Avoiding seasonal depression when faced with the “Dark Months” - Portland to Panama!

Oregon DMV will only mail a duplicate title and registration to the address on your drivers license.

I just checked:

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/pages/vehicle/regreplace.aspx

Then you'll need someone to forward it to you. It won't be any faster in person than online, so you just have to make lemonade and party in the southwest. You can hit Baja for a while without a tarjeta de tourista. Or get a job as a mall Santa Claus for a couple weeks.

Just some ideas.

Kindest regards,
John Downs

The only option not on the table is going home

Thanks Slide and JDowns. I've given both Oregon and Arizona DMV a call to "discuss" my options. It would take ODMV 4 weeks to get me a new title (only and ONLY if the old one is destroyed/stolen), but they would send it to me here (or so they say). ADMV was unable to help until I had my original O title in hand. I KNEW I needed an original title OR registration, so I opted for registration as they are easier to replace, but then went ahead and grabbed all copies :huh

I'm developing a plan based on the kindness of friends... Have to send my storage key to a friend (yes, it was stupid not to leave it with the rest of my keys in said friend's pocket) who will have to go to my storage unit, find the title and send it down here to my friend in Phoenix. Looks like I'll be occupying friend's house on and off for a bit (oh joy for him).

Looks like Arizona (and maybe Baja) will be home for a while!

What are some sweet spots to ride??

What are you looking for as 'sweet'? I find the Monument Valley to be a real treat as well as some of the red rock / rim rock of UT. The problem is weather. If you aren't well equipped for cold weather, you are vulnerable to either freezing or being stuck somewhere. I'm about 400 miles east of you. We had 60 degree days and 45 degree nights up to Sunday when the nights went below 20 and today it'll be only about 48, but it'll warm.

I make that point to say that this time of year, you can have cold fronts dramatically change the weather once you are north of your current location.

I suppose you could take the far south route to Big Bend, tour around that interesting place in TX and then return being fairly safe from weather which would overwhelm your riding outfit. I find the southern deserts to be beautiful and interesting, but that may be because being a native, this his home to me. Others only see sand, cacti and scorpions.

Your other route would be to Yuma then San Diego for a run in SoCal which is always interesting and would tend to be clothing appropriate as it's never bitterly cold there.

Overnight the key to your buddy in Oregon, have him overnight your title to Phoenix and head for Nogales two days later.

You can catch up on Star Trek re-runs for two days at your buddie's house in Phoenix in the mean time.

I call this plan C from outer space.

Hope to see you down the road.

Kindest regards,
John Downs

Pm sent

Wow that really Sucks. I'm hoping I don't have a problem at the border with my Canadian paperwork. We don't deal with titles in Canada. Just Bill of Sales. I do have my original registration and Insurance cards.

Good luck to you.

12/06/2012 – 12/09/2012

I spent some time in Phoenix with a Craigslist home mechanic getting my bike in order for the coming trip. A fellow inmate from Phoenix, Fuggy, offered up his garage and expertise, but was not available on the weekend which is when I was doing the work. Thanks for the offer!! The mechanic was a cool guy working out of his driveway to help support his family while attending MMI (Motorcycle Mechanics Institute). Apparently he's been in the business for many years with his family on the east coast, but was attending MMI to get certified so that he can open his own shop. A great guy who likes to tell lots of stories and mostly just talk and hang out. I ended up doing most of the work myself (which is good actually as I was there to learn) while listening to him talk. He did charge me a decent sum for consulting/helping out.

He's a cool cat.


I was glad for the help and the extra tools I didn't have with me, but I guess I could have done it all in a fellow inmates garage for the cost of beer. It was good to have someone with the know-how show me the ropes first time around on things like valve check and chain breaking/reassembly and disassembling/maintaining/reassembling the forks. Here's what I did to the bike (repeat from brief post above):

Valve check – in spec, but not at highest clearance.
New tires front and rear (Anakee 2. These are going to be a b*tch repairing on the side of the road judging from how hard they were to get on in the driveway). I put them on using spoons from the tool kit.
New chain, front and rear sprocket (520 chain, 16 tooth front, stock rear).
R&R forks – new seals, fresh 10w oil.
New front break pads – new brake fluid front and rear.

The bike sans forks.


12/11/2012

On the day of departure I woke up pretty early to pack everything up while I waited for my friend to take one of his finals. After the test we had a Mexican lunch special (cheese enchiladas) at a joint near his house and then I was once again off on the adventure.

I wanted to continue avoiding the interstate as much as I could help it, so I headed east out of Phoenix on Rt. 60, then southeast on Rt. 79 to Tuscon. The weather was great, the bike ran well and the traffic wasn't bad at all. I eventually ended up on a two lane highway, riding through the desert surrounded by Saguaro Cactus and Chollas (and other stuff).

Some local flora...


Slight detour.


Near Tuscon (after a mandatory coffee stop) I hopped on I-10 for a few miles, then once just south of there I took Rt. 83 (the something scenic byway). Since I didn't leave Phoenix until the afternoon, by the time I hit Rt. 83 the sun was setting and it was starting to get very cold. I ran into my “hesitancy to stop” issue again (where I can't seem to make myself stop for things like photos, food and gas [but never a problem when it comes to coffee]) and noticed that I didn't have enough gas to get to my campsite, then to the next gas station after. For the record I get about 265 miles to a tank (before hitting reserve). I ended up backtracking to the nearest gas station (10 miles) to fill up. I really have to work on that.

Desert.


Rt. 83 would have been a sweet ride during daylight, but I didn't really get to see much. Earlier I plotted a point on the GPS (Garmin 60CSx; it won't tell you where to go, but it will tell you where you are) to a dispersed campsite advertised on the Colorado National Forest website. The “campsite” was down a dirt road a few miles, and I ended up riding it very slowly in the dark. When I got to the site my fingers were so cold I couldn't even feel them. I had to hold them up to the engine to warm them up. Not installing those grip warmers was a major mistake I plan to rectify when I get back. The site is at 5500 ft. which I did take into account when making the plan. I guess you gain altitude going north or south out of Phoenix...

The dispersed camp site ended up being a gravel parking lot where you leave your vehicle if you want to hike part of the Arizona Trail. The use “camp site” loosely as the term is quite inappropriate for what I actually found. I did manage to find a small spot just big enough for my tent among the rocks and brush, so I can't complain. It was a beautiful clear night, with billions of stars visible in the sky. Life is good. I cozied up in my tent after appreciating life for a few moments and crashed out for the night. Thanks to the rain fly and down sleeping bag, it was a pleasant evening and night.

Actually from the next morning.


Next: Entering Mexico (however briefly)!

Just a thought:

Checking the valves is simple. Adjusting them is much more complex in calculating what you need in the way of shims, removing the cams and so forth. If you are going to be your own wrench for this trip, I suggest you feel comfortable doing this op and if not, then seeking another coaching session with that guy or someone else.

12/12/2012

I woke up early hoping to get into Mexico quickly enough to make some good distance south of the border. It was a beautiful, clear yellow sunrise as I broke down camp and packed up. Hopefully this will be my last sunrise in the USA for quite a while (I was wrong about that by a long shot). Since I was out in the middle of nowhere, I downed a double-shot canned coffee drink (I have a stash for just such occasions; they are made by an evil corporation [which I continue to support even though I should know better] which will remain unnamed) and was on my way.

First thing in the morning.


The dirt road I so carefully negotiated the night before was a different beast in the morning. To call it a beast at all would be a grave exaggeration. It was a nice groomed dirt road that I was able to cruise down on the way back out to the paved road. The “National Forest” here is beautiful in its own way, but I definitely prefer to have some trees in my forest. I'm not unfamiliar with deserts, and all ecosystems have their merits I guess. I can appreciate it for what it is and see the beauty in it even if it's not my favorite...

I quickly made my way down Rt. 83, then Rt. 82 to Nogales. There I stopped to quickly peruse the internet, put my phone on hold, update my facebook so my mom wouldn't worry (that's something that doesn't go away with age, no matter how old I get and how many times I leave the country) and have some breakfast. On my way to the border crossing I ran into a guy on a KLR heading into Mexico as well, but not very deep. He still had to exchange money (something I didn't do) so we didn't ride together, although I ran into him later. I decided to take the Mariposa entrance and avoid central Nogales in Mexico on the advice of other inmates who have done this before me.

Crossing into Mexico was a breeze (so far). I came upon some soldiers who asked me a couple of cursory questions and that was it. It went something like this:

Them: Where are you going in Mexico?
Me: Everywhere.
Them: Where are you from?
Me: Oregon.
Them: Go ahead.

I made my way across the border with nothing to hamper me but a few tall, round speed bumps. There is very little question that you're on the other side of the border if you trust your olfactory senses. Mexico just smells different. It smells a little like other Central American countries, but not much. And it smells nothing like Southeast Asian countries or Morocco or Russia... All these places have their own smell and all are different. Some are more pleasant than others...

Continuing down the highway I started to get the feel for reading the signs (I don't speak Spanish really, but a lot of it is “familiar”) and managing traffic. There wasn't much traffic so it was a good place to ease into it. But already you could see that the concept of “lanes” was lost on the local population. With little trouble I made it the 20Km or so to the immigration and vehicle permit buildings. That's when the trouble began.

Things started off well enough. The guy on the KLR I met earlier pulled up and he was able to breaifly walk me through the procedure (I familiarized myself with in via the net, but it was nice to have someone there to point with their finger). I filled out the entry card and was sent to the bank to pay. That's where the trouble ended. Apparently not only did I not bring my original title with me (as a security precaution. I did bring copies) but I also did not bring the original registration. In fact... I brought no registration at all, but the little paper that comes with your plate stickers (completely useless). The people at the counter are pretty familiar with what US paperwork looks like and had no trouble seeing that I was unprepared for the crossing. So after unsuccessfully trying to get in anyway (you gotta try...) I was turned back.

I booked it back to Nogales USA, feeling foolish as I explained to the US border agent (a cute girl [woman if you prefer]) why I was coming back in: “Uh... I'm an idiot... I didn't bring the right paperwork...” She was nice enough about it. Just a brief smile and eye roll. Then I tried to find a solution to my problem. First I called Oregon DMV to see about getting a title sent to me. The short answer (it wasn't short when I talked to them) was NO. Then I called Arizona DMV to try and re-register my hike there so I could have a title. Again the brief answer was NO. My last resort which put me where I am today was to mail my storage key (3-day air, I'm too cheap for overnight) to my friend in Portland who would ransack my storage unit for the title and send it back to me asap.

Phoenix. Perhaps the biggest glory hole ever?


Plan successful. I should be leaving Phoenix, hopefully, on the 22nd of December to continue this briefly stalled, but soon to be once again amazing, adventure.

you didn't bring your paperwork? :huh
hopefully your friend finds your original title and reg card.
each border crossing is different and you're gonna need it all.

atleast you didn't just ride into mexico and down baja to la paz to realize you're screwed.
getting mail in mexico is a whole different cluster fuck.

atleast you didn't just ride into mexico and down baja to la paz to realize you're screwed.
getting mail in mexico is a whole different cluster fuck.[/QUOTE]

And sending mail is worse. I mailed a post card from Puerto Vallarta 3 1/2 months ago to my son in Michigan. Still hasn't received it:eek

Okay, the documents (original title and registration) have arrived and I'm ready to give this border crossing into Mexico one more try. I leave from Phoenix early in the morning. The plan is to just head down there the fastest way possible, cross and make it to Hermosillo in the same day. It's not many miles (about 350), but there is the wait at immigration that (I imagine) will take a bit of time.

It was an uneventful ride to Nogales down the I-10 then I-19. An aside: I installed some “ride-on” in my tires and removed all the weights from the wheels (since I mounted new tires, those weights could be doing more harm than good) before I left Phoenix. I think there may be a difference, but I'm not really sure. At least if the tires did need balancing, this should do the trick and just maybe save me from having to patch a tire on the side of the road. I'm going to hope it doesn't come to that.

Who is this?


In Nogales I changed some money and filled the tank with gas. As I was gassing up I saw a cluster of KLRs hanging out by an Arby's. They did not look geared up for a trip south and I didn't wait around for the owners. Then I hit the border. No lallygagging this time around. I drove through just after 11am and was not even stopped for a conversation. I guess 11am on a Saturday is when it's just gringos passing through because everybody used their lanes and followed the road signs. Not a whole lot of speeding and I even saw a blinker or two. Go figure... A quick jaunt 20Km down Rt. 15 got me to the immigration station.

The line was LONG. As I was familiar with the order of tasks, I knew just what to do. Luckily the agents know exactly what they are doing so it didn't take long to process the people in front of me and then me as well. The line to El Banko was even LONGER. It stretched around the corner... After a couple of hours I got to the front of the line and was quickly processed. No issues. Just have to get my passport stamped (first Mexico stamp for me) and affix the sticker to the bike and I'm done... Complete success! This is how it should have gone down the first time. I did buy a couple of tamales in the parking lot before taking off to celebrate (and eat some lunch).

Ready to leave the immigration station.


Once done with all the paperwork, I continued down the highway with a sense of pure joy in my heart and a big grin on my face. There's just something about crossing an international border that gets me stoked on life. It's not “objectively” any different really; just a political boundary, but it makes a huge impact somehow. I got as far as the first toll booth when I realized that I should be looking for the “free” Rt. 15. Well, I'm still looking for it. I've looked at maps, driven around, checked Garmin and nothing. If there is a Rt. 15 without toll booths it is lost to me (perhaps there is one further south?). I did go around the next two tolls, but it required navigating some dirt roads through a little village and riding across a construction zone. If anyone knows, where is this seemingly mythical toll-less Rt. 15?

The way around the toll. Is this the "free 15"?


The sun was close to setting by the time I reached Hermosillo. I rode around the city for a bit trying unsuccessfully to find a cheap motel. I eventually backtracked to the north end of town and got a room at Hotel Faraon. It was a pretty decent place with a tiny room but an enclosed parking area so the bike was safe. When I first arrived the place was deserted, but by evening it was so packed full of cars that my bike was trapped where I parked it by my room. After settling in a bit I went out and got some street tacos from a little cart just up the road. The tacos were amazing! This is the life... except I have a splitting headache from what I believe to be extreme dehydration.

Hotel Faraon.


Those kitties helped me fall asleep...


Note to self: drink water every time you stop.

I'm enjoying your ride report and photos so far. Have fun and keep up the good work!

Feliz Navidad from snowy Central Oregon!

Thanks NotAllWhoWanderRLost. It's finally starting to get going :) I miss good Oregon beer... Happy Holidays!

I woke up (earlier than I would have liked) to the sound of kids screaming, families arguing and cars revving. I guess my hotel serves as a stop over for families heading south and most of the guests were getting an early start to their day. Since sleeping was no longer an option, I decided to do likewise. It didn't take long to head out, especially since I remember seeing a Starbucks (yes, guilty pleasure, plus it'll be interesting to see it Spanish style) not far from me when I was cruising the town last night. I guess that will be my first stop.

Mexican Starbucks. Looks like the rest of them...


I got a quick coffee and hit the road. As I was heading out of town I decided to cruise around a bit more and take a look around. Riding down some random street, I saw a collection of motorcycles and a bunch of people wearing “gear” standing nearby. Of course I stopped to say hello. Apparently it was a local moto club getting ready to head out for their annual Christmas Ride where they deliver presents to local needy families. Good on them. We exchanged stories and got a quick photo and then I was back on the road.



The day mostly consisted of cruising down the highway with an occasional toll stop or a detour to the center of whatever city I was passing.



The first of these was Guaymas. I finally reached the coast! This town seems nice. It was really busy with holiday shoppers and (probably) tourists. The town has a nice hustle and bustle feel to it. I rode around the center and down some back streets to make sure I didn't miss anything important, then I moved on.

Guayamas Centro.


A view of the coast.


Uh-oh. I may be in trouble now...


More highway, toll booths and towns later I approached Los Mochis. The tentative plan was to stay here for the night, but it was still pretty early so I decided to detour over to Alamos (established in the late 1600s) where the road ends according to my gps (which was wrong). The ride over was nice and Alamos itself is very beautiful! The problem arose when I tried to find a place to sleep. I rode all over the cobblestone streets, through arches and down narrow winding alleys with no success in securing lodging for under 600 pesos. Not wanting to shell out that kind of cash, I decided to turn around and head back to Los Mochis. In my scrambling to find shelter, I neglected to take any photos of the old colonial buildings, plazas and cathedrals.

Leaving Alamos.


Back in Los Mochis I headed south keeping an eye out for a cheap hotel. Now I heard that these motor-hotels are everywhere so when I reached the southern end of town I just kept going. Apparently they are not everywhere and in fact there is a nice 170Km gap between them that I happened to find just as it was getting dark. Riding in Mexico at night (even on a major highway) is an adventure, especially on a KLR with its less than stellar lighting. I always scoffed at suggestions to upgrade the headlights thinking they were sufficient. Let me just say right now that I was wrong (well, they ARE sufficient, but leave much to be desired).

I eventually arrived in Culiacan ready to finally stop for the night. Today may have been my longest day in the saddle yet on this trip. I cruised the dark streets of Culiacan looking for a reasonably priced motel. Eventually I came upon one that had promise. The attendant started the negotiations pretty high and pointed out that I must have money since I have a "nice" (what he called it) bike, but we finally settled on the following: I was to pay him, personally, 200 pesos and he would sneak me into the motel, but I had to leave by 7am so that his boss wouldn't find out. I thought it was kind of shady, but contributed nicely to the adventure so I agreed. The place had secure gated parking (which I was locked into with no way to get out if he failed to show up in the morning) and a small room. Directly next door was some kind of night club that starting blasting bad beat music precisely when my head hit the pillow and did not stop until sometime after I finally managed to fall asleep despite every attempt by the giant speakers to try to get me to dance.

Sketchy. Night club on other side of wall =>

I'm also going to join your RR! Glad you were able to resolve your tittle issue. Keep on riding and stay safe amigo.

Later
John

Thanks John. Welcome. Hopefully it'll keep getting more interesting

I woke up early from a surprisingly restful sleep and prepared for departure.

Doesn't seem like a sketchy room...


The attendant was to meet me at the locked gate at seven to let me out. He showed up a few minutes early but I was ready to go so all was well. Out of Culiacan I found a road labeled “Libre 15” and took it thinking I finally found the free Rt. 15 everybody was talking about. It was a smaller road (only one lane each way) that wound it's way through the mountains. A bit slower and a lot prettier, I definitely preferred it to the 4-lane “pay” version of Rt. 15.

Goats.






As I approached Mazatlan, I was unpleasantly surprised by what appeared to be a toll booth in the road. What? A toll booth? On Libre 15? Yes. Libre 15 ends well short of the city and is replaced once again by pay 15. So it looks like no matter which way you go, you end up paying a toll. I can find some solace in the fact that I paid less tolls than I would have otherwise (I think) and the road was much more to my liking.

Classic Mexican.


Soon after, I entered Mazatlan and found my way to the strip that ran along the coast, fronted by fancy hotels on one side and beaches on the other. Not really knowing where to go I rode down the strip to the end, enjoying the beautiful, hot weather and the change in scenery. After doing my usual tour of various streets, trying to get my bearing, I was overcome by the sun and stopped to changed into cooler clothing. While changing I was approached by a very drunk panhandler who spoke pretty good English. I gave him whatever change I had and after an interesting conversation spanning many diverse topics, he directed me to where all the backpackers (there aren't many) hang out. There I hoped to find an affordable hotel for the night.

Beach and sun!


I followed the panhandlers excellent directions and found a coffee shop where I could use the internet to figure out where I would be sleeping. I have decided that I don't really like cruising around a city, just hoping to run across a great place to stay. I tentatively regret not buying some kind of guide to at least know where to go when I get into a town. I think I might pick up a Lonely Planet or some such book to help me get some direction on the journey. I also think purchasing Sjoerd Bakker's book would have been a good idea.

The internet revealed two possible places for me to stay. My first choice was a backpacker hostel not far from the coffee shop, unfortunately named Funky Monkey (perhaps such a name attracts backpackers?). The second was a hotel on the main road into town called Hotel El Bucanero. I spent a good amount of time scouring the streets of the residential neighborhood looking for the hostel, but couldn't really remember the address and there were no signs on any of the houses, so I caved and headed for the hotel.

Stock image, not my own.


The place wasn't too bad and the price was right so I checked in and went to explore the town some more. I was determined to find that hostel for its cheaper rates and potential social atmosphere. Cruising around town was fun and interesting, but I was unsuccessful in finding the hostel. I know it's there somewhere... Maybe I'll check it out on the internet again at the hotel and this time memorize the address. As I was heading back to the hotel, out of the corner of my eye I saw two heavily packed KLRs in the parking lot of a Home Depot. I pulled around and met a couple of fellow riders. Philip and Jayne (ultijayne here on avd, but not writing an RR) are a brother/sister pair riding down to South America. Here is the link to their blog: http://ultimateride.ca. They left from Alberta, Canada in July and rode up to the arctic circle in Alaska before turning around and heading south. They were at Home Depot looking for some plexiglass (or some such plastic) to extend the height of one of the windscreens. After an interesting conversation we decided to meet up on the morrow to celebrate Christmas.

It sounds like you had quite the adventure in finding someplace to sleep in Northern Sinaloa... Your brave to have pressed on in the dark. I'm glad to hear you've made it to Mazatlan. Having spent the winter there years ago I'm confident your enjoying the weather and maybe even a swim in the warm pacific. There is no shortage of nice beaches around Mazatlan that are worth checking out for a lazy afternoon and if your lucky you may even find some nice waves.

Hopefully you can find the Funky Monkey Hostel. They have good visibility on google and appear to have a Facebook page. I'm sure if you ask around someone can point you in the right direction.

Good luck and have fun!