Bellingham to Brazil, not coming back

I think some bull horns and a Spanish flag would give me the benefit of the doubt. Just like hanging a picture of the virgen provides you with safe passage through Mexico. Ill keep my eyes out for some and quote you a price!

Thanks Blader, ideally I would be working towards some type of career but I have no idea what I want to do so yeah, odd jobs I guess. Maybe I should start sending resumes to Motorcycle touring companies, I think that would suit me.


I just got back from Andalucia and Im working on an update. Great ride. This Wednesday I will leave on my first real trip on the SR. I cant wait, its running great and Ive got some fantastic routes in mind.

Spain's Old West

I woke up Friday morning and looked outside to see what kind of weather I was dealing with. My girl and I werent sure if we could make the trip for a couple of reasons so I got ready for work and decided that we would just mull it over and make a decision that afternoon.

First good sign: Sunny! I peeked out the kitchen window, all the fishing boats were coming back from a night of what is probably very difficult work. In the evening this scene is the same, except in reverse.



This week I did a Thanksgiving presentation and it was a hit, the kids need to learn that we eat something besides hamburgers. Ive been asked "Do you eat hamburgers?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you not fat?"
"Because I eat other stuff too."
"Are Americans fat?"
Jesus, what have these kids been watching? I wont lie to them but I try to make presentations that show all the cool stuff weve got in the US too.

I also managed to host a badass Thanksgiving dinner with some friends. Turkey is not a common thing to eat here in Spain but I searched high and low and managed to find one. Ive never cooked one before so after a brief moment of panic I came up with an idea. Shove a bunch of garlic up its but and rub butter all over it. It worked great, if only life was always so simple...




It was a diverse crowd, from Madagascar, France, Uruguay and England, I showed them that Americans can cook. "You bring yourselves and some wine, ill find a giant bird" I told them.




and the aftermath




But this weekend I was free, no parties no holidays (that I cared about anyways) and no clouds. I told my girl I would just pick her up at the school (shes a teacher too) and we left straight from there.

Heres a picture of us somewhere along the coast...



We sped out of town with the engine roaring like uh, well not exactly like a lion or anything, its a 250 after all but it makes a cool noise and with 2 up we turned heads. Yamahas often have some loud pipes! I ended up wearing a backpcack on the front of me because I dont have any bags yet but it worked out ok, the backpack blocked the wind and I loosened the straps so it just rested on the tank. Youve got to make do with what you have.

So we hit the road, I wanted to make good time while still taking the fun highways so I didnt take very many pictures on the way there (took lots over the next few days though). I managed to get a video for the last stretch but for now my words will have to do.

The road out of Mazarron takes you along side the Sierra de las Moreras and then meets up with the toll highway sending you through a tunnel. I call it the poor mans tunnel because its smaller and seperated from the toll highway. After the tunnel you can either hit the coast or go inland, we go inland.



The road inland winds through small towns and up and over green hills then back towards the coast at Augilas. From Augilas we stuck with the coast until we had enough and shot inland again through some canyon roads and up to a plateau. The town of Sorbas was an amazing sight. I had never heard of it and all of the sudden, after rounding a tight corner up to my right, hanging off some impossible cliffs was a small city. We zoomed into the windy streets and chose a bar to take a quick rest and warm up a little. I was wearing everything I could, long underwears, sweat pants, then jeans but the cool desert air in the winter will find its way into the cracks and crevices. Its a dry cold in Sorbas however so its easier to get warmed up again.

From Sorbas the road straightened out and did not have even the slightest curve for a good 20km and then finally started to descend a bit around the town of Tabernas. Tabernas I had heard about but only in relation to its role in the making of dozens, if not hundreds of American westerns. The small desert towns and especially the surrounding deserts were a favorite spot for Hollywood filmmakers. Among others, the most famous to have been filmed here were "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and "Fistfull of Dollars"

We usually think of Italy when we think of the Spaghetti westerns but actually many were filmed in Spain. The Jamón Westerns would be a better name maybe?

After Tabernas I wasnt sure which roads would take us to Gador, our destination so we hopped on the "Autovia" for about 10km. I dont mind it, the bike will easily do 100kph with 2 people but its just not fun and its not really built for that.

Im glad I changed the rear sprocket to a 15 tooth though it gives me a little bit more on the top end in situations like this.

We turned off at Gador and my lady filmed a little video. Its about 5 minutes long so if you get bored make sure you fast forward to the last minute or so because the arrival at our friends farm is pretty badass.

Code:

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In case the video doesnt work here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBgEm7rx9PA&feature=youtu.be

I dont know how to embed video can anyone help? I searched the forums and followed the instructions with no luck. just that black box.

We stayed with our friend Luis on his farm that he calls "Los Mochihuelos"

The next morning I woke up in the little cabaña that Luis built and although it wasnt my first time at his farm I am always impressed by how beautiful it is. What a way to wake up.



It was frickin cold though, it was the first night to have gotten below 5 Celsius so I guess thats about 40 Farenheit?

Luis lives in a truly magical place. His farm lies in a small canyon and his house sits above on the ridge. He always has a few volunteers lending a hand through the WWOOF program, Worldwide Oppurtinities on Organic Farms. The volunteers usually sleep in a converted cave at the base of the canyon. This part of Spain is unique in that thousands of people still live in caves. In the city of Guadix 90km North about half the residents still live in caves. These are pretty modern caves mind you, some are even the 3 bed 2 bath style of cave with high speed internet. So not exactly Neanderthal style if thats what you were imagining.

Here is the farm from above.





House on the hill.



Donna and Indo




Walking down into the orange and olive trees is really cool.



Its a really trippy place actually.

The oranges are so amazing it makes you want to cry.









Inside the house is a plethora of goodies, recently picked fruit, delicious veggies, freshly picked mushrooms which we ate for lunch and the list goes on.



Heres me studying some routes for later this week, On wednesday I leave for my first real trip on the SR. Should be a good one, im very excited.



Luis almost always has company living and hanging out at the farm. He doesnt ever ask for anything or tell you anything unless you ask he just lets you do what you want and he does what he wants and we usually end up doing a bit of farm work just for the hell of it. On a farm there is ALWAYS something to do, the work never stops. We got the old wood chopper going and shredded some wood for a few hours then had lunch. After lunch I was itching to explore the area a bit since this was the first time I had come here on the bike.

The clowds were moving in but in never actually rained, this part of Andalucia is in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada de Granada and is as a result very dry.



So we took a ride, stopping often, through Spains old west. We were looking for a castle Katrin had heard about but never found it so we just kept going.

Found this "Pueblo de la estacion" or Station town, a few little houses right next to an old train station, still in use though, we saw a modern looking train go flying by while we were exploring.









In the picture above there is two bridges in the background, one is for the train the other is a one lane car bridge. We crossed it and then turned 180 degrees and went underneath it, as you can see here.





We dove into this little town called "Santa Fe" and squeezed through the tiny streets, I dont understand how we make it by some of the cars in these places. When a car is coming at you, you have to just go for it, it looks like there isnt enough room and there isnt. But time and space will stop and distort, letting you pass and then return to normal after you have gotten through. Thats the only explanation I have come up with while driving through old European cities.

I ended up just driving right through the city rather than back out to the highway. On the edge of town the road turned to dirt and we ended up in one of the many dry river beds called "ramblas." There was a chubby kid with a rat tail and a middle aged man, who was singing loudly in that gipsy/flamenco style and we passed by him, as if in a dream and I pointed the bike down river. They were the only two that I saw in the whole town. There was a little road leading out of the river and eventually we realized that if we kept following the river it would take us back to the farm. When it rains these "ramblas" are very dangerous and people die every year after the rains but when they are dry they are a pretty normal means of transportation if you dont mind riding dirt. I dont.

The next day we took off after breakfast to explore Cabo de Gata. More coming.

Great report and photos Thanks

We said goodbye to the farm and headed out. Before getting to far we stopped to do one of the most enjoyable things you can do on a motorcycle trip. We stopped in a small town, searched out a packed bar/cafe and drank some coffee.

Heres a shot of yours truly in front of the cafe.




We ate the typical Spanish cafe breakfast, toasted baguette with tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and salt. I love it, its always good. And of course a coffee. I love that I can order "cafe solo" and I get a strong black shot of espresso with no questions asked. Just plain ol coffee, and just what I need to fire up before a long ride.

Weather report: Sunny. You can see the almost full moon in the center of the frame, and if you look real close, near the bottom just over the hills there is a sliver of white snow, more on that later.



Riding the back roads in Spain is not without its obstacles. Heres me braving a dangerous water crossing.




We opted for the coastal route through Parque Natural Cabo de Gata. This is old school Spain at its best, fishing villages and campgrounds with no high rises or resorts in sight. And the scenery is amazing.

Heres a small town called "La Isleta"










And lets not forget the good stuff, the moto eye candy.




I managed to find the turn off for a road I had only seen on a map but one that I couldnt find on other tries. It took us over a sketchy pass, the alternative to the new tunnel, and in the 45 minutes it took us to go over it I didnt see even one other car. There was grass and bushes growing out of the pavement.






And thats it for the weekend trip. Next up, I finally get back on the road for some real motorcycle travelin. Its been quite a few months since I was really on the road but I finally get a chance to take some time off this new job and do a real ride. Im headed deep into Andalucia and up into the snowy Sierra Nevadas of Granada. I cant wait.

Looking forward to your next RR!!

Good to know I still have some fans. I think I lost a few people when I switched continents/took a break from riding.



Wednesday 11:10am. Its go time. Finished with work for the day I rode home to grab my already packed bag and already packed lunch and I hit the road. I think a good place to start this report is with my first photo of the day. I wanted to take a few of my town and the packed up bike and get into RR mode but I forgot and so my first shot is near Mojacar, an hour or two down the coast, in Andalucia, right where I began to turn inland.



I invested 20€ in an ipod touch, which is basically like an iphone but without the phone part, so I could check internet and use google maps whenever there was wifi. It was a sound investment and its 8 gigs are 6 more than my last mp3 player so even though that might not seem like much to some guys I felt like George Jetson with my new techy gear.

The ipod was showing a little road, just after a bridge that would take me into the old part of town and help me avoid entirely the ugly resort stuff that is Mojacar beach. It looks like a driveway, and was sort of but it took me right into town. These are the kinds of roads where you never know what will meet you coming the other way. Usually a lot of hand waving and interesting reversing maneuvers will get folks out of whatever mess they might find. Medieval urban planning meets the modern age.

Here is Mojacar town.



I didnt stop, I just wanted to pass by and then take another road inland which I did. It took me to the right around the town, which is built on the side of a steep hill, and then into the countryside.

Once I met up with the "Autopista Mediterranea" I had the choice of hoping on it for a few kms or hopping the fence into the construction area which would take me under the Autopista on a more entertaining route to the highway I was looking for. Guess which one I took. In typical Latin America fashion (I learned some things there) I bombed through some fresh asfalt then some gravel and then onto the N340.

Once on the N340 I was a happy man. It looked biggish on the map but it was a twisty two lane. The first town of mention is Sorbas.



I followed the "centro urbano" sign and zoomed up and down the narrow streets until I found a bench to sit on for a short break.





And history too, here is an old ceramics oven I believe "of arabic origin" as the sign says. I didnt read the whole thing because too much history makes my head hurt. You have to be careful of that in Europe.







And time to go.




After Sorbas the road straightened out and stayed that way for quite some time.



I was making excellent time and I realized I only had about a half hour to go if I just gunned it and kept on my charted route. That was a great feeling which made me relax and I decided to make as many detours as possible until I was bored and ready to arrive at my destination for the night.

Here is the first detour.



This area of Almeria is known for the Hollywood westerns they filmed here such as Fistfull of Dollars and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. To my pleasant surprise, the road to "Texas Hollywood" was not paved.



The damn camera didnt focus for that one, im still using my GF's camera because my fuji is lost in the pipes somewhere. I am assuming its in a row boat from Spain to New Jersey where Fuji is supposed to be fixing it under warranty. I sent it off December 5th.

Anyways, the road took me through some beautiful canyons and I dont know if I was recognizing geological features and other landmarks from westerns id seen in the past or if the landscape was just so perfect for that old west feel that it was just deja vu. I love old westerns and its no mystery as to why they filmed them here, it looks more like the Arizona badlands than Spain.







They wanted 19€ for the old west show so I skipped it reminding myself as I often do that I have a motorcycle which is way more fun than any tourist activity. It IS my tourist activity, as well as my adrenaline fix and means of transportation. So I sped off choosing an unmarked dirt road rather than returning the way I came. I knew that if I headed west I would either bump into the big A7 autopista or the 340 which I had come in on. The two meet up about 20km west from where I was.

Last shot of the movie sets, from the outside of course.



This thing is so light that it does great off road. I would love some slightly more dirt oriented tires and ideally better rear suspension but it handles its own as is.





I found my way out, and on the wrong side of a private property sign. Hmmm, a dilemma. I couldnt go back, knowing that I was on private property, but breaking out wasnt easy either. But I spotted a little path to the right of the gate and went for it.






And then onto Gador. It was a half day but a very good one. Ive been having more fun on this bike than I imagined. It felt great to be on the road again and I was just getting started. I spent the night in Gador at my friend Luis' farm in the little cabaña/tool shed and I froze my ass off. But I figured Id better get used to it, I slept in my sleeping bag with all my clothes on and blankets on top of me. The next day I was headed to the Sierra Nevadas of Granada and the snowy valleys of Las Alpujarras so I figured if I cant handle this I might as well turn back now. Its a dry cold though which I prefer.

Skip to the next morning and im up, but not wide awake yet. I hit my head on a bridge, why the hell would you make a bridge so low?



And out of town past the Spanish cow, these giant black cows are everywhere.





And into Las Alpujarras, the valleys on the South side of the Sierra Nevadas that will be my main scenery of the day.

Hmmmmm, it looks like frosting.




Im lucky, the snowline is still high and the roads are dry.







I stopped at a little British owned cafe, you can tell its a British expat because they serve tea in large cups and there usually affiliated with some sort of street dog rescue charity. This one had posters for such an orginization, with a pun on the word paws, I cant remember what it was. I saw another one, JJs puppy rescue. Its a common thing for brits to retire in Spain, open a cafe, serve british food and rescue dogs.

I was in desperate need of a hot beverage and I ate a bacon sandwich which was awesome.




I noticed these houses with only one road leading up to them, with a river crossing!






I made a detour to Pampaneira, a typical town of the Alpujarras.









The orange man.





Winding down from the Alpujarras back to the coast for a minute, just to warm up.







And some hot soup to warm up.




My destination for the night was Ronda. I had heard about it from a few people. One of those magical places where Hemingway used to hang out and get drunk. Those are usually great places so after passing through Malaga I headed inland again to the misty hills of story books tales...











Up a slippery cobblestone street and found a hostel. Heres the view from the hostel.





















More coming, I cant get enough of this fall weather.

Quite a place. Love your report.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronda

You didn't lose me as your fan.. I subscribed and read your post from my email instead of on here

I think your fans will start to come back as you slowly pull out of "idle" after a transition of moving and job + getting another bike.. now that you are back to exploring, your RR should start to get interest..

Amazing pictures and lovein you writtings explaining the area. Man, I was checking out the larger vans and those tiny roads. They much be pretty restrictive on what roads they can use in town seems. Thanks for all the work and time to share this stuff.

Still a fan and following along. Good to see you out and about again. I am looking at 3 months of snow shoveling yet before the bike gets out.

You have not lost me as a fan either, I read or at least check to see if there is an update every day. Thanks for sharing and taking us along. Snow here in Washington, enjoy and keep posting.

Shane

I've been enjoying all your stuff right from the beginning.

I've been to Spain a few times on Stag parties and only ever see the holiday resorts. It's great to get a feel for the 'real' Spain from your RR.

Keep it coming.

Still a fan! Subscribed early on. Really enjoying the direction your journey has taken...the move...choice of bike....and now some interesting rides. Yay!

Actually I almost gave up the search for a bike until this one showed up at the bike shop in town just when my girlfriend was buying an old scooter, so in a way it chose me I guess.

Typing up the next update right now. I know you guys need some wintertime entertainment so I will try my hardest to deliver.

A few thoughts on my bike:

The honeymoon period is over, I love you now change. Id like to do a few minor things to my bike or if I can, after a few more paychecks I want to sell this one and change to a newer SR250. In 20+ years all they changed was a larger rear wheel and a disc brake up front, two things I would love to have. Mine is an '85 but its not hard to find a 2000 SR which I think I would like. Less chance the gaskets and seals would be brittle and start leaking maybe. I think a disc brake is a safer bet and maybe a larger rear wheel would be a little better for weight when I ride 2 up?

The most common is the SR Classic, theres a milion of em that look just like this for 800-1200€.



My ideal bike would be a 350cc road biased dual sport. If I could make the SR ride a little more like a dual sport, with a few hints of cafe style I think I might have something I would truly love riding. There are tons of SR250 cafe racers out there. Heres a picture of one I liked:



And a little more my style, thats to say more dirt friendly is one like this, for sale currently in Barcelona:


As you can see, with a popular bike that was basically the same for two decades there are plenty of options for modifications and tons of aftermarket parts. For now though I'm perfectly happy with what ive got. Now on to the next part of the RR.

Got news of my camera today, beemed to my ipod touch email account. It fixed, it was under warranty, and they ignored the note I had included with the camera about where to send it. Confusingly they sent it to the address where I had originally ordered the camera, which must have showed up in their system. I dont live there anymore, that was a year ago. Luckily I happened to have ordered it to my parents house so thats not to big of a deal. Pissed me off slightly, just because I lived there a year ago doesnt mean they should just assume I still do. Could be worse though. Ill have it back soon (thanks mom!)

In Ronda it rained hard. It was beautiful. When it wasnt raining it was very misty and generally being nasty but I loved it, it totally fits the town. I can see why Hemingway was inspired here. The giant bridge was in chapter 10 of For Whom the Bell Tolls. There are a few bars around claiming that he got drunk there once. There is an awesome tapas bar "lechugita" on calle de los remedios which I frecuented. They give you your drink (beer 1.20€) and then a big list of tapas. This is my favorite part of Spanish culture, small bites of food to eat while you drink. They give you a piece of paper with check boxes. They were all .80 cents so I just started checking boxes on the list to see what I would get. Little chorizo sandwiches and cheese and bread, even roasted snails with little tooth picks to get them out of the shell.. Thats how I ate dinner the first night, just kept ordering drinks and tapas until I was full.

In the afternoon the sun finally came out. I snapped a few pictures of the old bridge then went to start the bike for a little day trippin.



And this one from the other side, you should see the path I took to get this one!




After the SRs first heavy rain I wondered how it would start. Old naked bikes often dont like rain but it fired right up and made me feel all warm and fuzzy as it started steaming while the water evaporated and the idle smoothed out.

I took this little road out of town.




I headed for one of the "white towns" called Setenil de las bodegas. Its built in a gorge and the houses use caves for 3 out of 4 walls.









Its great fun to order a coffee from a guy whos bartending a cave.






Heres another example of that spatial trick that european drivers do.
Will he make it?



He makes it!
















Cool gas station.




It started to rain again but I was having too much fun to let that stop me from exploring more of the area.















Saturday morning I left Ronda. Heres one more shot in the town and then one of the countryside as I was leaving.





I rode through an awesome canyon through a town called "El Chorro."





Check out this hiking trail, open to the public.






Im not the only tourist.







From Ronda I headed North and East towards Granada and I really took my time.
Check out this train bridge.






In this next one I imagine they werent sure where to put the road. One guy wanted to go left the other right. So they argued and then compromised.






I spotted a cool dirt road and took it, glad I did.








A fancy cave house.



I arrived in Granada and parked the bike on the street. I was happy to have an old bike worth little, but that runs great. I parked it right in the center of the old town, not the safest spot in town but I slept soundly. I dont worry about the little SR. She always starts and doesnt ask for much.

That looks like very interesting country. I bet the food is good too.

Wow! Great report! That old bridge just blew me away. The old bridge in Mostar was gorgeous but now, for me, this bridge is tops (okay maybe tied with the giant arch that Tagesk shows visitors [check out "Riding in Tuscany" elsewhere at ADV....IIRC it's in the "Europe" section). But back to your bridge....man, what an engineering feat and SO beautiful. That doorway above the main arch....what, pray tell, is behind it? And your shot from the other side, showing the whole bridge with the lower arch and the waterfall ....well....now I've put it on my "bike bucket list"! Thanks! Also loved the shots of the buildings built into/under the cliff. I would imagine there has been continual human habitation there since about....oh, maybe since humans first appeared in the area. Another place I want to visit. I think you've really hit on something with a bike that was in production for a couple of decades with steady improvements to the basic components. They should be plentiful, spares shouldn't be a problem, and I agree there's probably a pretty good selection of after-market bits for personal customization. Loved that shot of the guy in the car squeezing through that lane....he was able to fold his left mirror back but I guess he couldn't reach his right one...luckily for him it looked like he didn't catch it on the wall! Thanks for taking us with you on another great trip. Keep'em coming!!

Hey Ryan, dad here. Your camera has taken on a RR of it's own. You sent it to New Jersery, USA for the warranty repair and they decided to box it up and mail it to the west coast of the USA. Amazing packaging, totally bomb proof. I happened to be home for lunch when the Fed Ex guy showed up, lucky, as he required a signature. Mom took it to Seattle where she met up with Katrin's mom for dinner ( I sure would have liked to be a bug at that table). So now it is in Seattle, WA until she heads over to France for the holidays. So maybe another week or so and you get your camera back. How are you and Katrin getting to France? Bike or trains? Enjoying reading about your travels, the bike seems to fit the terrain well. Tell us about Katrin's new stead...her first one? Keep enjoying the regions of Spain! As I read and view your pictures I can't help but wonder how my slash 7 would fair on those little roads, I think it would be just fine!
dad

Kurt to all the rest of us.

PS: have you heard if Larry sold your F650? Last I heard it was up for grabs in Lima and waiting for a new pilot...tempting