought and it turned out 2 hours later, that I was right. I had read up on crossings to Mexico, but I guess not good enough. I drove for two hours and hit a customs check point, where they asked for my permits. What permits??? Anyway, at Douglas I should have asked for a visitors permit and a vehicle permit. However, I was waived by by a border person, so no permits. That means driving back to the border and get all the paperwork sorted. So 2 hours back again, to arrive at the border and to find out the printer is out of order, I need to wait. So I waited for two hours, printer fixed and papers in order. Now it is too late to drive back, so I spent the night at the border town of Puerto Palomas. Hopefully tomorrow will be smoother, but it is all part of the adventure. Tomorrow I want to reach Creel, the entrance to copper canyon. I'll keep you posted

Chambers to Tucson, and the heat was on!

2011-09-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today was a short drive, 413 kilometers, but boy, it was hot! It started of nice and cool and I drove to the petrified forest, not knowing what to expext. Well, there are very old trees there and they turned into stone.

The climate changed and the cacti? came out. By this time it was 34 degrees and I was happy with that.

Driving here the temperature went up to 38. That was on the hot side.

Luckely at the end of it all was the pool. It was 26 degrees when I checked in. But the air temperature was 40. That is really warm to be ridding with my full outfit on. Today and tomorrow are rest days, the bike will get serviced and I have to look for a better very warm weather ridding jacket. Tomorrow my Nephew Jan will turn 15! And I get no cake, maybe I'll buy some for myself.

canyons and canyons and kiwis, now in Chambers.

2011-09-18T17:48:00.000-07:00

After yesterdays mud fight, I was a bit worried about today, I had some off road tracks planned and didn't want to get stuck and dirty again. But the day started off sunny and stayed like that. First I took highway 95 south, and drove trough beautifull canyons, as the sun was just coming up, the colors were amazing.

Hite lake

Promo picture for BMW. I am so happy with my bike, we are becoming one.

cheese box butte

And one of my highlights of the trip, the valley of the gods. Ever since I started planning the trip, I wanted to go here. The road into the valley is unpaved and full with switchbacks

This is the valley from the top

And this is in the valley

Where I met these lovely kiwi's

Mexican hat. It is not foto shop, it is reall

And this is monument valley, I drow passed it, as it was filling up with trucks and I had my share of it already. What a great day. Now I sleep in Chamber, Arizona, in the middle of nowhere, 45 dollar for the room, and it is a nice room. My room last night in Hanksville was not so good, I woke up in the middle of the night, finding a mouse staring at me, he was trying to get into my tankbag, where I keep my supplies.

Bryce canyon and Mother nature! Now in Hanksville

2011-09-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

So the plan was to travel from Panguitch to the valley of the gods today. Early rise and a picture of my restaurant. Of to bryce canyon it was. The picture below is taken on the way to the canyon.

And this is the canyon it self. Words or pictures cannot discribe the beauty of this place. Go there once! And if you do, go very early, nobody there and the canyon is so quiet.

After that, I wanted to do the Burr trail and I did most of it, until I met a ranger who told me the road ahead was washed away, so I had to go back and found another route. I ended up heading for Hanksville, being followed by the clouds and rain and thunder behind me. I made it to the normal road just in time.

Unfortunately, I decided to take one more trail of 5 kilometers off road, this was a short cut and I was sure the rain wouldn't catch up. It did and I got stuck in the most stickiest of muds. It took me half an hour to ride the 5 kilometers with great help of some guys and a girl in two jeeps! How nice some people can be. I had them covered in mud flying from my rear wheel and they stuck with me until the asphalt. Now the bike is clean again, my gear is washed and I am in Hanksville. This is the smallest town I ever stayed in. Tomorrow I drive for the valley of the gods again, Tuesday I have to be in Tuscon for a service, I'll have to maybe skip monument valley.

2011-09-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

Today was a drive with a lot of changes is the scenery. O, and I almost ended up in Las Vegas, as I missed the first turn after driving away from my hotel, thank you gps for correcting me. It started of like above, below is an old mine, there are many like that, just abandoned one day, with all the gear still in place.

A strange tree, well, I think it is strange.

I really liked the fresnesh of this picture

and all of a sudden, after passing Cedar City, I drove into a canyon.

and later I ended up on top of the canyon

My new tires are more for off road, so I decided to give that a shot. Untill I ran into a closed of road and I had to drive all the way back. No real punishment.

The weather started to change as well, time to find a motel. I am now in the blue pin motel in Panguitch. Tomorrow I will visit the bryce canyon and maybe the valley of the gods. It is great over here!

On the road again, from San Ramon to Tonopah ( who doesn't know that town)

2011-09-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

So after a couple of relaxing days with Melissa and Iain (thanks again for having me over, it was great to see you and call me when we start the speedboattestingcentre). I got some new tyres, the tourances lasted only 11000km, but the roads north were bad. Now I have Heidenau K60 tyres, I'll find out what they do in Mexico.

Again nice riding roads

Two guys on Harley's, both from texas, but one is an original aussie, hence the kangaroo. I had a nice chat with them while looking out over the Yosemite Park. That is where most photo's are from. The park is high on my list of parks, very pretty and impressive.

I got my hair wet here, it was very warm, so I decided to stick my head in very cold water.

It almost looks fake, but it is real, have a look at the waterfall, it is massive

Tomorrow I drive the extra terrestrial highway, if I don't update the blog anymore, I have gone off to space.
All part of the adventure. If the alliens leave me alone, I will try to get as far as bryce canyon.
So tomorrow I drive East.

Wendover to Carson to South Lake Tahoe, meeting up with great friends.

2011-09-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

Wendover is a place I will not be going back to, but the view from the room was good. Wendover is a small town outside the salt flats.

One of the places I really wanted to go was the bonneville speedway. And I made it.

Then I went on my own speedway, 27 miles without a turn, corner or nothing, just straight road. The road is called the loneliest highway in America.

My stop for lunch, I was being followed by some chopper boys.

and followed by bad weather, the raindrops were so big, I had to almost stop to not hurt myself.

But then it dried up and the road was great again

I stopped at a lake to have a snack and noticed this speedboat pull up, nice shiny engine.

My stop in Carson city, a motel room for 38 dollar, but I didn't want to walk around on it without shows on. Next time a bit more expensive.

I made it to Melissa and Iains'. They took me on a little road trip and this was at emerald bay. When we got to the house, it started to hail. Today we rented a boat and crossed lake tahoe and had great fun trying out a rental speedboat. The weather was also great and it is nice to have a day of the bike. Tomorrow I ride to San Ramon to have a look at their new house.

Jackson to wendover, hot and stunning, What a day!

2011-09-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

Today was great again! Or amazing or... Anyway, I had a stunning ride, not so much planned but more what looked good and what was on the way to Bonneville. I took some historic roads, used by the people who went west. By that time the yellow lines and mile posts weren't there

Driving trough here with pink floyd singing in my helmet makes this a day I will remember for a long time

The telegraph road, I found it.

The crossroads, no devil to sell my soul to, but I don't want to learn how to play the guitar anyway

A dried out river, I think in the winter time it will be full.

The salt lakes. My goal for today. I was a bit late, so I haven't been to the bonneville speedway yet, that will happen tomorrow. I lost one of my waterbottles on this road, I'll have to go replace it, I drink lots and lots of water. Riding in protective gear is nice, but hot. Iain and Melissa, I hope your washing machine is ready!
And today was also the birthday of my favorite sister in law, Britta. Happy birthday!

A long day on and off the bike, Livingston to Jackson

2011-09-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

The elevator in the Murray hotel, you still have to call a lift boy!

Driving the bear tooth higway and you get views like this, a beautifull road, but too short. I would have loved to do it again, but Yellowstone awaits

The roads in Yellowstone park, on the picture is shows empty, but boy, was it busy. The busiest roads since Fairbanks.

I captured some wild life myself as well

Geyser at Norris, I think it looks like Shrek

More geysers at Norris

A buffalo, or bizon. I don't know, but it was big.

Old faithfull geyser, it blows every 90 minutes. This must have been at least 20 meters high. And I only had to wait 30 minutes.

Teton mountains with sunset.

The deer are close to the road, as this one shows. I saw him in the distance so I slowed down and got my camera out. As I drove by, he jumped, luckely off the road.
Today I didn't do much distance, but I did spend 12 hours on the road. Yellowstone is beautiful, but to drive it is difficult. You have to watch the roads, because people stop at every animal they see, or think to see. I also found out that walking at 3300 meters is different then walking on sea level. Tomorrow I drive to the Bonneville salt flats. But now a beer and a steak, I deserved it.

whitefish to livingston, lots of nothing in Montena

2011-09-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

I guess somewhere around here there is a fire or something creating smoke. The whole day was a bit foggy, I cleaned my glasses and my helmet, nothing worked

I've entered cowboy country, lots of these kind of buildings and a whole lot of black cows.

This was a nice part with lots of corners, but no fuel station, I was done to my last fumes when I reached one.

No more train. This track was used to transport cattle, I don't know why it is no longer in use, besides the fact that they removed the rails. But the bridge is still standing.
I wanted to make it to yellowstone, and I could have, but I couln't find any hotels in the area, so I went to Livingston. This is 45 minutes away from Yellowstone, so tomorrow morning I drive that way. I stay tonight in the hotel murray, build in 1904 and so is the elevator. It is a really nice place with atmosphere. I'll post some pictures tomorrow. So Yellowstone tomorrow and after that towards the salt planes in bonneville. Not sure how far I will get tomorrow.
The people here are very friendly and want to know everything about my trip, it is nice to see that people are open to talk and also take some time for it.

Banff to Whitefish, back in the USA

2011-09-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

So today I started with rafting, I had done it once in Skagway, I think, but that was together with the passangers and I make more waves in my bathtube then what we saw there. It was great fun, small group, white water and beautiful views. The top picture is the best mirror picture so far. For the rest the roads were the same untill the border. I drove into Montena and straight away the country side changed. O, the border took me 5 minutes, I was expecting it to take a lot longer.

In the distance Canada, close by Montena.

This is how my shadow looks in Montena. I stay in Whitefish tonight, tomorrow I want to make it to Yellowstone, not sure if I'll get there, but I'll make a good start. The weather is just boiling hot. 33 degrees in the shadow! I've been drinking lots of water from my Camel Bak, my best friend at this time.

Jasper to Banff

2011-09-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

So today I drove trough Jasper (Alberta, Arie) park and Banff park, Via some stunning lakes, rivers and glaciers. It was a busy road with loads of RV (recreational vehicels) and harleys. But that made the driving more fun

In the park hunting is not allowed, that makes the animals less jumpy, or they are being fed by the people passing, anyway, I got to see a dear.

Just in time to take this picture, 5 minutes later the tourboats set off and created waves and disturbed the image.

Another very blue river. I suspect that they use a lot of spa blue in this area.

The beast in front of a glacier

The driver in front of a glacier

Shot while driving. Again, the photos don't do it just, but it is so big and vast here. It goes on and on.
Tomorrow I have another slow day, I am going wild water rafting in Banff and after that I'll drive for a bit untill dinner time. Should take me just to the border with the US. I'll keep you posted

into the rocky mountains

2011-09-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

Today was great and it made me a bit emotional. The pictures don't do it just at all, but it is the space and the beauty of it! Yesterday I drove too long and that got me a bit grumpy and the hotel and dinning arrangement didn't help. So for today I set myself to drive to Jasper instead of Banff, 3 hour less driving. This gave me some more time to stop and look around and I even had a little snooze in the sun for lunch. The video is of thousands of tiny frogs sitting in the sun all over each other. When I first walked on the grass it moved and I jumped.

The roads were still great and dry.

another bear, walking directly into the garden of a lodge. I am not used to bears walking around in the backyard, but I guess it is normal in these area's

As the temperature climbed, I had to go change. This was a good spot for it.

Into the mountains. Yesterday I noticed there were fences around farmers land etc. This was the first time since I started driving that I saw them again. It is very nice to drive and drive without fences, stop signs, and traffic.

For Jasper, my nephew.

more rain, more bears, And Sunshine!

2011-09-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

Snow in the mountains, not a good sign, but I kept away from the mountain! Smart move, I might add.

My second bear, so sad. I wasn't the one to hit it, luckely. What would a nice bear skin do?

My third bear, a bit difficult to see, but this one is alive!

The last part of highway 37. If you are ever there, drive it! It was amazing and the pictures don't do it just.

After the 37 I took the 16 t Prince Rupert, there was more trafic on the road and also the landscape changed. And the temperature also went up, this morning it was 6 degrees, when I stopped it was 21.

All and all a very good day driving, saw lots of beautiful things and the roads are still great. The only thing that needs work it the sleeping arrangment. I knew Alaska was expensive, but didn't expect that to go on in Canada as well. I'll start planning my stops better, and search the net in advance.
O, and can somebody tell me what the big insect are, that have yellow stuff inside and cover my whole screen when I hit them? They are not nice!
Tomorrow I drive to Banff. Or close to it.

Whitehorse to Dease lake, in the rain, but with a bear

2011-09-03T19:14:00.000-07:00

Some more beautiful views, first on the alaskan highway

A waterfall, very clear water and it tasted great

And my first bear, eating grass or something. This was just off Highway 37. This road looks more like a lane in a park then a Highway. I stopped and shut down the engine to not disturb the bear and got out my camera. That moment he looked at me and started to walk my way. I didn't feel that safe, but then he kept on eating. So I got the picture and drove off. Do bears like motorcyclists?

A blue lake, would have loved to see it in the sun.

Great driving conditions, even on the wet roads. This section was amazing and all 7 kilometers without any trafic. Tomorrow I have another 565 kilometers of this road to go. What a trip.

Fairbanks to whitehorse, bye bye Alaska, hello Canada

2011-09-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

I left fairbanks on a gray morning and it rained most of the trip to the taylor highway. I was a bit worried, the taylor highway continues in the top of the world higway and that road is unpaved and turns into a nice slip and slide (so I've been told) But, I don't believe anybody, so I had to go see for myself.

Wildfires have gone trough this area, it went on for 30 miles or so.

The slip and slide, it is true what they say! Still, lots of fun and still ok driving. I am glad I got the tyres that I have now, on normal street tyres this would have been a challange

Canada he. Border crossing formalities. Did you bring a gun? How fast does your bike go? Did you see any caribou? Stamp and off I went. If all crossings could be like this...

Dry roads in Canada, great views again and having the time of my life.

The ferry I had to take to get to Dawson city, across the fast Yukon river.

Dawson looks like a wild west town, the roads are still unpaved and you walk over wooden side walks.

The next morning the weather was better, but cold, 2 degrees when I started and it didn't get much warmer then 10. But the sky was clear, so all was good.

Crossing the Yukon again. Alaska might only have one bridge crossing this river, in Canada they have plenty.

Five finger rapid in the Yukon. I promise this is the last picture of this river. I love the roads over here, very quiet and very good. I had to replace my headlight, it burned out on the rough roads. I used the spot yesterday for the taylor highway, I'm not using it every day as it eats batteries. Tomorrow I drive to Deale lake, via highway 37. I've been told that there are many black bears there!

Back in Fairbanks

2011-08-31T23:31:00.000-07:00

This is how the day started off. Beautiful weather and great views

The beginning of the dalton highway. 400 something miles to deadhorse. This road was build together with the alaskan pipeline and follows this pipe line, more or less. It is a challange for anybody riding it, the roads are not good, lots of construction and heavy trucking

The weather was great!

Crossing the arctic circle. Don't let the outfit fool you, it was 20 degrees and I was sweating!

I spent the night in Coldfoot, the next day I drove to deadhorse, you can see this oil mining town in the distance.

Sunrise on my way back to faibanks, at the lovely arctic caribou inn.

a mux cocks, or something like that, anyway, a hairy beast that looked very crumpy in the early morning.

A moose!

3 Great days of riding, I am so happy to have done this. I left fairbanks, thinking there would be a fuel station along the way up to the beginning of the Dalton, I was wrong, so I had to borrow some fuel from some very nice people, they didn't even want any money for it. Riding up, I met two guys on choppers also going up and we kept running into each other on random places, good to share the experiences with. I also tried the helmet camera, but when I hooked it up to the bike, it died and I haven't been able to bring it back alive. The road was great and that had everything to do with the best weather you can ask for. The bike ran fine and it feels like the trip now really has started. Tomorrow I do my first border crossing, I ride into Canada on my way to Dawson City. The picture below is my favorite so far, beautiful scenery and a great bike. Maybe I shouldn't tell this, it doesn't look good for me, but when turning around, I got the bike stuck and spent the next half hour digging it out. It's all part of the adventure!

Anchorage to Fairbanks, the trip has started

2011-08-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

View from my hotel room in the morning, 6 degrees and fog in the mountains. Exciting

Twin peaks! And the road goes on for kilometer after kilometer. Alaska was made for motorcycles

Some famous mountain and a lake, by now it was 16 degrees and as you can see, no wind, beautiful driving

I've started my spot as well, this device plots my position every 15 minutes. Go to www.spotadventures.com
and type in spotsteven. This should show you my page.

My first shot with the camera while driving. Not a good plan. Tomorrow I will try my helmet camera

A large section of this trip was via Denali Park and the snow covered mountain is Mount mcKinley, the highest mountain in Northern America. Now you know!
I've never really liked Alaska due to all the rules and regulations that sailing in their waters brings with them. But now I do like Alaska, it is so stunning, the pictures don't do it just. The roads are perfect and the people are friendly and helpfull.
I haven't had any life changing ideas yet, maybe tomorrow?
Tomorrow I drive to deadhorse.

Anchorage, The final Day.

2011-08-27T23:12:00.000-07:00

if you look very good, you see the Amsterdam docked in Homer

Isn't she pretty? and the bike is good looking too!

Well, I'm pleased to tell you all that everything worked out at the end. The bike has been cleared and I have done some test driving with all the gear attached. It is good! Today I drove to Homer and back, 8 hours in the sadel, long live Corbin! The way up to Homer was in the rain, but on the way back it cleared and I was able to take some pictures, that is what everybody want to see. Enjoy.
Tomorrow I ride to Fairbanks.

Anchorage, now what?

2011-08-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

And so the trip begins. Flying in was long, boring with a broken in flight entertainment system and a small girl with very pointy elbows. My luggage got lost between Seattle and Anchorage, luckely it was found and returned to the hotel room at 3 am, great wake up call.
The bike is still with customs, the broker hasn't handed in the epa permit yet. So now I wait for that to happen. In the mean time, I have some time to explore Anchorage and work on the blog. No interesting pictures, sorry for that, they will come.

2011-06-28T05:18:00.000-07:00

The route

The machine!

The Story

About two years ago I realized that it wouldn't be long before my midlife crisis would start. And as i like to plan, I decided to plan the crisis as well, better be prepared. As I already owned a motorbike, and co-own a motorboat and a sailboat, buying toys wouldn't do the trick. So a road trip was in place. Watching the long way round and long way down, it was clear I couldn't copy paste those two trips. The other big drive is the Pan American Higway. Having already travelled to Anchorage, the Panama Canal and Ushuaia by boat, this looked very appealing. I started to look on the web and found out that Ride On Motortours wass planning this drive around the same time I wanted to do it. So I signed up and sat down and relaxed. For a bit, that is. I soon realized after a trip on the 1200GS that my fuel tank was a bit small and I decided that the world would stop revolving if I didn't get a GSA (that is a simular bike to the 1200gs, but with a bigger tank). Luckely I found one with not many kilometers on it and in a good shape for an ok price (Thanks Aaron)

The workplace
Next step was to get time off work to do the trip. I normally work on a 3 on/ 3 off contract, but for the trip I need 4 motnhs off. This took only one mail to the office and it was arranged (thanks Michelle). All done and dusted. Or not... Maybe because of the crisis or because of the length of the trip, I don't know, but Ride On motortours couldn't find enough people to make the trip happen. So that was a problem. But, as I mentioned earlier, I like to plan, I took the challange and started arranging it by myself, with some help of ride on, as they did feel sorry for me.