RTW 2013-2014 From Chile to Canada and hopefully much more

Wow. Stunning photos and tales. I love reading these trip reports and live through the writings. I can' wait to read more of your adventure.
I bought my first Duel sport this weekend. One day to be as adventurous as you to.

RR

If you swing through Portland ya have a place to stay and garage to work on your bikes. Just send me a message

Thank you for your feedback! For us it´s also great to share our experience....

Hi there, yes we will let you know if we come down to Portland. Thanks for the invitation! Still in Vicoria, BC at the moment.

After 35.000 km we finally got into Vancouver, Canada. Here I am leaving my bike for a few months. The crating company found me a little corner where I may sneak it in until spring next year.




Ingo is doing some preparation work to the BMW like disconnecting battery, removing wind shield and mirrors.




Beautiful and historic Victoria, BC is a fantastic place to see. It´s know as the Garden City. Warm Pacific Ocean currents give Victoria one of the mildest climates in Canada. Falls are traditionally wet and wildly exciting - especially when watching the storms roll in with maestic fury from the open Pacific.





On the way to Smithers, halfway between Prince George and Prince Rupert.




Colour is not generally a reliable characteristic to use in identifying a bear to species. Grizzly bears and black bears show considerable variation in coat colour and marking.




The toe of Bear Glacier is visible from British Columbia Highway 37A. It is the nothernmost outlet glacier of the Cambria Icefield of northwest British Columbia.




Hyder has archieved fame as a point in Alaska accessible to automobile and motorbike travelers who want to say that they have been to Alaska. Hyder is also the easternmost town in Alaska.




Rainbow Lake




Rainbow Lake

So you made it to our home town! We are headed to the coffe finca you suggested tomorrow! There is a paved road in Hyder now wow. Safe travels.

Sara

Ingo and Claudia
How nice to meet you, this is Dave we met this afternoon in the motel parking lot in Bakersfield. I haven't started your ride report yet but glanced at a few pics,
Absolutely stunning. Have fun in Death Valley and a great rest of your trip. It does seem kind of weird posting in your report knowing you are within a few hundred feet of me. I'm in room 119 if you need anything. Again have a great trip.
Dave

How nice! How did you like the Finca? It´s a good spot for a rest I find. Is the road still blocked? It happened just before we came into the area in spring this year. But we were lucky not to be affected at that time. Hope you can cope with your waiting time.

Vancouver, especially Vancouver Island was lovely. Time in Canada was far too short though. So we might come back for another riding adventure through Canada and Alaska only. I assume it would be an worthwile experience indeed.

Safe travels!
Claudia

Hi Dave,

it was lovely meeting you in Bakersfield. I hope your job is going well over there and you can return home soon. We are just about to meet my family in LA for a round trip through California and Nevada for two weeks. We then come back to the LA area on November 7th. If you are around we could try to find an evening to have a beer together.

Cheers
Claudia

In Oregon they don´t call the beach the beach. They call it the coast. That´s because the beaches on the Oregon coast are sandy dunes so high and wide that to call them mere beaches would be an insult.



But the best thing about their beaches, which they call the coast, is that every inch of all 363 miles of it are completely free for all of to use.




The Oregon coast is more than a place, it´s a state of mind.




Still other beaches are atop sheer cliffs rising straight out of the ocean, and are topped with hiking trails, lighthouses and some of the finest golf courses in the world.




Doing some research on the road




Luckily we weren´t affected too much




The majestic trees that make up California´s Redwood National Park may not be the oldest or biggest trees , but they are certainly the tallest.




To appreciate the Redwoods, you must walk among them.




Drive through coffee stands provide an easy way for consumers to grab a quick cup of coffee. Other than being in a car, it turned out to be rather difficult to enjoy the hot drink during riding the motorbike.




Nowhere else in California you can travel surrounded by so much natural splendor. Less than an hour before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge civilisation is still left far behind.

We have the chance to experience a day out in a guided group of Harley Davidson riders. Meeting them in Bakersfield, it is already a challenge to see how much time it takes at the gas station, waiting for the bikes and riders needs.




Shiny chrome parts and a polished engine cover are noticed immediately. It´s the perfect impression.




From another world?




Our friends Stephan and Frauke enjoy their time out in the desert.




One of the must do pictures




Supermarket in Stovepipe Wells




Badwater basin, the lowest place in North America and one of the lowest places in the world at 282 feet blow sea level.




The water is definitely "bad", but the pools of salty water reflect the beauty of the surroundings creating a stunning landscape.




Death Valley, Zabriskie Point

We experience the open road of the Western Values which takes us on a journey between beautiful national parks, spectacular natural scenery and favourite cities. From the beaches of Los Angeles and San Francisco to the iconic Route 1 along the California´s coast via the deserts and canyons of Arizona and Nevada our trip takes us to the heart of the west.


Walk of Fame, Hollywood




Walk of Fame, Hollywood




Grand Canyon




Red Canyon




Bryce Canyon




Las Vegas




Las Vegas




Halloween at Death Valley




Yosemite Nationalpark




Yosemite Nationalpark




Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco




China Town, San Francisco

Stunning pictures

I know it´s silly to wash a motorbike, it soon will be dirty again. But Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service requires a thoroughly cleaned motorbike prior to shipment. As we plan to spend the winter in Down Under, we will have to get over and done with it. Though there are various methods, including chemical or mechanical methods advocated for this purpose, a toothbrush is the most commonly used method to get into the very tiny gaps between the sprockets and the spokes.

Various forms and designs of toothbrushes have been introduced in world market with varying efficiency, acceptability and popularity. In order to make sense of all the toothbrush options, I have compared the most common categories.

Result:

Whichever brush you choose, the most important thing is the amount of time spent brushing inbetween the sprockets and the spokes, to get them clean.

Congratulations for your first anniversary on the road
It was great to share this day with you guys !

Thank you, Julio!

Here a few more pics about our time at the Californian coast. It´s a lovely spot on earth.


Morro Bay



These guys are always present. One of them would catch me, telling me to stop properly at the pedestrian crossing. Luckily he let me go without fining me.



Sequoia Nationalpark



Little Baldy at Sequoia Nationalpark



Cute chap



Elephant seals



What would California be without its surfers?

The town of Antigua is a place in the central highlands of Guatemala famous for its well-preserved Spanish Baroque influenced architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We are here for the second time and still enjoy the town as we did during our first visit. It´s a very popular place amongst tourists and shows a well developed tourism infrastructure.



Central Antigua




Centrally located public washing basins in Antigua




Ready to attend the caesarea section in a private hospital with Dra. Maira Lopez




The new born baby-boy




Local busses in the town center of Antigua




Central Antigua




Our friends Luisa and Julio




Kid selling handmade items at Lago de Atitlan




Lago de Atitlan with its mystic volcanos

After 13 months in South-, Central- and Northamerica it´s finally time to leave the continent. What a sad feeling! We very much enjoyed our time here. We met fantastic people, passed through stunning nature and had some very strange weather changes on our way from South to Northamerica. And although it´s been already great, fantastic and hard to top, we look forward to our new destination: Australia. Since the duration of the flight is still 16 odd hours we decided to have a stop over at Fiji Islands. To be honest it´s not the worst place in the world....




Kind of unreal




Fantastic place for snorkelling




After snorkelling at the bay we were served a BBQ on board of the "Seaspray"




Indigenous children




One of the crew members







I loved swimming in the turquoise water




Mana Island