https://eu-test.netlify.com/categories/motorcycle/ Recent content in Motorcycle on elevation Upgrade Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Thu, 30 Nov 2017 20:04:28 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/colombia-part-4-bogota-tatacoa-desert/ Thu, 30 Nov 2017 20:04:28 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/colombia-part-4-bogota-tatacoa-desert/ With a majority of Colombia behind us there were still a couple of areas that needed to be explored. Most travelers didn’t have anything good to say about the capital city of Bogota BUT in order to verify we’d have to experience it ourselves – plus big Cities always give us the opportunity to resupply, tune up the bikes, and feel like normal people for a change. From Bogota we wanted to head south into the Tatacoa Desert where we’d heard there was some amazing off-roading before sliding on over to the Spanish Colonial town of Popayan (not quite sure why but we heard it was cool). https://eu-test.netlify.com/special-edition-hiking-in-the-coffee-region/ Thu, 16 Nov 2017 22:07:40 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/special-edition-hiking-in-the-coffee-region/ From the first time we wandered into the Valle de Cocora we were enamored by the gushing green landscape, the giant wax palms and last but not least the queso and hot chocolate. After doing some further research, we determined that there was not only the day loop (which most tourist walked) BUT there was also a multiple day trek up to the unpredictable mountain, Nevado Tolima. With Justin back in the States for a good buddies wedding, we (Mitch and Antonia) decided to give it a run. https://eu-test.netlify.com/colombia-part-3-medellin-and-the-coffee-region/ Thu, 14 Sep 2017 20:52:57 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/colombia-part-3-medellin-and-the-coffee-region/ Medellin has been at the back of our minds since we left the States (thanks Narcos, Pablo Escobar, and EVERY damn traveler we’ve met coming north). Needless to say, the bar had been set very high and for very good reason. With stunning views, passionate people, and one of the biggest plates of MEAT (bandeja paisa) you can find anywhere, what was there not to love?! That coupled with the coffee region which is regarded by many to be their favorite region in all of Colombia (mainly due to its beauty, temperate climate, and coffee ALLLLL the coffee). https://eu-test.netlify.com/colombia-part-2-santa-cruz-de-mompox-and-san-gil/ Thu, 24 Aug 2017 14:39:53 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/colombia-part-2-santa-cruz-de-mompox-and-san-gil/ Returning from two weeks in the States Mitch was eager to hit the road and get into the depths of Colombia. He was missing the vibrant culture, food, and of course El Tractor (and Antonia, of course!). We had plans to head north retracing some of Justin’s footsteps before heading further up coast towards Punta Gallinas, the northern most point in South America. The horror stories of the man eating sand fleas and the unbearable heat Justin endured must have not sounded enticing and Mitch’s mind was quickly changed. https://eu-test.netlify.com/colombia-part-1-escaping-the-heat/ Tue, 08 Aug 2017 16:45:39 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/colombia-part-1-escaping-the-heat/ Landing in Colombia was a world-wind of a journey. Getting the bikes unloaded and through customs was easy and by 3 PM we were free to roam South America! For the first time in the entire trip the team would split up as Mitch had to take care of some business back in Colorado (golfing, wedding, and drinking an IPA or two were on the docket). A vacation from his vacation? https://eu-test.netlify.com/panama-sailing-the-san-blas-islands/ Wed, 05 Jul 2017 13:01:47 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/panama-sailing-the-san-blas-islands/ https://eu-test.netlify.com/costa-rica-a-broken-bike-rincon-de-la-vieja-and-isla-del-cano/ Tue, 20 Jun 2017 20:17:39 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/costa-rica-a-broken-bike-rincon-de-la-vieja-and-isla-del-cano/ Costa Rica is a place of immense beauty, sure, but after months on the road our initial intentions were to breeze through it. We had spent too much time in Mexico and Central America and were running short on days to get to Panama for our boat to Colombia. Justin had been there five times previously for surf trips, and countless people kept telling us how expensive it was, how touristy it was, and how it wasn’t “true” Central America. https://eu-test.netlify.com/nicaragua-will-we-ever-leave-el-transito/ Wed, 07 Jun 2017 20:27:47 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/nicaragua-will-we-ever-leave-el-transito/ We arrived into Nicaragua under the cover of darkness. The air was cool and refreshing, and the moon was full, illuminating the road and canyon as we snaked our way through it. It was magical. Justin couldn’t help but to stand straight up on his footpegs, flip up his visor, and howl at the moon, “Ooooooooooo”. We had officially made it to our seventh country of the journey! Not knowing where to go or what was around we simply stopped at the first illuminated building which appeared to be some sort of lodging. https://eu-test.netlify.com/honduras-jungle-pirates-and-great-diving/ Mon, 08 May 2017 22:07:37 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/honduras-jungle-pirates-and-great-diving/ Honduras, outside of 3 (maybe 4) spots regularly visited by backpackers, doesn’t have the best reputation. Ever since Baja, we’ve heard stories of corruption and extortion, with one crazy Ex-Pat even telling us how he’d been completely displaced from his retirement property by the cartel. HOW COULD WE POSSIBLY PASS ON ALL THIS FUN?! Copan Ruins would be our first stop, followed by a long drive up to the Caribbean coast to take advantage of one of the CHEAPEST places in the world for diving, Utila, and to visit a pirate legend in Sambo Creek. https://eu-test.netlify.com/el-salvador-our-new-favorite-country/ Tue, 25 Apr 2017 15:22:42 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/el-salvador-our-new-favorite-country/ El Salvador, the runt of the pack, is a little country sandwiched between Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras. It’s perfectly situated on a beautiful stretch of the Pacific, has plenty of volcanoes to hike, and is littered with little towns and markets. Despite all of this everyone seems to brush it off, skipping it, heading directly towards Nicaragua or the Bay Islands, Honduras, in the luxury of their air-conditioned shuttles. But why? https://eu-test.netlify.com/guatemala-part-3-spanish-school-and-lago-atitlan/ Sun, 09 Apr 2017 16:00:22 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/guatemala-part-3-spanish-school-and-lago-atitlan/ If you’ve been following along you know a large chunk of our time in Guatemala was spent driving the epic, but absolutely fucking terrible roads, and hiking as many volcanoes as we could. Per usual, time slipped away from us and before we knew it we had spent almost 5 weeks in Guatemala. Two of those weeks we stayed in one location immersing ourselves in the Guatemalan culture by enrolling in Spanish School in Xela. https://eu-test.netlify.com/guatemala-part-2-volcano-addition/ Mon, 03 Apr 2017 14:05:23 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/guatemala-part-2-volcano-addition/ So we’ve decided to change things up a bit and instead of writing a meandering posts regarding the stupid shit that happens to us along the way we’re going to get a little more specific and focus solely on the Volcanos of Guatemala. Believe it or not, there are 27 (mas o menos) volcanoes in ol Guate – enough to keep you busy for a while. Two out of three climbs we chose strictly out of convenience, the other (Acatenango) came HIGHLY recommended! https://eu-test.netlify.com/guatemala-part-1-hello-rain-nice-to-meet-you/ Mon, 20 Mar 2017 18:57:23 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/guatemala-part-1-hello-rain-nice-to-meet-you/ The road was as slick as snot from the past three days of nonstop rain but it was time to man up and ride through it (plus we really had no other option as our lease was up on the AirBnB). The dirt had turned to a thick pasty clay providing zero traction for our tired and worn tires, but with a break in the rain and our gear (all slightly damp) loaded we decide to make a run for it…Guatemala here we come! https://eu-test.netlify.com/belize-a-vacation-from-our-vacation/ Mon, 13 Mar 2017 15:00:32 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/belize-a-vacation-from-our-vacation/ For weeks (well months) we’ve heard it time and time again…”How the hell are you Boys still in Mexico?” Friends from the road have blast past us time traveling to Nicaragua or Columbia before we’d even left Mexico and its abundance of tacos and tortas. It was hard to leave but our time had come. We officially left Mexico after 100+ days of epic riding, one burnt clutch, 2 cases of Salmonella, incredible diving, 1 near-death experience, and a life time worth of adventures and new friends. https://eu-test.netlify.com/mainland-mexico-yucatan/ Mon, 06 Mar 2017 14:31:46 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/mainland-mexico-yucatan/ When most people think about the Yucatan their mind brings them to the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean, resort style vacationing, and hangovers that can only be shed by drinking more beers at one of the seven pools or three hot tubs. Well, we’re not gonna lie, that’s basically what the Yucatan was for us as well…just extended. We first dipped into the Yucatan after a long days drive from Palenque to Campeche. https://eu-test.netlify.com/mainland-mexico-part-7-san-cristobal-y-palenque/ Mon, 27 Feb 2017 23:52:04 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/mainland-mexico-part-7-san-cristobal-y-palenque/ Leaving Mazunte was a bit of a heartbreaker but we either had to do that or risk spending the rest of our lives there! So we ripped outta of town like one rips a bandaid off a boo-boo, eyes closed crying like babies! San Cristobal was no easy day trip, so the Boys decided to stay a night in Tuxla before making the journey up into the mountains. Dinner was a pretty simple choice, Chili’s…”I want my baby back baby back baby”…sorry just couldn’t resist. https://eu-test.netlify.com/mainland-mexico-part-6-oaxaca-and-playa-mazunte/ Tue, 14 Feb 2017 21:12:45 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/mainland-mexico-part-6-oaxaca-and-playa-mazunte/ The Guy’s escaped Mexico City and its hellish traffic with ease. The KLR didn’t overheat and the XT’s carburetor appeared to be functioning as normal. Both bikes were officially working at peak performance after a long few days at the garage. Hallelujah! Off we rode through the mountains towards Oaxaca with our minds set on spending the Christmas and New Year holiday soaking in the sun and enjoying the beautiful beaches of Mazunte. https://eu-test.netlify.com/mexico-city/ Fri, 03 Feb 2017 14:06:14 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/mexico-city/ Leaving Hausteca Posina was no easy task, but El Tractor was still sputtering at high speeds and needed a new clutch. Thankfully, the networking skills of the Team paid off and the Boy’s were able to successfully ship the parts from the US to a friend in Mexico City (Jorge, who they’d met in San Francisquito)…this saved a lot of time and money. Furthermore, Jorge set us up with a friend, Victor, who managed a hotel in a nice neighborhood in one of the World’s Largest Cities. https://eu-test.netlify.com/huasteca-potosina/ Wed, 25 Jan 2017 14:08:45 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/huasteca-potosina/ Exhausted from the hustle of the city we needed to get back to nature, and be immersed in the true beauty of Mexico. Most guidebooks make no mention of it or at the maximum offer one page of useless information, but Huasteca Potosina kept coming up in conversation with locals. “Oh you’re on motorcycles? You guys must go! It’s full of incredible roads, waterfalls, jungle, and turquoise rivers.”. We were sold! https://eu-test.netlify.com/guanajuato-san-miguel-de-allende/ Mon, 16 Jan 2017 14:56:46 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/guanajuato-san-miguel-de-allende/ Leaving Guadalajara was a breeze compared to entering. There was little to no traffic to dissect and no diesel fumes tainting the air. We cruised out of the city with ease. It was like comparing the god-awful parking lot of Sunday ski traffic on i70 to a Tuesday morning stroll. Continuing with our motto of avoiding toll roads we found ourselves weaving in and out of small villages, mountains, and agave farms. https://eu-test.netlify.com/exploring-guadalajara/ Thu, 12 Jan 2017 14:17:14 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/exploring-guadalajara/ Next stop, Guadalajara, the second largest City in all of Mexico! The drive from Sayulita to G Town seemed easy enough, a couple of hours through the mountainous jungle and we should be enjoying a night out on the town or in Eddie’s opinion sushi! Why he wanted sushi away from the coast is beyond us, Canadians. Within the first 30 kilometers after leaving the beautiful beach town Justin’s steed starting acting a bit odd, like it had forgotten to take its morning meds…hmmm. https://eu-test.netlify.com/mainland-mexico-part-1-neuvo-amigos-y-familia/ Tue, 03 Jan 2017 14:52:05 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/mainland-mexico-part-1-neuvo-amigos-y-familia/ Dripping in sweat and choking on semi-truck diesel fumes we unstrapped our bikes from the ferry and tried to exit, only to be blocked by a caravan of vehicles. Weaving our way in and out we finally disembarked out of the belly of the beast and into fresh air…directly into Mazatlán traffic. There were cars and people everywhere. Something we had seldom seen in the past month exploring Baja. While stopped for gas, a French Canadian on a shiny F800GS approached us, “Yo! https://eu-test.netlify.com/whale-sharks-in-la-paz-baja/ Sun, 18 Dec 2016 22:37:44 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/whale-sharks-in-la-paz-baja/ All of us were a bit bummed to leave the beauty, people, diving, and simplicity of Cabo Pulmo but you gotta do what you gotta do. Plus, we’d been promised that we could swim with the gentle giants known as the “Tiberon Ballena”, “Whale Sharks”, “Big Papa Plankton Eater”, or quite simply “Flavio”. We cruised back up to La Paz to stay with our excellent hosts, Frieda & Lee…did we mention we met them at an AutoZone? https://eu-test.netlify.com/diving-cabo-pulmo/ Sun, 11 Dec 2016 21:41:59 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/diving-cabo-pulmo/ Motoring on south out of Playa Santispac, we continued through Bahia Concepcion being treated with stunning views of the Sea of Cortez and secluded beaches, nooks, and crannies. It was a drive that will never get old. Can you imagine the beauty of this section of coastline by sailboat? The possibilities would simply be endless, from here all the way down to the East Cape and Cabo Pulmo, our furthest destination south. https://eu-test.netlify.com/bahia-concepcion/ Sun, 04 Dec 2016 20:56:15 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/bahia-concepcion/ Leaving Guerro Negro we were bound for one of our favorite places in the Baja, Bahia Concepcion! From last year’s trial run we knew exactly what to expect…delicious tacos, tasty margaritas, phenomenal beach camping, and great people. There was one stop that we wanted to make along the drive down, San Ignacio. This little town sits in an oasis in the middle of the Baja desert surround by date palms. Finally some shade! https://eu-test.netlify.com/punta-san-francisquito/ Mon, 28 Nov 2016 15:11:25 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/punta-san-francisquito/ Waking up groggy and a bit exhausted from all the Pacificos and a full liter of Tequila, we were ready to leave Bahia de Los Angeles and head south. Our new friend, Simone, suggested that we take the road less traveled from Bahia de Los Angeles to Punta San Francisquito. It wasn’t the first time we had heard about San Francisquito, but had chosen to avoid it in prior years due to story after story of flat tires. https://eu-test.netlify.com/bahia-de-los-angeles/ Tue, 22 Nov 2016 19:27:03 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/bahia-de-los-angeles/ Our original plan was to stay for two nights in Parque Nacional San Pedro Martir, but after freezing our nipples off and barely getting any sleep we knew where we needed to be…The Sea of Cortez! We had hoped to visit the observatory while at the Park but we could never quite figure out the logistics, kind of a shit show. Anyway, we decided to stay at Don Eddy’s again before making the long trek across the desert from the Pacific to the Sea of Cortez aiming for Bahia de Los Angeles. https://eu-test.netlify.com/baja-part-1/ Thu, 17 Nov 2016 19:21:49 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/baja-part-1/ This isn’t our first journey through The Baja, however, we knew there were many adventures a head of us. No great overland motorcycle trip can be complete without a jaunt down the legendary Baja peninsula. The tacos, the untouched beaches, and the locals have a contagious power over you that is hard to describe. However, before we could make it to Baja we first had to make it out of Arizona and diagnose Mitch’s overheating bike. https://eu-test.netlify.com/overland-motorcycle-trip-southwest-united-states-part-2/ Tue, 01 Nov 2016 15:42:16 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/overland-motorcycle-trip-southwest-united-states-part-2/ Waking up early, we mounted our steads and headed towards Wire Pass on HWY 89 to continue our overland motorcycle trip. We were looking for House Rock Valley road. Should be easy, right? Nope, we blew past it! Hanging a u-turn in the middle of the road, our first long haul on dirt started off on hard packed gravel road and we proceeded quickly with confidence until we came around a corner to the sight of a big, deep, sandy, wash. https://eu-test.netlify.com/overland-motorcycle-trip-the-southwest-united-states-part-1/ Sun, 23 Oct 2016 22:51:39 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/overland-motorcycle-trip-the-southwest-united-states-part-1/ Mitch had finished work on Friday, October 7 and the Team was ready to ROCK! La Torguga y El Tractor were licking their chops in the garage, yearning for the open road and for their overland motorcycle trip to really start. There were only a few small items to tie up and the Boys would be ready to hit the road early Sunday AM! Saturday was another day in the garage w/ Ben, making final preparations to the bike. https://eu-test.netlify.com/overland-motorcycle-preparation/ Wed, 12 Oct 2016 04:13:57 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/overland-motorcycle-preparation/ Countless hours have been spent scouring google leading to a black hole of blogs and Instagram pages. Overland travel comes in many different forms. Some people choose bicycles or the classic VW Vanagon or Land Cruiser. There is no right answer. Every mode of transport is so conditional depending on the journey ahead and the level of comfort and adventure being sought after. For this adventure we’ve chosen an overland motorcycle journey! https://eu-test.netlify.com/baja-the-adventure-of-la-tortuga-y-amigos/ Sat, 13 Jun 2015 06:31:21 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/baja-the-adventure-of-la-tortuga-y-amigos/ Overview: This post is quite different than the usual write-up of our weekend missions into the Rockies or desert of Utah. I am head south, way south. What started as a half-brained idea over a few beers transpired into a magical journey down the Baja peninsula. Mitch and I had owned and operated our bikes for slightly shy of a year by the time we departed. The learning curve wasn’t without a few crashes and hesitations. https://eu-test.netlify.com/colombia-part-5-the-final-leg/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://eu-test.netlify.com/colombia-part-5-the-final-leg/ With only the bottom fifth of Colombia remaining there was still some adventures to be had in our favorite country. That is if Mitch’s bike (or heart) could handle another spontaneous combustion! Despite our explosive arrival, Popayan brought us some good fortune, and by good fortune we mean GOOD FOOD! From there it was VERY important that we head back north to Cali to experience the so called “Salsa Capital of the World”, the Pacifico Petronio Music Festival, and of course Kyle’s 30th birthday (like we needed an excuse to drink) before heading south to the border through Trampolin de la Muerte.