Over the last few days there has been much discussion on the North American section of the trip. The original itinerary was to head for Tok in Alaska and then on to New York. The distances and time remaining mean much of this would be on dull freeways, with long hard days.
To me Tok is an odd inflection point in the route. I can understand riders wanting to get the Alaska passport stamp, or wanting to go all the way up to Prudhoe Bay, but Tok feels like an odd middle point. It is neither the quickest way to get the Alaska stamp or the top of the Pan American highway.
I've ridden twice in the US previously, my job means I will regularly visit in the future. I'm going to have more opportunities to ride the many interesting parts of the various US routes being discussed. On the other hand, I will probably never ride up to Prudhoe Bay. I will certainly never do it after having just ridden up from Ushuaia again. For this reason my personal goal is to reach Prudhoe Bay and complete the ride from the bottom to the top of the American continent.
This will add around 6 days - 3 from Tok to Prudhoe bay, and three back down. While it would still be possible to do this and then ride to New York to make the shipping date, there would be no slack time and some very long days.
There have been some organisational changes in my company while I've been away, for this reason I am now probably going to ship the bike back from Canada after reaching Prudhoe bay and then fly to San Fransisco. I can then visit the head office and meet with my managers before heading back to London. There will be some additional costs doing this, but it gives me a much easier schedule and I think it is the right thing from a work perspective too.
Friday, 6 May 2011
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Panama
On arriving in Panama city, the impression from the taxi was of a modern American city. We saw many big American brand names and franchises, sky scrapers and a clean, safe city. Suddenly we left this behind and appeared to be in a post-apocalyptic world of derelict buildings, slums and heaps of rubbish. The hotel itself was not too bad at first, though more hostel than hotel.
A 5 minute taxi ride took us to the old town, and a third change in environment. This time it was colonial architecture housing posh bars and restaurants, a fitting environment to finally celebrate completing the South American section of our ride (over 8 thousand miles).
Unfortunately when we arrived back at the airport the next day (slightly hung over) to pick up our bikes, eight bikes including mine had been delayed by a day. We took the opportunity to visit the local bike shops. Phil and I now have new rear tyre (the third of the trip so far) - something I was rather worried about not finding before we reach North America.
The next day we did finally pick up our bikes, and after several hours waiting for customs to follow their bureaucracy we were on the road again. The start of our Central American section.
A 5 minute taxi ride took us to the old town, and a third change in environment. This time it was colonial architecture housing posh bars and restaurants, a fitting environment to finally celebrate completing the South American section of our ride (over 8 thousand miles).
Unfortunately when we arrived back at the airport the next day (slightly hung over) to pick up our bikes, eight bikes including mine had been delayed by a day. We took the opportunity to visit the local bike shops. Phil and I now have new rear tyre (the third of the trip so far) - something I was rather worried about not finding before we reach North America.
The next day we did finally pick up our bikes, and after several hours waiting for customs to follow their bureaucracy we were on the road again. The start of our Central American section.
Bogota
The hotel owner lead us to the road that would start our last riding day in South America. While passing through town the bike was running very hot, despite the temperature being only 20C. Once we got to the mountains the bike was still 1-2 marks on the temperature gauge higher than I would expect. I put it all down to a dirty radiator or maybe slightly low water levels, so decided to ease off a bit and stop at the next garage.
We climbed higher and higher, through fog and mist. All the time dealing with a large number of trucks in both directions. As we started to drop down towards the next town the batter warning light came on. Again I decided to press on and get to the town, rather than stop on the mountain pass.
A few km further on the engine management warning light started showing intermittently. Within minutes I had no power and pulled in to stop. With flashbacks to the electrical issues I had in Morocco, I thought this could be the end of my trip. I then remembered that both Andy's Harley and Phil's KTM had both had loose battery cables and than this could be simple explanation. I unloaded and removed the seat. To my relief the positive cable was loose. We jump started the bike and I was off again. I assume the heating issues earlier were down to the fan not working due to the loose battery connection.
I also noticed lots of cyclists, complete with Lycra kit. Columbia is visibly more affluent than many of the other countries we have passed through.
On arriving at the hotel in Bogota, in a quiet neighbourhood of mid range hotels and hair dressers, there was none of the vibrancy that makes South America special. At the end of an amazing South American leg there was a slight feeling of anticlimax. Spending the next day at the airport (completing the paper work to ship our bikes to Panama) did little to improve how we felt.
Our flight the next day was scheduled for 4pm. This gave us most of the day to do a bit of shopping and visit the local bike dealers. We started with BMW, mainly a car dealer but a few riders got some of the parts they needed. Next it was on to KTM, but as we arrived we noticed there was a Triumph dealer next door.
We were given a warm welcome, and a tour of the workshop in order to show me the tires that were for sale. They were race prep'ing a Daytona 675 - the first in Columbia. I always have a soft spot for 675s as I had one as my second bike. The only rubber available was a part-used race tire, so we moved on to the KTM shop.
The KTM shop put every other KTM dealer I have visited to shame. Most of the powerparts catalogue was out on the shelves. Phil bought replacement pads and levers, we both bought new tank bags. It was a shame we did not know about this place in advance as we could have ordered new tyres and also got our servicing done if we had known. Even the soap, towel and sink in the toilet was KTM orange.
Finally we set off for Harley Davidson to pick up some parts for Andy. The dealer was located in an up market area, after leaving the dealer we had some great noodles in the restaurant opposite. There were lot of other interesting looking bars and restaurants. We barely scratched the surface of Bogota, but my impression was of a city with much to offer, rather than the claustrophobic place that had been suggested by others.
We climbed higher and higher, through fog and mist. All the time dealing with a large number of trucks in both directions. As we started to drop down towards the next town the batter warning light came on. Again I decided to press on and get to the town, rather than stop on the mountain pass.
A few km further on the engine management warning light started showing intermittently. Within minutes I had no power and pulled in to stop. With flashbacks to the electrical issues I had in Morocco, I thought this could be the end of my trip. I then remembered that both Andy's Harley and Phil's KTM had both had loose battery cables and than this could be simple explanation. I unloaded and removed the seat. To my relief the positive cable was loose. We jump started the bike and I was off again. I assume the heating issues earlier were down to the fan not working due to the loose battery connection.
I also noticed lots of cyclists, complete with Lycra kit. Columbia is visibly more affluent than many of the other countries we have passed through.
On arriving at the hotel in Bogota, in a quiet neighbourhood of mid range hotels and hair dressers, there was none of the vibrancy that makes South America special. At the end of an amazing South American leg there was a slight feeling of anticlimax. Spending the next day at the airport (completing the paper work to ship our bikes to Panama) did little to improve how we felt.
Our flight the next day was scheduled for 4pm. This gave us most of the day to do a bit of shopping and visit the local bike dealers. We started with BMW, mainly a car dealer but a few riders got some of the parts they needed. Next it was on to KTM, but as we arrived we noticed there was a Triumph dealer next door.
We were given a warm welcome, and a tour of the workshop in order to show me the tires that were for sale. They were race prep'ing a Daytona 675 - the first in Columbia. I always have a soft spot for 675s as I had one as my second bike. The only rubber available was a part-used race tire, so we moved on to the KTM shop.
The KTM shop put every other KTM dealer I have visited to shame. Most of the powerparts catalogue was out on the shelves. Phil bought replacement pads and levers, we both bought new tank bags. It was a shame we did not know about this place in advance as we could have ordered new tyres and also got our servicing done if we had known. Even the soap, towel and sink in the toilet was KTM orange.
Finally we set off for Harley Davidson to pick up some parts for Andy. The dealer was located in an up market area, after leaving the dealer we had some great noodles in the restaurant opposite. There were lot of other interesting looking bars and restaurants. We barely scratched the surface of Bogota, but my impression was of a city with much to offer, rather than the claustrophobic place that had been suggested by others.
Day 2 in Columbia
Our second day in Columbia has confirmed my initial feelings, Columbia is simply spectacular. The standard of living is so much higher than else where in the region, and in a big contrast to say Chile, the people we meet are happy and eager to talk to us. We stopped for lunch at a road side restaurant after seeing smoked fish hanging over a fire. The freshness of the fish was confirmed when we saw that they all came from a small fish farm behind the owners house.
The road surfaces are often poor, but I have the right bike to deal with this. The long travel suspension soaking up the bumps with only the odd clunk from my still slightly maladjusted headstock causing issues. Eventually the twisting mountains gave way to flatter land and dual carriage way. After several hundred km of easy riding we arrived in the rough location of the hotel.
Unfortunately not one of the locals we asked really knew where the hotel was. The most intense storm of the trip then hit us. Previously I said it was like riding with a tap on over my head. This time it was like constantly having bucket of water emptied over us. The road turned in to a river and visibility was on occasion reduced to zero.
Eventually the rain subsided and after riding up and down the same road several times we eventually saw the faded sign, facing the wrong way for the directions we had, and made our way down a gravel track to the hotel. To our surprise we were the first riders to arrive.
The road surfaces are often poor, but I have the right bike to deal with this. The long travel suspension soaking up the bumps with only the odd clunk from my still slightly maladjusted headstock causing issues. Eventually the twisting mountains gave way to flatter land and dual carriage way. After several hundred km of easy riding we arrived in the rough location of the hotel.
Unfortunately not one of the locals we asked really knew where the hotel was. The most intense storm of the trip then hit us. Previously I said it was like riding with a tap on over my head. This time it was like constantly having bucket of water emptied over us. The road turned in to a river and visibility was on occasion reduced to zero.
Eventually the rain subsided and after riding up and down the same road several times we eventually saw the faded sign, facing the wrong way for the directions we had, and made our way down a gravel track to the hotel. To our surprise we were the first riders to arrive.
To Columbia
After making good progress we arrived at the Ecuador / Colombian border. The Ecuador exit was quick, though in retrospect we suspect we might not have correctly exported the bikes. Entry to Columbia was also going well until a severe thunder storm struck. Several of us were waiting in the customs office, the only real problem appeared to be that they had a TV showing the royal wedding, but then after a particularly loud and close lightening strike the power went off. First it was just the lights, then the printers and photocopier and finally all the computers. This meant the process had to be completed by hand.
Many hours later we were on our way and by this time the storm had moved on (in the direction we were heading). Southern Columbia is simply spectacular. I was a little apprehensive as I knew the ride would again involve high mountain ranges with roads cut in to the steep rock faces, but the views were breathtaking.
We eventually caught up with the storm. It was like riding along with a tap constantly running over my head. We also encountered land slides and and one point had to ride through a section of road being pelted by small rocks being washed down a by a cascading waterfall.
Despite the poor weather it was still a fantastic ride and Columbia is already a highlight for me.
Many hours later we were on our way and by this time the storm had moved on (in the direction we were heading). Southern Columbia is simply spectacular. I was a little apprehensive as I knew the ride would again involve high mountain ranges with roads cut in to the steep rock faces, but the views were breathtaking.
We eventually caught up with the storm. It was like riding along with a tap constantly running over my head. We also encountered land slides and and one point had to ride through a section of road being pelted by small rocks being washed down a by a cascading waterfall.
Despite the poor weather it was still a fantastic ride and Columbia is already a highlight for me.
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