go to most recent entry

entry 1: choosing the wheels: 03/15/05
I was assigned, and relished, the task of finding a good mount to get us down the road. When I started to look for bikes to take on this trip, my research concluded that the Kawasaki KLR 650 was the best bike for the job. Rugged, inexpensive, easy to work on ...more >

entry 2: shedding the old life : 09/15/05
Once we realized that we wanted to do this adventure, we also realized that it was going to take selling our home of nine years to finance it. When we purchased the home in 1996 all of the rooms were white except for the kitchen. After eight and a half years we had managed to re-paint the kitchen, pantry, back stair case and main floor bath. I figured at that rate it would take us about thirty-six years to get the house ready to sell...more >

entry 3: denver, colorado to coeur d'alene, idaho 09/25/05
We are finally on the road! After seven months of planning and anticipation we officially left Denver on Sept. 16 th. With all of our possessions now loaded the bikes have assumed the profiles of small motor-homes. We have learned the lesson of parking the bikes so you can ride out without one of us pushing the other backwards. Our first stop was Grand Junction, CO...more >

entry 4: coeur d'alene, idaho to port angeles, washington 10/02/05
The Coeur d’Alene resort was quite a nice place to hold up during a rainy weekend. We pampered ourselves in the hot tubs and pool and then had some great chow at the restaurants. We had been doing pretty good staying within our budget and agreed this was our once-a-month splurge. The area and town of Coeur d’Alene was recommended by our nephew Ray and he was right. l...more >

entry 5: victoria, bc to tillamook, oregon 10/09/05
We awoke to the sound of the alarm clock. Crap. I don’t miss those things one bit! The ferry ride from Port Angeles to Victoria, B.C., required us to tie our bikes to the “bulkhead” of the boat. I had asked how this was done before getting on and the lady in the ticket booth said “Oh, the loading crew will help you with that.” Of course...more >

entry 6: bandon, oregon to santa rosa, california 10/16/05
This week will be spent traveling down highway 101, hugging the coastline we have rarely seen. It will cover the last part of Oregon and bring us into northern California, where the cow pastures start turning into vineyards and the roads start to wind through Redwood forests. The town of Bandon, OR, was our first stop this week and it turned out to be a quasi fishing/art town....more >

entry 7: san francisco, california to carmel, california 10/23/05
Vacation week! I know, I know, most people would see us as being on the vacation of a lifetime, but when you’ve been on the road for five weeks – mostly in hotels – it’s nice to unload your bikes and give your backside a rest. We have arrived at Carol and Bill’s home in San Jose, CA...more >

entry 8: san luis obispo, california to san diego, california 11/07/05
Back on the road we headed south on highway 101 and spent the next two days riding at 75 mph, which after the slow coastal road of Highway 1, seemed like madness. The towns of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara brought us the Terminator (now the Governator) and Spanish Missions...more >

entry 9: tijuana, baja california to la paz, baja california sur 11/21/05
Mexico at last! We had done some preparation for the border crossing at Tijuana, such as acquiring our Tourist Visas, Motor Vehicle Insurance and asking about a vehicle permit. A gentleman at the insurance agency said that you could obtain the vehicle permit, which is required if you plan on getting off of the Baja peninsula down the road, after crossing the Mexican border. Having sat through three semesters of Spanish over the last two years...more >

entry 10: la paz, baja california sur to mazatlan, mexico 12/07/05

As we were winding our way south through La Paz, road signs appeared with the word “Sorriana”. After a half mile or so we saw a shopping center with the same word on it and as we needed a few hard to get items, such as read/write CD’s and Skippy peanut butter, we decided to pull in...more >

entry 11: mazatlan, mexico to san miguel de allende, mexico 12/19/05

Our stay in Mazatlan was one that you would expect from a good tourist port in Mexico. Good hotels, clean restaurants, plenty of taxis and of course Senior Frog’s. I have never been in one of the restaurants, but their clothing and promotional stores are as popular as Starbucks coffee shops in Seattle. The beaches were great and we somehow avoided getting burned...more >

entry 12: pachuca, mexico to oaxaca, mexico 12/28/05

Leaving San Miguel and its gorgeous zocolos (plazas) we headed southeast - taking roads that would allow us to bypass Mexico City. In Italy they say “all roads lead to Rome” and you could say the same for Mexico City - except the road signs refer to the city of 18 million as only “Mexico”, which at first was a little confusing...more >

entry 13: veracruz, mexico to chetumal, mexico 01/12/06

After leaving Oaxaca we headed north to Veracruz, passing the volcano Orizaba, which is Mexico’s highest peak at 18,854 ft. Its impressive height allowed us to see it more than 50 miles away - and then our route took us right past its base. It impressed us even after living next to the Rocky Mountains for twenty-five years. The rest of the ride had great valley views...more >

entry 14: belize 01/28/06

The ride from the border to Belize City takes only a few hours - even though riding speeds rarely exceed 45 mph. The biggest difference from riding in Mexico is that the road signs and billboards are now all in English. After trying to translate everything posted on the roadsides for two months it was like having put on magic glasses that do all the brain work for you. This magical power also carries over...more >

entry 15: guatemala 02/18/06

The border crossing from Belize to Guatemala took a total of 90 minutes. Upon reaching the border, we were immediately approached by money changers and tramadors (border guides) but we declined their offer of services and found the paperwork to be straightforward and fast on the Belize side. After paying an exit tax of $18 each, we rode under the border arm and into Guatemala....more >

entry 16: el salvador 02/24/06

We left the creature comforts of Guatemala City and headed for El Salvador, hoping the crossing at Valle Nuevo would be uneventful. The ride was easy enough but the tranquility soon ended as we neared the border. You can tell you’re at the right place, even though you can’t see any signs that say “El Salvador This Way”, because of all the young men ....more >

entry 17: honduras to nicaragua 03/04/06

We were up and on the road by 7:30 in an attempt to beat the heat and to reach the El Salvador/Honduras border before the crowds - we had heard that this might be the most complicated crossing of all Central American borders....more >

entry 18: costa rica 03/26/06

Pura Vida. Pure Life. This is the national slogan of Costa Rica and they take it seriously. To us it could have meant, “you made it!” This border crossing was the most straight-forward of all previous border crossings with the exception of the US/Canadian border. It had a well-shaded parking area with a very noticeable lack of street kids, border guides and money changers. No human swarm of any kind. And there was another obvious absence.....more >

entry 19: panama 04/06/06

Crossing into Panama was very similar to crossing into Costa Rica. The exit from Costa Rica was completed within an hour and at one main complex and entry into Panama was also housed in one building. Again, allow at least two hours for processing. Fumigation papers in Panama are very important as you will be asked by police checkpoints on down the road to prove you have been fumigated. In reality we paid for, but were never sprayed for, fumigation.....more >

entry 20: ecuador 05/04/06

Stroll South America! After a three hour layover in Bogotá, Colombia - still dressed in shorts and t-shirts, we found ourselves on South American soil about 16 miles south of the equator. At 9,252 feet above sea level and with light rain falling, it was a cool (50 degree) Quito evening. I admit the curious child in me made me flush the toilet four times just to watch the water swirl counter-clockwise down the drain.....more >

entry 21: galapagos 04/29/06

Islas Galapagos. In their beginning, violent volcanic eruptions - today, a living example of peaceful coexistence. For us, well, it turned out to be an adventure of a lifetime. We found a pretty good deal through Safari Tours in Quito, so we booked a “last minute” 8-day cruise on the MV Eclipse - and what we found can only be described as amazing.....more >

entry 22: peru 06/01/06

Entered Peru on the 6th of May. The border crossing was very low key but for some reason, persons holding foreign passports were delayed for several hours, which was not a good thing as we didn’t show up at the border until 1 pm. Lynne passed the time by helping one of the border officials with his crossword puzzle and I spent the time.....more >

entry 23: chile 06/17/06

After having traveled through Mexico, all of Central America, Ecuador and Peru, entering Chile felt like we were crossing back into California. The desert was still all around us but the border signs advising visitors of immigration rules and regulations were written in English and Spanish and.....more >

top of page