Canada to Argentina 2010

'Why don't we ride our bikes down to Argentina' asked Naomi in 2008. A couple of years later we quit our full-time jobs, took the road south & left everything behind.

This RR chronicles the day to day story of our motorcycle journey from Canada to Argentina. There was up, down and sideways moments, but overall it was a great experience. I hope you enjoy our story.

We're very proud to announce that 3 of our photos from our trip were selected to be featured in the HUBB 2012 Calendar. Thank you to everyone who voted, there is an amazing selection of pictures in the calendar!

Two years in a row! We are very happy to announce that two of our photos were selected for the HUBB 2013 Calendar. Thank you for the support.


Our blog: http://nomi-beto-adventures.blogspot.com/

And some teaser photos:

USA


Mexico


Mexico


Guatemala


Panama


Colombia


Ecuador


Peru


Peru


Peru


Peru





Chile


Argentina


Chile


Chile


Peru


Peru


Peru


Peru


Peru

​

Cheers,

Naomi and Alberto

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Sounds like a good trip. Sucks that the bitch backed over your dad on his bike the first day. WTF.

Glad you remained somewhat calm and no one got hurt, I would have been livid.

What are those cases? They look pretty tough, haven't seen a rigid tank bag ever I don't think.

What a way to start a trip :huh Hope your next departure and the rest of the journey goes nice and smooth. Have fun

Guys,
So sorry to hear about the bad start,:huh some cager's just seem to be asleep at the wheel. I would have had to be pulled off the woman's dead corpus.
I guess on the positive side you were only a short hop from home and not further along in the trip. At least you got that one out of the way early in the trip. Keep posting, can't wait to see what comes next.

I was just making sure Graham was fine and then was looking at the bike... assessing the damage. I had no time to go off on the lady really. The other guy went off on her (the pick-up truck guy that the lady ended up crashing into and finally stopping).

Our cases are pelican with hepco becker racks and caribou (do-it-yourself) mount system. For the tank I am using the Quick-Lock SW Motech mount with a pelican case.

Thanks Deadly99, we have the bike being looked at by the local dealer. Hope it doesn't take too long to get it back on the road.

Yeah.. is people like that lady that make motorcycling dangerous... I still can't believe how that lady mixed up the breaks and the gas pedal... she shouldn't be out in the streets with a 2,000 lbs weapon...

We'll keep posting! and we'll get on our way once the bumblebee is ready!

Cheers

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[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif] "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. Explore. Dream. Discover." -- Mark Twain

Team Members:
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[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Name: Naomi[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]
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What I am Wearing:[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- BMW Enduro Helmet[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Oakley XS O Frame Dirt Goggles (these goggles are essentially for children but i have a small head and the helmet has a small opening. These gave me the best fit, but unfortunately not a lot of lens options)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Rev&#8217;it Sand Jacket [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Baselayer top: BMW Long Underwear longsleeve, and then layer with Icebreaker as temperature requires (I also have a Exo2 Stormrider heated vest for serious situations)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- CamelBak Rogue hydration pack[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Rev&#8217;it Sand gloves (Rev&#8217;it Tempest H2O for colder/wetter weather)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Rev&#8217;it Sand pants[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Baselayer bottom: BMW Long underwear[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Sidi Adventure Gore-tex boots with Rev&#8217;it Enduro socks[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]
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[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]My Bike:[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- 2010 BMW F800 GS Lava Orange[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Mods:[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Wunderlich Headlight Guard[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Wunderlich Radiator Guard[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Barkbuster VPS Grips[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Gear-it-technology Crash bars and bash plate (sufficiently crash tested)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Touratech folding brake/shift lever[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Wunderlich sidestand enlarger[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Hepco-becker lock-it side racks with 1430 pelican cases (used caribou cases ALS mounts and modified to fit smaller cases)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Guard-it-technology rear cargo plate[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Rotopax Fuel and Water container[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Hyperlights break LED lights[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Gear:[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Rok straps X7 (you can never have too many of these)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Seal Line Baja Dry Bag and Seal Line wide mouth duffle bag [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Sea-to-summit eVent Compression Dry Sack[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Sea-to-summit eVac stuff sacs[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- MSR Dragonfly stove[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- MEC Apollo 3-person tent (it&#8217;s easier for us to fit ourselves and our gear in a larger tent, and it packed down to about the same size as the 2 person tent, bonus!)[/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Name: Alberto[/FONT][FONT=Verdana,sans-serif] & La Gringa
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[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]What I am Wearing:[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- [/FONT][FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Shoei Hornet Sonora Helmet[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Von Zipper Snow Goggles (hey I&#8217;m on a budget here)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Rukka All Road jacket [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Icon Field Armor Vest[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Baselayer top: Rukka A.W.S. baselayer (short sleeve)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]o Extras: I layer merino wool and a Gerbing heated softshell vest on cold days[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- MEC H2O hydration pack[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Alpinestars SP-X gloves[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]o When it&#8217;s cold/wet I have a pair of Gerbing 12v T5 heated gloves[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Rukka All Road pants[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Baselayer bottom: Rukka A.W.S. baselayer [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Sidi Adventure Gore-tex boots with Sidi summer socks[/FONT]. Gerbing heated soles for cold mornings :)


[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]My Bike:[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- 2010 BMW F800 GS Alpine White[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Mods:[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Wunderlich Headlight Guard[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Wunderlich winglets deflectors[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Wunderlich mirror extenders[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Wunderlich sidestand enlarger[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Wunderlich bar risers[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Wunderlich brake fluid protector[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Wunderlich Handlebarclamp[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Wunderlich carbon tank protector[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Touratech folding brake/shift lever[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Touratech Pinion Gear Guard[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Touratech Frame Guard[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Touratech Engine Guard extension[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Touratech rear cover brake reservoir. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Touratech clutch cover carbon protector[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Touratech universal tube manifold cover[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Touratech frame guard[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Touratech alternator carbon protector[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Touratech heat sink guard[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Clear front and back LED indicators[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Pivot Pegs[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Mivv Suono carbon fiber exhaust[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Rotopax 7.5L Fuel container[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Denali LED lights[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- P3 LED lights (blink when breaks are applied)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Nippy Norman&#8217;s radiator guard[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Barkbuster VPS Grips[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Gear-it-technology Crash bars and bash plate (sufficiently crash tested)[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]It was a long winter. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Luggage:[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Pelican 1300 case with SW motech tank mount[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Hepco-becker lock-it side racks with Pelican 1440 cases (with caribou cases ALS mounts)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Guard-it-technology rear cargo plate[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- SealLine 40L Duffle Bag[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Pelican 1400 case[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Gadgets:[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- SPOT 2 [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- TomTom Rider 2 [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- GoPro HD sport camera[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Collett racefone X2 (rider communication system)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Canon EOS Rebel T2i DSLR camera[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Acer Aspire One Netbook (my regular laptop decided to die 3 days before we were leaving so this was an emergency purchase) [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- Iphone 3G[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]- SolarFocus SolarMio charger[/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Name: Graham
Graham is my dad and he will be joining us for the United States leg of our Journey. He has been riding motorcycles since he was a teenager back in North East England. He recently owned a 2008 Kawasaki KLR but he was clearly jealous of our BMWs so he joined the team with a BMW F800 GS. I think he's had a huge smile on his face ever since.

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[FONT=&quot]&#8220;[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Tourists don&#8217;t know where they&#8217;ve been, travelers don&#8217;t know where they&#8217;re going[/FONT][FONT=&quot].&#8221; - Paul Theroux -[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
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[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif](writing by Naomi)

We had initially planned to take the first ferry from Long Harbour to Tsawwassen, but after I went comatose at around 7pm the previous night we decided to have a bit of a sleep in and get a better handle on the packing. It was raining outside, but my uncle Rob assured me that it was going to clear up in the afternoon.

So the team: Mr. Bump, Little Miss Daredevil and Mr. Happy headed off for the 1:50pm ferry from Fulford. [/FONT]

Graham: Mr. Bump (ironic, isn't it?)


Naomi: Little Miss Daredevil
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Alberto: Mr. Happy ​

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</td></tr> </tbody></table>[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]By the time we were docking at Swartz Bay the sun was shining and things were looking up. The super ferry was not in the terminal yet so making the connection was going to be a breeze. Our plan was to make it to Hope, or possibly farther, light permitting.

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Ferry from SSI to Sidney ​

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What we signed up for...


</td></tr> </tbody></table>[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]We arrived at the Swartz bay ferry terminal. My dad had paid and was going down the lane to the front of the line. Alberto and I were at the booth paying when the unthinkable happened. My mom was recently in a motorcycle accident (she slid off HWY 1 near Chilliwack totaling her bike and scraping her knee and arm). And while having that incident described to me was pretty scary, it was nothing compared to watching a lady drive down my father with her car!
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[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Crazy lady's white car at the scene of the accident. See the skid marks on the road?[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif] [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Damage to the front. I doubt this plastic piece will be cheap[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif] [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]Crash-bars did their job :eek1
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[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif]We now need to bend back those crash bars
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[FONT=Verdana,sans-serif] The incident: My dad is driving down the empty lane to go to the front of the line (a common practice for motorbikes on BC Ferries). I am waiting at the booth to pay, so I am looking straight ahead, where I can see my dad. I see a white car ahead of him and he is stopped behind it. Then I see the white car start to reverse.... and then accelerate! The car smashes into my dad, I see him go flying and the car is still accelerating. Meanwhile I am screaming in my helmet, What the f*ck, What the f*ck, and then Oh my god, Oh my god! I was in shock that what was happening was happening. Alberto goes around me and drives down to the scene, and I just drop my bike and go running down. My first instinct was to go off on the lady since I'm pretty sensitive about car drivers being oblivious of motorcyclists. So I start yelling at this lady, and I think one of her passengers took me away telling me to calm down. Mostly I just wanted the lady to understand how serious what just happened was, cause she seemed a little dozzy and unphased.

My dad's bike received a few injuries and could not be driven. And what did Mr. Bump have to say for himself?

Bystander: "How do you feel?"
Mr. Bump: "I'm really f*cking pissed off"

Apparently the lady in the car pressed the accelerator instead of the brake once my dad started honking his horn. You'd think you would stop after the initial impact of hitting my dad's bike, it's not a small bike, but no she continued into a truck in the full lane beside us.

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To demonstrate how far the lady pushed dad and his bike! ​

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</td></tr></tbody></table>Anyways, the lady "was in a hurry to catch the ferry" so she took off. The police weren't interested because my dad wasn't significantly hurt. So we were left all alone, everyone boarded the ferry and we were standing in the empty parking lot. We phoned ICBC, private insurance, dispatched my sister to come get us in a car, called a tow truck... The BC Ferries staff were excellent throughout the whole accident. They were very helpful and immediately responded.

A tow truck eventually came and picked up my dad's bike. We will have to go over tomorrow and deliver it to the BMW dealer. So we all returned back to Salt Spring for the night (we had to pay for the ferry AGAIN!).

A rocky start to say the least! ​

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34km driven, on the way back home.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">
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The 'ride' back home

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Saludos beto !!!!!
Estaremos pendientes !!!!!!
Ojala continuen pronto !!!!!

Gracias Emiliano, partimos manana de nuevo
La moto fue arreglada lo suficiente para poder salir de viaje.

Thanks to Island BMW in Victoria as they spent all day assessing and fixing the bike. We're all set to depart tomorrow!

(writing by Naomi)

First thing this morning my Mom was on the phone calling up a storm: BC Ferries incident control, RCMP, ... Meanwhile my Dad and I left in the car to go receive his bike at the dealership (since the tow truck company wouldn't drop it off without the guarantee someone would be there to pay for it).

Many hours later spent at Island BMW, driving all over town (private insurance and ICBC), and the RCMP station in Sidney we arrived back at Island BMW where they had been assessing my Dad's bike for damage. The good news was that the steering was not damaged significantly and they had fixed the bike up so that it was mechanically sound to drive. The damage was just superficial, albeit thousands of dollars worth, but if he wanted he could drive the bike home tonight. One thing is for sure, the Gear-it-technology crash bars saved my Dad's bike. They are a top quality product and have more than proven their worth.

Thanks Island BMW do getting my Dad's bike back on the road as soon as possible.

So my Dad was given clearance to drive his bike, so he and I left the dealership (him on his bike, me driving the car). We returned to Salt Spring with some bodging to do on my Dad's bike.


Noticing more damage from the crash


About time to get a new jacket.

You are very lucky that he was not injured or crushed. I am pissed she got away to strike again. Looking forward to seeing dirty bikes, not bent ones.

Hey Alberto, Naomi & Graham!

Here's to hoping the re-start is much better!!

Naomi- a little tip you may want to do with your Rev-It Sand jacket...

I just put the Camelbak reservoir in the back pocket and run the hose up through the side belts and under the velcro/snap for the right vent. It works perfectly and there's no backpack in the way/blocking the venting and just adding weight.

Have a great journey

Dave

Salt Spring eh? Glad to see some more locals taking the plunge! I'll be following along, if you need any info or something done on this end let me know! Take care.

Pat

Subscribed

Good luck to all of you!

Great bikes! On board for this one.

count me in

Another Islander subscribed

I guess it's a good thing to get that part of the trip done and over quickly, it only gets good from here on end.

Maybe I missread the blog, but did the lady actually left and boarded the ferry...., were you able to sort out the paperwork so that all the costs for this are on her.

Have a fantastic trip,

Hi Naomi, Alberto, & Graham,
We are a few weeks ahead of you, so hopefully will run into each other along the way. Ride safe!
Daryll

Thanks Dave, great tip :)