BC to Panama on a KLR

[Lonewolf]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Day 9[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]I ride today, enthused, happy in knowing that I only HAVE to cover about 100KM's to make it to Poway, CA just north east of San Diego to meet up with potential riding partner Rob. [/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Some great seaside communities pass by including Carlsbad and La Jolla where I take in the sights and sounds of a busy Sunday afternoon. There are some amazing beaches on this stretch and yes, all the things that go with said beaches [/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Leaving Carlsbad beach I crossed the train tracks and saw a few old timers set up with their cameras waiting for the train to come by. I thought nothing of it but as I continued on I noticed more and more people lining the tracks. Up the road I saw some Harley's and a few RV's pulled over and their occupants out waiting for something to happen. I pulled over, got off the bike and asked what was up. Apparently all the train nuts are out in force for an annual running of an old steam train on the tracks.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Having time to kill and a great vantage point for photo's I stayed and struck up a conversation with the other riders while we killed the 20 minutes waiting for the old machine to make it's appearance. Made for a good picture though![/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]I find myself west of San Diego and driving along the beach a sign “San Diego Glider Port” catches my eye,I follow it down to some cliffs overlooking the ocean to find a zoo of people flying para sails and hang gliders off the cliffs. It made for some good entertainment and some excellent pictures.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Headed south again I remember that there is supposed to be a park right on the border with Mexico. I figure I'll try to find it. The point furthest south west in the continental United States! As I near the park I get my first glances of the new border fences that the USA is erecting, its huge, and there's not just one but three! Crazy! Up on the hills I can see border patrol agents making their patrols. I get to the park and see that the gate is closed so I chit chat to a couple of California Border Patrol agents for a bit. One has an awesome job, he gets to rip around on a race quad in the hills all day, He loves it but says its tiring after a full shift.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Being unable to drive any further to the park I turned around and made my way north east to meet up with Rob in Poway, CA. The super highways here still have me on edge slightly, give me back my 2 lane roads in Canada any day! After an hour and a bit I made it to Poway and found Rob's. I pull in just as he finishes cleaning out his work truck in preparation for storage during our trip, we exchange introductions and are quickly into the ice cold beer.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Dinner would consist of a huge but delicious Carne Asada Burrito at a local drive through joint with BBQ chicken and ribs promised in a day or two when we pick up our Australian compadre from LAX. The night ends with good conversation and a few more cold beers.[/font]

 

[DualSportGuy]

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Looking great there Pat. Great photos, beach photos were good too!

Enjoy....

Peter

 

[motorambler]

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Great stuff -- keep it coming!

 

[Lonewolf]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Days 10 & 11[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Days 10 and 11 were a bit of a write off. Today we headed off to Los Angeles to pick up Dave when he arrived at LAX, and drive out to see the bike he had arranged to buy. [/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]After a couple hours of rush hour traffic we get within spitting distance of LAX and get a call from Dave that he had cleared customs and was waiting at terminal 3. We head into the airport keeping our eyes pealed for terminal 3 and not seeing it for quite some time. Finally we spot the right arrivals terminal and see a lost looking fellow standing on his own... [/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]A jet lagged, half asleep Aussie greeted us and tossed his bags in the truck and we took off north east to find the KLR he had arranged to buy. A great looking bike and well setup by the previous owner and at just over $3000 it was a steal! I ended up riding the bike back to San Diego for Dave since he wasn't feeling up to riding the seven and eight lane freeways after the long flight.[/font]

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Dave and Rob - Apparently they do things differently in Austrailla, open beer in the grocery store was a new idea to me

Rob loving the food at a local taco shop

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Lunch @ the beach while running around[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]The rest of the day and the next morning were spent having a couple cold beers and running around to pick up a few last minute things Dave needed at the hardware and outdoors stores.[/font]

 

[Jeckyll]

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Great stuff! Thanks for putting the effort into the ride report and taking us along!

 

[Lonewolf]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Day 12 – Cinco De Mayo[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Moving day! Today would see us cross into Mexico and start really enjoying a new culture, a new language and a new set of ideals.
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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We were up early this morning, all of us having had quite a restless night in anticipation of what was to come. We packed our bikes, grabbed a quick coffee and piece of fruit before having Rob's parents say goodbye and take some group photos for us. [/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]After a 45 minute ride to the border crossing I was finally into some unfamiliar territory! After being waved through the border with hardly a look we proceeded to make our way to the Immigration offices to get our tourista cards (visa's) After figuring out enough Spanish to state that we were on vacation and we needed the longest visa period possible the officer pushed up some paperwork to fill out, And guess what, not a single word of English on the form anywhere.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]I stumbled my way through the paperwork, went and payed the cashier, came back for a stamp and officially had a tourist visa. The next step was to make out way into Tiajuna and find the office to import the motorcycles. The office was easy enough to find but again the process was not a very quick one. We stood in line to see the attendant after figuring out which booth to go to, when we finally got to the front we were turned away, sent to another building to get copy's of all our registration, passports and tourist visa's. Copy's in hand we waited in line again and after 20 minutes of dealing with the paperwork we were walking out the door with temporary vehicle import permits and window stickers.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]One final stop to change some money and we were headed south on the beautiful toll highway towards Ensinada. We are greeted with some amazing ocean views and great riding weather and stopping in Ensinada some great Taco's too![/font]

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Mmmmm Fresh Taco's

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We had planed to camp on the coast near Santo Thomas however I guess we missed the turn, my fault I guess, trusting the GPS too much and not asking for directions. We end up in a little nothing town of San Vincente and decide to get a room as it's starting to get late and the other guys are a little tired after their first day on the road.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We find a pool hall and decide to stop in for a beer and a couple games of pool before going to the hotel. Almost immediately after we sit down and start in our our beers a very friendly Mexican comes over and starts talking to us, we have no idea whats he's saying aside from telling us his name and asking ours. He seems quite interested in Dave and after 15 minutes of him talking we clue into the fact that he wants to take him home... We get up and leave Mr Gay Mexican at the table alone and go play some pool. Rob had said us two young guys would get hit on quite a bit in Mexico but this wasn't what I had expected.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We unload at the hotel and Dave has a bit of anxiety about the trip, He's homesick, jetlagged and feels we are pushing too hard during the day. I do my best to talk him down and he even gets to the point of asking us to take him back to San Diego. We tell him to rest, relax and think it over as I knew I would regret turning back so soon. Rob and I went to find an internet cafe so Dave could call home on Skype, perhaps talking to his parents or girlfriend would make him feel more at ease.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]After a 20 minute call talking to his dad Dave seems in better spirits, we all check in on e-mails and forums and leave the cafe just as it was closing. Rob loads up his bike (he has a bum knee and didn't want to walk over) and heads to the main street to find some food, in the process I guess he managed to loose his laptop, he just tucked it under some bungees on top of his bags and it must have bounced out... Shitty luck! He road around franticly searching for it but came up empty handed.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]What a way to end the evening... [/font]

 

[Lonewolf]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Day 13 – Unlucky 13 - 410km[/font]
[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We are up and away from San Vincente at a decent hour with no luck locating Rob's netbook, live and learn I guess... We jump back on MEX 1 south hoping to hit Bahia San Luis Gonzaga for the night.
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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]As we motor on the landscape slowly changes from the arid inland deserts to a flatter cooler climate near the Pacific. We find some great views and picture opportunities and stop often, at one point we see a cool looking dirt track down to the coastline and follow it, the end of the road leaves us just paces from the beach and one uninhibited sea lion. [/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Heading inland again we make it to El Roseario for lunch at Mama Espinosa's (a famous Baja 1000 race landmark) Pretty decent food, but the walls filled with pictures of the famous Baja racers complete with autographs and story's made it all worth while.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]As we leave town it slips our minds to stop at a gas station and we would end up paying for that later on. As we head south we ride for nearly 220KM's through an amazing desert, completely devoid of life, the few other vehicles we saw were Semi-Trucks. Arriving in the small town of Catavina where I find Rob pulled over out of fuel. I'm low as well but could probably make another 70KM or so with the spare litre I was packing, bit would that be smart? The nearest gas ended up being 100KM away.
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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]So we waited and hour and a bit for the barrel gas man to receive his daily supply from towns to the north. If you've never seen this kind of setup its quite the sight, an empty 55 gallon drum gets rolled up beside the bike and a full 5 gallon gas can is placed on top of it. With a quick suck on a siphon hose the man manages to very skillfully start the flow of gas without loosing or drinking a drop. Surprisingly enough the price wasn't very far off of what we've been paying in town.[/font]

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My buddy while we waited for gas...

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]After fueling we head for the “close” turn off to Gonzaga bay which ends up being anything but... Around 80KM down the road we spot the sign and gravel road leading to the bay, this would turn out to be a test of everyone's endurance. The sign says 55KM to the Bay and Rancho Grande, it sure felt more like 200KM. The road was treacherous at the best of times, a combination of washboard, large rocks and deep loose sand and gravel.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Its starting to get late but after 40KM of hard work Coco's Corner comes into view, anyone who is anyone in the desert racing or Baja world knows who Coco is. An amazing man who has a heart of gold and a fridge stacked with cold beers or soda making an existence for himself in the middle of the desert. We stop to admire his walls full of memorabilia and listen to his stories. We sign his log book and our names get added to the collection like the thousands before us before getting back on the bikes to chase the setting sun.[/font]

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[/font]The nice part of the road

Dave killin it...

Coco's Corner - some of his collection

Looks like some of the Local guys have been past...

Signing THE book...

Coco's recreation area

Coco, the man, the legend...

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]After a couple tip over's in the loose stuff It would prove that the KLR's are no doubt a better fit for this type of road than Rob's heavily loaded V-storm. As the sun sets and we are left in the dark I can see that the road has taken its toll on Rob, he's burnt out, perhaps this was too much to ask of him. With a little encouragement and the twinkle of lights in the distance we press on and find the bay, but by the time we get there the restaurants have closed and all we can find to fill our stomachs is beer and chips from the Rancho Grande store.[/font]

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[/font]And the sun sets with 20 Km to go...

Rob is burnt out trying to manhandle that big rig of his.

Looking a little worse for wear myself...

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We end up killing the night sitting in the covered area in front of the store talking. As the hours pass the locals disappear and the store closes, they seem to have no problem with us staying to continue our talk.[/font]

Our evening hangout...

Dinner...

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Soon after close a Hummer full of Mexican soldiers pulls up and bangs on the window of the store, a case of Corona's is passed out and some money in. The soldiers take a seat in the opposite end of the sitting area and all but one partake in some after shift refreshments. The one soldier on guard duty comes to speak with us, his English is very good and he's quite interested in our trip. I quite enjoyed talking to him and getting his perspective on life in Mexico, the army, corrupt officials and travel.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]In the end as we were getting ready to make camp he came back over and asked for a ride back to the checkpoint to get another truck as the hummer they had come in now wont start. Being the only rider with experience with passengers I offer to take him back to the base up the road. I wish we could have gotten a picture of this, I can only imagine what it looked like going down the road, with his assault rifle slung across his back.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We end up sleeping under the stars behind one of the buildings at the rancho as no one was feeling like moving too far. The night was warm and the stars were beautiful. We try not to think about having to go through this whole ordeal again tomorrow.[/font]

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[/font]Our camp for the night...

 

[Lonewolf]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Day 14 ~250KM[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Awake with the first light of the morning around 5am I lay in my sleeping bag and watch as the sun slowly makes its rise over the Sea of Cortez. Soon the ranch hands start getting up and I hear a few “silly gringo's” type of comments in passing. [/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We get up, pack the bikes and wait for the restaurant to open for some rear food rather than trying to survive on the beer, chips or ice cream of last night. A nice big cup of coffee and some Heuvo's Rancheros hit the spot.[/font]


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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]After breakfast we prepare to head out, Rob decides that he's going to go on ahead at a slow pace to avoid any more mishaps or beating up the bike too badly. Knowing that we could make time on him Dave and I check out the beach, go for a walk and a quick swim before gearing up and chasing rob down.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Tackling the road from hell again we have less problems and everyone is riding at their own pace, whatever feels comfortable... We catch up with Rob around 10KM from Coco's corner and suggest that we stop in there for a quick rest and a cold coke or water before continuing the last 25 KM's to the highway. After a chat with coco, a couple cold drinks and suggestions of where to stay down the road we pressed on.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Once we read the highway high fives are exchanged and we get back on some firmer ground. We head for Guerrero Negro through hundreds of kilometres of very desolate desert. The temperature is crazy hot on the high desert plateau, my thermometer reads around 40 degrees Celsius.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Arriving in town we find a spot to eat and order some chicken, note to self, check the portion size when ordering, we ended up with what must have been 2 full chickens along with tortillas, beans, rice and fries.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Stuffed we find our way to a hotel, we luck out and find something for a decent price with hot water, 3 beds and WiFi. We make a few calls home over Skype and check some e-mails before heading out to see the town and the Lagoon.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We end up at a little Mexican Karaoke bar for a beer, which turns into two or three and then the Tequila came out... Before long we are taking turns belting out gringo tunes much to the delight of the locals in the bar. A good time was had by all but we would pay for it in the morning...[/font]

 

[miller]

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Thanks for providing a great ride report so far...:hb:to you and your crew!!!

 

[W RON]

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He ran his bike out of oil, and blow the KLR.
Look on ADV he is asking for some HELP.

Ron

 

[cficare]

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Man that has got to suck....and wasn't there a thread on here about the new KLR's going through oil?? Hope you get things fixed and back on the road!

 

[Lonewolf]

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My bike is fine, just the dumb aussie im riding with blew his up... Hes not doing much to try to fix the problem... I think I'll be on the ferry to the mainand tonight, I dont have time to sit here and hold his hand for 2+ weeks... :X

 

[Jeckyll]

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I was wondering how riding with 2 people you didn't know well would work out.

Hopefully it won't affect your trip!

 

[Mollygrubber]

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Man that sucks. I too wondered about travelling with the 'unknown quantity'... hope it gets better for you, I'm really enjoying your story so far.



Peter

 

[Mud-Ectomy]

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Lonewolf wrote:

My bike is fine, just the dumb aussie im riding with blew his up... Hes not doing much to try to fix the problem... I think I'll be on the ferry to the mainand tonight, I dont have time to sit here and hold his hand for 2+ weeks... :X

Lonewolf,I hope things work out for you.

Good luck,

Mud

 

[Lonewolf]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Day 15[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Today was a rough day! Our tequila induced coma's finally started wearing off around 10am but we weren't on the bikes moving until nearly 12:30... This is no way to make any miles south towards our goal, but in reality I felt like a can of smashed ass-holes and didn't mind the extra rest. [/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]When I finally regain consciousness I become very aware of a small pike of vomit on the floor beside my bed that I didn't remember putting there. The taste still lingering in my mouth confirms it is indeed my issue to deal with. After cleaning up I use the time while the others are still passed out to type some of the ride report and check some e-mails.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Slowly the others join the world of the living and soon we are packing the bikes and readying ourselves for some time on the road. We stop by the local market where the guys grab some drinks and fruit for breakfast, I skip it all except for some water and Gatorade, which no sooner than I could get to the parking lot comes spewing out my mouth, the locals all laugh and I join in too, I feel 100% better at that point though.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We leave town and push through about 250KM's of very dry, very hot inland desert, my thermometer reads 40+ degree's C more than a few times. We near the coast and the temperature drops to a more comfortable 30 degrees C. Santa Roselita is our first major town of the day, a run down but beautiful in its own way kind of spot where fishing seems to be the big industry. We grab some lunch and fill the fuel tanks before leaving.

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]The road south toys with you, giving you some amazing views of the sea and then without warning tossing you back inland into the desert. Passing Mulege and some great beaches we soon find ourselves at this evenings destination, Sanispac beach at Bahia Concepcion. This bay is huge, it must be nearly 100Km long, the water is crystal clear and warm and surprisingly for a favourite winter Gringo hangout its nearly deserted.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We get a few Palapa's about 10 feet back from the waters edge and set up camp. As soon as the tents were up and the gear stowed we were into the water. Rob was stoked as he had brought his full on free dive/snorkel setup and this was his first chance to make use of all the bulky equipment.
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Fitting in a swim and some sun before it got dark we then headed down the beach to a small gringo bar called “Ana's” where the remaining US snowbird population had gathered drinking cheap beers and listening to the hits of the 1970's and 1980's, we had a decent meal, a couple nice cold beers and had some laughs with the locals before retiring for the night.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]I could spend weeks on the desolate coastlines of Baja...[/font]

 

[Lonewolf]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Day 16 [/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Mothers day! I'll be killed if I forget to call...[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]I'm up with the first light of the morning, from my tent I have an absolutely amazing view of the sunrise over the bay, you cant get better than this folks! Its only unfortunate that the beach is so close to the road and apparently the truckers don't obey that piece of wisdom about not driving at night in Baja. Sleeping with my earplugs in was a minor price to pay for such a beautiful place to stay.[/font]

View from the tent!

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Packing up to leave we find a nail in Dave's rear tire, its holding air but we decide to pull it and not chance having it go flat somewhere in the middle of the desert. Of course as soon as we pull the nail the tire goes flat. Luckily I have all the required tools, materials and expertise to fix this problem. We sit the bike on a cinder block and within minutes the tire is off and we are using my bike's kickstand to break the bead.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Tube out I find the puncture and patch it before reinstalling it and handing Dave the bike pump with a quick “call me when you get to 35PSI” jab. I don't know how many of you have tried getting at 130/90-17 tire up to 35PSI with a bicycle pump before but it takes a long time, at about 30 PSI Dave gives up and I break out my C02 inflater to get him the last few pounds.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]With the wheel back on the bike we are able to continue south, we immediately pass by some more amazing beaches that would all have made great places to stay. We continue on and end up in Loreto for lunch and Dave makes a phone call home to Mom.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]This little guy was working with his dad and very helpfull! nice kid![/font]
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[/font][font="Arial, sans-serif"]We decide to try for La Paz tonight. It would be a long haul but with our heads down and throttles on it was doable for sure. Dave takes off in the lead and we dont see him again except at fuel and rest stops. Nearly 300KM later and Dave's bike quits when pulling in for a rest, we think nothing of it, grab a couple bottles of water and continue on for the final 100KM into La Paz.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]78 KM's out of La Paz, directly behind Dave I hear a pop and then he pulls to the side of the road. I ask what happened and he's not sure. He says “it just died” he trys to start it again and something sounds very very wrong, I tell him to leave it. He gets off the bike we check his oil level, nothing, lean it over more, nothing, lean it to nearly 45 degrees towards the oil sight glass and still nothing... [/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]My heart sinks, I know right away whats happened and what the likely consequences would be. [/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Obviously during this mornings activities with the flat repair Dave had neglected to check his oil, and possibly for a day prior to that. He'd been running the bike hard and the engine was now bone dry... We added the litre of oil he was carrying and the 750ml that I had and the level still showed nothing... We waited hoping that there was a slight chance the motor might turn over as it cooled, but in my mind I knew that the head was toasted.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]After explaining to Dave what had most likely happened and laying out his options we decided to flag down a pickup for a ride into town. The first two trucks went by as if we weren't even there, it figures that the 3[sup]rd[/sup] truck, a Mexican national not a gringo like the first two would be the one to stop and help. His truck was already loaded fairly full, he spoke no English and my tiny bit of Spanish was almost no help, we arranged to get Dave and his bike into the back for the long ride of shame into town.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]As we pulled into La Paz we finally found rob on the side of the road waiting for us, he saw me but motioned like “Hey wheres Dave?” as I franticly waved trying to get the point across without stopping and loosing sight of the truck he was in. We got into town, and the nice mexicano took us to a cheap hotel right across the road from a motorcycle shop. We offered money and he said no but Dave insisted he take $20 for his troubles and time, We thanked him thoroughly and went to unload our bikes.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Dinner would be downtown on the waterfront at a decent little cafe, Dave rode bitch and liked it. I haven't had anyone on the back of one of my bikes for quite a while and weaving in and out for the Sunday night traffic made for an interesting time. I bought a phone card and called home for mothers day, it sounds like everything is well and my awesome sister even covered my ass for the present and card.
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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Tomorrow we would find out the extent of the damage to Daves bike and start looking into options for him. I'd love to have him continue on with us but at the same time I have a fixed amount of time and would like to be able to make it to Panama and back rather than having to turn back early...[/font]

 

[Lonewolf]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Day 17 & 18 - Stuck in La Paz
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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Dave was out late drinking and dancing last night and is the last one to wake up, not cool when Rob and I have to deal with his machine... At the same time I guess I can see his motivation...[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We take the bike over to the motorcycle shop while Dave sleeps off his hangover and talk with the Mechanic. He says he can get on it right away and we can cut down the labour cost if we want to help by taking off the plastics and gas tank first. We agree and run back across the street to get our tools. Within minutes we have the crash bars, plastics, seat and fuel tank off and on the floor of the dealership, we let the mechanic know it was his turn now and head back to the hotel.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]The initial thoughts on a time frame to get parts (2+ weeks) left a sour taste in my mouth so I booted up the computer and found a very week but open Wifi network and started looking for a replacement KLR motor, eBay had a few options, good to know.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]I grab some fruit and a drink from one of the street venders and head back over to the shop where I find Rob staring at a very chewed up KLR head. The top end is the first thing to go as the cams run on hydraulic bearings, the intake cam is ground up beyond recognition, the exhaust isn't as bad and our friendly mechanic says “in Mexico we use again” I laughed at his comment and told myself “yep, its true, they do things differently in Mexico”...[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]As far as Dave's bike is concerned there are two options, he can buy some parts in the states and ship them down express or he can find a way to get the bike back stateside. Dave doesn't seem too phased (or maybe he's in shock?) and isn't doing much to try to figure this issue out. Maybe he just has no clue about what to do?[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]I look into getting a motor, there are lots of options but shipping and Duty kill the idea, the fastest we could get anything would be 5 business days and there would surly be a 40% duty imposed by the Mexican government. With a motor being around $1500USD, shipping at $450 USD and a duty that would be nearly $700USD the money was adding up fast.[/font]

The kids from the hotel were stoked to sit on the bikes and get their pictures taken!

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Around 3pm Dave heads out to the beach to meet up with some people he'd met last night at the bar, it takes everything I have to hold my tongue and not say anything stupid. Rob and I head out to find some food and end up at Super Burro for what was to be a HUGE burrito. I blame my parents for my 'finish everything on your plate' attitude, it really got the better of me here.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]After a quick ride around town we turn in.. I try to do some writing but with the distractions of the internet that doesn't happen. I should really be out partying and having some fun but the engine and logistics research today has taken the energy right out of me.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]I fall asleep knowing that the ferry to Mazatlan left tomorrow night at 8pm and that I may be on it. I hate the idea of leaving Dave behind, he has no Spanish to speak of, hes not familiar with the culture here or in the States but I have a limited time frame and budget to complete this trip and I do want to make it all the way to Panama and back rather than having to turn around in Guatemala or something.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Around 5am Dave comes through the window rather than the door into the room and immediately passes out in his bed, we never hear the full story behind his escapades. [/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Rob and I are up at a normal hour and decide to get some coffee and go for a ride to find the Baja Ferries offices to check on the schedule and buy some tickets. Turns out that the office at the port to the north of town. Its a nice twenty minute ride on curvy roads before we find the office and try to buy tickets. It seems its not as easy as just paying the money and getting a ticket, the lady at the counter wants to see our vehicle import paperwork, our tourista cards and passports before taking our money. $2570 Peso's gets a single adult and a motorcycle on board, for a little extra you can get a cabin, which after not getting one I would defiantly recommend!

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]When we got back to town we made enough noise in the room (being that it was nearly noon) to rouse Dave from his slumber and let him know what the plan was and that if he wanted to do anymore planning we had to do it in the next few hours.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We did some running around between the internet cafe and tracking down some leads from the great ADV and HU communities for Gringo's in the area who might be headed north. Dave has a plan, I feel good leaving him with something in mind anyways.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We get to the ferry holding area at 6:01pm and a convoy is already on its way to the docks and onto the ferry. We skip the line riding up the centre of the road until a ferry worker tells us to follow in behind him.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We board the boat and park the bikes out of the way against a wall before getting off to head to the passenger decks. Standing in line at the stairway as our tickets are being checked we meet Thomas, an American real estate agent from Washington, DC who is doing a similar trip to Panama in his early 2000's Toyota Tacoma. [/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]The boat is huge and nowhere near capacity from what I can see. I mean we have some big ferries back home (www.bcferries.com) but they always operate at a decent capacity and don't have the amenities of this boat. Here we have a gift/convenience store, a bar, a disco (nightclub) as well as a cafeteria and restaurant. The boat has the feel of a cruise ship, and apparently by definition (having staterooms) it is.[/font]

The 'pool'... I guess by mexican standards it wasnt hot enough yet to be needed... I could have used it!

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]The night would turn into a long one, a few beers at the on-board bar and some serious exploring have taken place before we ever even push away from port. Unfortunately its too dark to get any decent pictures pulling away from La Paz.[/font]

The bar

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Eventually I find a row of seats away from the loud children and hunker down for the night like many of the truck drivers and families already have, not my best nights sleep so far but not a bad one either, these custom molded earplugs are paying off huge now...[/font]

 

[KLRsuperRIO]

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Awesome pictures so far buddy . Keep up the great work( I mean Adventure).:clap:

 

[Lonewolf]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Day 19[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]I'm awake by first light again... When will I be able to sleep in?! I toss and turn trying to get another hour of rest before begrudgingly getting up to face the day. I head down one level to the cafeteria to see what kind of offerings we had for breakfast. Nothing looked overly appetizing, Thomas (mentioned in yesterdays post) who had snuck in behind me wasn't overly impressed either, we made the mutual decision to head to the restaurant and order some real food.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Pancakes and coffee (or hotcakes as the Mexicans and some Americans like to call them) were the order of the morning. Thomas and I sat drinking our coffee exchanging route idea's and information we had collected prior to our departures. Our food didn't come for at least 40 minutes and we were the only ones in the restaurant. When it finally did show the waiter apologized saying that there had been some Electricity issues in the kitchen and that our food was complimentary. That was some of the best tasting free food i had eaten in a long time. [/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]The ferry ride was smooth and by 9:30am we were pulling into Mazatlan harbour past what I am told is the 2[sup]nd[/sup] highest lighthouse in the world (second only to on on the Rock of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean). We took on a harbour pilot and two large tug boats came out to guide us into our narrow berth in the busy harbour.[/font]

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[/font]Land Ahoy!

One high lighthouse...

Getting our harbour pilot

A little push and pull from this guy helped out...

We dubbed this 'Cancer Hill'

Lets get the hell off this tub!

In all her glory

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Off the boat feeling the need to get out of the big city we head towards Tepic on Mexican Hwy 200. I wish I could enjoy a city like Mazatlan but I'm really a small town kind of guy, It doesn't take too much hustle and bustle too put me into a stressed mood and quit enjoying what I'm doing.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We stop in a small town south of Mazatlan who's name I can not remember for some tacos and a walk around the main square (Zocolo?) Two delicious taco's later I'm full and ready to walk it off before jumping back on the bikes. The usual wares are being hawked, everyone wants you to come in and look. One of the more interesting area's was the Market with local seafood, produce, fruit and meats (a full cows head on the table will get your attention real quickly!)[/font]

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[/font]The church beside the main square.

The square itself

Mmmmm cow head....

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]back on the bikes we get lost heading out of town. Sometimes I think Rob goes on autopilot when he gets his music going, Too bad his autopilot needs to be upgraded. I turn on the GPS and guide us back to the main roads and out of town.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]There is a lot of roadwork going on in Mexico and signs all over the place about the Government spending X million pesos improving the infrastructure during slow economic times. For the most part the work is very well marked and not a problem, the traffic flaggers are quite friendly and love to have their pictures taken. As we travel more and more people smile and wave, whistle or flash their lights at us to say hey.
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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We talk to a few people who say they see maybe 5 gringos a month pass through their communities. Its a shame really, these tiny towns are the real Mexico, so much more to gain here than any overpopulated tourist spot.[/font]

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]The road leads us inland again before returning to the ocean. At Tepic we turn west and follow the mountain ridge lines down to the Ocean, what an amazing piece of road, these was no traffic, only a couple misleading corners and good pavement all the way. I was in heaven even with the heavy, slow pig of a KLR.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]Following the coast once again we find lots of small shanty towns and a few “wide spot in the road” villages. Its starting to get late in the day so we are on the lookout for a good place to stay when I spot a sign that reads “Rincon De Guyebetes” and remember that my parents and friends had vacationed here more than once. We turn in to check it out and as soon as we see the beach its settled.[/font]

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[font="Arial, sans-serif"]We ask around and the owner of the closest Palapa restaurant / hotel says its no problem to sleep on the beach in front of his establishment. He even gives us some first rate parking for our bikes where he can watch over them from the office that he will be in all night.[/font]

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Enjoying some sun, god knows my pasty white ass needs it...

[font="Arial, sans-serif"]After unloading it was straight into the water for a quick swim before wandering down the beach to get some food. I don't remember what I ate because I didn't take any pictures of it or write it down, my mind is failing me. I'm sure it was good. The night ended on top of my sleeping bag under the stars only being disturbed once as the police rode by on their ATV's.[/font]

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