The Adventure Begins... Tejas A La Tierra

[Mudclod]

Thanks for checking in Troy, great to hear from you!

[Vinny]

Thanks for the update. Safe travels

[troyfromtexas]

Originally Posted by philipbarrett

Your pictures and narration from Colonia make me feel as if I've stepped directly into a Gabriel Garcia Marquez story. I could almost smell the endless passage of time amongst the moss and leaves.

Cheers

[troyfromtexas]

Originally Posted by greeneggs&ham

Perhaps you can talk him into coming to Texas. One adventurer should be able to convince another adventurer that he need to "take a trip".
He would be more than welcome with your TWT friends.
Sam

I would love it. I'm certainly going to think about opening up my house to other adventure motorcyclists upon my return.

I sure miss riding with you guys. Your sage riding and mechanical tips have certainly come in handy.

[Goldfish]

Troy,

Very impressive! I am not on the Board very often , but I was looking around and found your adventure. I found it today and have read it thru to this point and checked several of the videos without stopping.
I am very impressed and more than a little bit envious. Thanks for posting and sharing.
Keep it coming.

Dale

[jfink]

Hey Troy, we are preparing for shipping of our bikes to Colombia in September. Where do you think you will be by then? Would love to meet up with you, somewhere ...

[troyfromtexas]

Originally Posted by jfink

Hey Troy, we are preparing for shipping of our bikes to Colombia in September. Where do you think you will be by then? Would love to meet up with you, somewhere ...

.

[troyfromtexas]

Originally Posted by jfink

Hey Troy, we are preparing for shipping of our bikes to Colombia in September. Where do you think you will be by then? Would love to meet up with you, somewhere ...

Joe, most likely in the early part of September I'll be in Brazil, in the later part of September I may be back in Texas. Yes, I believe that I may be finishing my trip in September. There is a small chance that I will ride all the way back up to Colombia to ship my bike, but it is very small.

It would be cool to meet another Texan and TWT on the road. Let's stay in contact and we'll see where we are in August.

You have an incredible journey ahead of you. I looked at you planned route. By the time that you are on your way back north there may be a ferry from Colombia to Panama. Nice choice of bike as well.

[jfink]

Originally Posted by troyfromtexas

Joe, most likely in the early part of September I'll be in Brazil, in the later part of September I may be back in Texas. Yes, I believe that I may be finishing my trip in September. There is a small chance that I will ride all the way back up to Colombia to ship my bike, but it is very small.

It would be cool to meet another Texan and TWT on the road. Let's stay in contact and we'll see where we are in August.

You have an incredible journey ahead of you. I looked at you planned route. By the time that you are on your way back north there may be a ferry from Colombia to Panama. Nice choice of bike as well.

Troy, I will definitely stay in touch. Our schedule may not work out, but I am willing to travel to meet up with you. I am the picture taking, blog writing, communicator of our duo but I think Chuck would be happy to meet you too! Thanks for the comment and advise you posted on our blog.

In spots, our trip to Canada was wet and my boot failed terribly. They were old hiking boots and supposedly water proof. After trying to dry them with the hair dryer and getting terrible "stink foot", I ended up tossing them at the end of the trip. And the advice on a truly waterproof glove is VERY much appreciated. In all my travels I have yet to find a "waterproof" glove.

[HutchPhoto]

I'm reading this now and what an Adventure it is! Not so sure I would ever get to do this!

Thanks !

.

[troyfromtexas]

Originally Posted by HutchPhoto

I'm reading this now and what an Adventure it is! Not so sure I would ever get to do this!

Thanks !

.

That's what I thought, until last year when the opportunity opened up. You never know.

[troyfromtexas]

From San Rafael, I set off down the road and pointed my wheels north.

My first stop was San Agustin de Valle Fertil

San Agustin del Valle Fertil is a small town surrounded by rolling hills, rivers and forests

There was a little lake formed by a small dam. A nice peaceful place to spend the night.

But the real attraction was just north of the town in the area known as the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon) and the Parque Provencial Ischigualasto

The park is a natural park and geological formation in north-western Argentina. There is a dirt road loop meandering through the park which passes by various rock formations.

I left my bag at the park ranger station and set off for a day of dirt riding.

It was a bright sunny day, not a cloud in the sky.

According to this guide, the Ischigualasto park contains late Triassic (Carnian) period deposits with some of the oldest known dinosaur remains in the world.

It is the only place in the world where nearly all of the Triassic is represented in an undisturbed sequence of rock deposits.

This allows for the study of the transition between dinosaurs and ancient mammals; research is ongoing.

These fossils were pointed out to me. I believe that they are plant fossils.

I passed by valleys and plateaus.

I entered an area know as the Painted Valley.

The Painted Valley looked more like the surface of the moon to me.

Sweeping rock and sand formations.

This formation is known as the Sphinx.

Water and wind erosion over thousands of years created the formations.

Tablets

This area is known as the Cancha de Bochas (Ball Court). Supposedly these round formations were formed from water and wind flowing over, under and around solid rock. I did not really understand how that could have happened.

I did like this bocha that had been fissured.

One of the strangest things I've seen on my trip.

This tablet formation is slowly being undermined.

The road switched between dirt, sand and a little gravel... extraordinary riding.

This formation is called El Submarino (The Submarine).

A little window into the ancient past.

I can not imagine how this rock formation was created over the years.

This formation was called El Hongo (mushroom)

A different angle... same Hongo.

This formation did not have a name, but I'm going to call it La Casa del Perro de Troy (Troy's Dog House).

These formations reminded me of slugs

Rock, sand and a few cacti.

There were subtle changes in the coloration of the mountains.

This area contained red rock mountains framed by the blue sky.

In total the ride around the park was about 3 hours.
See video
Here is a short 2 minute video of my experience riding through Parque Ischigualasto.

After completing the loop, I visited the museum which contained a few dinosaur fossils... a head

A body

A head

A body

Nice teeth.

It was getting late, so I headed toward the town of La Rioja.

I passed by this huge monument of Saint Nicholas de Bari. To understand the scale of this monument, look at the truck passing by the base of the monument.

I spent the night in the town of La Rioja.

I had been riding most of the day, so I extremely hungry. This plate of fish and potatoes really hit the spot.

I chose this route based on the suggestion of my friend Alejandro.

The road wound through mountains of Northern Argentina.

Simply amazing scenery.

Perhaps the most pleasant ride of my trip. It was cool, but not cold. The road was concrete, but also curvy. The views were scenic, but not scary.

Then rode until I reached a small town called Andalgala. I found a hotel and checked in for the night.

Every time I embark on a ride, I do a quick inspection of my bike. While inspecting my bike in the morning, I noticed that my rear tire was wearing unevenly. The nobbies on one side were showing much more wear than the nobbies on the other side. I was a bit surprised, because I only had about 4000 miles on the rear tire. However, I had been riding quite a bit of dirt and gravel.

I was hoping to buy new tires in Bolivia where I had heard motorcycle tires and parts were less expensive. However, I had promised myself that on this trip if I ever had to choose between my safety and spending money, I would part with the money.

So I took my bike to a local tire shop and bought the only nobbie tire in town that would fit on my bike... US$180 for a single rear tire... ouch. The tire was a Pirelli MT40.

I suspected that the uneven wear on the rear tire was caused by wear and tear on my chain and sprockets. My friend Sam, who is a mechanic, once told me that after some use a chain will stretch and the circular sprockets will actually turn into ovals. I had noticed lately that while riding on asphalt that my rear wheel was hopping a bit. I attributed this action to my sprockets turning into ovals. Well, I was not going to be able to find a new chain and sprocket in Andalgala, so a new tire was in order.

There was still tread on the old tire, but I was concerned about the next segment of my journey.

While in Andalgala a few people had asked me, "Vas por la cuesta?" or "Are you going by the incline?" A "cuesta" can be an incline, a hill or a mountain. By the manner in which I was repeatedly asked this question, I inferred that this "cuesta" was a mountain. I inquired a bit about the "cuesta" and learned that there were actually two "cuestas" and that the ride would be about 5-6 hours of steep dirt road. Four hours of climbing and two hours of descending. With this in mind, I thought that it would be nice to have some nobbies on my rear tire.

With new rubber on the road, set off in the direction of the "cuesta".

The route soon turned mountainous.

The asphalt gave way to gravel.

And the straight road turned twisty.

It was dirt, gravel and rocks. It was steep, twisty and narrow. It was single lane, remote and mountainous. It was "La Cuesta".
See Video
Here is a short 3 minute video of "La Cuesta". Perhaps one of the most treacherous routes over dirt that I have traversed during my trip. I was glad that I had bought the new rear tire. It had just paid for itself based on this one ride.

After perhaps 6 hours of riding... the road opened up...I road on.

Next stop...Tucuman.

[jfink]

Wonderful! Reading and seeing your reports makes me anxious. Just made our flight arrangements, we will be in Cartagena 9/21/12. Our bikes will be there on the same date. How easy has it been to find things like tires and service? I am hoping not to drag service items around with us.

I hope to spend a little time in Bogota. We probably will meet up with Killabyte, a local there in Colombia (Bogota) who is a member on this board. And I am trying to get some friends to take us to Andres Carnes y Res there in Bogota.

Keep up the post, and ride safe my friend. Hope to see you on the route.

[Goldfish]

Jfink,

I am your neighbor, about 200 miles to the south. I look forward to reading of your exploits come September!

Dale

[geargrinder]

Troy:

You have chronicled South American better than any explorer over the past 200 years. When you finally arrive home, please let me toast a beer to you during a Mingo Fishtrap or Asleep at the Wheel concert in Austin!

[troyfromtexas]

Originally Posted by jfink

Wonderful! Reading and seeing your reports makes me anxious. Just made our flight arrangements, we will be in Cartagena 9/21/12. Our bikes will be there on the same date. How easy has it been to find things like tires and service? I am hoping not to drag service items around with us.

I hope to spend a little time in Bogota. We probably will meet up with Killabyte, a local there in Colombia (Bogota) who is a member on this board. And I am trying to get some friends to take us to Andres Carnes y Res there in Bogota.

Keep up the post, and ride safe my friend. Hope to see you on the route.

Joe, it really varies by country. Colombia has lots of motorcycles and shops, so you can find just about anything you might need. Ecuador and Peru, a little less so. Chile and Argentina will have well stocked shops in the capital cities, but the prices will be high. Bolivia and Paraguay will have consumables, but not hard parts.

Overall, You'll be able to find tires in most of the large/capital cities. I wouldn't carry them around. You might want to carry 1 or 2 oil filters. You'll be able to find oil and lubricants everywhere, even the small towns.

Having said this, I'm riding a Suzuki DR650 which has been rock solid. The bike is so basic that just about any mechanic is comfortable working on it. In a number of the countries, the police use DR650s, so there are shops and parts available.

For KTMs, I've seen a few shops, but they are fewer and far between. You might consider finding a good KTM dealer or online store in the states that keeps hard parts in inventory and that would be willing to mail you parts. You may end up paying import duties which will double the price, but you'll be able to get parts. If you have friends or family that might visit you during your trip, you can order parts online, have them delivered to your friends, then they can bring the parts to you. I did it. My friend brought me a chain and sprockets and we met up in Bolivia.

Overall, my opinion is that you can find consumables and parts locally, but may have to pay 15-30% more. Labor is 30-50% less.

Overall, I would not worry about it. You'll be able to figure it out. It may just take a little time and a little money. Bring less things and more money. It's all part of the adventure.

[troyfromtexas]

Here are two videos reviewing adventure touring motorcycles including the BMW R1200GS, Yamaha XT1200Z Super Tenere, Triumph Tiger Explorer 1200 and KTM 990 Adventure. Enjoy!

See Part 1 Video

See Part 2 Video

[jfink]

Originally Posted by Goldfish

Jfink,

I am your neighbor, about 200 miles to the south. I look forward to reading of your exploits come September!

Dale

We will try to keep up with our adventure, but I guarantee it will not be as good as Troy's.

[jfink]

Originally Posted by troyfromtexas

Joe, it really varies by country. Colombia has lots of motorcycles and shops, so you can find just about anything you might need. Ecuador and Peru, a little less so. Chile and Argentina will have well stocked shops in the capital cities, but the prices will be high. Bolivia and Paraguay will have consumables, but not hard parts.

Overall, You'll be able to find tires in most of the large/capital cities. I wouldn't carry them around. You might want to carry 1 or 2 oil filters. You'll be able to find oil and lubricants everywhere, even the small towns.

Having said this, I'm riding a Suzuki DR650 which has been rock solid. The bike is so basic that just about any mechanic is comfortable working on it. In a number of the countries, the police use DR650s, so there are shops and parts available.

For KTMs, I've seen a few shops, but they are fewer and far between. You might consider finding a good KTM dealer or online store in the states that keeps hard parts in inventory and that would be willing to mail you parts. You may end up paying import duties which will double the price, but you'll be able to get parts. If you have friends or family that might visit you during your trip, you can order parts online, have them delivered to your friends, then they can bring the parts to you. I did it. My friend brought me a chain and sprockets and we met up in Bolivia.

Overall, my opinion is that you can find consumables and parts locally, but may have to pay 15-30% more. Labor is 30-50% less.

Overall, I would not worry about it. You'll be able to figure it out. It may just take a little time and a little money. Bring less things and more money. It's all part of the adventure.

Thanks for the information Troy. I agree with your recommendation. In June, Chuck and I made a trip to Canada where things are hyper-expensive. We had a "Motel 6" type Hotel, where Chuck slept on a hide-a-bed for $160/night! Based on that we are looking at a budget around $3,000/month each.

We are meeting friends or relatives along the way and will probably be able to use their mailing addresses for delivery of parts. The KTM's themselves have been rock solid, but other little things that we have added have been a little less reliable. And I have never had so much trouble finding oil. Who knew that 10w50 is just not that common.

Again, thanks for your report, I am learning a lot from it. One thing I did learn from Killabyte, is that you DON'T ask for a "motel" in Colombia or we may find ourselves in the same hot water as the CIA. A cheap hotel or hostel, but not a motel.

[Goldfish]

Originally Posted by jfink

We will try to keep up with our adventure, but I guarantee it will not be as good as Troy's.

Joe,

I appreciate the effort it takes to make a trip like that, much less document all of the encounters along the way. I can't even post a picture so I won't be critical of what you don't do but will enjoy what you are able to share.
Between you, Troy, and those who went before, Texas is well represented in the motorcycle exploration of our hemisphere.
Enjoy the adventure, and keep the rubber side down.

Dale