Fellow claims to have ridden to Alaska and to Chile

[Midnightventure]

On another forum there is a fellow that claims to have ridden to Alaska and then to Chile within a few months. He is constantly bragging about how many miles he rides. Both trips he managed to lose all of his pictures. Personally I think he is writing fiction. Here is his response to somebody about the Darien Gap. Does this sound plausible?
"]Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkLeftArm
What an adventure!
Like has already been said, glad you're back alive and VERY well written!
I also live in Tucson. You could have called me!

One question:
How did you manage the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia?
Very good question, and quite frankly, I was hoping that someone would ask that, as it takes someone familiar with the gap to know that there are no real roads (by northernors standards) to drive through from Panama to Columbia. That is why most of these trips are taken on adventure bikes, rather than Goldwings.

Once you get down to the Pinogana District of Panama, there is a small village to the east of the main dirt road. The track that leads to that small village also continues over the mountains, still heading east, and down the eastern slop of the mountains. It is nothing more than a cart track, or horse trail. That leads down to Marriaga, Columbia, and that is where we pick back up on the main (still dirt) road.

The locals know this road, and most times there is some local resident there to take a small toll for using their road. It is kinda funny, but it is also respectful to pay the small toll.

Once in Columbia, then we had to deal with the patroled road stops, get grilled as to how we got there, and pay a little token bribe to go on.

Miles
__________________

[Road Dust]

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=780701

Lot of talk about the ferry that never happened, but also a lot of talk about how to cross Panama / Columbia.

Might help you to form your own personal opinion about whether the ride report is real or not.

[DOGSROOT]

My first instinct is to call BS, simply based on memory of accounts of heroic crossings.

A wee bit of research turned these two gems up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darién_...ari.C3.A9n_Gap

http://www.rokon.com/web_documents/A...Gap_Jungle.pdf

However, ya never know; perhaps everyone else missed this shortcut.

If you chose to call buddy out, pls keep us abreast of events.

(No nips.)
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[Barnone]

The above quote in red came from a thread on a Yamaha Venture Forum by Miles is at
http://www.venturerider.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=75689

Good read but sounds unbelievable. But Miles didn't take any photos?????? Supposedly his riding partner took some but they haven't been posted.

[1911fan]

Sounds more like BS to me, especially the part about the road through the Gap, the part about 14,000 miles on summer tires, and a tire pump stopping a bullet at point-blank range, the part about setting his leg in the WalMart parking lot, the part about the car hitting him hard enough to break ribs and a leg but not knocking him and the bike over, and so on. Also, claimed mileage/claimed time = 542 miles/day, which is pretty impressive for South American travel.
The convenient loss of all pictures, and apparently his partner didn't take any? Now that he's home, he could post pics of the saddlebag and tire pump. He hasn't. Bet he doesn't.

My .02


1911fan

[RxZ]

Yawn.

Who cares.

Only he knows if he is lying. If he is, why the uproar? If not, then I bet it was a fun trip.

[DOGSROOT]

Originally Posted by RxZ

Yawn.

Who cares.

Only he knows if he is lying. If he is, why the uproar? If not, then I bet it was a fun trip.

Dude, curb your enthusiasm...

...its indecent!!!



If you check out his posts on the Venture forum, you find a pretty docile crowd.

A real contrast to the asylum.





"Paging BANANAMAN.

BANANAMAN to the front desk, please."
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[Juggernaut]

I once rode my bike all the way to Pitcairn Island. Getting over the Pacific Ocean Pass was especially challenging.

[troidus]

Originally Posted by Juggernaut

I once rode my bike all the way to Pitcairn Island. Getting over the Pacific Ocean Pass was especially challenging.

If you hit the ocean fast enough, you should just skip over the top.

[1911fan]

I had no trouble with it...

there is a small village to the east of the main dirt road. The track that leads to Pitcairn Island also continues over the waves, still heading east, and down the eastern slope of the ocean. It is nothing more than a boat track, or fish trail.

lol,


1911fan

[Barnone]

I went back and reread his account of the trip and I feel that Miles could be telling the truth.

[Blue&Yellow]

Originally Posted by RxZ

Yawn.

Who cares.

Only he knows if he is lying. If he is, why the uproar? If not, then I bet it was a fun trip.

Wisdom has spoken - who cares. Don't judge anyone until you've walked in their shoes.

If he pretended to have an adventure you go and have a real one.

If he had a real adventure you go and have your own one.

His journey is not yours. Your journey is not his.

Judge not, that you be not judged.

Live and let live and so on.

[Ed~]

Who the f*ck cares if he lives in his head or out in the world.

I'm personally glad that someone can live out his fantasies tied to a computer rather than going out and buying a gun to mow down his coworkers or fellow students because his real life may well be pathetic and devoid of meaning without a real motorcycle to travel with.

Just my thoughts. -That and $1.48 would buy you a cup of coffee.

[Midnightventure]

This was his second trip of a lifetime in 5 months and he lost the pictures for both trips. For some reason the fact that I think that he is a blowhard bothers me but it is a much quieter site and I don't really like to create a scene. Thanks for the links. They reinforce my suspicions.

[Balootraveler]

Well with my extra cool tires aired up, synthetic magic oil, and my KLR doing about 120 mph I was able to cross from Siberia to Alaska in just a couple of hours and I did not even get my space suit wet! Damn love to hear me talk about me....