Monday, November 17, 2014

The Riding Community is a Beautiful Thing


We bid farewell to Alfonso and Maria, then set off for the long haul to Mazatlán, Sinaloa. We were warned that the ride would be straight and boring with lots of tolls. Boy were there tolls! Matt estimates we spent around 500-600 pesos in total, and some toll booths were only a few kilometers apart. The 400-mile trip was broken up with several construction zones, where we watched guys pour steaming tar from milk jugs cut in half and hand shovel hot asphalt from the back of a dump truck. Gives some perspective on how much money and technology has changed construction methods in the US.



Along the way, we stopped for a lunch break in Guasave. While Matt ducked into a corner store for taco fixin's, I sat with the bikes and met a lovely father and baby boy who came up to chat from their house across the street. The guy was incredibly patient and helpful with my rudimentary Spanish, and we "chatted" about motorcycles (he was a fellow rider) and our trip. 

While I was making friends outside, Matt was making friends inside. He emerged with chicharrón, limes and avocados, which we proceeded to wrap in enormous tortillas that Maria sent us off with, called "bed sheet tortillas." To give perspective, one tortilla made four tacos. 

When we were done, Matt asked the little shop if they had a bathroom, and before we knew it, they let us in the back to use their private baño. To sort of say thanks, we gave them our card and stickers… which they brought back out to us to sign, along with free cokes and lollipops! We walked over to the family across the street and gave them the same sticker, and they invited us to join them for dinner. Such sweet people; I hope they weren't disappointed later when they discovered we aren't famous.



As we rode through sunset again (oops!), we were bummed to think about the view we were missing from our friend Glen's spectacular penthouse condo in Mazatlán. We made it shortly thereafter, though, and enjoyed the impressive view nonetheless. Glen has traveled the world on his BMW 650 Dakar and now lives part time in Mazatlán. He generously let us spend the night there with him, and we shared quesadillas and travel stories until the wee hours.



The next morning, after almost convincing Glen to ride with us, we set off for our first short day of riding so far. While planning the trip, Matt figured we could make our goal of Ushuaia in four months by riding about 150 miles per day. We've been putting in long days so far in an effort to bank the miles for future days when we want to have short or no riding. 


This day's ride was scheduled for Mazatlán to Durango, a distance of 165 miles. We wanted to take the free road, known as the "Devil's Backbone," but many locals warned us against it for its narrow lanes, blind corners, and heavy use by semis pulling double trailers. It was hard to resist (and we almost ended up accidentally taking the free road anyway!), but we opted for the toll road and enjoyed wide, new roads through several tunnels and over the tallest bridge in North America, the Baluarte Bridge. The scenery changed from an arid climate with sand and cacti to a temperate one with lush, green forests.





We eventually left the road for gas and lunch in El Salto, which ended up being another fortuitous stop. While we munched down our food stand gorditas, we watched a BMW F800GS pull up and proceed to come over to us. Turns out this 20-something guy rode to Tierra del Fuego himself last year. Small world! As we chatted more, we learned he lived in Durango. Before we knew it, he offered to ride the rest of the way with us and put us up in an empty apartment at his family's house. He kept saying how much the success of his own trip last year was enabled by the generosity of others and this was his opportunity to give back. How could we say no? So, off we went to finish out the ride into Durango on the tail end of the Devil's Backbone, which was nice and twisty through hilly pasture area.



When we arrived at Hector's house, his family graciously invited us to a BBQ and wouldn't take no for an answer. The food was simple and delicious, we participated in a mezcal taste test, and we got more Spanish practice in! Afterward, we walked to Durango's historic city center and took in all the live entertainment local families were enjoying in the plazas on this nice Sunday evening. We both absolutely adore the plaza lifestyle of Mexico, where everyone—young and old—comes out to socialize at the end of the day. It's something we're looking forward to for the next four months.




- Brayde
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Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Viva Mexico!



Following advice from friends, we took the truck border crossing from Nogales, AZ into Mexico. Things went incredibly quick and smooth… except for the part where we thought we'd missed the immigration office where we needed to buy our vehicle permits. We pulled off at an intersection on the highway and tried to contact our friend Alfonso, whose house we were staying at that night. When that didn't work, we rode across the highway to the airport and tried out our Spanish on some gate guards. While we knew how to ask what we wanted, we had limited skills to understand the answer. We basically heard that we needed to go back across the highway, where we would find a customs station and could ask our question again. Unfortunately, we discovered this station was for going back into the US. After probably breaking a few international laws doing U-turns at a checkpoint, we learned that all of this effort and confusion was for not: we were going the right way all along and just hadn't gotten to the immigration office yet. Back on the highway we went, and sure enough, there was no way we could miss it another 8 miles down the road. The process involved a lot of paperwork and stamps, but was painless, and then we were on our way to our first Mexican destination of the trip: Cócorit, Sonora.


The ride was long and straight, reminiscent of our day across SoCal and Arizona. We put on about 480 kilometers (330 miles) on the way to Cócorit, only stopping for fuel and occasional breaks. At one stop for gas and lunch, we started talking to a man who was hitchhiking his way South to Hermosillo after recently being deported from my hometown of Yakima, Washington. We had a nice talk about the farms and country back in Washington. He had a pretty fascinating story and had lived and worked in many parts of the United States. Small world!

One of our major rules we set for ourselves on this trip was not to ride at night. Unfortunately, we broke this rule on Day One, arriving in Cócorit at Alfonso's house about 45 minutes after dark. Luckily, we knew where we were going and already had a place to stay. No harm done. 

We had a very warm welcome from Alfonso and his wife Maria who took us out to our first dinner in Mexico, one of my favorites: tacos al pastor, from an open air restaurant in Cócorit. What a great way to end an otherwise tiring day. After that long ride, we were pretty worn out and made the decision to stay another day with Alfonso and Maria because we like their company so much, and it gave us a good chance to get acclimatized to Mexico and take care of a few things.



We spent the next day relaxing (Brayde even got in a siesta!), shopping, and helping Alfonso and Maria get their restaurant and bar ready for the night's festivities. We started the day off right with homemade machaca y huevos for breakfast—fresh huevos, in fact, from Alfonso and Maria's chickens. One of the very important things we accomplished was unlocking my U.S. cell phone and buying a Mexican SIM card. Now we have a Mexican phone number to text and call with while we're in the country. Because the phone is unlocked, we should be able to buy new SIM cards in other countries we travel through if we feel we need to have a working phone number.




We had a lot of fun and were glad to have another rest day because the next day's ride would be even longer and more tiring, as we would have to ride 640 kilometers (400 miles) to Mazatlán to stay with our friend Glen.    

 - Matt
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Thursday, November 6, 2014

And it Begins...

Well the week leading up to our departure was just plain crazy.  Here are some of the highlights:

One week till departure, roof starts leaking, ruins downstairs bathroom door.  Had to fix the roof, and take care of the water damage, as well as replace the door.  Two days later, a huge wind storm blows down our fence.  Two days of pouring concrete and setting posts, and our fence was rebuilt with the help of our friend John. 11:30pm, two nights before departure,  the sewer line backs up into our house, flooding one of the bathrooms and filling all the toilets and bathtub due to a tree root clogging the line.  One early morning and an expensive plumber bill, and that was fixed on Friday.  It was really good that we had started our packing earlier in the week, or else we would have been screwed.  The lesson to be learned here is that we really should have just sold the house and bought a new one when we got back.  It would have been much easier.


After a couple weeks of not sleeping, building fences, and mopping up our bathrooms, we were able to finally get on the road.  It was a somewhat liberating experience taking off and not looking back, but neither of us have had that overwhelming feeling of freedom that should have come.  I think it's going to take a week or two, or maybe a border crossing for it to really hit us.
  
Cashing in the change jar for $93 in gas money.
 The first four days were long, tiring, and boring.  We rode I-5 all the way down to LA from Seattle in 3 days, then on the fourth day, we rode 500 miles in a strong cross wind along I-10 to Tucson.  Along the way, we have stayed with friends and at a couple hotels.  The stays with friends have really been the best.  Nice conversations over a hot meal every night with good people.  In Sacramento, we stayed with friends Kelly and Steve; in LA, Nikolas and Jessica; and, in Tucson, our friend Josh.  They really helped us make the most out of an otherwise long and boring stretch of freeway.


 

With over 1600 miles already behind us, we decided to stay an extra day in Tucson.  There was a hurricane that was supposed to hit Mexico around Mazatlan, and by delaying, we were able to watch it fizzle out before landfall and become a non-event.  At the same time, we were able to sleep in, pick up some last minute necessities, get a hair cut, and ride into Nogales for a nice early start across the border the next day.  After 4 long days on the bikes we were both pretty relieved to have a "rest day" before crossing into Mexico.




After changing both of Brayde's tires in the hotel parking lot, eating dinner, and doing laundry in the bathroom sink, we're exhausted and will get some much needed rest before our first border crossing of the trip.  All our paperwork is ready, and we have a plan, so wish us luck!
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Friday, October 24, 2014

What Tools to Bring for a Four-Month Motorcycle Trip?


The boy scout in me really enjoyed this part of the trip prep and planning process: Building a tool kit that would get both our bikes through four months on the road in South America.

We already have a great set of tools we carry on our other trips, but I realized that riding this many miles, we have to consider that we will be performing regular bike maintenance along the way, not just roadside repairs.  My normal Cruz Tools roll with a few additions isn't going to cut it.  Our trip will include oil and filter changes, valve adjustments, and other tasks.  I'm going to need more--and better--tools...


First thing I did was dump out all the contents of my usual tool roll onto the workbench and start picking out the tools I like using, noting any tools that were missing or could be better.  After doing an oil change, tire change, and a bunch of other pre-trip service, and setting aside the tools I used, I had a pretty comprehensive list.  Time to get out the credit card, hit up the Craftsman website, and shop some local hardware stores.  You can see my--almost--final tool and spares list below.

Before anyone makes any comments: Yes, my tool kit is overkill for most trips.  I realize that, but I didn't want to have to do a valve adjustment in a hotel lobby in Cusco with a Leatherman and a set of spanners.  Having tools that are nice and easy to use will keep me from putting off the necessary maintenance and repair that will get our bikes through the whole trip.


Next, I wanted to dedicate a space on my bike for tools, and only tools.  Normally this is a pouch or roll at the bottom of one of my panniers, but in this case, I wanted to do something special.  My friend Dave from ADV Gear offered to weld me up a one-off, aluminum tool box that clipped in place of my passenger seat.  He made it the same height as my fuel cell so that I can still strap a dry bag on top of it and keep a low profile.  It turned out perfect, and he even installed a lock that matches my Touratech panniers.




Unfortunately, none of my tool rolls or bags would fit in the box, and I didn't want my tools to rattle around loose inside the box.  This would cause noise, damage, and disorder.  I wanted my tools organized so that I could always know where the 10mm wrench or T30 torx bit was. Brayde's mom happens to be very good at sewing and has made some really nice bags for Brayde in the past.  For my birthday, she offered to make me a custom tool bag with loops and pockets for all my tools that would fit exactly in my new tool box.  Awesome.



After a fun weekend of canvas material shopping and lots of measurements, what she came up with was far beyond my expectations.  Now I have something I've always wanted on my motorcycle: my own custom tool bag, for my custom tool box, for my custom tool kit.  I've been using it to perform daily work in the garage and finding a few things here and there to add and subtract.  All-in-all, I'm pretty confident I'll have just about everything I'll need for this trip.

Some photos of the finished product:

Bag opened with top layer for wrenches.
Top layer removed
Bottom of tool bag
Tool List:

 All the tools in the world won't do you much good if you don't have the spare parts and materials to work with.  Here is a list of some of the spares that we'll be carrying with us during our trip.

 Some Spare Parts, etc.
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Friday, October 17, 2014

Brayde's Bike Gets New Suspension

In preparing for our trip to Mexico last March, Matt and I tried to set the rear sag on my 2007 BMW F650GS with a light load of luggage. Even with the shock preload turned all the way up, there was still too much sag. Sure enough, as we rode through rough terrain in the Copper Canyon, I could feel every rock and hole, and bottomed out on my fair share of 'topes' (huge Mexican speed bumps). After an especially rough section in Baja, we discovered my fork seals were blown.


When we returned, we reached out to Alex at Konflict Motorsports, a local suspension shop with the reputation of being experts with dual-sport and adventure motorcycle setups. With some quick measurements and assessment of riding style, Alex reworked my front forks with cartridge emulators, new springs, seals, and fluid. The difference was immediate, like night and day. This was my first time getting customized suspension, and I couldn't believe the impact it has on riding. Things as obvious as better endurance because my arms aren't worn out, and better braking and handling, to subtleties like better visibility because my mirrors aren't blurry from shaking. Well worth it!


This also made my worn out rear suspension extra apparent. Luckily, I know just the guy to help me out with that! Two years ago, Touratech came out with a new suspension line that Matt has already been testing thoroughly on his R1200GS. We saved up our pennies, and by mid-summer Matt had a Touratech Suspension Explore HP rear shock re-sprung and dialed in for my weight and riding style.



With a couple hours and beers and a mechanically-savvy husband, my F650GS now rides even better than new. My friend Angela and I recently took advantage of a beautiful afternoon to go ride around some dirt roads in the Cascades, and once again, I could not believe the difference I experienced. We got incredibly muddy and had a blast. Suspension that is dialed in to my size gives me the ability to ride faster and more comfortably in all terrain, from railroad tracks to gravely washboard and everything between.


Just a few weeks left before I get to really put everything through its paces on our big trip--can't wait!



Brayde
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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Coming Up with Our Route

While we don't want to have too strict of a schedule and route for this trip, our usual "fast and loose" attitude to travel probably isn't going to cut it on a huge trip with a set amount of time.  Looking at maps and tracing routes happens to be one of my favorite pastimes, so I don't mind doing a bit of research.

First thing we did is buy the biggest, most detailed, Mexico, Central, and South America maps we could find.  We had them laminated, then dedicated a wall in our home office to trip planning.  Using color coded stickers, we began to mark all the cities where we had friends, and all the sites we wanted to see along the way.  Doing this alone, just about traces a route for you; simply connect the dots.


The rest of the route planning has involved talking to a lot of our friends and contacts that have done similar rides in the past.  Our friends Hank and Alfonso who have ridden extensively in Mexico and Central America, gave us great tips on which roads to take, and which border crossings to avoid.  Our friend Dan sat down with us one night in his map room and traced out all the roads he's ridden during several trips to South America in the last few years.

While in Germany on a business trip, I was also able to connect with some friends and South American distributors for our company that gave me great advice and help planning the route.  Ivan from Peru stayed up late with me one night, just looking at maps.  The next night my friends Martin and Katja traced their route from their South America trip in 2008.  Talking to people with first-hand experience has been instrumental in the planning of our trip.

Brayde purchased several helpful guidebooks including The Adventure Rider's Handbook, and the Central America Handbook and South America Handbook by Footprints.  The Footprints handbooks have been very helpful. They go into more detail than you can imagine, have a variety of city, region, AMD country maps, and even go as far as to tell you which documents you need for each of the border crossings.  We highly recommend these books.

At this point, I think we've put together all the pieces of the puzzle and a rough route has taken shape.  This is by no means a set plan, and I'm sure we'll deviate from the route often as we find new things to explore.  Having a rough idea of where we're going will be helpful in planning mileage, budget, bike maintenance, and other important details of the trip.


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