Doce uvas. (Twelve grapes.)

Feliz Nuevo Ano!

Tonight, and it is night 0200 horas local tiempo, I'll tell the story with photos (which ended up in reverse order).

Skittish but friendly.

Carlos as a clown that tasts like rotten lizard.

Jorge y los ninos.

Los ninos.

Friendliest dinner ever.

Los ninos y una tia.

Seafood lasagna, camarones con garlic y pepper, oysters, turkey, black beans,  salad, .. 

Pisco sour y cerveza y Jorge y mas y muy bueno!

y uno mas tiempo.

Seafood lasagna y turkey.  Too good to properly describe!

Camarones y garlic y peppers y Pisco Sour y vina...

Just the back yard...

Ahhh

Donde esta Carlos?

Udder Romance

Magazines with pictures of cows. Si no entiende, pregunta.

We had a beautiful bbq dinner with a Carlos, Helga, Lucas y Josefa.  Appetizers were a Peruvian dish much like pico de gallo and mild olives typical de Chile.  Dinner was streak and zuccini from the grille. La vida buena!

Pebre 

El ron y el pisco 

Jim y Carlos

You may have noticed that I'm slipping into Spanglish.  That is a direct result of the "forbidden fruit" and the taste test it precipitated.  The winning rum was from Cuba.  The winning pisco was from Carlos' father.  Pisco is a spirit distilled from fermented white grapes.

The bikes are going to be delivered!

...on Monday. =(

This is the fallout from the idiot shipper who couldn't plan for the US Government to be closed for Thanksgiving in the US.  Not only were the bikes late, but they arrived during a week when almost nothing gets done here.

On the bright side, there really is no better place to be stranded than here.  Carlos and Helga continue to shower us with hospitality.

Two more days of chilling then we should have the bikes on Monday.

Good News, Bad News

The good news is, we are having a great time in Santiago.  The bad news is, we are having a great time in Santiago.

Cafe  Bombon

Ahhhhhh

We are still hopeful that we'll get the bikes tomorrow.  We are waiting for one more document then the bikes are free.  If we get them tomorrow all is well, if we don't then <shrug>.

This is how we will feel if we don't get the bikes soon.

Practicing our formation sitting.

Never the way you planned…

Never the way you planned…

But that is part of the fun.  Jim and I met at the Seattle Taproom in SeaTac.  After enjoying a couple beers with lunch we were greeted by a small boy, 3 or 4 years old, walking by our table pulling his bag.  He said “Hi.” So we both replied then he looked at us and said, “You’re old.”   We laughed, tables around laughed and the father was aghast! He wasn’t far off the mark.  After 4.5 hrs to Dallas and 9 hrs to Santiago, we feel old.

We departed on a typical Seattle winter day.

Santiago!  First I need to say that Carlos Grez, USNA ’89, has gone above and beyond the call in supporting us.  Because of the failed attempt to get the bikes to Chile before us we have become ensnared in red-tape.  He has cut through it like a Ninja!

The ship arrived today.  The deconsole, unloading the ship and de-consolidating the load, can take 24-72 hours.  We may have the bikes tomorrow or the next day.  As it is, we are  both so tired we could sleep that long without a problem. 

Once we have the bikes we are going to shoot for the border of Argentina.  The sooner we get out of Chile the less we pay in temporary import duties.  Because we will be riding the bikes when we come back to Chile we’ll dodge that bullet coming  back.

We were able to spend some time in a Chilean Bank with Carlos.  We had to go to the bank to process a warrant for customs funds as part of the temporary import.  The bank was packed with people.    Apparently, even though internet is reliable, available and affordable and many people have it, they don’t trust making transactions electronically, so they go the bank for many simple financial transactions.   Most gas stations even have free internet.  Pull up, get gas, check email!   If you are reading this in the US, try to recall the last time you went to the bank.  Here it can be a 3 hr ordeal if you don’t have an account at that bank and you are just going in to pay a utility bill.

Carlos is a fountain of knowledge and speaks English better than Jim!  Here is one tidbit, in Argentina you probably won’t find free wifi at gas stations, so just go to a mall and you probably will.

After the rain in Seattle and jetting to another continent, this is where we ended up!

Casa Grez

Jim is snoring while I post this picture taken just a few minutes ago.

We're going to a soccer game tonight.  

14 Days Until Departure, Titles in Hand

We have the titles in hand, now we just need to figure out which hands need them in Chile.  The bikes should be sitting on the dock in Manzanillo, Mexico, waiting to be loaded onto the next ship, the Verrazano Bridge, this vessel will take the bikes the rest of the way to San Antonio, Chile.

The Verrazano Bridge:

15 Days until departure, Internet Magic

The ship the bikes are on is the Izu, registered in Panama.


At this link you can find out information about the vessel.  You can also track it live!

It looks like it will be able to get back on schedule (it was late leaving LA with the bikes).

16 Days until Departure, Bikes are on the ship.

Good news is the bikes are on a ship headed to the port of of San Antonio, Chile.  The bad news is that it is the wrong ship.  They should have already arrived in Chile.  Bob, bob@smellybiker.com, the return shipper has been on top of helping us get possession of the bikes.  Bob clearly understands that a motorcycle adventure without motorcycles is just some guys sitting around grousing.  Bob has been great at trying to find solutions to a problem created by another shipper.  Thanks, Bob!

22 Days until Departure. Blogging tune-up

Continued quiet on the preparation front.  Jim is in town and we'll have dinner tonight and decide how do deal with the shipper's mistake.  The bikes will definitely not get there before us.

The bikes are scheduled to arrive in the Port of San Antonio on the same day we arrive at SCL airport in Santiago.  The port is about 2.5 hrs away from the airport. I'm leaning to going straight from the airport to the port and working to get the bikes as soon as possible.

The only thing to be sorted out in that event is storage of the crates.  Carlos has kindly offered to store the crates at his house, but that is about 3 hours away.  We may do better to find cheap or free storage in San Antonio.  If anyone has a connection in San Antonio, Chile and can help us out, we are all ears.

The bit about "blogging tune-up" is because this is the first blog post I am making using email.  This will simplify drafting posts when we don't have an internet connection.  Judging by the paucity of posts from the Polish rider I've been following, http://www.jantarek.com/, it can be difficult to find internet where we are going.

Change from one of the earlier posts, this is the jacket I'll be wearing (Thank, Renee!)

25 Days...148 Years

148 Years is how long Thanksgiving has been an official holiday for the United States Government.  That is relevant because the fact that US Customs is closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday, and that our shipper didn't anticipate that, is his excuse for not getting the bikes on a ship that will have them in Santiago before us.  The shipper has known that we wanted the bikes in Santiago before 12/28 since March 2011.  Yes, nine months...there is no excuse for that kind of incompetent boobery.

Now, instead of our bikes waiting for our arrival at Carlos' house we will have to go to the port and push to get our bikes as soon as possible.  I was mentally prepared for delays in South America.  I wasn't really prepared for delays caused by screw-ups when planning time was unlimited.

40 Days until Departure... Problem! Problem! Problem!

We got word from the shipper today.  The bikes are now at the dock finishing up the last paperwork.  That is all fine except the the scheduled voyage does not get the bike to Valparaiso until 12/28.  Jim and I arrive on 12/28.  The plan was to have the bikes there and ready to go in the hands of my friend Carlos.

We may yet get the bikes on an earlier ship, but if not Jim and I discussed the delay and worst case is we'll have to hang out in the area around Santiago, Chile, and Mendoza, Argentina, and enjoy the wine county, riding and let the Dakar Rally come to us.

Jim also suggested that after the rally and a taste of Bolivia it might be good to go see Alejandro Braceras in Buenos Aires if we miss the Atlantic Coast on the first pass due to shipping delays.

I enjoy the lack of a fixed plan...

45 Days until Departure and All is Quiet.

Two days ago I delivered the bike to the shipper in Bellevue.  Mark N. and Keith Cline helped with the delivery.  It was a beautiful sunny day in the lower 60's so the ride was nice.  It was fun to ride the bike through the front door of the shipping company and park it on carpet in their lobby.

Not much to do now but get on a plane!

47 Days until Departure, Bikes ready to go to the Shipper!

Gerry's bike is the Blue and Orange 2007 KTM 990 Adventure S.
Jim's bike is the Black and White 2010 KTM 990 Adventure R.

The bike are fully loaded in these pictures.  They will be dropped off at the shipper at lunch time today!

51 days are rushing by…

but, there are also 51 days
dragging out. Mix a little anticipation with apprehension, toss in some anxiety,
and that is what is going through my head. I dropped the bike off at Gerry’s
last weekend, now it’s out of my hands until December 28th (if all goes as planned). Gerry has taken on the shipping duties from our end, with his friend Carlos in Chile, and all I can say is thanks. It was tough to see my prepped 990 in the trailer for what seems like the last time.

Now, the issues of “what” have I forgotten are ricocheting around my head. Prior to turning over the bike, we did an inventory of gear and equipment. Gerry has the primary tool kit; I have the tire changing/repair equipment. The goal is to minimize weight by eliminating redundancy. But the nagging questions remain; what did I forget to do to the bike? What did I forget to ship with the bike?

My collection of gear-

Gerry’s paraphernalia collection-

To help answer my questions, I looked over the photos from a trip this last June across the Great Divided Basin in south central Wyoming. Asking the question, what did I need and not need with me. For most of the day I did not see another sole, antelope, wild horses yep, saw them, but not another sole. Knowing that you are totally on your own is an intense rush of adrenaline. At the same time you realize just how small you really are. Help is a long way away. The nearest paved road is over 50-miles away, but which direction? That’s the Oregon Buttes on the western horizon. There are times when the GPS does not always correlate with the actual road in these areas.

Oh and do you ever want to twist that throttle on a simple gravel road. However, one simple fact must remain in your mind; you’re out there on your own. Sliding out or high-siding could lead to a long cold night. I managed to drop my bike in the driveway at the start of this trip. With the appropriate technique I can get the 990 back up on its wheels. But, a crash in rocks, or sand at any speed calls the uninvited laws of physics into play, and they generally don’t play nice. Which explains why riding is so therapeutic, you must stay focused in the moment. Which proves my theory; if I was riding right now, I would not be pondering what I forgot.

Unbelievable, I just noticed the tabs for my bike expire on Dec 31, 2011. This could have been a big problem.

57 Days...Almost Ready

Jim was out this weekend.  His bike is ready except for new tires (which I will take care of this week).

I need new tires and to fix the two steps backwards for the three steps forwards.  I got all the maintenance but the tires finished but had more help than I needed...  One bolt got stripped and the harness for the rear cylinder O2 sensor was damaged under a crash guard clamp.  Apparently this is a pretty common error.  I'll fix the harness and the stripped threads this week and we'll be ready to ship the bikes next week.

This photo shows most of our stuff scattered on the floor.  I'll be happy when the shippers have the bikes and it will be useless to worry about over/under packing.

59 Days to go. Jim is ready!

Jim has finished all of his bike prep.  He'll be bringing his bike to Washington today.

Jim is going to bring the little TTR, seen in the background of the above photo, so we have a pit bike for the Dakar.

I should be able to finish up on Saturday.

74 Days until Departure, Last Big Pieces in Place

We have finally put the last major pieces in place.  We found a shipper to get the bikes to Santiago:

Mike Morrison
mike@pakmail726.com
Pak Mail

2620 Bellevue Way NE

Bellevue, WA 98004

V. 425.803.0627

F. 425.803.2916

www.pakmail726.com

And a return shipper:

Bob Morley

global.biker@gmail.com

SSL Consolidation

Napoleon 3565, Officina 1007

Santiago De Chile

Contact in Santigo is: Luis Echenique <luis.echenique@sslconsolidation.cl>

And to top it off, Carlos Grez will store the bike crates for us while we are in South America so we don't have to drop about $400 to build new ones at the end of the ride.

-Gerry

T-77 days and I’m starting to panic

For some, a little background information is always helpful,
so here I go…As is usually the case, this adventure like most, was born
from consumption of massive quantities of alcohol, which just might be
something your parents never told you. It all started approximately 3-4 years ago. The allure of “Dakar” was hot and heavy in our minds as the race
was underway in Argentina, and I was facing my upcoming 49^th birthday.

Now I’m not sure why but I’m rather lucky in that I have a
really understanding wife, Patty, who has given her blessing on my motorcycle
adventures, even if that includes entering the Dakar. Her only condition for me
entering the Dakar race is that she gets to ride along in a support truck, that
and the funding issue.

I started riding and racing motorcycles back in the 70’s,
raced motocross in high school. I gave up racing and dirt bikes when I started
college, started a career and did not get back into bikes until 2001. I went
almost 20-years without a dirt bike, and yes, there was something missing in my
life, a twisted throttle. In 2002, I started racing desert again, and life is good.

It was not long after that point in time that I meet Gerry and
the world, as I knew it would never be the same again. I worked with Gerry’s
wife Renée for several years before Gerry and I actually met. Renee keep
telling me he was from Wyoming, which is where I grew up (ya really, like that
will ever happen). Well what happens when you get two “old boys” from Wyoming
together and there are no sheep…that’s another story for another day. At that
point in time, Gerry was riding a BMW 1100 RT. His exposure to dirt riding was
very limited (probably need to stress the very limited part). A friend loaned
an old DRZ400, or something along those lines to Gerry for a day ride.

Several months go by, and I get an e-mail from Gerry, he had
just bought a used KTM 520exc, his first real dirt bike. At that point in time,
I was riding a 2001 KTM 520mxc. While they are great machines, they are not for
beginners. So with some level of apprehension I started riding with Gerry. I
watched him throw that bike, and then the bike would throw him, similar to two
pigs wrestling in the mud. After about 4-6 months of trail riding in the tight
woods of the Washington peninsula, I talked Gerry into trying his first desert
race, “there a desert race in Idaho, let go”. I enjoyed it. Gerry on the other
hand kept stammering about how scary fast it was, how sand is different that
hard packed dirt, and that massive (in his mind’s eye) rock ledge he carried
his bike up and over. Strange, I don’t remember any rock ledge. I know for a fact that Gerry never used 5^thor 6^th gear in that KTM.

Now I should point out that Gerry is an uber-geek to the
nth-degree, an engineer who does crash-accident investigations. Every crash he
has taken has been over-analyzed within seconds of picking himself or the bike
up. Myself on the other hand, I’m just a trained observer, with an uncanny ability
to point out the obvious. I have watch Gerry hit the same tree twice, within
the span of one week.

Our bike of choice for this adventure is a pair of KTM 990
Adventure (coincident on the name of the bike? I think not). Over the past 12
months I have managed to put over 11,000-miles on my bike, with several long
trips thrown in for good measure (Las Vegas, San Luis Obispo, Seattle and
Denver). I started off my trip this spring to Denver by dropping my 500-lb bike
in the driveway, as Patty watched, while I was trying to get on the tall bike.
I’m vertical challenged, being just over 5-9, and I managed to hook my paint
leg on the foot peg as I was getting on. Needless to say, I could not reach the
ground as I pushed off my left foot to the right side. Only a few minor
scratches on the bike that and a broken seal on the right side pannier.
(Pannier: motorcycle suit case).

Getting back to South America, we are slated to depart in
less than 80-days. We are both going over the spread sheet which Gerry has put
together, and yes, I have been accused of being anal by more than one close
friend. But this spread sheet is impressive and extensive.

Currently we are both starting to prep our bikes in
preparation for crating them up and shipping to Santiago, Chile. Gerry is at
his bunker in Shelton, me in my garage in Idaho. The leaves are starting to
change colors, it’s getting colder, time is starting to run short and I still
need to get that seal fixed on my pannier.

jim

91 Days until departure, Shipping and riding.

Things are heating up with shippers.  We have found one reasonable rate to get the bikes to Chile.  We are waiting for a couple other quotes before we pull the trigger.  Getting the bikes back may take a bit more effort, but that direction is not time sensitive since we can give power-of-attorney to our friend in Santiago if all else fails.

Jim and I finally got to go on something like a substantial ride.  Last Saturday we rode 450 miles from the Seattle area to Pendleton, Or.  On Sunday we split up and he headed home to Boise and I returned to Redmond.  A great time was had by all.

View to the north of Washington & northern Oregon.

I had tracking from the Spot on the entire ride.  The waypoints stay on the FindMe page for two weeks.  Click through to see any current check-ins.


Note to self: Be more conservative about getting gas, even if that means some back riding.  I pulled into Desert Aire, WA, with 197 miles on the tank.

101 days - Missed connections

Jim and I have been trying to get together for a shake down ride.  Our schedules never seem to work out.

Jim has been doing a lot of long distance riding related to work.  I've been doing a lot of commuting on the 990.  It is a great commuting ride, feels like playing in traffic on a hooked up powerful dirt bike.

One of my early concerns was being skilled enough on the bike to be able to handle riding in heavy traffic while lost and confused in a foreign city.  I figured there was time to learn since I'd have the bike for 1-1/2 years before departure.  I was right.  It has been a great bike to ride but not the most forgiving.  On my very first commute in  June of '10, it was raining (it was Seattle after all).  I was on I-5 in light traffic.  All of a sudden traffic came to hard stop in front of.  No sweat, I have lots of room, easy rear brake and we'll shut her down.  PROBLEM, it locked the the rear brake faster than instantly!  No sweat, let off the rear brake. PROBLEM, the engine braking was enough to prevent the rear from hooking back up.  Seemed like forever to get the clutch pulled (was probably just a fraction of a second).  Ok, note to self, it is a tall bike, it wants to lift the rear on braking and the rear is best used like a dirt bike for steering, not for any substantial slowing, and be ready with the clutch if you do.

Now that I have all the gear I intend to bring to South America now I've got to sort out packing.  I've had all but the new cot on the bike and there is plenty of room.  The bike still rides well all loaded up, which is exactly why we went with larger bikes rather than smaller bikes.

We are stilling up in the air on shipping.  We found a great shipper to get the bikes to Santiago for $637 per bike.  But we haven't been able to find a return shipper.  We are looking for help.

135 Days until Departure, Nitty Gritty

With the help of a classmate who lives and works in Chile we have been able to make reservations in the one city along the path of the Dakar Rally where we want to spend a few days.  The race takes a rest day in Copiapo, Chile, and races a loop back to Copiapo.  We'll get to the area the day before the race, get to watch it arrive, watch a day of racing with little travel, hang out during the rest day then watch the race depart.  We'll get to see lots of racing without having to worry about covering ground ourselves.

We'll be staying at Playa la virgen in cabins.  Carlos says it may be the nicest beach in Chile.  We'll be looking forward to showers and a break.

We've put a call out to friends and acquaintances for contacts in Lima, Peru.  We'll be in need of bike maintenance and help getting around in a city of 7.6 million people would be nice to have.

162 Days to go. Make Lemonade!

My Lenovo W510 had been having trouble with its optical drive and during startup.  There were updates for both.  The optical drive update went fine.  The BIOS update failed at the restart.  That motherboard will never start again...

I am trying to figure out what I want to do for a full size laptop and there was nothing immediately available in Olympia.  So I got a Toshiba netbook.  I can do most of my work, just with a slightly cramped keyboard and slow processor, but it is amazing what you can get for $250 out the door.

The lemonade is that now I've got a small computer for the trip to South America!

167 Days Until Departure. Shakedown, Shots & Lights.

Jim and Patty stayed with us at the lake this week.   Jim and I did some work on his bike (oil drain valve, oil change, heated grips).  Jim and I got to do a little shake down riding in the Olympics and two trips to Seattle.

While in town Jim and I went to Travel Medicine LLC and met with Dr. Francis Reido.  Jim got 5 shots, with two more to come.  I got 2 shots.

Jim's dose.

Jim loved this part.

I don't mind the shots too much. =)  Maybe they'll cure the goofey grin.

We also got prescriptions for malaria drugs, altitude sickness, antibiotics and loads of good advice about staying healthy while traveling.

Jim has the European headlamp on his 990, KTM Part No. 60014001000.  It is one of the commonly recommended upgrades for the bike.   The Euro light has two bulbs for high and low beam instead of one, the low beam stays on when the high beam is on and the reflector is improved.  We did a side-by-side comparison.  I was so impressed I ordered mine from www.blackdogcw.com the same day.  The new light arrived today and will be installed this evening.

184 Days Until Departure, Dry run with HD crowd.

I've never much cared for riding in large groups.  When you can't pass someone who is doing 10 under because it would split the group...it may be time to quit riding in the group.

Had a nice ride to the Ocean Shores, WA, with a buddy who's club was putting on a poker run.  The visiting with folks at the stops was nice but as the ride progressed the number of bikes continued to climb.  Snzzzzzx.  I had enough of moving in formation at USNA, I don't need more now.

When we got to the hotel on the beach all the HD riders pulled into the lot. I kept riding straight to the beach.  The speed limit on the beach is 25 mph.  Turns out you can do a wicked power slide between 10 & 25 mph.  Big old smiles in the sand.  Just for hoots I rode the bike over a log on the beach.

The ride back was MUCH better because it was just KP and me riding at whatever pace we liked on whatever route we liked in perfect weather. =)

As much as I don't like formation riding.  I think there are a couple things Jim and I can do to facilitate non-verbal bike-to-bike communication.

Last piece of luggage arrives this week, a Beta bag from Wolfman.  A rotopax 1 gallon fuel tank should be with it.  With those I'll be able to do a complete packing and go for a dry run with Jim when he arrives in a couple weeks.

202 Days until Departure. Spanish and y Espagnol

Jim and I are both working on our Spanish for the trip.  I have no prior experience with learning Spanish.  I have good comprehension of French from 3 years of study.  Mostly that is just confusing me since when I can't figure out how to say something in Spanish my brain wants to default to French.

Biggest lesson learned so far:  The verbs convey much more information in Spanish than in English.

Jim y yo estamos trabajando en nuestro español para el viaje. No tengo ninguna experiencia previa con el aprendizaje del español. Tengo una buena comprensión de la lengua francesa a partir de 3 años de estudio. Sobre todo que se me acaba deconfusión ya que cuando no puedo encontrar la manera de decir algo en español de mi cerebro quiere por defecto al francés.

Mayor lección aprendida hasta el momento: Los verbos transmitir mucha más información en español que en Inglés.


I used translate.google.com to generate the Spanish.  The good news is that I can read and understand it.  There is hope that I'll be able to do more than order a beer and find gasoline.

205 Days 'till Departure. Farkles

I bought the 2007 Adventure S with 4000 miles on it.  I am the 4th owner.  When I looked at the bike I told the guy selling it that I needed to talk to my wife about it.  He said "You'll never buy it then.  None of us (the two prior owners were friends of his) asked our wives."  My immediate thought was, yeah, and in 4 years none of you had ridden it on any "adventures".  I've had the bike for 1 year this month and I've put almost 5,000 miles on it.  Gerry, one year, 5,000 miles vs. Three other guys, four years, 4,000 miles.  I win! And that was only having fun.

The bike came with several farkles already.

Already on or with bike:
     Wings Exhaust
     Saito Heated Grips
     Caribou Side Cases
     KTM Low Seat (Gave this one to Jim)
     Corbin Low Seat
     Air horn (Not sure of brand)
     Stock and high windshield (I cut down the aftermarket shield and use it)
     Stock and 1 tooth smaller countershaft sprocket (I reinstalled the stock)
     Centech AP-1 aux power panel (not installed, but now in the space there the ABS isn't)
     KTM Hard Parts crash bars
     KTM Tank Bag

Done since purchase:
     Removed SAS and installed Black Dog SAS blanking plates.
     Installed Garmin 655 (XM antenna in right fairing)
     Flapectomy
     Canisterectomy
     Move air horn to  canister location
     Installed high fender and fork guards (note, the S and R suspensions have different mount points on the forks for the guards)
     Installed BMW style aux power on left side.
     Black Dog skid plate
     Black Dog side stand reinforcement
     F-109N Quick Oil Drain Valve
     CJ Designs Footpeg extensions
     KTMTwins foam pre-filter.

208 Days 'till Departure. My Riding Suit!

My riding gear arrived today.  I bought the jacket used and saved about $400.  I had the jacket refurbished at Aerostich, which was surprisingly affordable.  I purchased a new electric liner that zips in, because it is cold on the Altiplano.  The pants are the matching Aerostich Darien pants.

The jacket is nice and comfy now.  The pants will need some breaking in.

T-211 Days...My ride.

2007 KTM 990 Adventure S

T-211 Days... Planning

The way our itinerary gets set is by suggestions and ideas, often communicated over a beer or via IM.  Both Jim and I would like to see Machu Picchu.  Jim's wife, Patty, and her sister are considering coordinating a trip to visit it with us.

Once a seed like that is planted it leads to research.  Starting from the vague idea, "I'd like to see Machu Picchu." leads to google fun.  It turns out that for a quick visit to MP we need to take a train to the small town of Hot Water (Aguas Calientes) and catch a bus up the mountain.  Basically it is a minimum 3 day commitment to see Machu Picchu.  I've got to admit I'd love to see Machu Picchu, but I'm not really phsyched about being away from the bikes for 3 days.

Like any plan, things are subject to change. Who knows, maybe we'll see them in Cusco but not go to Machu Picchu with them.

T-213 Days: Some of the bike prep.

Getting the bikes just right has been fun.  The time spent pondering, shopping, waiting, planning leads to days where a bunch of stuff is accomplished all at once.

When Jim's bike went on the lift for mods we did a little time lapse video.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_tlzMYR6FM

T-214 Riding Gear

Just got an email from Aerostich.  My riding gear is on the way.  I bought a used Aerostich Darien jacket and send it back to the factory for refurbishing.  Also on the way are new Darien pants and an electric liner for the jacket.

The last major purchase will be the top luggage.  Currently leading option is a waterproof soft bag for the top.

Renee will be happy that all the big purchases are finally out of the way.  She's the best wife ever!

I will be wearing an Arai VX-Pro3 helmet and will probably chose to wear my Sidi Crossfire boots.

Same clothes for 6 weeks.  Probably will not want to carry them on for the return trip!

T-215 Days How to track us.

While in South America I will be using a SpotII Messenger.  It is a gps tranceiver.  It finds it location using standard GPS methods but then can share its location via a satellite link.  Most check in locations will be posted to my Facebook page.  You can also see locations at the Spot Message pages:  http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0Sz9AVYL8qxjdgFFHu6C5Jnh8qlJ1JM1T  A convenient link to this site is on the right side of this blog.

It is my plan to update at least once a day.  If we are somewhere really interesting I'll leave a mark (lol) there too.

In addition to location I can send status information, indicating all is ok, all is not ok but not life threatening or Yikes! Help! which will also notify an international Search and Rescue outfit.

T-215 Days

In celebration of Jim's 1st half-century, he and I will be shipping our KTM 990 Adventures to South America where we will spend a couple weeks chasing the Dakar Rally then spend another few weeks just goofing off and riding.

We have purchased bikes, Jim a 2010 990 Adventure R and I a 2007 990 Adventure S.  We acquired almost all our riding gear and equipment, bags, fuel cells, GPSs.  We have done gobs of bike mods like flapectomies, SASectomies, canisterectormies, BlackDog skid plates, air filter mods, luggage systems, supplemental power outlets...  I'll try to make a blog that lists all the mods at another time (If someone requests it I'll do one sooner.)

Dates are firm.  We have plane reservations that depart the US on 27Dec2011 and return to the US on 10Feb2012.  We are flying in and out of Santiago, Chile.  I have a college classmate who has agreed to help us get the bikes into and out of Chile. It's very nice to have some local help.

Now the devil is in the details.