Charlotte and I are on a motorcycle ride, and hope to continue this little adventure well into 2010, and maybe beyond.
I left the UK in March of 2009, solo, and crossed Europe and North Asia, before meeting Charlotte in Seattle at the beginning of September. We rode around North America on our two fantastic Honda dirtbikes for a few months, before starting a new project..
Updated. . .
I have spent a few hours updating some of the site, and there will me more to come very soon.
Photos and some words about the time Char and I have spent in USA and Canada.
Stage 1 - We meet in Seattle, Greyhound to Tucson, buy 2 bikes, and ride north to California
Stage 2 - Attend the Horizons Unlimited travellers meeting in Petrolia California
That's the lot for now, but I'm working on the most recent bit.
This is the route I took on my own from the UK to Magadan in Siberia.
About half of this was actually solo, as I met various other overland travellers along the way.
Simon was the chap that had the dubious pleasure of my company for most of North Asia.
We were put in touch via a motorcycle club in Kazakhstan, and rode together across Mongolia, to face the amazing ordeal of riding the Road of Bones.
Simon it was an absolute pleasure to travel with you. I have a great deal to thank you for. Without you, I think it's very unlikely I would have made it to Magadan. The Road of Bones was the highlight of my trip so far, something I have no hesitation in calling an adventure.
All about CHAR!
Char has her own page, read a bit more about her, leave her a comment, ask her questions. Click here.
A new project - Trading two wheels for four..
Ever on the lookout for a way to make an already complicated journey more difficult, we find ourselves with a new form of transport.
I'll spare you the long and laborious account of the transition, but in a nut shell it goes something like this:
I hear that a friend of a friend is getting rid of a beemer....
Cut a long story sideways, we're carrying out an experiment to see if this whole arrangement pickles our onion. Likelyhood is, that we'll do a 4-6 month long loop of Mexico, before returning to the US to switch back to the badass Honda's. Feel free to stage your criticism/advice/encouragement HERE..
The most important thing.
I can't stress this enough. The most significant thing I have learned from this trip, is how kind people are.
If I were to hear the stuff I preach now, before leaving the UK... I would disregard it as shitshitshit that didn't apply to real life.
I have been show such incredible generosity.
I have been put up in peoples homes for several months, had fuel/hotels/meals/bike spares/drinks/tolls paid for, by people that I have barely got to know.
Thank you to everyone that has helped me, I really do appreciate it. I am fully aware of the karma from which I have benifited, and seek to readjust to this inbalance.
In particular, I wish to show great thanks to:
Aleksander+family | Biker Safe House | Ante | Dario | Goran | Anton | Nikola | Fjaka | Ivan | Gasho | Bernard | Ognen | Tase | MaviGuestHouse | Ali | Burak | Bahadir | Jean | TiffanyCoates | Murat | Mirzo | Firuz | Laziz | VladTashkent | KaragandaBikePride | Dima | Zaya | RussianSniper |
Barbic | Roma | Evan | Artem | Susanne | Ljubov | SusumanPeople | Andre+Costya+Nadya+Sasha | Eugene | VladBike | Yuri+Joanna | Karl | Becky+Sean | Carl | Skip+Renatta | GSguy | SteveSF | Luke+Kate | Todd+Christina | Statdawg | Alex | Don+Joni | Randy+Sherry | Brett | Luke | Jenny | Skye+Mary+Bob+Zoe | Rob+Becky | Nicky | JavaBen | Stephen+Sharon | Ted+Jennifer | Tony+Liz | Evan+theconferencebike | Erdem | John+Lisa | Charlie+Kim | My Parents | Charlotte | DJOROB | NickFish | CharliesCycleCentre | HorizonsUnlimited | Grant+Susan | ADV | The people I've missed out.
A better form of Go. . .
I recently had the privilage of a demo ride on a couple of electric motorcycles, together with a tour of the manufacturing site and offices.
It seems ironic considering the fact I'm riding an internal-combustion-engined motorcycle such a long distance, but I'm developing a real intrigue for greener transport alternatives.
Jeff at 'Zero Motorcycles' very kindly took a fair chunk of his day, to give Charlotte and I a thorough tour of the business.
In answer to the questions that you may or may not be asking yourself: about 55MPH, anywhere between 35 and 60 miles, between $7,000 and $10,000, definitely, probably not and in the future, for sure!
Plans. . .
We're treating the trailer project as an experiment. The chances are, that we will spend 3-6 months riding a big tour of Mexico, before returning to America and the Hondas.
Right at this minute we are in San Felipe (Baja, Mexico). Yet again we have been extremely lucky; and met a couple of American enduro riders on our way from Ensenada to San Felipe. Charlie and Kim are top notch folks, and have helped us out tremendously. We're now staying in Charly's house by the beach, and plan to spend a month or so in this relaxed little town.
We were intending to ride Baja and then catch a ferry from La Paz to the mainlan. But the BMW plus trailer arrangement is just not any fun on the rough roads, and instead we'll probably ride the mainland South. We hope to stay in Mexico city for a while, ideally with Garry at his amazing motorcycle-overland-hostel (site here).
Then back to the States. I would love to do the Trans American Trail, with my top off road buddy Nick. There is also a lot in the USA that I didn't get a chance to see this trip, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and New Orleans to mention a few. It would be great to see some more in the bike friendly summer months.
Last Updated: Thursday 4th February 2010
Now somewhere near:
San Felipe, Baja, Mexico
www.GABE-RTW.co.uk
