T minus 35 days

Crazy busy days at work in the days and weeks leading up to “the trip”. Today I had an appointment at Ride West BMW in Seattle to get a new clutch and wheel bearings installed in my bike. At 28K miles the clutch was at the end of the adjustment range which means towards the end of clutch life. I think the ride up the highest “road” in Idaho, the Chinese Wall, last summer used up at least half the clutch life. Click HERE for a YouTube video of someone else riding up the wall.

Deby and I at the Chinese Wall in Idaho on the 2012 Sasquatch Ride

Under ideal conditions it might have survived the whole trip but I could see myself on the Bolivian Road of Death, El Camino del Muerte  slipping my clutch on steep uphill grades in mud and sand and have it die. Better to replace it now and better to have Ride West do it so I can focus on work and trip preparations. My riding gear got another cold weather test  this morning as I rode to Ride West in freezing conditions on icy roads, at least it was dry and the sun was out. I’m glad to say I was plenty warm, a good sign.

Stay tuned

T minus 37 days

Today is Sunday, 37 days to go before we will be ready to leave on January 1, 2013, which may or may not be the day we actually leave depending on the weather. We are hoping for a break in the usual Pacific Northwest cold and rain to get as far south as possible and since snow is not out of the question and any white stuff in the forecast would definitely delay our trip.

Deby and I took our bikes for a test ride into Seattle today to run some errands. The temperature alternated between just below and just above 40 degrees F with off and on sun breaks and some low fog. Our heated liners and grips kept us plenty warm and the pinlock visors did a perfect job keeping our face shields clear during the sections of fog, a good omen for the first week where I expect to be riding in the rain.

Every day some small task gets done to prepare for our trip that now seems sooner than ever. Today after the ride I rechecked the new chains on both our bikes and gave them a generous amount of lube. We made a stop at Barnes and Nobel this evening and I found a nice National Geographic map of Chile which claims to be an “Adventure Travel Map” which is “Waterproof and Tear-resistant”, how could I resist? Next to it on the shelf was an Argentina map by a company called International Travel Maps. The only grandiose claim on this map was that it was waterproof, I bought it as well.  Even though I’m bringing two GPS units I like good paper maps because the batteries never go dead and they are easier to spread out on a table and make plans with a highlighter over a beer and with advice from the locals.

Tomorrow I’m expecting a quote from the printers on our stickers.

 

Finally getting the blog going

Just a short post here, more of a test really. Deby and I are preparing to ride our motorcycles from Seattle, Washington where we live to Buenos Aries Argentina. We will be leaving in January 2013, probably in the rain, from our house and riding south. Many of our friends and family want to follow our journey so I created this site as a one stop landing for all the links associated with our travels. I’ll attempt to post updates here as well as on ADVrider.com and Facebook.