South America by Geezer

[RexBuck]

Some other things catching my eye. I'd hate to have the apartment on the end - don't think there would be a lot of room for entertaining



Have seen a lot of these cool looking trees in South America (Winter has started so, no leaves)



Which have an effective defense against lizards, monkeys and tree climbing kids



And then just some giant trees




A busy street with lots of moto parking



A lot of cars set up for Natural Gas - Natural Gas service stations very busy




Can even find some solitude in the city



It's hilarious watching a show like this with the voices dubbed in Spanish . . . just not the same




Get the odd street performer



One restaurant on a main corner had a spot for musicians - this guy playing jazzy sax, girl sounding like Diana Krall and an old guy singing and playing blues guitar. I thought hanging around here was a great excuse for enjoying some wine or beer . . . or both.



Most restaurants were open over the holidays so, no shortage of food. Eating wasn’t particularly cheap here but, some really good chow . . . particularly meat. I am an unabashed meatatarian and I think herbivores would suffer in most of these South American countries, particularly Argentina.

A really good empanada



Steaks (All outstanding)




Steak and heart of palm salad



Pork




One place had a wood fired barbeque in the window with a bunch of lambs or goats and racks of ribs slowly cooking



A typical bakery



My last night in South America, met up with Cory, Bryce and Dylan for dinner. These guys have all had outstanding adventures.

[Pete_Tallahassee]

It's been a great adventure. Thanks for taking us along.

[Sunday Rider]

Great update and wonderful pictures RB. I was missing my fix.
Too bad about the exchange rate mess. Should have seen how far Canadian Tire money would have got you

[moto-treks]

I finally sat down to catch up on your Ride Report and I see that you're home, welcome back now its time to readjust to N America living

I've enjoyed following your trip. You've got a nice way of capturing what's going on
If you drop down into the Eastern Washington give me a shout and we can enjoy a few beers

[SS in Vzla.]

Originally Posted by RexBuck

Hey SS, thanks for joining in and thanks for the kind words.

One of the areas I missed was Northern Colombia and I was thinking about taking a quick little side trip into Venezuela - maybe next time for my "see the places I missed trip"

Still in food withdrawal . . .

Let me know and I'll be glad to help with route/lodging/sightseeing suggestions, gps maps, bike needs and/or beer!

[ride4fun562]

You sir know how to eat.

[RexBuck]

Originally Posted by Pete_Tallahassee

It's been a great adventure. Thanks for taking us along.

It was a spectacular adventure for me. Thanks for joining in Pete.

[RexBuck]

Originally Posted by Sunday Rider

Great update and wonderful pictures RB. I was missing my fix.
Too bad about the exchange rate mess. Should have seen how far Canadian Tire money would have got you

Glad you enjoyed it Sunday Rider. A little better planning would have aleviated the exchange problem. But, hindsight is always 20 20. Canadian Tire money would have got me about as far as Canadian money - it's pretty but wouldn't have bought much beer or wine.

[RexBuck]

Originally Posted by SS in Vzla.

Let me know and I'll be glad to help with route/lodging/sightseeing suggestions, gps maps, bike needs and/or beer!

Thanks for the offer

[RexBuck]

Originally Posted by moto-treks

I finally sat down to catch up on your Ride Report and I see that you're home, welcome back now its time to readjust to N America living

I've enjoyed following your trip. You've got a nice way of capturing what's going on
If you drop down into the Eastern Washington give me a shout and we can enjoy a few beers

Thanks Jeff and, it is an adjustment coming back home. Glad you enjoyed my report.

I do get down that way periodically and will give you a holler next time I stop over. By the same token, when you next sneak across the border to the Great White North let me know and we can get together.

[RexBuck]

Originally Posted by ride4fun562

You sir know how to eat.

Yah, there are not a lot of things I don't like. I figure if you're going to eat, you might as well eat well.

[RexBuck]

On the 3^rd, I took the subway then a taxi to Dakar. Thanked Sandra and Javier, grabbed my bike and took the short half hour ride to the airport. Bike is weighed, ride it up on the pallet and it gets strapped down. Fortunately with United, I am able to stow some riding gear (not all airlines allow that) such as my jacket and helmet. Took the windshield off, deflated the tires and twisted the handlebars down to get the mirrors out of the way. Shipping costs are based on weight and volume. Volume is calculated from the highest point of the bike so, moving the mirrors and windshield out of the way can make a big difference in cost.

Everything is then strapped down.





Then the whole thing is wrapped in plastic.





Shipper takes my documents to the Aduana and the bike is checked out of Argentina. I’m done and catch the employee bus back into town.

On the 4^th I went over to the shipper’s office which was only about 4 blocks from my hotel, paid for the shipping and received my Waybill.

On the 5^th, I wait to see if there are any problems with the shipping (which there weren’t) and then get ready to head out to the airport for my flight. Of course, my 9 pm flight gets delayed until midnight which screws up my connections to Sacramento. Two different airlines involved and neither wants to issue the new ticket and accept the cost. So I finally do the equivalent of holding my breath and tell them to talk to each other and get it resolved, I’ll stay on hold till it gets done. It got done.

End up getting into Sacramento 2 hours later than originally scheduled so, the flight delay wasn’t so bad after all.

Got to spend a few days with my Dad and see my son and daughter in law while waiting for my bike to arrive in San Francisco. It actually arrived there Monday night after leaving BsAs Saturday night which I thought was pretty good for a piece of freight.

Couldn’t figure out how to get down to San Francisco airport other than a $160 limo ride. Finally found out about MegaBus. Thought I would help out the financially failing Sacramento commuter train and took a $2.50 ride from the station across from my motel to downtown Sacramento where I catch the MegaBus for a $6.50 ride to San Francisco . . . how good is that? My son picks me up and we go to find United Cargo and retrieve the bike.


Nice clear sky over San Francisco bay





Quick little jaunt over to Customs which was the quietest Customs/Aduana on the whole trip – nobody else there. Bike arrives looking a lot like it did when it left BsAs






We get it unwrapped, put back together and I blast back up to Sacramento.


Get my maintenance done, new front tire and I’m ready to go.
Nice ride back home. Seemed to notice the cold more. It was just as cold during many parts of my trip but I got whinier about the cold as I get closer to home.

Still have to stay at lower altitudes at this time of year as some of the passes have a bit of snow. My route for this time of year is past Clear Lake and through the Redwoods in Northern California. Cut over to Grants pass and hit the freeway to Eugene, then secondary roads up to Portland, across the river and follow Hwy 14 for awhile taking the back road to Goldendale. Then up Hwy 97 to Yakima and backroad to Ellensburg then through Ephrata and on to Omak.

Then last border crossing and home.


California Redwoods





Northern California Coast






When I crossed the river from Portland (about sea level) to Hwy 14, the temp dropped down to about 2 deg. I’m thinkin the Satus Pass may be difficult if it stays this cold as it is supposed to rain there. Sure enough, while the temp had climbed to about 8 in Goldendale, lots of snow on the hills and it started snowing with about 700 feet of altitude remaining to get to the top of the pass. Was down to about 1.5 deg and snowing pretty good when, it suddenly stopped and was clear sailing the rest of the way to the top. Weird!

Again, north of Soap Lake, approaching Chief Joseph Dam, starts snowing with fresh snow on the side of the road. Getting a few tracks on the road when we crested and headed down to the dam out of the snow. The rest of the way was intermittent rain and chilly.
And, home.

I’ll do one more post (soon?) with a summary of the trip and some closing comments

[lakota]

Great story. Really enjoyed it. Thanks for taking us along.

[OtterChaos]

Loved both your ride reports, I imagine they are the type of trip I will be taking in a couple of years. Different bike but same hotel types etc.. I'll review both reports again and take notes. Thanks

[ONandOFF]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful trip. Looking forward to the trip summary/reflection. I'm happy for you that it went so well and you had such a great time.