#  >  > Non Asia Travel Forums >  >  > Travel the World Travellers Tales Forum >  >  Moose outside my window! Alaska to Argentina

## Mr Earl

Yes, you are indeed in Alaska when you wake up to moose.

Anyway this thread will be my traveling tale of going from the northern most point to the southern most point in the Americas.



This will be an ongoing thread as I be traveling south. It's going to take a few months.

July 09' my son and I rode up to Prudhoe Bay; the northern most road in North America.

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## sabang

They say a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
When asked how he climbed Everest, Hillary answered 'one step at a time'.
And here begins one amazing thread. I'ma looking forward to your 'Motorcycle diaries' Early.  :Smile:

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## Neo

This is gonna be epic, is the route and dates all set or are you just gonna see which way the wind blows?  :Very Happy:

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## Agent_Smith

Looking forward to an interesting/colorful report.  

Safe journeys Earl! :bigbike:

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## kingwilly

Great thread and a fine trip Mr Earl

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## Thormaturge

Should be some interesting pics.

The first one is very "Northern Exposure".  Love it.

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## misskit

Wow! A great trip, there, Mr. Earl. Looking forward to hearing about it.

Do you plan to go through the Darien Gap, Panama to Colombia?

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## Boon Mee

Looks like a neat trip there Earl.  Why Argentina and not Chile?  Terrea del Feugo is, like, the most southern point in s. America but a real nasty climate.  Your motocye might not make it down there.  Not sure if there is a road from Conception to Punta Arenas?

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## Begbie

Could be a great thread Earl. Expecting plenty of pictures. Hope you can find regular internet connections.

Think Earl said on another thread he was going to Ushuaia in TDF.

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## FailSafe

What an amazing journey this will be- looking forward to the updates.

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## Bobcock

Should be a great thread, lots of opportunities for Ant to red you.

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## drawp

alaska is such a nice place.  my dad brought back tons of video (and canned salmon!) when he came back from being stationed in Alaska in the early 90s.

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## bsnub

> Should be some interesting pics.
> 
> The first one is very "Northern Exposure".  Love it.


That show was filmed in the town of Roslyn, WA. Roslyn, Washington - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I should know I was there last weekend. My girlfriend is from there. 


This is gonna be a great thread!!

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## Marmite the Dog

Not as epic as Nong Khai to Pattaya, but should be a great trip nonetheless.  :Smile:

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## Bower

All the best, you have a great adventure ahead.

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## Mr Earl

> Wow! A great trip, there, Mr. Earl. Looking forward to hearing about it.
> 
> Do you plan to go through the Darien Gap, Panama to Colombia?


No I'm going to cheat a little on this trip.
I got a number of stops I wanna make to visit friends and family in the USA.
So logistics dictate going to Colombia via Miami.
I'm not sure of my route yet, but a side trip to Iquitos, Peru is planned (the headwaters of the Amazon) land of shamans and Ayahuasca adventures.
I figure on ending the trip in Chile and flying the bike back to Bangkok from Santiago.

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## misskit

> So logistics dictate going to Colombia via Miami.


Probably a good move. You wouldn't want to tangle with the Colombian drug runners coming through there anyway. :Smile:

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## Dick

> Should be a great thread, lots of opportunities for Ant to red you.


Ant does not have the ballz to undertake an adventure like this.

Maybe he should just read in awe as it looks like one hell of an trip.

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## Mr Earl

It's been rainy and cold here in Los Anchorage for the past week. I just read Peru has 400 hot springs!
I be gettin' exited! I can hardly wait.

I got the moto all ready to go. Just put on some of them fancy hard case luggage and extra large wavy brakes
I pretty much wore out the soft saddlebags I had.

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## FailSafe

How many miles are on that bike?  It doesn't exactly look like a 'spring chicken'.

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## BaitongBoy

Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

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## natalie8

Great stuff earl! Reminds me of Long Way Down. Since you probably won't have a film crew with you, you should publish a book on this with your pics. I'd buy it for sure!

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## Mr Earl

> How many miles are on that bike?  It doesn't exactly look like a 'spring chicken'.


She turned 40 on the way up the Dalton highway. Got about 42k now.
It's not unusual for these KLR650's to go well over 100k. I'll probably get that and more on her. :bigbike:

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## Butterfly

looks like a great trip,

too bad that bike is so fucking gay,

couldn't you get anything more decent ?

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## Mathos

Should be the 'Bees Knees' of a thread.

Have fun and a safe trip.

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## Mr Earl

> looks like a great trip,
> 
> too bad that bike is so fucking gay,
> 
> couldn't you get anything more decent ?


 :smiley laughing: 

I originally started out the trip in 09' on this big red Honda but traded for the Kwacker+$.

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## Bobcock

Srtarted in 09?....and you still in Alaska?

You turned that key thing yet? Might improve performance.

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## SEA Traveler

Surely an adventrue awaiting you Earl.  God's Speed and happy picture taking.  Looking forward to the written tales of this trip.

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## Loy Toy

Yep, sounds like a real adventure awaits you Earl.

Travel safe and keep those pics coming.

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## terry57

> Do you plan to go through the Darien Gap, Panama to Colombia?



I'd be very bloody careful if taking the Darien Gap.

Just watched a Doco on National Geo where a few Back Backer where taken by the revolutionaries. 

They where warned not to go but being young dudes thought they where Bullet proof. 

Watch out Earl. Dangerous territory down there and Foreigners make great hostages.

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## Mr Earl

> Originally Posted by misskit
> 
> 
> 
> Do you plan to go through the Darien Gap, Panama to Colombia?
> 
> 
> 
> I'd be very bloody careful if taking the Darien Gap.
> ...


I'm playing it safe. Going from Miami to Medelin and skip all that mess in Mexico and Central America.
I'm looking forward to some fine wine and dine action in Chile and Argentina!

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## Marmite the Dog

> Originally Posted by Butterfly
> 
> 
> looks like a great trip,
> 
> too bad that bike is so fucking gay,
> 
> couldn't you get anything more decent ?
> 
> ...


That's better. A proper bike with a real engine.

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## Butterfly

> I'm looking forward to some fine wine and dine action in Chile and Argentina!


lucky bastard, Argentina is definitely the place to go

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## Mr Earl

Righto,
Day 1;
 departed Anchorage Wednesday morning to a lovely bone chilling rain shower. Go to Palmer (near Wasilla) and the clouds began to break a bit.



And a no moto shot for Bobby!





Here's the bad girl fully loaded!



Between breaks in the rain got some lovely scenery of glaciers and such.














Tundra trucks heading out for hunting season.





Pretty streams





Fading fireweed













Stayed that night at the Tok motorcycle campground.

Had a choice of the bunkhouse.



The wall tent



Or the teepee



I ended up sharing the bunkhouse with this interesting fellow riding a very nice 1975 Honda CB500T.

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## SEA Traveler

nice update Earl.  Thanks.  pictures are great.

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## Mr Earl

Day 2 
into the Yukon.



was also a cold wet day.

At the Burwash Landing



Burly wood gates.







It was a fairly chilly ride with rain and fresh snow in the mountains.









The signpost jungle!





BC.





Tasty criter

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## Mr Earl

Day 3 
the weather finally got a little better.





Into Alberta



Got bored riding this super hwy.



In favor of some rural hwy

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## larvidchr

Great photos and adventure Earl :Smile: , had to open up a map of the area to see where you are going, keep it coming and stay safe.

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## Stinky

Safe journey Earl  :Smile:

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## Dick

Interesting reading.

Keep them coming !

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## Boon Mee

Very good stuff Earl.  Remember hot / humid Thailand when you're passing thru those cold spots! :Smile:

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## Cujo

Great pics.
It looks cold and grey in some of those earlier ones, lovely.

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## Chairman Mao

> Very good stuff Earl.  Remember hot / humid Thailand when you're passing thru those cold spots!


I've got both an aircon and fan on me looking (jealously) at those glacier pics.  :Smile: 

Love the 70km maximum sign, on a road like that.

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## Phuketrichard

Great trip and looking forward to all the adventures.

Did u ever read the book by Ted Simon?  "Jupiter's Travels"
He went around the world on a Triumph in '73

are u carrying a notebook, Solar chargers, gps and sat phone so ur never out of Touch?

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## kingwilly

> had to open up a map of the area to see where you are going,


me too. 

looking good. 

Thanks for the pics.

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## Mr Earl

> Great trip and looking forward to all the adventures.
> 
> Did u ever read the book by Ted Simon?  "Jupiter's Travels"
> He went around the world on a Triumph in '73


yea that book kinda ruined my life, instilling this terrible wanderlust.
He later went RTW again on a late model  Yamahahaha R1!



> are u carrying a notebook, Solar chargers, gps and sat phone so ur never out of Touch?


Notebook, GPS, and an ATT sim card (which is no good in Canukistan), no sat phone, that would be cool. I think it's too expensive!
I depend on wifi which is spotty.

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## Mr Earl

> Very good stuff Earl.  Remember hot / humid Thailand when you're passing thru those cold spots!


Man! sometimes it was so cold I was wearing everything I had; heavy longjohns, two sweaters, baklava, gloves with liners, goretech liners and still wasn't enough!
I needed one of those heated plug-in suits!

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## The Fresh Prince

Did you get the heated handle bar grips you were telling me about?

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## natalie8

Great stuff so far, Earl!!!!!! Enjoy some good Canadian beer and moose while you're there, eh?  :bananaman:

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## Phuketrichard

Hvae a great trip,  I envy You having the time to do this,,

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## BaitongBoy

> Did u ever read the book by Ted Simon? "Jupiter's Travels"


Great book...made me think of Mr Earl...along with other motorcycycle 'diaries'...

Best of luck to you in your travels, Earl...may the road rise up to meet you...may the wind be always at your back...

 :Smile:

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## bsnub

Man I cant wait for the next update!!

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## Loy Toy

Now this is what TD is all about..........first a great thread by SEA Traveler, a good   short thread from Chairman Mao, an update from Sabang, great picture reports from others and now this epic from Mr Earl.

TD can only get stronger with these great contributions.  :goldcup:  :goldcup:

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## Mr Earl

So after after Alberta comes Saskatchewan, never been there before.

I got bored with the main roads and took some side roads, found this interesting iron bridge.









interesting oil rig support creatures.


Oil rig support creatures


Road kill



poor fellow probably didn't get to use that equipment much.


oil rig on the prairie



Hay bales on the prairie, the contrast of shape and color is pretty cool! I took a bunch of pics to try and capture that sense. Sometimes the sun would hit the bales just right.



Didn't quite get it, but I tried!



some magnificent thunderstorm buildups. Fortunately didn't  have to run through any.



big oil refinery



these black tanks are also some kind of oil rig, haven't seen them anywhere else.



Nice old chevy truck, I coulda spent much more time taking pictures in these little prairie towns, but I had so many miles to cover.



I love these motels where you can park right outside your room.
This was Battleford SK, where I made the previous post.

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## Mr Earl

I only spent one night in Saskatchewan.
I pushed on and crossed the border in the wee hours of the morning. Got to Minot North Dakota and couldn't find a room for less than $120! So I nodded off in a Denny's restaurant and later slept on a picnic table is lovely state park surrounded by giant cottonwood trees, had the place all to myself. I was too beat to take pictures!
I'm in the middle of North Dakota at a motel run by a friendly fellow from Mumbai.

Here some pics of Saskatchwan.

Interesting old concrete bridge.









Great big old barn, ya don't see many of these around anymore.



Stopped in Saskatoon, for a coffee at a Mickeys D's, only took one picture!
I wonder what I was thinking about. :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 



Saskatoon was a busy congested place with a bunch of morons driving around yacking away on cell phones. Like pretty much any city in the world!
I was glad to get out and fing this wonderful restaurant where I had the best burger, fries and soup of the trip so far. The soup was a great homemade beef barley which felt really good after all those cold wet miles in AK.
I can never remember to take pictures of the food before I eat it!
If you eve pass by be sure to stop in.  :smiley laughing: Just south of Saskatoon.


Moving house on the prairie.




Got bored again and made another side trip through the prairie on farm roads.




These roads went on for miles and miles.


Contrast of golden wheat field and prairie lagoon



Then out in the middle of it was this lovely old American laFrance firetruck



big fancy combines



The old farmhouse where people used to lived. They now live in mobile homes.



The white bull thing never caught on!



miles and miles of gravel roads.







Every town on the rail line has these grain elevator, this is the old style. The new ones are giant!








That was it for Saskachewan.

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## Mr Earl

Crossed the border into ND at a town called Portal.

It was late I just had a coffee and a 7/11 burrito to fortify myself and my GPS got me lost! Had me routed down a closed road! As I backtracked in frustration I got stopped my a Royal Canadian Mountie! I was going 70kph in a 50 zone! Fock!
It's late, about midnight, his lights were incredibly bright. Absolutely blinding they were.
He asks for license and registration I hand him my NM license and smile explaining how I was lost. I was also hoping he wouldn't push the registration issue and notice my expired NM plates!
Anyway he was a fine fellow and super courteous and gives me an escort out of town. 
I got me my police escort out of town! :Smile: 

I wish I had the presence of mind to take pictures when those things happen. :Sad: 


I get to the border and cross after being questioned my a rather sad and stupid US young immigration guy.
Where do you live? Err Thailand!
Where are you coming from? Err Anchorage!
Why were you in Canada? err to get here!
He wanted to know what my job was, I told him I was retired. Retired from what?
And it went on and on. jeez!

It's now after midnight and I'm wired from the adventure with the Royal Canadian Mountie, so I push on to Minot ND. 

I see lighting in the sky off in the distance.

I get to Minot around 03:00 and the edge of a big thunderstorm is whipping things up, it's wet and very windy.
I cant find a room, exhausted I go into a Denny's and nod off for a bit, and eat something, drink more coffee.

I continue on, but I'm so tired I have to stop.
After nearly getting stuck in the mud and nearly dropping the bike I find a picnic table to sleep on.

Posted 06:14 from Edgely North Dakota. Time to get back on the road!

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## pickel

The Borden Bridge. I've been across that thing countless times. It's now closed with a new bridge beside it being used. Quite a few people have died on that bridge, it was a real accident trap.

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## Bobcock

I'd love to photograph that big ol' red barn....

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## Dick

> I continue on, but I'm so tired I have to stop.
> After nearly getting stuck in the mud and nearly dropping the bike I find a picnic table to sleep on.




Small foldup pup tent with a thin mattress roll would come in handy.

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## Mr Earl

> Originally Posted by Mr Earl
> 
> 
> I continue on, but I'm so tired I have to stop.
> After nearly getting stuck in the mud and nearly dropping the bike I find a picnic table to sleep on.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Small foldup pup tent with a thin mattress roll would come in handy.


I got the full camping gear, but was too wasted to set anything up. In my full paded riding gear a concrete picnic table is passable comfort! :bigbike:

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## Satonic

Any problems with the bike so far Mr.Earl?

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## Cujo

Great thread Mr earl, I'm out of greens unfortunately.

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## Bobcock

> it was a real accident trap.


why?...it's a short straight piece of road with no Thai drivers on it.

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## Phuketrichard

lots of pics of objects and i wonder  ( until the post about the Mountie) if u actually talked to anyone  :-)  Just kidding but those small town bars/diners are great places to pick up some interesting people conversations.

Not to knock ur means of traveling but it seems ur thread bears that ur trying to get from A to B as fast as u can.  (traveling at midnight)??  Do u have a time to be finished?

Ever read  "Blue Highways" by William Least-Moon? great travel book on Ameriks back roads and people that one meets

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## pickel

> Originally Posted by pickel
> 
> it was a real accident trap.
> 
> 
> why?...it's a short straight piece of road with no Thai drivers on it.


The reason why is behind Earl's back when he took the picture. There is a hill that descends down to the bridge. Saskatchewan roads can get very icy in the winter, and couple that with bridges that get even icier, and you have a lot of accidents.

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## Mr Earl

> Any problems with the bike so far Mr.Earl?


The bike has been stellar! I just hose the chain once or twice a day with wd40. Haven't had even to adjust the chain yet. Getting a consistent 50+mpg's.

I was expecting to have to change a tire along the way, but that lasted longer than expected.

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## Mr Earl

Made it to MN. I was hustling a bit to arrive in time for the  Agro Ecology Summit hosted at my friends farm.
Will post more pics of cool trains, tractors and stuff when I find a decent IT upload connection.

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## astasinim

Magnificent scenery Earl. Im truly envious of your trip, it looks like your having a great start to your adventure. Looking forward to more.

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## sabang

Tremendous journey, tremendous thread mate.  :Smile: 
I reckon this ones a defo for 'famous threads'.

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## Mr Earl

> lots of pics of objects and i wonder  ( until the post about the Mountie) if u actually talked to anyone  :-)  Just kidding but those small town bars/diners are great places to pick up some interesting people conversations.
> 
> Not to knock ur means of traveling but it seems ur thread bears that ur trying to get from A to B as fast as u can.  (traveling at midnight)??  Do u have a time to be finished?
> 
> Ever read  "Blue Highways" by William Least-Moon? great travel book on Ameriks back roads and people that one meets


interesting feedback, "Blue Highways" was certainly influential in my life. I'd like to read it again now.
I talk to plenty of people but it's on a pretty superficial level and not really note worthy much of the time. Like what am I going to tell ya bout the pleasant interchange with the lady who served me the beef barley soup. Or about the whinging local geezers talking about recent highway constructions.
I had a nice chat with the fellow from Mumbai but cant really remember what it was about other than his brother lives in NM.

Anyway that was a good book and I certainly aspire to communicating on that kind of level.

Pics finally uploaded but the  barn party it just getting going!

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## Bobcock

> The reason why is behind Earl's back when he took the picture. There is a hill that descends down to the bridge. Saskatchewan roads can get very icy in the winter, and couple that with bridges that get even icier, and you have a lot of accidents.


An intelligent and insightful answer on TD....

*I PROTEST!!!*

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## Bobcock

> Will post more pics of cool trains, tractors and stuff when I find a decent IT upload connection.


You arrived in the US, next decent connection will be Panama then....

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## Mr Earl

I followed US highway 281 south through North Dakota and US highway 212 through South Dakota into Minnesota. 

I found Ellendale ND pretty interesting; the home of Trinity Bible College.

Not good rates just "fair" :Smile: 



High cost of low living.






Can't really argue with that! ::chitown:: 








this thing is huge! :Yup: 



The thing Americans get into :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 
South Dakota.



They make a lot of sunflower seed oil.



These wind farms are popping up all over the Prairie. One wind turbine will supply power for 3000 homes!



1960 Ford Falcon straight 6 with 3spd column shift. Huron MN.



Tracy, MN





Land O Lakes!



This is the farm where the Barn Party is happening.

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## Agent_Smith

A Mexican for President?  Anything's possible in the land of opportunity...

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## natalie8

^That's what I was thinking too, AS! They forgot to post his last name.  :Smile: 

So, MrEarl, where are you now and how is everything going?

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## patsycat

He's still at the Barn Party...

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## natalie8

Must be....  :bananaman:

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## English Noodles

Good thread, Earl. Everything looks so run down though.

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## bsnub

^ Thats because it is. The midwest is a relic of the past. Lots of ghost towns. Nice posts Earl.

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## Mr Earl

Yea the barn party was a hoot. I made it to the South America riders rally in Taos, NM the weekend after. I'm now in Santa Fe with a decent internet connection for uploading some pictures.
Some pics from my phone.
An Argentinian style bbq!

 Good ol midwest cheer

And loads of garden fresh veggies



More pics  to come as I get them uploaded.

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## Dick

> 



Awww yes , nice 1

nice one Earl  :bananaman:

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## natalie8

Nice ones! I mean the peppers as well as the above.  :Smile:

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## Mr Earl

There was some great Ethiopian food for friday lunch caterered by this interesting lady who has a restaurant in Worrthinton MN.
 I try to get a shot of the food but it kinda looks like sweetcorn! :mid: 


The highlight was this buffalo front quarter roasted Argentinian style, cooked all day!





View of the barn





These were ash logs which put out some amazing heat.



one of the campsites



logs and critters



the old barn, restored back in 1987, when the first barn party started.

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## Mr Earl

from MN I headed south towards Sioux City Iowa.

went through a pretty lake area, Spirit lake





Downtown Sioux City is full of interesting old architecture.

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## Cujo

^ those buildings remind of a time gone by. Fantastic pics Earl.

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## natalie8

I love the buffalo BBQ! I've never seen that nor tried it. How's the meat? Question about the barn - why did they paint it white rather than the traditional red?

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## Mr Earl

^The meat was really great, tender and very tasty. There was a significant amount of garlic and herb rubbed on it.
I don't know why the red paint, I recall white is the custom on this farm. Probably it's just the personal taste of my pals, I never asked, interesting question.

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## Mr Earl

I started noticing these interesting old churches, this was in western Iowa, 1874.



Encountered many roads like this, the loose gravel kept my speed to a minimum.



Just outside of Sioux City was a windmill museum.





Then it was west into Nebraska for the da good life! :Smile: 



I checked out the bridge over the Missouri river near Vermillion SD,



nothing too interesting other than the fact the Missouri river is the longest river in North America and was flooding a bit.



Small prairie town; Winot, NB.







curious brick building



Another big Lutheran church, note the stained glass windows, it probably would have been worth a visit inside.



continuing west into the sand hills.









It was a very pretty day and pretty country for a ride.



Stopped in Crofton NB for something to eat. All the cafe's in town were closed up for a while.
I asked someone; "where do y'all eat around here?"
I was directed to this place. Food was good, had a chat with an old geezer who had lived there all his life, and never traveled. The action was in the back where a card game was going on.



Superb scenery and cool old houses along the way!







old school house



the farm road turned int this sandy track, it got a bit hairy and I bailed after a few miles. Managed to keep the bike upright, just barely!
I was a little worried about falling down out there by myself. There wasn't much traffic!







history lesson



Classic fuel station which was now a foot massage place!



Stayed that night in Valentine NB, woke up to a flat tire and took all morning to get it sorted, forgot to take pics, it was a pretty messy and sweaty affair....complicated by my lack of practice changing the tire. :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Cujo

Bloody brilliant weather there mate.
Beautiful pics, just the sort of thing I like to see.

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## pickel

Great pictures Earl! Really looks like you hit Saskatchewan and stayed there. The American midwest is so similar.

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## natalie8

> Classic fuel station which was now a foot massage place!


Did you go in for one?

Great pics yet again, and the weather was certainly on your side. Today is the start of Labo(u)r Day weekend. Where will you be celebrating?

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## Cujo

> Originally Posted by Mr Earl
> 
> Classic fuel station which was now a foot massage place!
> 
> 
> Did you go in for one?
> 
> Great pics yet again, and the weather was certainly on your side. Today is the start of Labo(u)r Day weekend. Where will you be celebrating?


I can't explain why Natalie but I HATE your avatar.
Perhaps because it's so bland and devoid of colour or character it makes me think of death.

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## patsycat

Do you think she really cares?!!!

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## BaitongBoy

Henpecked...555...

 :mid:

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## natalie8

> I can't explain why Natalie but I HATE your avatar. Perhaps because it's so bland and devoid of colour or character it makes me think of death.


I really want to change it as I usually change my av every few months, but I can't think of a good one. :-(

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## Amina

> ^ Thats because it is. The midwest is a relic of the past. Lots of ghost towns. Nice posts Earl.


 
Fully agree. Cost of living isn't too bad either.
Amina  :Smile:

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## Amina

Mr. Earl,
Super nice photos. Thanks for sharing them with us. BTW the state abbreviation for Nebraska is "NE" not NB. - NB = New Brunswick - Canada
Cheers. - Amina  :Smile:

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## SEA Traveler

Nice update Earl.  Thanks tons.

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## Mr Earl

So I stop for the night in Valentine NE, not New Brunswick  :Smile: .

I wake up to a flat tire. I apparently pinched the tube when I put on the new tire in Sioux City, IA and I'd used my spare tube then cuz I pinched the old one. :Sad: 

Flat no spare, I walk across the street to a truck tire place and they patch the tube. I manage to pinch in it again and have to redo the process. The truck tire guys take pity and don't charge me for the second patch. The motel owner is also very helpful and let me use the compressor in his shop. I finally get it sorted and cleaned up. I'm back on the road in time for a noon day dollar doubleburger at MickeyD's.

No I'm running late for the Latin America riders rally in Taos.
I also need a new tube for a spare and the nearest shop is in North Platte 135 miles south.

I still take the back round about back way there. I seem to have misplaced the pics I took going through the sand hills on rural hwy 97 past the Merritt State park. It was a very windy day and winds were gusting to 40mph!

By the time I get to North Platte I was tuckered out and find a great cheap motel run by an attractive blond Ukrainian lady.
I get my parts shopping done at the Kawasaki dealer and rest up for the 525 miles to Taos the next day.

I get an early before sunrise start and make great time on I90 before the heat of the day and traffic picks up. I was so intent on making up time I skipped a gas stop and miscalculated how far I could make it and ran out of gas. I managed to coast into a gas station after coaxing the emergency reserve out the tank three time! (ya gotta lay the bike over on it's left side the let the last couple of cups of fuel to dribble over)
I go to the local MickeyD's for a coffee and macmuffin. The place was jam packed with older local folks. Three TV's were going and all tuned to Fox News! This was Sterling CO. 
From there I head south on rural hwy 71 towards La Junta CO.
It was beginning to get hot. As the day progressed the heat got over to be in the 42C neighborhood. The bike didn't like it. I had to slow down to 50mph for the bike to run.
In La Junta, CO the main road to the west is closed and a 100+ mile detour was mandated.
I finally get to the mountains and cool off. It cools off so much that it was raining on the other side of La Veta pass. I put on the rain gear and push on south to NM.
It's just about dark as I arrive in Taos.
Have another coffee had MickeyD's and head for the Sipapu Ski resort where the rider dudes and dudettes were camped.

The latin rider gang was waiting and kept the bar open for me when I arrived in a pretty heavy rain shower. (definitely a bunch of good eggs!) :Smile: 

I took some pics of that day but they seem to have been misplaced. :Confused: 
I'l try to find them.

----------


## Mr Earl

The sand hills in NE, note the wind bending the grass!



Along I90 in eastern CO.



Road straight south in eastern CO, it was a steady climb from there to the mountains.




going over La Veta pass CO.



Rain showers looming ahead in the San Luis valley.



one of the latin america riders


camera phone not the greatest




I was the last one to leave after this fellow.



Picuris Pueblo, near Peñasco, NM



Taos Plaza

----------


## Loy Toy

Fantastic update Earl.  :Smile:

----------


## The Fresh Prince

> one of the latin america riders


I know this guy! :Smile:

----------


## Dick

Earl , how many hours a day are you averaging on the bike ?

And how tender are your buttocks.

----------


## Mr Earl

^^yep and he was wearing that same shirt in Bangkok too. :Smile: 

^ not sure how many days riding so far, I took a week from AK to MN and three days from MN to NM.
Being a card carrying IBA (IronButt Association) member speaks for itself. :Smile:

----------


## larvidchr

You sure have moved a fair distance since this great travel thread started, great photos and anecdotes from the trip, please keep them coming Earl.

 :Smile:

----------


## Cujo

A long time between posts Earl. Hope everything's alright.

----------


## natalie8

I think lack of internet is an issue. I hope we hear from him soon.

----------


## Thormaturge

Really interesting thread.  Thanks for sharing the pics.  The buffalo barbecue looks great.

----------


## astasinim

This is America. Bugger all the crap we see on the TV, NY, CAL, etc etc.  This is the reason I would move out there. Great thread Earl. I am truly envious. Only 12 years until I retire and, do east to west USA, then noth to Canada, and west to Halifax, accompanied or alone. I did west to east Canada in 93 and have the bug ever since.

----------


## natalie8

> and west to Halifax


You're gonna drive on the Atlantic?  :Smile:

----------


## astasinim

Oooops I meant east. Too much Copper Dragon this afternoon.  :Smile:  At least you know where Im heading.

----------


## natalie8

Sounds like a great route, astan. I've always wanted to do something like that too.

----------


## Mr Earl

I got some caching up to do. I'm in Maryland now.
I piddled around in New Mexico for a couple of weeks.

On the way to Santa Fe stopped in Chimayo, lots of history there









It's almost gotten a bit too cutesy!



Then it was on to Santa Fe the land of scented trash bags!

WTF!



And Ducati Monsters





And then on south to Las Cruces 



The old school



Corona, NM





great food! alas no food pics :Sad: 



but here's a shot of the famous Bobcat Bite green chile cheeseburger. Some say the best burger in the USA! I have to agree!




To be cont.

----------


## natalie8

Nice ones!!!!!! Thanks.

----------


## Mr Earl

More NM;







Mesilla









somewhere over the rainbow...



the long winding road....



a really big mushroom..



Santa Fe art





You can imagine what kind of mushrooms this artist had been eating... :Smile: 





Then it was on to Texas points east.

----------


## Mr Earl

After a cold and wet ride I stayed a night in Fort Sumner.



At the Billy the Kid Inn!
A really super place, the owner made sure I had a nice place to park out of the rain, It was the nicest and cleanest motel room I've found to date.



Passed through Clovis, NM the home of Cannon AFB and the former home of the F-111.



Some Texas history



Camped out by the Pease River battlefield near Margaret, TX.

Then followed old US hwy 70 which meanders in and out of TX and OK.

Good BBQ in Ringling, OK
 For some reason there wasn't any Armadillo on the menu! Great beef sandwich!





Then it was into Arkansas



I didn't spend a night in AR because every county I went through was dry.
I spent the night in Haynesville, LA where there was thankfully some beer!
I did have the best pork bbq sandwich of my life in Magnolia, AR!

This was a typical rundown place in AR.


Then down to New Orleans to visit my son.
I got to stay a few nights on this giant military RORO ship, 900 feet long! USNS Shughart

----------


## Mr Earl

New Orleans is a pretty interesting place. Got into taking a few pictures.

in the French Quarter

































After Bourbon Street it was time for a little culture at the sculpture garden.














The shot of the Botero was fuzzy, kinda appropriate I reckon.







An unusual Renoir bronze!



A lovely Maillol



I met Dina Vierny (Maillol's model) in Paris years ago.



Rodin, perhaps my favorite sculptor



The premier piece was this very nice Henry Moore.

----------


## Loy Toy

What a fantastic thread mate.

Makes me feels I am riding with you.

Keep up the good work.  :Smile:

----------


## Mr Earl

More New Orleans

An interesting neighborhood bar




lovely details on some of the old houses



And quite colorful





General Lee's circle.









G.T. Beauregard, another Confederate general



The St Louis cemetery #3







Sunset along the Mississippi river. This is a very busy river with a amazing amount of traffic coming and going day and night.

----------


## Mr Earl

The next photo shoot was in Selma, Alabama.

I found the old cemetery very interesting.









and many interesting old houses and churches.

----------


## Mr Earl

My moto turned 50K on the way.



ya don't see many Edsel's 



country store in VA



Along the Blue Ridge Parkway, the leaves were just beginning to turn.



A lot of great stone work on this hwy



The James River



areas of low clouds and fog, I preferred being on top.

----------


## natalie8

Beautiful, MrEarl!!!! How is New Orleans now? Are they completely back or only partially? Has the tourism returned?

I absolutely love the fog picture. When I lived in North Vancouver, I had a view like that. You could always hear the Seabus anad the other boats blowing their horns to get through the fog safely.

----------


## Mr Earl

I gather New Orleans has recovered a lot. You can see many places fixed up.
The french quarter has busloads of tourists passing through.
I gather places like the ninth ward are much safer now since much of the bad element never returned. People with a little bit of money came back and fixed things up. The scum got washed away and stayed in Houston.

----------


## misskit

Beautiful scenery, Mr. Earl. What a great trip!

----------


## natalie8

> I didn't spend a night in AR because every county I went through was dry.


I just noticed this line now. There are still areas in the US that are completely dry????? What's the reasoning behind this?

----------


## BaitongBoy

^Some people don't like drinking...

 :Smile:

----------


## Mr Earl

Yep and those dry county's had plenty of Baptist churches to make up for the lack of beer.

----------


## The Fresh Prince

This is a famous threads candidate for sure! :Smile:

----------


## misskit

^I'm from a dry county in Georgia. Everyone just drives to the next county to buy. 

Them good old boys like to drink beer while working in their meth labs. :Smile:

----------


## English Noodles

:smiley laughing:

----------


## Mr Earl

I'm in Asheville, NC tonight. Had a spectacular ride along the Blue Ridge parkway, fall colors pics soon.







Someone cleaned up MtD's mess.

thanks!  :Yup: 

 :tumbs:

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Someone cleaned up MtD's mess.
> 
> thanks!


No problem.

----------


## Boon Mee

> ^I'm from a dry county in Georgia. Everyone just drives to the next county to buy. 
> 
> Them good old boys like to drink beer while working in their meth labs.


You got one of them Jaw - Jaa accents?  :Smile:

----------


## Cujo

Waiting for Argentina.

----------


## Chairman Mao

> Waiting for Argentina.




Me too.

Earl & son too I bet.  :Smile:

----------


## Mr Earl

I'm hanging in Bogata waiting for my bike to arrive, having the bike airfreight here from Miami.

I just started reading a old Steinbeck novel a fellow adventure rider gave me up in Tok, AK.

The first three paragraphs kinda struck a chord with me.
From John Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley".




> When I was very young and the urge to be someplace else was on me, I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure the itch, When years described me as mature, the remedy prescribed was middle age. In middle age I was assured that greater age would calm my fever and now that I'm fifty-eight perhaps senility will do the job. Nothing has worked. Four hoarse blasts of ship's whistle  still raise the hair on my neck and set my feet to tapping. The sounds of a jet, an engine warming up, even the clopping of shod hooves on pavement brings on the ancient shudder, the dry mouth and vacant eye, the hot palms and the churn of stomach high up under the rib cage. In other words, I don't improve; in further words, once a bum always a bum. I fear the disease is incurable. I set this matter down not to instruct others but to inform myself.
>     When the virus of restlessness begins to take possession of a wayward man, and the road away from here seems broad and straight and sweet, the victim must find himself a good and sufficient reason for going. This to the practical bum is not difficult. He has a built-in garden of reasons to choose from. Next he must plan his trip in time and space, choose a direction and a destination. And last he must implement the journey. How to go, what to take, how long to stay. This part of the process is invariable and immortal. I set it down only so the newcomers to bumdom, like teen-agers in new-hatched sin, will not think they invented it.
>     Once a journey is designed, equipped, and put in process, a factor enters and takes over. A trip, a safari, an exploration, is an entity, different from all other journeys. I has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness. A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. Tour masters, schedules, reservations, brass-bound and inevitable, dash themselves to wreckage on the personality of the trip. Only when this is recognized can the blown-in-the-glass bum relax and go along with it. Only then do the frustrations fall away. In this a journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it. I feel better now, having said this, although only those who have experienced it will understand it.

----------


## Mr Earl

After Louisiana I didn't take a lot of pics.
After visiting a pal and doing some maintenance on the bike I headed south along the eastern shore of Maryland and crossed over to Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.



Them cotton fields back home!



Quite a few of these old homes with four chimneys. They must have burned a lot of wood to stay warm.



Virginia history goes a ways back





Sic Semper Tyranis (death to tyrants)



beautiful stone work Airlie, VA







And then it was back south along the Blue Ridge parkway, I had the enviable pleasure of nearly peak fall colours.











the further south I got (Asheville, NC) the mountains higher an colours brighter.



cool 39' Studebaker.




In Asheville I got the bike's suspension overhauled.

And down to Miami to crate and freight the bike.

It rained the whole time I was in Miami!

I passed through Daytona in the mist of the Biketoberfest chrome parade.
Biketoberfest Daytona Beach Florida

I didn't take any pics of the chrome clones, but there were thousands of them.
It was a real fashion show!
I was the only traveler I could see on a KLR. 
Some did come as far as Vermont.

From here it will all  :bigbike: South America!

----------


## misskit

Beautiful fall colors, Mr. Earl. 

Please, some pics of Bogata.

----------


## Cujo

What happened to Argentina?

----------


## Mr Earl

^be patient grasshopper. :Yup: 

On the way they the south east USA I'd look for bbq places.

Passing through Waynesborough Georgia, a weird bleak sorta place dominated by a nuclear power plant, I stopped for my usual late morning snack at Mickey D's.
Before I got off the bike I spotted across the street a funky looking house under some big trees with a sign saying BBQ.
I went over to discover Taylor's BBQ. I was there just before the lunch crowd.
I had perhaps  the best ribs ever, with sides of collard greens and black eyed peas.



About the time I finished this splendid meal the lunch crowd hit and the line was out the door. Wow!
It's really fun to make discoveries like this.

----------


## Mr Earl

Sunday morning photo walk around Bogata.

Lots of street art, note the hole in the sidewalk, walking around was about as bad as Bangkok for hazards like that.

----------


## Mr Earl

page 2:



Soldiers and Police were everywhere!


Remnants of the Colombian Air Force







Opera house
















The girls love to stuff their plump butts into tight jeans.




















common sight of mothers and daughters walking together.


Not many beggars.


Big customs building in the background "DIAN"




They don't like pictures take of the insides of their Churches, the guard chastised me for take this, even I took it discreetly from the hip without flash

----------


## Mr Earl

Bogata page 3;





















The Internet bard








Note the concertina wire














Art Deco!






The outside of my guest house, Casa Platypus.

----------


## alwarner

wow, Bogota looks fantastic.  thanks sharing the photos.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

I'm surprised at how empty Bogotá looks.

----------


## bsnub

Great stuff!

----------


## Cujo

It looks gorgeous.
Did it feel dangerous?

----------


## Mr Earl

> I'm surprised at how empty Bogotá looks.


That was Sunday morning. Most of the people out were the health nuts running and bicycling.

It's a bit busier on the weekdays. Still not Bangkok busy. The city is relatively small. You can easily walk most everywhere.

----------


## Mr Earl

> It looks gorgeous.
> Did it feel dangerous?


With all the uniformed police and army around I feel pretty safe.
Though just their presence in such numbers is a bit spooky. Ya wonder what would happen if they weren't there!
There's a similar vibe to Laos where there are so many un-uniformed police lurking about, constrained would be a word that might describe the feeling.

Very few western tourists around. Most of the tourists seem to be Latin American of some sort.

----------


## Mr Earl

I guess it is Bogotá, not what it sounds like, "bogata"; took me a while to notice that one. :bunny3:

----------


## Phuketrichard

Great Graffiti!!!

----------


## Mr Earl

I finally got the motorbike after a week. It took nearly all of friday to process all the paperwork and customs. Uncrated the bike, hung the mirrors back on and I was back on the road. Talk about being a happy camper! Ridding though the Bogota traffic back to the Platipus was a blast. Back in the the third world where anything goes.
I headed out of Bogota for Medellin first thing Saturday morning, A 100 miles out I realized I'd left my brand new walmart motorcycle cover at the parking in Bogota, dang. At least I got to use it once!
Made it to Medellin in about eight hours. Through some lovely country side. Lots of slow bus n truck  traffic. When I arrived in Medellin I was pretty well buzzed up with adrenaline from passing traffic.
Couldn't find the moto friendly hostel I'd planned on staying at. Stayed in some nasty leaky place on a noisy street listening to drunks singing all night. Found the hostel the next day, great place.
Found a terrific mechanic to sort out an electrical issue on the bike, he fixed it no charge. His shop was full of Ducati, BMW's and Honda Transalp.
The police here ride Suzuki DR 650's and Kawa KLR 650's; like mine but newer.
My computer hard drive died again so no pics this update. 
I haven't taken any in Medellin yet, I keep forgeting to take my camera when go out.
Today will be a photo walk day.

----------


## natalie8

Thanks for the update, Earl. Looking forward to more pics.

BTW, the business in your sig line, do you own it? I checked it out and it looks good.

----------


## Mr Earl

I arrived in Quito Ecuador amidst rain and heavy rush hour traffic.
This is the first time for me to cross the equator. There was no fanfare, not even a sign on the road indicating crossing the equator, my GPS had a fuzzy space for the equator. I suppose sailors get the "Order of Neptune" ritual when they cross for the first time.
I stayed for the night in the border crossing town Ipales, it was cold, elevation 9600 feet. Fortunately there was huge stack of blankets on the bed.
Quito is freakin' cold too! 9200 feet! My poor motorcycle is feeling it. I've been drinking coca tea so I'm a-ok!

In Medellin I had to have my stupid MacBook rebuilt with a new hardrive....
Been out of internet zones for the past couple days, so I'm still kinda sorting it all out.
When I get it figured I'll post some more pics.

----------


## natalie8

> I've been drinking coca tea so I'm a-ok!


Sound good! Thanks for the update and stay warm!

----------


## Lancelot

Great thread! Looking forward to the next installments.

Drive safe  :Smile:

----------


## Mr Earl

I'm in Chachapoyas, Peru now. The mountains are unbelievable!
The north western part of Peru is desert, a lot like west Texas.

The internet in stupid slow for uploading pictures. :Sad:

----------


## Mr Earl

I took a bunch of Medellin pics, here's a start.

It's a big busy smoky city, the driving is insane, similar to BKK but with a kinda vicious Latin edge to it. Not for the faint of heart!



Modern Skytrain


the security would help the handicapped passengers



Lots of brick as a building block


street art












fast food by tortoises.


lot's of these chinese enduro bikes










the city essentially is choking itself to death with these smoke belching collectivo's




Quite a few people living on the street


they cut the heads off their fish


legal gambling












next the Botero walk

----------


## Cujo

Awesome mister earl.
It's great to see the street level ordinary views not just the touristy type pics.

----------


## Phuketrichard

great stuff BUT
i don't recall Bangkok traffic like this since the late 70's  :-)

----------


## Mr Earl

> great stuff BUT
> i don't recall Bangkok traffic like this since the late 70's  :-)


yea these were taken on a saturday morning
I neglected to take my camera the two times I ventured downtown during the week.
It was a nasty stinky snarl.

----------


## palexxxx

Hey Mr Earl,  haven't heard from you in a while.  You still alright?

----------


## Mr Earl

Yepper, I'm A-OK.
Way behind on the trip report, spent about a month in Peru, most of the time sans-internet.
I'm spending Christmas with some friends 100 miles north of Santiago, in a funky cabin perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
The lamb in baking in the oven right now!
I'm back on the road tomorrow and am going to ride the famous southern Austral dirt highway in Chile.

I'm not sure when I'll have the chance to update as I'm camping out all the time through Chile and Argentina. Camping is free and the hotels very expensive.

----------


## palexxxx

^  Good to hear

----------


## Mr Earl

Ok finally back in Thailand with some updates.

Lots of people living on the streets of Medellin. At the the wrong time of day this place is dangerous.


If you like Botero this sculpture garden is a must see.






I took lots of pictures in Medellin













The police use new versions of the KLR650



























to be continued....

----------


## Loy Toy

Great Stuff Earl and welcome back.

----------


## sabang

In my Sth American odyssey back in 1989, I never made it to Colombia or Venezuela sadly. Are the women as gorgeous as they are cracked up to be :Smile: ? Not sure if you'll be making it to Buenos Aires on your journey Earl, but the Portena's are luvly- probably the most elegantly dressed womenfolk I've seen anywhere too.

----------


## BaitongBoy

Didn't consider Machu Picchu, Earl?...good to see you back again...

----------


## Mr Earl

I'll check out Machu Pichu on the way back, but I object in principle to the exorbitant $150usd entry fee, I understand there is a back way in there, which I'll explore.
I left my bike in Argentina with friends, I'll resume the adventure in 6 months.

----------


## palexxxx

You're alive,  I thought you were lying in some shallow roadside grave.  Glad to see that you're back.  Nice pictures.

----------


## rawlins

Excellent thread... You have done something that most of us, for whatever reason, can only dream about.. Thanks for sharing it.

----------


## natalie8

Welcome back and thanks for the latest pics!

----------


## bsnub

Yep what they said....

----------


## Mr Earl

Leaving Medelin I stayed a night in Rio Negro with a Colombian Harley dude and his family. My bike was nice and cozy next to the Harley!


I spent three more nights in Colombia on the way south on the Pan American hwy.
I wanted to get off the PanAm but the one road I wanted to go on had reportedly had a bridge recently blown up. That and the obvious heavy presence of police and military everywhere I'd been seeing had me spooked. In the nine days riding in Colombia I was stopped 4 times by the cops who picked through my paperwork, I just wanted out of the country! Peru I was checked once, Chile 0, Argentina 0.

So I only took a few move pics in Colombia.

typical town-countryside






It was raining and cold as I approached Ipiales(9200feet) the border with Ecuador. I pulled into the first hotel I saw asked for some food.
This is what I got!



Talk about the right thing at the right time! Man o man was that delicious!
The hotel/restaurant folks were so gracious they let me park the motorcycle inside the restaurant after they closed.  I had three heavy wool blankets on my bed, I needed them all. It was cold up in them hills!
 The next day was on to the border crossing into Ecuador, my first for this trip.
Got some money changer dudes to mind my bike while I got stamped out of Colombia. Once stamped I had to clear the bike out through customs. To bust my chops the customs guy wanted to see the original copy of my temporal import papers! Fortunately my spanish is good enough to out bluff scum like this and I told him this is exactly what the "aduana" in Bogata gave me, if he wanted to question them, then let's call them as I whipped out my phone.( I did have a Colombian sim and a contact#)
He didn't call my bluff an I was outa there! motherfuckers!

----------


## Mr Earl

Checking into Ecuador I met this soap-dodger on a bike he'd bought in Colombia.
He sidestepped Quito and I went into Quito which is a huge nasty snarl of smoky traffic. I had to buy a new rear tube for the bike. Stayed in a great guesthouse. Met the owner of the local Kawasaki dealer(he rides an Africa Twin). Got VIP treatment. He invited me to join a weekend ride with them to the coast. I passed because I had the hot springs in Baños on my mind.


Baños is a very cool quiet little town. It gets busy on weekends with tourists from Quito. All in all a very mellow scene. I could have stayed there much longer.
Interestingly at my hotel I met another American who had just returned from Thailand and the stereotypical greedy/issan/witch scenario, we shared numerous tales over numerous beers.



















My pal's china enduro

----------


## Phuketrichard

GREAT!!! 
i am sure ur ready for a long nap and soem quiet time.
Welcome back

----------


## Mr Earl

From Baños I headed into the Amazon basin and followed the road through Puyo and up over the mountains on a brand new road to Cuenca.


The first of many bridges and river crossings.




kind of a cool job


And I'd see lots of these critters along the way.


And the one and only four star hotel where I stayed in Cuenca. It was only $30.usd



Cuenca plaza


A friend of the pigeons












a fairly quiet town


After Cuenca it was down to the coast through some very arid mountains.





Had a great meal, some regional dish, chopped liver and stuff!


then back over the mountains to the crossing into Peru.
Gasoline in Ecuador was really cheap, about $1.50 a gallon. At the border they had a restriction where you could buy only 10 gallons at a time.
These guys had been waiting since 04:00 in the morning for the station to open.
They very graciously let me cut in line.


Smile you are in Tambogrande, Peru


Mototaxi in Peru, I would see lots of these.


Northern Peru is very arid





Then into some impressive valleys to Chachapoyas









lots of taters and yucca root/cassava 


Hotels in Peru are nice and quite cheap.


the food in Peru is great
Ceviche is the national specialty


curried cabrito/goat

----------


## Mr Earl

More Chachapoyas








Next was the pre-Inca fortress on top of a 3000 meter mountain.
It is supposed that the Inca raided this place to steal the blond haired women!
The 35 kms of winding mountain road was eye opening.




seeing this place was well worth the effort, not many tourists get up there.
























fossils in the walkway

----------


## Mr Earl

On the way down off the mountain it rained a bunch and caused a creek to bust out on the the road. They had a way cleared in a matter of minutes


Next stop was Leimebamba. The goat I ate didn't agree with me and I stayed three night here. The only time during the whole trip I got sick!




















These dogs had their territories, it was noisy at night.

----------


## Mr Earl

More horse





They have a nice museum just outside of Leimebamba


















Something you don't see very often..




free range pork














a sunset shot of the plaza

----------


## Mr Earl

The road from Leymebamba to Cajamarca was perhaps one of the most spectacular and remote of the whole trip. Very narrow with dizzying drop-offs it was fortunate there was very little traffic. They said it take the bus over 8 hours to make the trip. It took me nearly 8 hours. When you look at the map it's only about 100kms as the crow flies. This is the Andes! holly molly!

A little dairy farm with brown swiss, the cheese btw was great there.






3600 meters!














And down to a 1000 meters, from freezing cold to sweltering hot.







then back up into the mountains!







A good sized town in the middle of these hills


I got a thing for old Landcruisers



And back up over another mountain range, 3700 meters
And I wasn't in the big Andes yet!



And finally into Cajamarca

----------


## Mr Earl

Cajamarca plaza, pretty big and busy city, lot's of cheese shops.





From Cajamarca it was down to the Pacific coast and Trujillo.
Along the way to Trujillo I met some Peruvian moto-aventura guys who led me to the hip little beach/surfer town of Huanchaco. cheap digs, good food and lot of dope smokin' around.





My new pals introduced me to a top moto mechanic, who helped me re-grease the swing arm and install a new chain and sprocket set I'd been toting around since Miami.

Err...dude something missing from ur bike man...

----------


## Mr Earl

The road into Trujillo was sometimes rather bleak.


and sometimes not





From Trujillo I headed back into the mountains to Huaraz.
This was a grueling ride through some very rough countryside.








Lots of tunnels




My first glimpse of the snow capped mountains around Huaraz


Huaraz is high in the mountains, its smelly and dirty and very cold. It rained most of the time I was there(2days). The hostal were I stayed had no heat and was freezing. It was time to head back down to the tropics!

----------


## Mr Earl

From Huaraz I headed up over more mountains towards the Amazon basin again.
It was very pretty, cold day.



I should have filled my tank in Huaraz. It was a long way to the next fuel station.
Bought a few liters from this lady.






Had some real nice blacktop road for a while


this was a very regular sight




Another high pass 4700 meters!








I didn't linger in Huanuco to take pics, I wanted to push on and get to Pucallpa.

I did meet some hot babes in Aguaytia!

----------


## Cujo

Absofuckinglutely fantastic Earl. Thanks for taking the time to post these. I love these street (road?) view photos.

----------


## Mr Earl

Pucallpa is the end of the road and the major port of the river system.

Lots of bananas pass through here.








I quite liked Pucallpa, with the shady streets, friendly people, good food, and a near complete absence of tourists.




The ice cream biz is good


chinese enduros everywhere.. ride that shlong!

And if paused very long on the street you'd meet a Shaman, here comes one now!


And in fact the main reason for being in Pucallpa was to hook up with some Ayahuasca Shaman folks.

----------


## misskit

Mr. Earl, I'm sick with envy. What wonderful places you have seen.

Magnificent photos.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

Great pics and thanks for sharing with us.

Did you get any signs of altitude sickness (back aches, headaches, etc) when up at height? I went up to a high pass in the Himalayas once and felt a bit shitty. Got back down to 3500m and it passed in a couple of hours.

----------


## Mr Earl

^I didn't notice any effects, mind I was never up very high for long, the bike on the other hand was really huffing and puffing up there.

----------


## Mr Earl

I parked the bike in Pucallpa and headed into the jungle for two weeks.
I'd made arrangements to head to the Tierra Vida healing jungle retreat.

Access was by boat, and met up with an eclectic group of people from all around the world to participate in the Ayahuasca medicinal ceremonies.
I was a truly powerful and mind bending experience. Over two weeks I attended 7 ceremonies.



Preparing the brew


The place was full of these 85 year old mango trees


At times it would rain mangoes




and played with my camera some

















































And after two weeks I was back on the road

----------


## blue

Super photographs and trip

----------


## Mr Earl

^Yea, and I haven't even gotten to some of the really cool bits.
Sadly right now all the internet seems to be fucked and I can't upload anymore photos. This has been the story along the whole trip, really crap internet connections. The one I used the other day now wont work. Focking chimps!

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## natalie8

It's such a pain when the internet or its providers don't co-operate. Hang in there and just chill in Phuket.

I absolutely love the shot of the woman beside the parrot. (Is it a parrot?) You should copyright that one and publish it, along with all your others. They're all good, but something really struck me in that one pic. The woman is doing something with her camera, using technology, and the big, bright, colourful bird is sitting beside her looking content.

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## natalie8

> Ayahuasca healing retreat 
> I parked the bike in Pucallpa and headed into the jungle for two weeks. I'd made arrangements to head to the Tierra Vida healing jungle retreat.  Access was by boat, and met up with an eclectic group of people from all around the world to participate in the Ayahuasca medicinal ceremonies. I was a truly powerful and mind bending experience. Over two weeks I attended 7 ceremonies.


Can you tell us more about this retreat and the ceremonies? Did the shamans 'diagnose' any issues or was it more of a retreat where all of you do the same routines? I've always been interested in this type of thing and I'd love to hear about a first hand experience.

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## Mr Earl

^That is some sort of Macaw.
I'm not sure you could call any of what transpires during a ceremony as routine. Each one was very different. Explore the link I provided, that should provide many answers.
The medicine essentially envelops you, and purges you, then caresses you from within. It is really quite amazing. Words simply cant describe it. After, your perceptual senses are enhanced and altered forever.

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## natalie8

OK, great. Thanks!

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## Mr Earl

I just found some more jungle photos,

This was an interesting little drama I managed to catch






And more bugs

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## Bangyai

Fantastic pictures and a really interesting thread. Thanks for the effort, it was worth it.

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