Bob's Motorcycle Adventures

2012-01-02T18:52:00.002-05:00

Off to Toronto bright and early tomorrow morning to start the long trip to Chile for two months.
Go to HERE for all updates.

EAA AirVenture 2011 Next Week

2011-07-18T10:07:00.002-04:00

Early this coming Saturday I will be hitching the camper trailer to the bike and heading though Canada to the upper peninsula of Michigan, then over the Mackinac Bridge down to Green Bay and finally to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. EAA AirVenture is the worlds largest celebration of general aviation. Play the video below to see what it's all about.

Stay tuned here for updates from EAA AirVenture 2011!

Update From Sunny Chile

2011-02-09T08:59:00.005-05:00

Lago Llanquihue and Volcan Osorno

Things are warm and sunny here in Chile, and much has been going on. If you've missed any of the action, you can always see what's happening in the land of warm and sunny at my South American Moto Adventures site. Just click on this link: http://samotoadventures.blogspot.com/ C'mon in, the water's fine!

The Cruise Is Off... for me at least

2010-11-18T12:45:00.000-05:00

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

2010-11-13T17:15:00.005-05:00

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

2010-10-21T13:44:00.002-04:00

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

2010-07-29T17:57:00.005-04:00

(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

2010-07-27T18:30:00.008-04:00

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

2010-07-26T10:07:00.005-04:00

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

2010-07-24T20:07:00.003-04:00

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"

2010-07-18T12:10:00.014-04:00

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

2010-07-06T03:50:00.007-04:00

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

2010-06-11T19:17:00.004-04:00

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 !!

2010-04-19T08:57:00.007-04:00

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

2010-04-04T20:53:00.009-04:00

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

2010-03-10T18:41:00.002-05:00

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

2010-01-11T08:58:00.002-05:00

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

2010-01-05T19:06:00.003-05:00

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

2010-01-04T14:08:00.002-05:00

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

2010-01-03T06:52:00.007-05:00

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".

Dakar...Chile / Argentina 2010

2009-12-31T04:19:00.003-05:00

Para todos que tienen interes en todo lo que es Dakar 2010, puedes ir a este sitio: http://www.emol.com/especiales/2010/especiales/deportes/dakar_2010/index.asp

Carretera Austral

2009-12-13T11:20:00.004-05:00

Anyone interested in reading about the Carretera Austral, the road that I explored on last years trip to Chile, might be interested in reading this article. Travel writer Colin Barraclough, along with a good friend, recently made the journey to Chile, to drive a 330 mile section of the Carretera Austral, and he chronicled his experiences for the Boston Globe. You can read his impressions from the road in a story posted here. A word of warning however, after reading this article, you just may be booking a trip to South America.

Things Are Looking Up

2009-12-04T14:31:00.003-05:00

BMW has returned to its sences, and brought back the RED R1200GS after a year of absence.

Likely “The Last Time…”

2009-12-03T20:42:00.006-05:00

Few planes in the history of aviation are as well known as the Douglas DC-3. The DC-3 was the plane that pioneered the Airline Industry around the world. As anyone that regularly reads this blog knows, I ride my motorcycle to Oshkosh, Wisconsin every year for the week long "EAA AirVenture". EAA AirVenture is the largest aviation event in the North America. EAA has recently announced that probably the largest gathering of Douglas DC-3's ever, will take place at AirVenture this year to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Douglas DC-3. AirVenture will take place, July 26 - August 1, 2010. Read more here.

Dakar Rally announces 2010 route in Argentina and Chile

2009-11-25T10:24:00.003-05:00

Sands of time: the 2010 rally begins in Buenos Aires on Jan 1 Photo: GETTY IMAGES

The route for the 32nd edition of the Dakar Rally begins in Buenos Aires on Jan 1 and ends in the Argentine capital on Jan 16.
Held over approximately 9,000 km the race passes through Chile and will spend seven days in the Atacama desert, known by experts as the driest desert in the world.

Dakar Rally route:

In brackets total distances/specials.

Jan 1: Buenos Aires - Colon (317 km)
Jan 2: Colon - Cordoba (652km/219km special for motorbikes, 684km/251km special for cars)
Jan 3 : Cordoba - La Rioja (626km/294km special for motorbikes, 687km/355km special for cars)
Jan 4: La Rioja - Fiambala (441km/182km special)
Jan 5: Fiambala - Copiapo (629km/203km special)
Jan 6: Copiapo - Antofagasta (670km/483km special)
Jan 7: Antofagasta - Iquique (598km/418km special)
Jan 8: Iquique - Antofagasta (641km/600km special)
Jan 9: rest day
Jan 10: Antofagasta - Copiapo (568km/472km special)
Jan 11: Copiapo - La Serena (547km/338km special)
Jan 12: La Serena - Santiago (586km/238km special)
Jan 13: Santiago - San Juan (434km/220km special)
Jan 14: San Juan - San Rafael (796km/476km special)
Jan 15: San Rafael - Santa Rosa (725km/368km special)
Jan 16: Santa Rosa - Buenos Aires (707km/206km special)

The good news is that the Dakar race will be coming south in Chile as I'm heading north, so I should run into the Dakar this year.

North To Alaska.......The Route

2009-11-22T04:25:00.004-05:00

The route I plan to take to Alaska will take me from home to Toronto, Canada, then north around Georgian Bay, over the top of the Great Lakes and across the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Albert, British Columbia, The Yukon Territory and finally into Alaska. I figure it will take about eight days to get to Alaska. The return trip will be just the reverse.

Alaska

2009-10-28T19:07:00.007-04:00

Welcome
Lots of great information in here in great detail

Yes, Alaska! The planning phase of a motorcycle trip to Alaska has begun. I have been toying with the idea of going to Alaska by motorcycle for quite some time. Although the ideal motorcycle to take to Alaska would be the bike I have in South America, the BMW R1200GS, I will probably make the trip on the BMW K1200LT that I have here in the States. One thing that I have to find out before I go is, where are the paved roads, because the K1200LT is not the bike you want to take down a wet, muddy gravel road, as it weighs in at nearly 900 pounds before you load it up. I just ordered and received the latest copy of the "Mile Post" for 2009. An inch thick publication, the Mile Post touts itself as "The Bible For North Country Travel" and is packed full of all kinds of information about traveling to Canada and Alaska. Now....to plan the trip.

Re-thinking Next Years Motorcycle Adventure To South America

2009-10-08T04:03:00.009-04:00

Geysers in the Atacama Desert of Chile. Photo by Eric Cleaveland
Well, I had thoughts of heading back south to the Carretera Austral in January, but now, after talking with my friend Eric Cleaveland, who last year rode his motorcycle from Ushuaia, Argentina to Alaska, I am now contemplating going north in Chile to the Atacama Desert. Eric tells me "It's worth the trip". Others have also mentioned that the desert in northern Chile is quite spectacular. It is the dryest place on Earth, and it is said that there are parts of it where it has never rained. The good thing about going north is that I can pretty much count on good weather. One thing is for sure.....I'll know when I get there!

**UPDATE**
I have made the decision....I will be going to the Atacama Desert of Chile for sure. I am also going to go into Bolivia, since I will be so close to the border when I reach San Pedro de Atacama, adding yet another new country to the list.

Great Day For A Ride To Niagara Falls

2009-09-13T19:49:00.007-04:00

Maid Of The Mist

Today turned out to be a great day to ride the bikes out to Niagara Falls. Joe and Howie stopped over this morning and we rode out Route 104 to the Falls. After walking around the American side for a while, we went up to the observation deck where there was a spectacular view of the entire Falls. On the way home we stopped in Johnson Creek, where Sharon met us for some hot wings and cold beer.

Announcing A New Site For My South America Adventures

2009-09-10T14:22:00.007-04:00

Starting on January 7, 2010, the date that I will arrive in Santiago, Chile, there will be a new Web site dedicated to all my South American motorcycle adventures. All my adventures in one place. If you would like to follow my travels in South America, please go to this link and bookmark it so you can return often. Here it is: http://samotoadventures.blogspot.com/ I will be keeping you updated every chance I get.

Thinking About Next Year's Motorcycle Adventure

2009-09-06T22:57:00.004-04:00

This is the place where Felipe went to Villa O'Higgins, and I went to Chile Chico and on to Argentina
I have been giving some thought to where I will go when I arrive in Chile this coming 7th of January. I have DirecTV here at home, and one of the channels offered is a feed direct from Chile called "TV Chile". TV Chile offers all the latest news and a great deal of programing direct from Chile. I've been watching a program that shows a great deal of the tourist attractions in Chile, and I am getting the itch to head back down to the "Carretera Austral" where I visited this past year. My thought, this year, was to go to the very end of the Carretera Austral that ends in Villa O'Higgins (Lat -48.458467, Lon -72.553602) Last January and February I made it almost to Villa O'Higgins, but because of the fact that last years trip objective was to go all the way to Ushuaia, Argentina, I had to turn east into Argentina before reaching Villa O'Higgins. (Picture above) The Carretera Austral is a rough gravel road that runs down the middle of the Andes Mountains in extreme southern Chile. It is some of the most scenic areas of this planet. Since I'm going to be in South America for almost two months, I should have plenty of time.

Motorcycle Video - Chile and Argentina

2009-08-17T09:37:00.010-04:00

This morning I received an email from an adventure motorcycle tour company called Moto Quest Tours / Alaska Rider Tours. I met the founder of the company, Phil Freeman, at the BMW Motorcycle dealer in Rochester, NY about a year ago when he gave a presentation about riding in Alaska. (A future trip) Any how, the reason for this post is to show you a video from Moto Quest Tours of their ride in Chile and Argentina. The reason I wanted to post this is because it shows in good detail the kinds of sights and scenery that I rode thru this past January and February. I actually rode on many of the roads in the video. So, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeQB7V2v4Tg Enjoy!!

$100 Dollar Pancake

2009-08-16T11:40:00.012-04:00

They arrived in all kinds of craft

A Cessna 140 from the '50's

Two classics, an Aircoupe and a twin engine Beech 18

A Russian Anatov An-2 from Geneseeo, NY

This morning Sharon and I flew the 1200LT over to the Ledgedale airport in Brockport, NY for a pancake breakfast put on by the EAA Chapter 44. There was quite a crowd there and many airplanes of all types. Everything from a homebuilt Ultralight to Cessna 140 dating back to the early '50's all the way to a large Russian Anatov AN-2 from Geneseeo.

A Ride To Duluth, Minnesota

2009-08-02T12:57:00.011-04:00

The last "Whaleback" ship

Nasty accident

Engulfed in flames

On Wednesday I made the trip to Duluth, Minnesota to the Aerostich Rider Wear factory to buy a new rider suit. For some reason I thought the ride would take three hours but actually was five and a half one way including stops. On the way back, I stopped to take a picture of a ship at the museum in Superior, Wisconsin, just across the water from Duluth, Minnasota. Turns out the ship, that to me looked like a cross between a submarine and a lake freighter is the last of its kind. It's called a "Whaleback". It's the "SS Meteor".

On Friday, I took a ride to the Ultralight plane area of the airport to watch them take off and land. I then rode over to the Sea Plane Base, that is located on nearby Lake Winnebago. On my way to the Sea Plane Base, I had to detour due to a very serious accident involving a pickup and a motor home. It did not look good! Later on Friday I decided to pick up my toys and head for home, so I broke camp and headed out. Due to my impeccable timing, I reached Chicago at the height of rush hour. Three hours later I was south of Chicago. I will never go thru Chicago again!!!!!! I made it to the east side of Gary, Indiana before calling it quits for the night. I'd had enough after having to deal with the bumper to bumper in Chicago. Did I mention I'm never going thru Chicago again? Any way, I was up early on Saturday and on the road by 5:30am. Somewhere in Ohio I encountered a Minivan on the opposite side of the thruway and there was a small amount of flame coming from the underside of the vehicle. I called 911 as did others, but in less than five minutes, the van was engulfed in flame. Too bad! If anyone had been carrying a fire extinguisher, the van could have been saved.

And that is the end of another motorcycle trip to Wisconsin and back.

Tour Of The Airbus A-380

2009-07-30T21:43:00.007-04:00

The A-380

The largest and the smallest. This little plane was brought to Oshkosh inside the belly of the A-380
In the upper deck
Thursday July 30

The big deal today was my chance to board the largest airliner in the world, the Airbus A-380. Boarding started at 10:00am this morning and as hundreds of other people, I took my place in line in the rain. After an hour and fifteen minutes, I stepped inside the cabin. The plane that is here at AirVenture is the second one ever built, and as such is a test bed for the Airbus company. What I mean by that is that this plane is not full of seats, but mostly test equipment. This plane is used to test various layouts that a customer may require. The large gray barrels you see in the pictures are used to add weight to the plane to simulate the weight of passengers or other things. Never the less, this is a huge plane. We boarded near the rear of the plane and proceeded to go to the second level via the rear spiral staircase. As we made our way to the front of the plane we returned to the main level by a large much wider staircase that brought you to just behind the flight deck. Off limits, of course. As a mater of fact, you weren't even allowed to bring a back pack on board.

BIG !!

2009-07-29T22:49:00.014-04:00

White Knight II

Eric Lindbergh
Sealing the deal
Airbus A-380

Monday and Tuesday

The first two days of EAA AirVenture 2009 have been BIG to say the least. On Monday we saw the arrival of “White Knight II”, the aircraft that will carry "Space Ship Two"and eventually take people into space. The aircraft is a joint venture between renowned aircraft designer Burt Rutan and Sir Richard Branson, and a deal was signed at AirVenture on Tuesday, between Virgin Group and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi. The deal is a 280 million dollar investment giving the Abu Dhabi firm a 32% share in Virgin Galactic.

The big, and I mean BIG thing on Tuesday, was the arrival of the largest airliner in the world. I'm talking about the Airbus A-380. A double decker aircraft capable of carrying a maximum of 500 passengers. It flew over the crowd of thousands to demonstrate the capabilities of the huge plane, before landing and taxiing to Aeroshell Square, where it dwarfs everything in the area, and will remain on display until later in the week.While wandering around the vintage aircraft area in the afternoon, I ran into a young pilot that I had the pleasure of meeting a few years ago. This young man flew a small plane SOLO across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris, France. His name is Lindbergh... Eric Lindbergh, grandson of the other famous Lindbergh... Charles. Eric was gracious enough to allow me to take his picture. Thanks Eric.

One Day To Go

2009-07-26T20:00:00.007-04:00

Sherpa K300 bush plane

A different kind of Ford...a Ford Tri Motor

$100 give you the chance to win this one of a kind Ford Mustang built especially for AirVenture.
Although AirVenture doesn't officially start until Monday, I got a sneak peek this afternoon and found everyone hard at work getting their respective displays ready for the morning. Tomorrow morning there'll be a mad dash for the gates! Here's a little of what I saw. Remember, there's more in the photo gallery.

First AirVenture Update

2009-07-25T16:46:00.004-04:00

The trip to Oshkosh was a long one. Before leaving home, I studied various routes to get me around Chicago and all the road construction that goes along with that city. So, I chose to take route 294 North, just to the west of Chicago. Boy was that a mistake! There was more construction going on in that area than there had ever been in the City itself. The tie-ups were horrendous and there was no getting around them. After about twelve hours of riding, I’d had enough and found a motel. The weather was closing in on me and I was ready to stop for a while.

This morning, refreshed and re-invigorated, I rode the last hour to Oshkosh. After checking in at the main gate, and getting all my passes and what have you, for the week, I went to find my usual spot in the campground. As you can see from the picture above, I’m all set for the week, and just waiting for the gates to open on Monday.

EAA AirVenture 2009 Coming Up

2009-07-21T09:58:00.005-04:00

This coming week end I'm off to Oshkosh, Wisconsin on the motorcycle, to the annual EAA AirVenture. “The Word’s Greatest Aviation Celebration”, one week of everything aviation. One of the biggest attractions (no pun intended) this year is the largest commercial airliner in the world, the Airbus A-380. It will arrive on Tuesday. I will be updating the site from AirVenture and should have lots of pictures.

Back From Detroit

2009-07-20T09:12:00.008-04:00

Ford Model "T"

The original Kenneddy car
Some early motorcycles

The town center

Driven from southern Chile to Dearborn, Michigan

The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village are well worth the trip. The museum complex houses some of the rarest and best collection of cars, planes, inventions and memorabilia from the days of Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers and beyond. Things you will see nowhere else. An incredible collection from all over.

Sharon and I left home on the K1200LT at 6:30am on Friday and headed to the Lewiston bridge to get into Canada and head toward Detroit, Michigan. We hit some rain on the way, but as we neared Detroit, the sun came out and stayed that way until we left to come home on Sunday. We went direct to the Marriott (the worst Internet connection ever) on the outskirts of Detroit and checked in.

Saturday morning we headed over to the Museum to spend the day exploring all it had to offer, and it was a lot! After a full day at the museum, we found a great Irish Pub where they offered some exceptional Prime Rib and cold beer.

On Sunday we headed back home and the closer we got to New York, the crappier the weather got, but the trip to the Henry Ford Museum is definately a trip you want to make. Go to the "Photo Gallery" to see the rest of the pictures.

2009-07-14T04:02:00.011-04:00

The Henry Ford Museum

Dearborn, Michigan is the home of "The Henry Ford Museum". Sharon and I will be riding the bike to the museum later this week. The museum complex also includes "Greenfield Village", an area of historic buildings and attractions, including Thomas Edison's Menlo Park Laboratory, the first light bulb, a real "Model T", a Ford Tri Motor, the car that President Kennedy rode in on that fateful day in Dallas, and many more historic artifacts. The ride to Dearborn should take us about five hours, going thru Canada. I'll post pictures in the "Photo Gallery".

New Addition To The Blog....VIDEO

2009-07-01T18:02:00.004-04:00

I'm trying something new on the Blog, Video! With the release of the new iPhone 3G S, and now the phones ability to record video, I thought I would attach the phone to the bike on my trip to Pennsylvania and see what it would do. I shot some video on Route 184 just to see how well the phone records video. Other than some unexplained waviness at times on the screen, I think it takes a fairly good video, given the constraints of the phone. I've uploaded the video to You Tube and you can see it by going here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBP3gncTUi4 Don't expect too much! Remember, it's only a test.

Piper Aircraft Museum

2009-06-28T09:19:00.006-04:00

My guide, Pauline
Bill Piper's silver Cub and far left, his Buick convertible

My visit to the Piper Museum was exceptional. Since the small town of Lock Haven , Pennsylvania was having a parade down on Main Street for some reason, I had the entire museum to myself and the person in charge had the time to give me a personally guided tour. My tour guide was Pauline, a very pleasant woman who it turns out was a personal friend of the Piper family, and so, had a great deal of personal information to share. The museum is small, but has a great display of the history of the Piper Aircraft Company as well as a small hangar with some of the most beautifully restored Piper aircraft I have ever seen. There is also one of Bill Piper's own personal J2 Piper Cub and his Buick Convertible among others. I had to ask Pauline, why the Piper Cub owned by Bill Piper was silver and not "Cub yellow"? She explained that, that particular model was built before Bill's father, William Piper, chose the now famous color yellow for the Piper Cub. Seems the first Piper Cubs were silver. For more pictures, go to the "Photo Gallery".

Kent, NY to Lock Haven, PA

2009-06-26T21:20:00.004-04:00

The rain Gods were against me today! I left the house this morning at 10:30 and I didn't get twenty minutes away before the rain started. I pulled into the gas station in Elba, NY and waited for the rain to pass, then continued on. As I got south of Batavia on route 63, the sky got uglier and uglier, until again drops started to fall, so I turned around and returned home. By 4:00pm in the afternoon, the skies where sunny and warm, so I dicided to take off again. This time, by the time I reached the area near of Mt. Morris on Route 390 south, I had to put on my rain suit as I would ride in and out of rain showers for the next three hours. Nearing the Pennsylvania border, I rode out of the band of rain that was traveling west to east, and the sky became sunny again.
The ride thru Pensylvania was very nice, especially an area on PA. Route 284. Turning off of Route 15 south onto Route 284 near Buttonwood, PA, the road tuns into a narrow two lane road that winds thru the valley and along side a small stream. The road is a joy to ride since it winds thru a forested hilly area. Great fun on a bike! Four hours after leaving home, I arrived in Lock Haven.

Off To Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

2009-06-23T17:11:00.010-04:00

Route to Lock Haven, Pa.
Piper Twin Comanche

The weather for this week end is looking good, so it looks like I will be pointing the bike toward Lock Haven, Pa., and the home of the Piper Aircraft Museum. Piper Aircraft has been responsible for building some very good planes over the years, and probably none more famous than the legendary Piper Cub. My Dad had a Piper Twin Comanche that we flew to Santiago, Chile and back, in August of 1968. A trip that took us to ten countries in four weeks.

More Trips Planned

2009-06-07T10:07:00.002-04:00

Dearborn, Michigan is one of the destinations that Sharon and I will be heading to. We plan to visit the Henry Ford Museum there. http://www.thehenryford.org/ Another weekend trip I plan to make will take me to the Piper Aviation Museum in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. http://www.pipermuseum.com/ And of course the Big Daddy of them all....EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. "The Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration". http://www.airventure.org/
This year will see the worlds largest passenger airliner, the Airbus A-380, make its debute in North America at AirVenture. This is the worlds only true double decker airliner with a passenger capacity of 525 in mixed seating. See the first A-380 to land at London Heathrow here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvR1Oe6CfoQ

Lots Of Progress

2009-05-27T17:57:00.005-04:00

Day 5....the finished product
Progress being made

Day four of the deck project and it is looking like a real deck. The railings are promised for tomorrow, and hopefully we will have all the decking installed by then. Boy, am I sore!

Soggy North Carolina

2009-05-24T19:20:00.007-04:00

Scenic Overlook On The Way Down
My Grand Kids, Michael and Sarah

My helpers, Tom and Michael

Michael drilling into the concrete

Well, we sure picked a bad week to build a deck in North Carolina. We started on the project today, and we had to work around the downpours all day. Even though it rained on and off all day, we got a lot accomplished. We made good progress.

First Official Trip......Off To North Carolina

2009-05-17T21:46:00.004-04:00

This coming Thursday, I will be riding the K1200LT to my son Michael's house outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. The purpose of this trip is to build a deck on the new house he had built a couple of years ago. This is the second such project, as I built a deck on the first home he built some years ago, that he still owns and rents. And on another note, I just pulled the trigger on the airfare for next years trip to South America. I will be leaving on Jan. 6 and returning on Feb. 24, 2010. It's never too early to start planning for the next adventure. Other trips I have planned for this summer are, a trip to the Henry Ford museum in Michigan in July and as always, the yearly trip to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin at the end of July. I would also like to take a ride to the Piper Aircraft museum in Pennsylvania.

New Helmet For The R1200GS In Chile

2009-04-16T11:19:00.018-04:00

Nolan N-103 N-Com
Nolan Modular Helmet

Internal Sun Visor like the helmet of a Fighter Pilot. Very cool feature!

Wired for sound with custom built in speakers

Just plug the iPod into the built in

inputs, and your good to go! After riding thru five days of constant 50-60 mile per hour winds in Argentina, this past January and February, wind that was constantly trying to remove my helmet with my head still in it, I decided I needed a better fitting helmet. Since I have been so satisfied with the two Nolan N-103 N-Com helmets that I bought here in the States for my K1200LT, I decided to order a Nolan for the R1200GS in Chile. Nolan has made some nice improvements since I bought the first two helmets a few years ago. Two of the best improvements are, the built in sun visor that can be operated by a slide lever on the side of the helmet. The other is the integration of the plugs for the sound system. The female plugs are now built into the side of the helmet, and not a wire hanging down, as they were before. The helmet fits snugly and is very comfortable. Another feature found only on the Nolan helmet, is the seat belt type chin strap. It operates much like a seat belt buckle found in a car or airplane. It's visible in the bottom picture above. Very easy to get on and off! For more info on Nolan helmets, go to: http://www.nolanhelmets.com/

Llaima Volcano Erupts Again In Chile

2009-04-05T07:16:00.003-04:00

Volcano Llaima April 2009
Llaima Volcano Feb. 2009
SANTIAGO, April 4 (Reuters) - Chile's Llaima volcano, one of South America's most active, spewed a more-than-1,000 metre (1,094 yard) flow of lava on Saturday in a fresh eruption, the country's National Emergency Office (ONEMI) said.Llaima, which lies in Chile's picturesque lake region about 435 miles (700 km) south of the capital Santiago, erupted on Jan. 1, 2008 and has spewed pyroclastic rock and ash sporadically since."There are permanent explosions that reach 600 metres above the crater. Falling ash is visible and ... a flow of lava of more than 1,000 metres has been observed," ONEMI said on its website.It said experts were evaluating the possible evacuation of 17 people in the area surrounding the volcano.Chile's chain of some 2,000 volcanoes is the world's second-largest after Indonesia. Around 50 to 60 are recorded to have erupted, while 500 are deemed potentially active.The 10,253-foot (3,127-metre) Llaima was the second to erupt in the past year.The Chaiten volcano, 760 miles (1,222 km) south of Santiago in the Patagonia region, erupted last May for the first time in thousands of years, spewing ash, gas and molten rock and prompting the evacuation of thousands of people.Ash from Chaiten soared 20 miles into the atmosphere, swelled rivers and caused floods that damaged dozens of houses and destroyed much of the nearby town of the same name.Chaiten erupted again in February, prompting a fresh evacuation of residents who had rejected a government plan to abandon the town and rebuild it a few miles away. (Writing by Simon Gardner; Editing by Paul Simao)

On The Trail Of Butch And Sundance

2009-04-03T06:52:00.006-04:00

The Wild Bunch Hideout in Argentina
The Wild Bunch
Since spring is just around the corner, I'm starting to think about future bike rides. One of the future rides I'm considering (for next year) is a ride to follow Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to their hideout in Argentina. I hinted at this possibility when I planned this past years ride in Chile and Argentina, but while in Argentina, I questioned people in the town of San Carlos De Bariloche about the ledgend of the two gringo outlaws and, although they had heard of the ledgend, nobody could give me any specific information. Well, now I have some. I have found a location for the "Wild Bunch's Ranch" in Argentina. Actually, three very rustic buildings in the Patagonia of Argentina just as they where in 1905. It's on the eastern edge of the Andes Mountains near a large lake south of the famous Route 40 near the town of Cholita, Argentina. This will be the theme for next years adventure in South America. Now starts the investigation.

Back Home After A Fantastic Adventure To South America!

2009-03-02T08:02:00.001-05:00

Back in the U.S.A. at JFK International Airport

Sun. March 1, 2009

After almost twenty four hours of travel, I am back at home here in the U.S.A.. Saturday evening, when I went to Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago, I had no idea I would be adding another country to the list of countries visited on this trip. I was under the impression that the return flight to the United States would be a direct flight to New York’s JFK International Airport, as it had been on the way down, but three and a half hours after leaving Santiago, I found myself in Lima, Peru. The last time I was in Lima, Peru was in 1968, during a trip to Chile in my father’s private plane. A trip that took us from Rochester, N.Y. to Santiago, Chile and back, in August of that year. Although the stay in Lima was brief, about an hour, it was interesting to be in the land of the Inca once again. At 7:30am this morning I landed at JFK International in New York City, went thru the usual formalities of Immigration and Customs (thank goodness it was nothing like Customs in Argentina!!) and then over to Terminal 3 to await my connecting flight to Buffalo. Now, to plan for next year!

I want to thank all of you that followed my trip, and hope you enjoyed the Blog.

Chile / Argentina To Host 2010 Dakar Once Again

2009-02-25T10:59:00.000-05:00

Once again, Chile and Argentina will host the 2010 Dakar Rally, after the success of the most recent edition of the event. Chilean government spokesman Francisco Vidal announced on Tuesday. For the whole story go here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iTXo3nYPmU6e7WU1nMsJhT4io3-g

Just A Little Reminder

2009-01-03T15:22:00.004-05:00

ALL my posts during my trip to Chile this year, will be at my "Short Way Down" Web Site!! See you there. Also, if you want to contact me by eMail, please send all eMail to thebmwrider@live.com Hasta luego!

2008-12-31T19:57:00.001-05:00

Strong Earthquakes Shake Central Chile

2008-12-19T12:29:00.003-05:00

A Small Part Of Santiago, Chile Yesterday, Dec. 18,2008, the central part of Chile, including the capital city of Santiago, as well as the countries main port city of Valparaiso was shaken by an earthquake magnitude 6.3 on the Richter scale. The initial earthquake was followed by a second quake of 5.8 Richter degrees, according to the USGS. After shocks continued today with smaller quakes being felt in Santiago this morning. Head of the Chilean Emergency Office (ONEMI) Carmen Fernandez said that "there are no reports of damages due to the quake. It's part of a normal seismic activity."

Dakar Race Official Kick Off in Chile

2008-12-08T14:16:00.003-05:00

Etienne Lavigne officially launched the Dakar Rally in Chile yesterday in the marvelous set of the French Ambassy in Santiago. More than 200 people (media, competitors, partners, officials) came up to listen to the presentation of the director of the Dakar and of Francisco Vidal, Ministre general secretary of the government of Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile.
Vidal renewed all of his support to the rally talking about the great “showcase” that the Dakar will represent for Chile.

Dakar Homepage

You Tube Video

An extreme adventure between two oceans, the Dakar 2009 is off to discover a new continent, South America, that offers unlimited possibilities to amateurs of wide open spaces. The round trip to Buenos Aires, via Valparaiso, Chile is a challenge in which the most enduring competitors will find their way and have the opportunity to distinguish themselves. With close to 6,000 kilometres of challenges and difficulties scattered over the whole course, the battle for the title will remain wide open until the finish. From: dirtnewz.com

The Death Of A Town

2008-11-24T23:26:00.008-05:00

CHAITEN BEFORE
CHAITEN AFTER

Back in July, I wrote about the town of Chaiten, in southern Chile, that was covered by volcanic ash from the eruption of a nearby volcano in early May of 2008. I just discovered these pictures that show the total and utter devastation of the town of Chaiten. The majority of the damage was caused by the volcanic ash filling the river and causing it to leave its banks. As you can see in the pictures, the river flooded the entire town with what must be a volcanic mud. If you notice, in some places you can only see the roof tops sticking out of the mud. I'm hoping to visit Chaiten in January if the Authorities allow me into the area, so I can see for myself what is left of the town.

To see my pictures taken in Chaiten, go to the Picture Galery and look for the Chaiten alblum.

November... Still Riding Weather....thank you Global Warming!

2008-11-08T10:50:00.011-05:00

A Rochester Tradition

Here it is... November 14th, and I am still able to take the bike for a spin. On Thursday, Nov. 6th. Don Miller and I took a nice ride to Charlotte, on Lake Ontario, stopping on the way at Schallers Drive In for some Ground Rounds and Fries. The weather this past week has been unseasonably warm, to say the least. After some great burgers, it was on to the Port Of Rochester, former home of the Farce Ferry, and then back home via the Lake Ontario State Parkway.

On Friday, it was still warm enought to take the bike to Applebee's to meet up with the guys that Sharon work with, for a few cold ones. Now... if I can just hold out until January, when I leave for South America, and a couple more months of riding... under the warm South American Sun! (Schaler's pictures by Peter B)

A Rochester Nightmare

In The Beginning...

2008-10-16T22:46:00.014-04:00

During the summer of 2007, I visited the Glen Curtiss Museum in Hamondsport, New York, where they had a rare and very interesting display of antique motorcycles from the beginning of the last century.

Glen Curtiss is probably best known for his work in aviation, and I'd be willing to bet that not many people are aware of Glen's passion for the combination of motorcycles and speed. The pictures above give a glimpse into Curtiss' gift for designing and building motorcycles and engines.

I've put together an Album of a few of the motorcycles that were on display last year, and you can see them all right here: http://picasaweb.google.com/TheBMWrider/CURTISSMUSEUM?authkey=4uJ5vpkB8Lo# Click on the "Slide Show" tab just above and left of the pictures.

Enjoy!

.....Worth A Thousand Words

2008-10-09T20:48:00.021-04:00

As I mentioned before, I just bought a new Nikon D300 digital camera to take on next years motorcycle trip to southern South America. This camera is like the Rolls Royce of cameras. Now that I've had a little time to play with it, I thought I'd let you see what it can do. You need a PHD to learn all its capabilities. This camera is a true professional digital SLR. That's my cats eye in the top picture and my house at the bottom. This camera has so many features and menus that I'm sure I will never use them all, but the camera can also be used in the "Auto" mode and it does a spectacular job of taking great pictures. This is truly a "Smart Camera". A new feature that has not been seen on this type of camera before is something they call "Live View". Up 'til now it has only been used on consumer cameras. This is where you look thru the screen on the rear of the camera to frame your live shot. This camera has a very large three inch, high definition screen on the back, with no less than 920 thousand pixels, and since the camera has 12.3 Mega Pixels, the large screen makes it easy to see if your picture is in perfect focus. I can't wait to take pictures with this camera in southern Chile and Argentina's Tierra Del Fuego next year.

Stuff Happens

2008-10-04T12:56:00.025-04:00

Much of the stuff that I've ordered for the bike in South America has arrived. In the picture above are the light mounts for the PIAA 1100X, that arrived a couple of weeks ago, from Lumalink. The mounts have been custom made to fit the R1200GS on the front forks. Another thing that just arrived from RKA Luggage is a liner bag for the top box (not in the picture). Some of the other things in the picture are: a Brake Caliper Lock with built in motion sensor alarm from XENA, Stainless Steel Foot Pegs from Pivot Pegz, much better than the stock ones, a Universal Solar Charger for electronic devices from Solio, an Air Pump from Best Rest Products. There are very few places to get air for your tires in the Andes Mountains. Also the Throttle Lock from Kaoko (lower left), Cylinder Head Guards from Touratech (upper right). And probably the most important item is the S.P.O.T. Emergency Personal Locator. Other things like camping equipment, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping bag pad, will also be part of the trip, although most of the camping equipment is already in Chile. The only thing I will take down from here is the one person tent that I bought from Eureka Tents pictured below. It only weighs 2 lb, 9 oz.

Another little piece of equipment that I just ordered, is a new Digital Camera from Nikon. A brandy new Nikon D300, said to be the best digital camera on the market at this time. http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d300.htm I'm phsyked about this one! It's a serious 12.3 MegaPixels of picture taking machine. There's going to be some very spectacular scenery on this trip, so I hope to be able to get some great shots with this camera.

Off To New Hampshire

2008-09-19T18:59:00.017-04:00

Morning Fog
Vermont Covered Bridge

1930's Ford Model "A"s

At the moment I am in New London, New Hampshire, on my way to listen to a talk given by Glen Heggstad, AKA "The Stiking Viking". http://www.strikingviking.net/ Glen will be at MAX BMW in North Hampton, New Hampshire on Saturday Sept. 20, 2008 to talk about his adventures and misadventures while riding solo around the world.

In late 2001, Glen started out on a solo motorcycle trip from his home in California with the intention of reaching the southern tip of South America. After reaching Panama, Glen had his bike flown from Panama to Bogota, Colombia. (there is no road between Panama and Colombia) Four days later, Glen started out on a ride from Bogota to the city of Medellin. Six hours into the trip, he says, guerrillas wearing ski masks and carrying AK-47 rifles blocked his path, seized his motorcycle and motioned for him to accompany them into the mountains.

Heggstad says he tried to resist, shouting at the rebels in his limited Spanish, but complied after one guerrilla pulled out a pistol and fired a warning round.
The rebels led the American and several other hostages snared at the roadblock into the mountains of western Antioquia state.
While being led down a steep path from the road, Heggstad remembers seeing cars' lights fading in the distance and wondering whether he would ever come out. "It was a terrible feeling," he says.
Heggstad says that during his captivity, he befriended some rebels -- mostly teenage boys and girls -- debated politics with them, taught them judo flips and Thai boxing moves, and even hugged some goodbye when he was finally turned over to the Red Cross on Saturday.
But he also described terrifying experiences. One surly rebel would periodically lead him into the woods and click the safety off his gun, Heggstad said, leading him to fear he was going to be killed.
Heggstad estimates he hiked at least 100 miles through steep and slippery terrain. Constant rain left him cold and soggy at night. He slept in the open or in crude huts.
Why Heggstad was freed is unclear. He says no ransom was paid. The rebels, who are seeking international support for peace talks with the government, may have released him as a political gesture to strengthen their case.
After Heggstad was freed, FBI agents flew to Medellin and returned him to Bogota, where he was issued a new U.S. passport.

If I had to guess, Glen has quite a few stories to tell.

An Afternoon With "The Striking Viking"

2008-09-19T18:59:00.015-04:00

Glen Heggstad "The Striking Viking"

Who Said "There's No Free Lunch"?

He Loves The Ladies

MAX BMW in New Hamshire

A Very Nice Turnout

Today turned out to be a very nice day to take a bike ride, and many did so, to MAX BMW in North Hampton, New Hamshire. MAX BMW invited all interested to come and listen to a very, very interesting talk and slide presentation by Glen Heggstad the self proclaimed "Striking Viking". MAX BMW also provided the free lunch. If you read the entry below, you'll learn that the event that put Glen on the map, so to speak, was his capture in 2001 by Colombian Rebels while Glen was on a solo trip thru South America. Well, that is only part of the story. Glen has been to just about every point on the planet on his motorcycle, and has had more experiences than anyone could expect to have in one lifetime. One thing that Glen said, in his talk,that stood out, was that everywhere he went he was greeted with open arms. OK, maybe not in Colombia! But everyone he met on his long journey was very interested in him and his trip, and would often invite him to have a meal or stay in their homes. Glen said something that I think is very true, "Allover the world, people are the same. They all want the same things, and it's not the people that can't get along, it's the governments" He was welcomed everywhere he went. Glen's presentation was eye opening look at the real world. If you are interested in finding out more about Glen's travels, you can go to his Web site: http://www.strikingviking.net/ where you can buy his latest book and DVD's.

Back From The Fingerlakes BMW Rally

2008-08-31T13:06:00.007-04:00

Every year, on Labor Day weekend, the Fingerlakes BMW Riders Club, has it's annual rally, and this year was no exception. The weather started out a bit iffy on Friday, but improved as the weekend progressed. A bunch of us from the Western New York BMW Riders Club, went down and set up camp for the weekend in our usual location at Watkind Glen State Park, and proceeded to have a great time, as usual. There where all kinds of BMW's from all over.

On Saturday, a group of us headed to the Keuka Lake area to visit some of the local wineries and do a little wine tasting. The ride to Hamondsport was just beautiful, warm and sunny. We had a great time at the wineries, and most of us came back with a bottle of wine or two. More pictures here.

The S.P.O.T. Personal Emergency Locator

2008-08-24T22:32:00.017-04:00

Test Track

S.P.O.T. Personal Locator

Well, as I mentioned earlier, I will be taking the S.P.O.T. Personal Emergency Locator with me to South America in January. I now have the unit, and have had a little time to try it out to see how it performs. I received the unit when I was in Oshkosh, Wisconsin at the EAA Airshow. On my return trip, I set the unit to the "Track" mode when I left Oshkosh, and headed to the Mississippi River. I left the unit running most of the time until I reached Cleveland, Ohio. As you can see from the composit picture above, the unit worked as advertised, saving my location every ten minutes, and if you look at the location of Oshkosh, you will note that the unit also sent an "I'm OK" message home, as well. (green OK logo)

The software to manage the messages is all Web Based, and it is not the most user friendly software around. There may be a learning curve here, if any of you want to use it to keep track of my progress on next years motorcycle trip to the southern end of South America. If you are interested in using it to follow me down, send me an email to rguzman@rochester.rr.com , in advance, and we will practice with the software together.

What A Beautiful Day For A Ride

2008-08-16T21:02:00.030-04:00

Finally!!!! Mike gets his long awaited "Peach Shortcake"

The Whole Group: from left to right, Me and Sharon, Howard (AKA Harold) Joe, Rick, Paula, Mike, Penny and Don

Howie and Joe came over to the house early this afternoon and sat out on the deck until Mike and Paula and Rick arrived, we then rode over to Don and Penny's house in Medina. Leaving Don and Penny's, the whole group headed to a near by ice cream stand where Mike, after waiting seven years, finally got to taste the "Peach Short Cake" that he waited so long for. It seems Don had mentioned to mike how good the Peach Short Cake was at this place, but never invited Mike out to try it. Well, today it finally happened. Mike got his Peach Short Cake, and I must say, it was very good.

After the stop at the ice cream stand, we all mounted up and took a very nice ride down the back roads to Batavia to see the big muscle car show. Batavia closed down Main Street and lined it with some of the nicest cars around.

After a great afternoon at the car show, we all headed over to the Log Cabin Restaurant on Route 77 for a great meal. A fitting end to a great afternoon of riding.

Day 3: Off To The Mississippi River

2008-08-03T18:59:00.021-04:00

Entering Minnesota

Entering Iowa

The Mississippi River

Lock and Dam on the Mississippi River

On Wednesday I decided to head west into Minnesota and Iowa, two states that I had not bin to by motorcycle. I packed up the camper an headed toward the Mississippi River. My plan was to cross the Mississippi at La Crosse, Wisconsin and then head south along the rivers west side. Well, just my luck, I stopped at the No. 7 Dam and Lock and was told that route 16 south along the west side of the River was closed due to a train derailment and a spill of Methanol. Now I had to re-route and got to see a lot more of Minnesota than I had planned. Then once I made my way into Iowa, I found that Route 76 South was closed due to resurfacing. Now I had to re-route and got to see a lot more of Iowa than I had planned. I finally made my way to Route 80 East and started for home.

On Thursday, I was about two miles from the New York State border when a tire on the trailer blew. It was about 4:30pm, and I had to hustle to find a replacement tire, which I did find. When I returned to the location where I had left the trailer, I called AAA to get someone to come and change the tire since I didn't have tools large enough to remove the lug nuts. I was shocked when the person from AAA told me they would not help me, because although I have the "Premium Plan", I did not have "RV" coverage. I was livid when I realised that AAA would be so petty, and had the nerve to leave me stranded far from home with a broken down vehicle. Needless to say, I gave AAA a piece of my mind and then hung up the phone. By a pure stroke of luck, just about the time I started to figure out how I was going to change the tire without tools, a gentleman in a pickup truck came by and asked if I could use a wrench to change the tire. Thanks to the gentleman in the pickup truck, I was able to change the tire in less than five minuter and get back on the road. I arrived home at about 9:00pm about three hours later than scheduled. I want to give a VERY BIG THANK YOU! to the gentleman that offered to help me.

More pictures of AirVenture can be seen at "My Picture Album", area on the right side of this page.

Day 2 at AirVenture

2008-07-29T14:59:00.012-04:00

AirVenture opened to a first day attendance of over 200,000. The weather could not have been better, it was warm and sunny all day and not a cloud in the sky, perfect for an airshow. This guy tried all day to get this thing off the ground, but never succeeded. The craft below had better luck.

The huge converted Boeing 747 called the “Dream Lifter” arrived late Monday afternoon for a 24 hour appearance. The Dream Lifter is a converted Boeing 747-400 designed to transport major assemblies of the “Boeing 787 Dream Liner”, the next generation “Jumbo Jet”. The Dream Lifter can hold more cargo than any other plane in the world.

Mr. Jack Roush owner of Roush Racing as well as Roush Performance Products. A racing legend.

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Another happening today was the appearance of race car building legend Jack Roush owner of Roush Racing. Mr. Roush, a former Ford engineer, established Roush Performance Products in 1988 http://www.roushperformance.com/. The company produced after market performance products mainly for Ford Mustangs. Mr. Roush spent some time signing autographs and having pictures taken with many of the AirVenture goers. Like me :-)

Update From Oshkosh

2008-07-27T14:25:00.004-04:00

Well, the start of the trip was delayed by one day due to the deluge last Thursday, but I got away early on Friday and headed up to Toronto and made it all the way to Sault Sainte Marie the first day. I crossed back into the USA late Friday evening and found a motel since it was raining quite steady. The ride up 'til then had been very nice. The weather all up thru Canada was sunny most of the time. I arrived at Oshkosh at 3:oopm on Saturday and got registered for AirVenture and then went and picked out my camping site. As you see from the picture, I am updating this blog from inside the camper trailer, thanks to the people at EAA for providing the FREE WiFi in all of the campground. That's a BIG area! But it works very well.
Things in the display area of AirVenture are proceeding at a feverish pace. All the vendors are working hard to get their displays up before the opening bell in the morning.
I understand that Harrison Ford and John Travolta will be here this year as masters of ceremonies at "Theatre In The Woods". Both Harrison Ford and John Travolta are very experienced pilots. I hope Captain Travolta flies in on his Boeing 707!
More later.

Volcanoes In Southern Chile

2008-07-23T05:26:00.014-04:00

This astonishing picture shows the Chaiten volcano erupting in the middle of the night during an electrical storm. (May 2008)

The volcano triggered earth tremors, and shot an ash cloud two miles into the sky.

Here, the ash plume reaches all the way east to the Atlantic Ocean, crossing the entire continent of South America.

That is not snow behind these residents of the town of Chaiten, Chile. It is ash from the volcano that has blanketed everything in the region.

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In Chile, volcanoes are pretty much a fact of life, but this year they are making their presence felt in a big way. Chile has some 2000 volcanoes of which a large number of them are considered "active". Last year the Llaima volcano suddenly sprang to life and started to spew lava and ash into the sky, threatening nearby communities and generally disrupting normal life in the surrounding area. Llaima volcano is plainly visible from the front door of my Aunt's ranch in southern Chile's Lake Region. This year the volcano has again erupted threatening the area.

The pictures above are from the volcano near the southern town of Chaiten about a day's drive farther south from the Ranch. The Chaiten volcano suddenly erupted back on May 2, 2008. The last time this volcano erupted was back around 7400BC! It has since devastated the entire region and continues to do so keeping all the inhabitants of the town of Chaiten away from their homes for months since the Chilean government imposed a mandatory evacuation of the area. Some very good information on the Chaiten volcano and the surrounding area is available here: http://geology.com/events/chaiten-volcano/

I will be riding my motorcycle to the southern tip of South America this coming January and February (2009), and I will have to pass thru the area of the Chaiten volcano, or as close as the authorities will let me. I am very interested to see just how much impact the ash cloud has had on the area. This past February (2008) I was in the area surrounding the Llaima volcano and police and military had all roads leading to the base of the volcano blocked to all. I wanted to go to the Conguillio National Park, but was stopped about five miles from the area due to the activity of the Llaima volcano. We'll see what happens this year.

Dakar Rally 2009 To Be Held In Chile And Argentina

2008-07-18T10:30:00.007-04:00

The Paris to Dakar Rally http://www.dakar.com/index_DAKus.html that has historically been held in Africa and Europe, will be held in the South American countries of Chile and Argentina. The reason for the change is due to security concerns after the death of four French tourists last year in Mauritius. Since I will be in Chile for the entire race, I will try to report on what I see, so keep watching this space.
Here is what Reuters had to report:

SANTIAGO, July 17 (Reuters) - Preparations for next year's Dakar rally in South America, staged for the first time outside Africa due to security concerns, are on schedule, deputy secretary of Chile Sports Jaime Pizarro said on Thursday..
"Preparations are progressing as planned," Pizarro told Reuters.
The 6,000 kms coast-to-coast race will begin and end in Buenos Aires with the Chilean port city of Valparaiso at the midpoint.
Organisers decided to move the event to South America after receiving what they believed to be terror threats and also the deaths of four French tourists in Mauritius in January.
Some 570 vehicles and 950 participants from 50 nations will drive along the route beginning on Jan. 3 and ending on Jan. 18. (Reporting by Claudio Cerda, writing by Lisa Yulkowski; Editing by John Mehaffey)

Annual Trip To EAA Airventue coming up

2008-07-16T10:28:00.007-04:00

Time is getting short, and soon I will be pointing my K1200LT toward Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the largest Air Show in the USA. The week long event brings together thousands of people with thousands of aircraft of all kinds. From the smallest to the largest and everything in between.

The yearly event is held at the Whitman Regional Airport, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Whitman Regional Airport is the home of the Experimental Aircraft Association, and AirVenture is their largest yearly event. During the week long event, the control tower at Whitman Regional boasts "The Worlds Busiest Control Tower". If you go to AirVenture, don't forget to visit the excellent Aircraft Museum on the airport grounds as well as the Pioneer Airport. There is also a float plane base on nearby Lake Winnebago. If you enjoy camping, then the only place to stay is Camp Scholler, which is right on the airport grounds. The campground has just about every thing you could possibly need, from clean showers to a camp stores. This event is VERY well run! The event runs from July 28th to August 3rd. More info here: http://www.airventure.org/

This year I plan to take the same scenic route I took last year. Up to Toronto, Canada, then north toward Perry Sound, and probably find a campground there for the night. The following day, I will keep heading north toward the northern end of Georgian Bay. Last year I made it to Newberry, Michigan on the second day after crossing the border back into the United States at Sault Sainte Marie. The third day should find me going thru Green Bay, Wisconsin and finally in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It's a beautiful ride.

A Great Excuse For A Bike Ride...as if I needed one

2008-06-27T21:34:00.008-04:00

A great night for a ride! At the last moment I found out that there was a car show and chicken barbecue at the Orleans County Marine Park not far home. So, Sharon and I jumped on the bike and headed to the show. There was a very nice turn out and some beautiful cars to boot. It was a beautiful evening to take a ride along the shore of Lake Ontario.

See more pictures here: http://picasaweb.google.com/TheBMWrider/CARSHOW

Part 3: Argentina By Bike

2008-06-21T13:00:00.002-04:00

Great journeys: Argentina by bike
In the final instalment of his three-part adventure, Mike Carter travels through the Valley of the Butterflies towards the home of South America's most famous biker Che Guevara
Mike Carter
guardian.co.uk,
Thursday June 19, 2008

Pictures: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/gallery/2008/jun/17/southamerica.roadtrips?picture=334985869

Gaucho country ... on the road in Argentina. Photograph: Julia Sanders/Mike Carter
The Argentine conscript border guards were as charmless a bunch of fellows as you'd expect to find dispatched to a deserted road on top of a freezing cold mountain. I imagine they are still there, which makes me feel better.
Shortly, we were plunging down again, every 100-metre drop bringing air more syrupy and rich; every degree of temperature raised bringing back the real prospect that one day I might be able to straighten my fingers again. I was breathing extra gulps just for the fun of it.
We pulled over at a cafe for coffee. Having coffee in Argentina after being in Chile should be the first thing one does, like the Pope kissing the ground at the foot of the aircraft steps. For coffee in Chile means a sachet of Nescafe and tepid water producing a lumpy gloop of extraordinary vileness. Great dogs, rubbish coffee.
In Argentina, it involves a loving process of alchemy with freshly crushed beans and warmed milk and an end product of such ambrosial ecstasy that you instinctively close your eyes as it slides down your throat and sigh loudly.
As in San Pedro de Atacama, things felt like a Paramount set. Gauchos tethered their horses to the hitching post and walked past us, ponchos and all, raising a finger to the rim of their cowboy hats, Cuban heels click-clacking on the ancient wood floor as hard as granite. Chevy and Dodge pickups circa 1930 filled up at the single pump, its dials whirring round.
We spent the next few days riding through north-west Argentina. First down intestinal tracts of roads – the kind of roads that fill bikers' winter dreams – that wound their way around bald, crumpled hills that changed colour at every bend – green, pink, yellow, even aquamarine – like your TV being on the blink. Then along arid valleys of sandstone, with fluted columns like giant organ pipes and eroded rocks forming fantastical sculptures.
We rode along the Valley of the Butterflies, millions of them forming fluttering clouds that we passed through, like riding in a kaleidoscope.
Down from the mountains, we hit the plains. Mile after mile of vineyards, then brilliant yellow tobacco crops, their leaves drying on the walls of the pueblos we passed through, each with a whitewashed church and a dusty football pitch, the twin obsessions of Argentina. In the middle of nowhere, we passed processions of devotees, walking who knows where, carrying aloft the Virgin Mary. And always the waving and the smiling. Surely, if there was a country to steal your heart, this was it.

Part 2: Great journeys: motorbike mayhem in the Andes

2008-06-19T11:12:00.004-04:00

This is a very interesting, three part series of articles, that I discovered while reading my “Google Alerts” that I receive every day via eMail. A group of British riders on “Holiday” riding across northern Chile and Argentina.

In part 2: Mike Carter hits the great gringo trail into the High Andes

Pictures: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/gallery/2008/jun/17/southamerica.roadtrips?picture=334985869

Mike Carter on a motorbike journey across South America. Photograph: Julia Sanders
We flew across the Chilean Alto Plano until, like the world had been bleached, there lay ahead of us nothing but white. We hit the salt flats, riding fast, which felt very wrong, as our senses looked at the big slab of white and told us it had to be slippery, treacherous, no place for a motorcycle. But the tyres bit and gripped as sure as on concrete, and the crust crunched under us. Flamingos looked on.
We passed through the Valley of the Moon as the light faded and the sun went through its valedictions, washing the rocks vermilion then gold then ochre. In the distance, a string of cartoon volcanoes, perfect calderas, and beyond, like a chimera, the High Andes, the brilliant white bonnets fading to grey.
We rolled into San Pedro de Atacama, kicking up a trail of dust. San Pedro was once a major staging post for the great cattle drives of yore, but is now a staging post on the great gringo trail. It's the Dodge City of one's imagination, a Paramount backlot come to life, albeit with internet cafes and poncho shops. Upon entering a door I was surprised to find that there was actually a restaurant beyond, and not just wooden joists holding up the walls.
We ordered some food. Tamales and llama steaks and beer that came in litre bottles. I was loving South America. In the middle of the room was an open fire. Above it a large circular hole in the ceiling, through which we gazed at the stars like diamonds. I asked the waiter what happened when it rained. It doesn't, he said.
I spoke to Dave, who was on the trip with his wife, Liz. Dave worked in a Lincolnshire warehouse and had been saving for five years for the trip. It had been a fantastic introduction to riding in South America, he said, what with Globebusters taking care of shipping the bikes and visas, and next time he thinks he might be confident enough to go it alone. Mike, who was retired, had taken a few trips like this and loved the camaraderie and support. Similarly Resh, formerly known as The Raggedy One, who ran a care home for the elderly. Paul, from Coventry, worked for BT. His nickname was Gargoyle, he said. I asked him why and he stuck out his chin and held the pose. He looked a bit like a gargoyle.
Most on the trip are Bambis – Born Again Mid-Life Bikers – returning to two wheels in middle age when family constraints and budgets allow.
Very early the next morning, we headed off to see the El Tatio geysers. They pop their boiling spumes at exactly the moment the sun rises over the mountains, as surely as someone dropping Mentos into Diet Coke bottles, the physics of which was explained by our guide, but which I didn't fully take in owing to the fact that it was minus 50 and my brain had frozen.
Then we were off to Argentina. Climbing slowly at first, more llama, then some weird-looking rabbits the size of wallabies, and then some things that looked like alpaca but with a certain skittishness. As if they might jump out in front of you and get you repatriated before you could say vicuña. Vicuñas are not a good thing, as I had learnt on day one. I gave them a wide berth.
Still climbing. Then suddenly there was nothing. No scrub, no cactus, no vicuñas, blessed be to God. Just an endless plain with the High Andes cradling and looming over it, like a proscenium arch. My ears popped. The motorbike's console flashed alarmingly. Minus two. Minus four. Minus six. That's the ground temperature. At 80 mph on a motorcycle it's more like minus 30. I lifted my visor to squeeze my nose. My gloves almost fused to it. I had my heated grips on, but I could have been clutching vials of magma and still I wouldn't have felt them.
Still, it could have been worse. At least the asphyxiation-by-helmet I was suffering as we went over the 4,600-metre Paso de Jama took my mind off the cold. To fight off oedemas and to keep myself from slipping into a hypothermic coma, I repeated my mantra: "This is not a holiday it's an adventure; this is not a holiday…"
The border with Argentina lay somewhere up ahead. I just hoped that they had the space blankets ready.
Tomorrow: Into the Valley of the Butterflies
Getting there
Globebusters' High Andes trip lasts for five weeks and costs £5,895pp. The price includes all shipping rates and accommodation. The next High Andes trip runs from 21 April to 25 May 2010. For details of this and other Globebusters guided expeditions, including their 135-day Alaska to Patagonia trip and North and West Africa, see globebusters.com; 08452 304015

Part 1: Great journeys: motorbike mayhem in the Andes

2008-06-19T10:45:00.010-04:00

This is a very interesting series of articles that I came across while reading my "Google Alerts". A group of British riders on "Holiday" riding across northern Chile and Argentina.

Picture Gallery Here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/gallery/2008/jun/17/southamerica.roadtrips?picture=334985869

Part 1

Tuesday June 17 2008
Great journeys: motorbike mayhem in the Andes
In the first part of his three-part adventure, Mike Carter rides with the condors across the Chilean desert.See images of Mike's trip in our gallery
Mike Carter
guardian.co.uk,
Article history
Long way down ... Mike Carter takes in the spectacular views of the Valley of the Moon in Chile from a precarious vantage point. Photograph: Julia Sanders
I watched them ride along the corniche, headlights blazing through the swirling dust and the fading light. I started counting. I'd been alone in Arica, an out-of-season beach town on the Chile/Peru border, for over two days. Counting motorcycles felt like great excitement, all things considered.
There should have been 10. There were just eight. By the time I'd left the beach and walked back into the hotel lobby, the riders, caked in grime and sweat, were presenting their passports to reception in the careworn manner befitting those who'd been on the road three weeks.
"Where are the other two?" I asked a man.
He looked tired. "Crashed," replied Brian, for that was his name. "In Bolivia. One hit a police barrier. Almost decapitated. Ducked just in time, but smashed his sternum and two vertebrae. The other one hit a vicuña. Broke his shoulder and his arm. Both repatriated."
Decapitated. Repatriated. Now there's a couple of words.
"What's a vicuña?" I asked. It was an odd question, really, but the first thing that came out.
"A kind of alpaca," he replied. "Very skittish. Watch out for them."
"What room you in, Ribby?" said another man. His riding suit was torn to shreds, like somebody who'd been in a comedy explosion in a fireworks factory.
"Ribby?" I said.
"Oh, hit some sand. Fell off. Broke two ribs. But I've got good painkillers," said Brian/Ribby.
"And you?" I asked the raggedy one.
"Lost it. First day in Argentina," he said. "One minute I was riding along at 80mph, the next I was on the Tarmac. "
Great. I confess I'd been a tad nervous about joining my first motorcycle expedition in South America, planning to stay with them as far as Cordoba, Argentina. But now, surrounded by a cast of extras from Casualty, I was, to use the technical term, bricking it. Suddenly an out-of-season beach resort in northern Chile seemed like a good place to put down some roots.
Kevin Saunders walked in. Full-beam smile. Kevin owns Globebusters, the company that runs the tours. I'd first met him a couple of years ago when he taught me to ride at his training school in Wales.
"Sounds like quite a holiday so far," I said to him.
"It's not a holiday, Mike, it's an adventure," he replied.No shit, Kev.
The next morning, we set off. I was riding Kevin's wife's bike. She took up the pillion seat behind Kev.
The group fell into their established riding pattern. I followed at the back, scouring the landscape, like Eagle-eyed Action Man, for vicuña. Of course, I had no idea what a vicuña looked like.
Wednesday June 18 2008
Great journeys: From Chile to Argentina by bike
Mike Carter hits the great gringo trail into the High Andes
Mike Carter
guardian.co.uk,

A very sudden end to Eric Cleaveland's trip

2008-06-10T16:24:00.004-04:00

Due to personal family matters, Eric has ended his journey from Ushaia, Argentina to Deadhorse, Alaska just short of his goal. Read what Eric has to say here.

Americade

2008-06-10T16:23:00.011-04:00

Sharon and I left for the Adirondacks and Americade in Lake George on Thursday morning. The ride was great, as the weather cooperated all the way. On Thursday night though, the weather got even with us, as it rained, cancel that, POURED all night long until 11:00 in the morning on Friday. Friday was overcast, but at least it didn't rain and we spent much of the day visiting the many vendor displays at the two locations.

One of the vendors that I wanted to talk to was Garmin. I recently had a problem with the Garmin Zuno 550 GPS that I bought THREE YEARS AGO. One of the buttons on the unit has come out and I've had to put it back in with Silicone to keep from loosing it. Well, the short story is, I spoke with the Garmin representative and explained my dilemma, and he quickly gave me his business card and told me to email him and he would see to it that I received a NEW Zumo 550! Now that's what I call customer service! I wish they would have done that when I had the problem with the brand new Zumo cradle, in South America, but that's ancient history. Way to go Garmin! Thank you.

Back to the trip. Late Friday afternoon, we went for a ride and wound up in the quaint town of Poultney, Vermont for dinner. A local gentleman directed us to a local eatery called Perry's for a good meal. After a nice meal we headed back to the campsite which was near Schroon Lake, NY about twenty minutes north of Lake George.

The following day, Saturday, dawned bright and sunny so we planned to take a ride to the new Adirondack Nature Museum in Tupper Lake and then find a motel. The Nature Museum was worth seeing once, but it did have some very nice large fish displays and the location of the museum was very nice. After the museum we headed to Long Lake and found a motel. The Black Flies where still out in that area and Sharon got eaten alive. Me, not one bite!

Sunday was another great day for riding which made the trip home very enjoyable.

You can see more pictures here.

Now lets talk about the Town of Lake George, N.Y.

2008-06-08T17:33:00.002-04:00

This is a warning to future goers to Americade.

The town of Lake George, New York hosts the Americade Motorcycle Rally each year, and the town of Lake George takes in somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 Million dollars (an estimate from a volunteer of Americade) from the people who participate in the event. People spend their money in Motels, Restaurants, Gas Stations, Stores, Campgrounds, Super Markets and many other places in Lake George, I'm sure. Still, the town has come up with another way to suck money from people. During Americade there are thousands of motorcycles in the town and many of them park side by side on the main street, as far as the eye can see. Along the main street, there are parking meters. In each parking meter space there are usually five or six motorcycles parked side by side. Now, the Town of Lake George has seen fit to hand out parking tickets to every motorcycle that does not display a "Pre Payed Parking Sticker". No Warning, No Signs announcing you need to feed the meters during an event as big as Americade. When you come into the town during Americade you see thousands of bikes parked along the curb and anyone would assume that you don't need to pay the Quater for Fifteen minutes, but that's not the case. You would think that the Town of Lake George would allow free parking for the bikers that hand over some $40,000,000 , but it looks to me that the Town of Lake George is too greedy to do that.

Welcome To ALASKA

2008-06-08T16:08:00.004-04:00

It's been a long ride, about 17,000 miles to be exact, but....Eric is in Alaska!!!!!

Bear with me on this one! YOU MUST READ THIS STORY!!

2008-06-04T14:51:00.009-04:00

This comes from Eric Cleaveland's blog. I was so moved by the ending ,that I had to let you read it here. What a GREAT story!

Eric writes:

"Today was a great day of wildlife viewing. It started with a fairly cooperative bull Elk right on the side of the road to Lake Louise. However, when the photographer leaves the flash card in the card reader (tucked safely away in his luggage) it makes for difficult picture taking. Let’s blame it on the TOTAL lack of coffee at that point in the morning. Later in the day I saw three Moose. First was the full “Bullwinkle” . Huge, perfect rack, and not real enamored with the motorbike. He CHARGED into the woods as I approached, quite impressive! A little later I passed two cows just munching away about 20 meters off the road. They seemed totally absorbed in just chewing on the grass.

The total Bear count was 10 today. All Black Bears, and all singles except of #s 8 & 9. But it’s the first three that I’d like to tell you about;

Bear #1 was rooting around on the roadside and I saw him from a long ways away. I coasted fairly close to him and got the pictures with the helmet on, still on the bike.

Bear #2 was scampering across the highway being chased by 3 teenage boys! I only hope that once in the woods he turned on them and munched at least one for breakfast. Remember, I’m the guy that had a “Support the Right to Arm Bears” bumper sticker on his truck. I bought it in Churchill, Manitoba after one of my two trips there to photograph Polar Bears.

Bear #3 was also along the roadside, but between the eastbound shoulder and the woods. I stopped my bike on the westbound side and walked across the road to watch and photograph. After putting on my helmet and gloves I looked over my shoulder before pulling back on to the highway. Heading my way was a lone bicyclist. Figuring that at the very least he might want a warning I did a quick U-turn and rode to him. He was most appreciative of my help, and accepted my offer to ride between him and the bear. The bear could care less about us as we passed, I don’t think that he even lifted his head. The young man and I chatted as we slowly rode west. He was from Quebec and had been riding for 5 days. He was enjoying his trip immensely, but mentioned that he was about to return home as he was about out of money. Safely past the bear we wished each other well and I took off towards Jasper. But I couldn’t stop thinking about my new friend and his financial dilemma. And then I had one of those all too infrequent moments of clarity.

Those of you that have been following my progress may remember a chance meeting I had with a group of motorcyclists from Cali, Colombia. We met at a gas station, they were heading home (south), I was on my way to Bogota’ (north). After some group picture taking and hand shaking they handed me almost 100 U$D (in Colombian Pesos). To refuse their generosity would have been very insulting, so I thanked them profusely and promised them that I’d put it to good use.

See where this is going?

Grinning from ear to ear I pulled my bike back on to the shoulder and counted out the Canadian equivalent of my gift from my Columbian friends. Another U-turn and I was headed east, another U-turn and I was in front of my new cyclist friend.

“I have something for you; it’s a gift from some friends you’ll never know in Colombia. Colombia, the country. They gave it to me to give to you, so don’t try to refuse it. Hopefully this will buy you few more PowerBars and a few more nights camping. Don’t thank me; I’m just a convenient courier. Thank the folks in Colombia, and thank the bear."

Picture is property of Eric Cleaveland

Looks like Eric likes Canada

2008-06-03T15:25:00.004-04:00

Eric has made his way into British Columbia, Canada and seems to be enjoying it up there. It's amazing how far Eric has ridden when you look back to the begining of his trip. Go here to read more.

Picture is property of Eric Cleaveland

Back to Chile

2008-06-03T12:51:00.017-04:00

With the latest spike in the price of oil, and with NO end in sight to the price hikes, I've decided to purchase my airfare for my next trip to Chile now while it is still somewhat affordable. With the price of airfare rising by the day, I will be staying in Chile for a longer period of time (two months) to make the elevated price worth it. The plan on my last trip, in February, was to explore the possibility of going to Ushuaia, Argentina (The End Of The Earth) next year by riding some of the desolate places in Argentina to get a feel for what it would take to make the trip to the southern tip of South America alone. I knew it would take more time than the month that I normally spend in Chile, so by going for a longer period of time it will be to my advantage. One advantage I will have in preparing for such a trip is Eric Cleaveland, a friend of mine, who is riding right now from the Southern tip of South America (Ushuaia) to the northern most point in Alaska. Eric is in Canada at the moment, and when Eric returns I will pick his brain for advice on riding in that part of the world. I know that riding in that part of the world is not easy, but if you've been following Eric's trip, you'll see that the trip will be well worth it

In preparation for this trip, one piece of equipment that will be accompanying me on my adventure to the "End of the Earth" will be the "SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker". This is a small GPS device that can save your life should you encounter a problem in a desolate part of the world where there is no other means of communication. This unit is capable of alerting rescue authorities in the event you need help, or loved ones to let them know you are alright. Go here to watch the videos and learn more about it: http://www.findmespot.com/home.aspx It's really quite a fantastic little unit.

This is Americade Week! in Lake George, N.Y.

2008-06-02T13:54:00.010-04:00

"The Worlds Largest Touring Rally"

This is the week that many motorcycle enthusiasts wait for all year. The long awaited Americade Motorcycle Rally in Lake George, New York. Held each year in one of the most beautiful surroundings you could ask for, the Adirondacks Mountains of northern New York State. It is one of the largest rallies in the country. If you've never been to this event, you must go! Motorcycles of all types as far as the eye can see, lining the streets of the beautiful town of Lake George, right on the edge of the lake by the same name. Sharon and I are planning to hitch up the motorcycle camper to the Beemer, and head up there later in the week, so I will be posting pictures and commentary of our trip.

The weather this week threatens to be perfect for a nice ride up into the Adirondacks. So what are you waiting for? Click on the Americade logo above, or visit the web site HERE.

Eric is in the Canadian Rockies

2008-06-02T11:18:00.004-04:00

See more here:

http://www.motoamericas.blogspot.com/

Picture is property of Eric Cleaveland

Beautiful Yellowstone

2008-06-01T08:30:00.007-04:00

Eric Cleaveland has been spotted in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. After some service to his bike he is heading toward Glacier National Park, where he will spend the night before continuing into Canada and points north. Read the details here.

Pictures are property of Eric Cleaveland

Eric is headed to Wyoming

2008-05-29T02:23:00.008-04:00

Eric Cleaveland is in Colorado at the moment, but by the time you read this he will be in Wyoming. Here is a picture of Eric on his R1200GS taken by his friend Tom who is riding part way with Eric. Sure looks like fun!

BREAKING NEWS: Thursday 11:30 am
Eric has been side lined by a mechanical problem and has had to re-route to Salt Lake BMW, UT., and will not make it to Wyoming today as planned. Read the full story here.

Picture is property of Eric Cleaveland

On Another Note

2008-05-27T22:37:00.003-04:00

This has nothing to do with motorcycles, but since I drive Tractor-Trailer, I thought I would show you why you should never mess with a Semi. Notice that the only thing that happened to the Semi, was a slightly bent bumper!!!!! Click here.

Eric Cleaveland has made it to Colorado

2008-05-27T13:30:00.003-04:00

According to Eric's blog, he is heading for Fort Collins, Colorado today. Read more here.

Eric Cleaveland is back in the U.S.A.

2008-05-21T08:25:00.002-04:00

Eric is in Alice, Texas and on his way to Austin, where he plans to have routine service done on the bike. He will then head into New Mexico, Colorado Wyoming and into Canada then on to Alaska. Read more here

Eric Cleaveland in Mexico

2008-05-16T19:14:00.005-04:00

Eric Cleaveland is in Mexico. Thinking back to the beginning, I'm impressed at how far Eric has ridden. This is a picture from El Salvador, Central America. See more of his ride here: http://www.motoamericas.blogspot.com/

Picture is property of Eric Cleaveland.

A bad day of fishing, is better than a good day at work.

2008-05-12T19:01:00.003-04:00

And here is what Eric's day was like. http://www.motoamericas.blogspot.com/

Picture is property of Eric Cleaveland

Welcome to Costa Rica

2008-05-12T08:58:00.005-04:00

Eric Cleaveland has departed Panama, and is now in Costa Rica where he plans to take a break to do some saltwater fly fishing. Follow his trip here: http://www.motoamericas.blogspot.com/

Pictures are property of Eric Cleaveland

Eric is in Panama

2008-05-08T21:51:00.006-04:00

The latest news from Eric Cleaveland is that he has arrived in Panama. He plans to visit the Panama Canal in the next few days and reports that the humidity is off the charts there. Read about it here: http://www.motoamericas.blogspot.com/

Pictures are property of Eric Cleaveland

On The Way To Panama

2008-05-08T15:41:00.002-04:00

At the time of this posting, Eric Cleaveland is in the air on route to Panama to continue his trek northward. Eric should be in Panama at 6:00pm local time (7:00pm eastern). Getting the bike thru customs, and on to the plane went without a hitch. Read more here. http://www.motoamericas.blogspot.com/

A Dios Colombia.....Hola Panama

2008-05-07T09:53:00.004-04:00

Eric Cleaveland will be interviewed today for a television show in Bogota, Colombia and will be flying off to Panama tomorrow to continue his northerly trek to Alaska. Click on the link to read more about his trip: http://www.motoamericas.blogspot.com/

Pictures are property of Eric Cleaveland

Eric Cleaveland....near Cali Colombia

2008-05-06T04:36:00.008-04:00

Eric is in the Cali, Columbia area at the moment. He's had some interesting encounters while in Colombia, even meeting a group of riders from Colombia that gave him the celebrity treatment. Eric is even going to appear on Colombian TV to tell about his ride. Read more about his adventure here: http://www.motoamericas.blogspot.com/

Pictures are property of Eric Cleaveland

BIG change of plans!!

2008-05-03T21:17:00.003-04:00

Eric Cleaveland has decided to head for Colombia. This is a huge surprise to me, but he claims to have first hand security information to base his decision on. No more information at this time. We will have to wait until Eric gives us his reasons. Stay safe Eric!!

Read Erics statement here