The Cruise Is Off... for me at least

Looks like the cruise has gone down with the ship! Turns out there are no single rooms on board the Cruise Ship, so unless I want to pay twice the price, I've decided not to go on the cruise. I will instead meet the group on their return and ride the Argentina portion of the trip with them. Sharon and I are planning to do this cruise together next year instead!

Cuise To The Glaciers

Mountains and Ice

Looks like there's room at the bar!

The vessel "Mare Australis"

I recently found out that the trip to the southern ice fields of Chile includes a five day cruise.
January 21, 2011 will be the departure date for nine of us to leave Santiago, Chile and ride south to the town of Castro on the big island of Chiloe in southern Chile. There, the group will board the cruise ship "Mare Australis" for a five day cruise to the southern ice fields of Chile, specifically Laguna San Rafael. The equivilant of an Alaskan inside passage cruise. Upon returning to Castro we will again mount our bikes and head over the Andes Mountains into Argentina to the resort city of San Carlos de Bariloche. Although I've made that trip many times, the beauty of that ride always impresses me. After leaving Bariloche, we will ride north to the city of Mendoza before returning to Santiago once again. This should be quite the trip!!

Chile's Southern Ice Fields

At the invitation of my friend Guillermo, from Chile, I have accepted an invitation to join him and a group of his friends on a ride to the southern ice fields of Chile. This is an area of fjords, lakes and glaciers in some of the most remote reaches of southern Chile. Some of the most impressive scenery in the world can be found there.

I will arrive in Chile on January 4th, and the trip south will begin January 20th and last until the 31st. The days before we head south will be busy ones, as I will have to renew the registration of my motorcycle as well as have it inspected this year. I also want to put “Crash Bars” on the bike to avoid repeating the damage to the engine that occurred last year in the Atacama Desert. I also have to repair the right side luggage box that was damaged in last year’s incident. I have all the necessary repair parts that I will be taking to Chile with me.

Jack Roush's Jet Crashes At AirVenture

(Photo: Jon Whittle)

Probe Underway in Roush AirVenture Crash


The NTSB has scarcely begun its investigation of Tuesday evening's crash at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. According to EAA, NASCAR team leader Jack Roush, 68, was returning to Oshkosh after flying his P-51 Mustang back to Willow Run, Michigan. He had performed in the Mustang at the afternoon air show. At about 6:15 pm CDT, Roush and a passenger were on approach for Runway 18 at Wittman Regional Airfield in his Hawker Beechcraft Premier 1A. The twin-engine jet landed hard and skidded off the runway into the grass, spun around and broke in two. Though the engines continued to run for some time, there was no fire. Roush emerged with a bloodied face, was transported to a local hospital and was listed as in critical but stable condition. His company's website reports that he is expected to make a full recovery. His passenger, Brenda Strickland, 61, was also hospitalized with minor injuries, and then released. At his previously scheduled press conference, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt responded to a question about the crash. He said the NTSB is currently conducting its investigation. He said he expects video of the accident to be available for investigators, but added, "At this point, I know what all of you know."

More details, as well as a video taken before Mr. Roush exited the plane, after the crash, can be seen here: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/07/29/wisconsin.roush.crash/#fbid=hHIAuaNUXw3

Great Chicago Concert

Never fails!

The one and only "Chicago"

Looks great for 75 years old

Everything had wings!


Yesterday’s Chicago concert was fantastic. For as long as that band has been around, it still has not lost that unmistakable Chicago sound. The band played all their old songs as well as some new. The band has plans to play in Australia, South America as well as other location in the near future.
Mr. Edsel Ford of the Ford Motor Company, one of the largest sponsors of AirVenture, was on hand to help kick off the concert as well as to unveil the new 2011 Ford Explorer, a car that won’t be seen in showrooms for another six months. The Explorer made a grand entrance by flying in, suspended from a huge helicopter called the Ericson Flying Crane. I must say, I’ve never seen a car arrive quite that way before!
Another wonderful sight was the arrival of a large flight of Douglas DC-3’s that must have covered five miles of sky when they flew over. The DC-3 is celebrating its 75th year, and was credited by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower as “The plane that won WWII”. The DC-3’s here at Oshkosh are some of the few still able to fly. One plane belonging to Buffalo Airlines was on hand, coming all the way from Alaska where the Airline still flies passengers on a daily basis. It is the only regularly scheduled airline in the world still flying the Douglas DC-3.

Elkhart To Oshkosh

As far as the eye can see!

Yes...that is TP!


I left Elkhart, Indiana this morning, well before sun up and made my way to Chicago. I know I swore I would never go through Chicago again, but what can I say? Never say never, I guess. Since it was Sunday morning, getting thru Chicago wasn’t too bad.
As I arrived at the Oshkosh airport, I passed a line of hundreds of campers and motor homes parked on the side of the road. The line was at least a mile long without any exaggeration. Seems that due to all the rain recently, the campground had been closed last night and all those campers were waiting to get in and register at the campground. It looked to me that it would take an entire day to register that many people. Well, since I was already at the main entrance, I stayed there and talked to some of the people that were also waiting. After about an hour and a half wait, the entrance was opened and it was every man for himself. Long story short….I was number four in line 

P.S. The WiFi that ran throughout the campground last year has been removed, so there are only a couple of places to connect to WiFi in the campground. Thus, I will update as often as I can.

Made It To Indiana

Left the house a little later than I had planned because the weather had conspired against me and formed a "Perfect Storm" over the entire route I had planned. I had planned to go through Canada to Michigan, then north to the Mackinac Bridge and on to the upper peninsula of Michigan. I would then head east and south to Green Bay, Wisconsin and then on to Oshkosh. That was the plan, but as we all know, plans change. Looking at the weather radar this morning, it looked as if I could take Route 90 west to Rout 80 and stay just under all the bad weather to the north. This did indeed work out very well. I only encountered a few drops of rain the entire day. It was actually very hot and sunny most of the day.
I decided to quit for the day when I reached Elkhart, Indiana. Now the problem is that a gentleman at the hotel told me that Chicago has been hit by severe flooding today, shutting down some of the area Interstates. Great!! Just what I need. As if driving through Chicago isn't a big enough pain in the butt. I had said I would not drive through Chicago again, but it looks like I will be going through it once more.
Oh well, I will be in Oshkosh tomorrow morning.

"The Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration"

Experimental Aircraft Association's "AirVenture" starts next Monday, and as I have for more than ten years, I will be riding my K1200LT to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for a week of everything aviation. There's some big things happening this year, like a free outdoor concert on Monday by none other than "Chicago". The largest gathering of
Douglas DC-3 aircraft since WWII, among other events. I will be posting updates here as well as on my Facebook site, so stop back often for updates. (click on the picture above or the word "AirVenture" above to go to a very nice video about AirVenture. Put the cursor over the video then click on the control bar at the bottom to go full screen. That's the way it should be viewed.)

Horizons Unlimited News Letter

The Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travelers news letter for May and June is out. If you are interested in motorcycle adventure riding, then this is something you should read.
May and June News Letter here.
Visit the Horizons Unlimited Web Site here.

In Boston For A Family Reunion

Although I went to North Carolina earlier in the season, this is the first real motorcycle trip this season. I am in Boston at the moment for a family reunion that will be held Saturday, and is the first one in quite a few years. The last reunion was held on Cape Cod at the home of Bob Riley of "This Old House" fame with Bob Villa. Bob Riley is married to one of my cousins and worked for quite a few years on "This Old House" along with Bob Villa. Today I took a ride to see my Grandmother's old house in West Roxbury, a suburb of Boston. As I arrived, I had the good fortune of having Jack (the new owner) out on the front lawn, so I approached him explaining who I was and asked if I might be allowed to photograph the house. Jack right away said “of course” and was even gracious enough to show me through the house and show me all the remodeling he had done. The interior was basically as it was in the time when my Grandmother owned it, although Jack had opened up some walls and made other changes. The house looks very nice, inside and out! All my childhood memories were still in that house!

TOURATECH FALSE SECURITY !!

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!

Touratech Aluminum Cylinder Head Guards for the BMW R1200GS are an expensive aftermarket cylinder head guard that in my opinion are nothing more than an overpriced piece of Aluminum. This past January, while I was riding in the Atacama Desert of South America, my bike went down due to an unseen deep patch of sand in the road. The first thing to go flying off the bike was the Touratech Cylinder Head Guard on the right side of the engine allowing a large stone to puncture the cylinder head cover and allowing all the engine oil to spill out. This is the very thing that this $200.00 guard is supposed to guard against, and it FAILED the very first time leaving me stranded in the desert 50 miles from anything. I would suggest that if you are looking for protection for the cylinders on your R1200GS, you save that $200.00 and put it toward a good set of crash bars, like I plan to do.

Back From North Carolina

On the Blue Ridge Parkway

Memorial to the victims of Flight 93 that was downed on 9/11

My new pickup, that I happened to find just by chance on the way back from N.C.

Just back from a quick trip to Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This trip was not a pleasure trip, but a trip to see my Mother who is in ill health. On the way back to New York I decided to stay off the Interstate and take only back roads to NY. While following my GPS, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It had been a few years since I had been on the Parkway and it was a very nice ride on a day with perfect weather. Continuing northward, I stopped in Shanksville, Pennsylvania at the memorial to the Flight 93 victims of the plane that was downed on 9-11. Continuing on, I passed through the town of Bedford, PA and spotted something I've been looking for, for quite some time now…a Ford F-250 Super Duty 4X4 pickup truck on the lot at Bedford Ford. Now, I have to return to Bedford, PA this coming Thursday to take position of said pickup truck. Hopefully it will be a nice day to ride back to Bedford, PA.

Riding Season Is On It's Way

With the riding season coming at us at full speed, I've started to plan my first trip of the season. While watching the National Geographic Chanel, I came across an interesting piece of information. Oil exploration began in Titusville, Pennsylvania. I'll bet you didn't know that! I didn't either. I'm going to take a ride to the "Drake Well Museum" just outside of Titusville, Pennsylvania to see the first oil drilling rig that started our dependence on oil.

All eMail Communications

A reminder to anyone sending me eMail while I am in South America. Please send ALL eMail to: thebmwrider@live.com I can not respond to eMail sent to my Roadrunner account while overseas. Thanx

Cleared For Takeoff

The time has arrived, and by the time most of you read this, I will be on my way to Chile for two months of sun and motorcycles. What more could one ask for in the middle of winter in western New York? My first stop will be to the airport in Buffalo to catch a flight to Boston. From Boston, it's off to balmy Miami, Florida. In Miami I will board a late night overnight flight to Santiago, Chile and SUMMER!!!! Tough job, but someones got to do it. Make sure you check out the other web site for updates. (see below) Now, I have to go work on my tan!

Remember The New Web Site

By the end of this week, I will be riding my motorcycle under the warm South American sun. This Wednesday I leave for Chile, and I just wanted to remind any of you that are interested in following my trip, that you will have to go to http://samotoadventures.blogspot.com/ because that is where I will be posting all the news regarding my travels in South America. See you there.

Rubby Tuesdays In Santiago

I came across this picture on the Internet, and it somehow looked VERY familiar. You can frequently find my motorcycle parked on the sidewalk here, and my butt parked at the umbrella table on the left of the picture (that's MY table), at about 4:00 in the afternoon (Happy Hour). This is just two blocks from where I stay in Santiago. The street is called Isadora Goyenechea, and is full of great outdoor eateries in the best part of Santiago. It's often referred to as "The Manhattan of Santiago". The storefront just behind the umbrella on the left, is the old "Hooters Restaurant" that unfortunately closed last year. Very sad! Directly behind where this picture was taken, there is a little side street, and on the other side of the side street is "Starbucks".