KTM 950

Laguna Colorado

Traveling in southern Bolivia during the rainy season means lots of rain and river crossings.

Vino tinto and American bank robbers

Sucre is an oasis of culture, Mediterranean weather, and easy breathing, and it pains me to leave. I have a passport that is expiring in the coming weeks and the weather down south will deteriorate soon so I need to be moving on. The consolation is the next leg of my journey will take me […]

San Vicente

This little guy seeks a reprieve from the sun in the small mining town where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were allegedly gunned down. I have enormous respect for the people who live atop this 15,000 ft peak. San Vicente, Bolivia

Centavos for your thoughts?

The tube I patched on the way to Copacabana goes flat just before I reach La Paz. I am close to a llanteria so I get a proper hot patch and the tube gets another life. La Paz is known as the highest capital city in the world due to its 13K+ foot altitude, an […]

The holidays take my breath away

The ride to Puno is short and paved, which is good since I’m not in the mood for one of my marathon riding days. Two weeks in Chicago (at sea level) over the holidays have left me gasping for breath at Puno’s 12k ft. After months of riding the Andes I appear to have lost […]

A tar pit and Machu Picchu

I started getting false warnings on the GPS around the time I entered Peru, usually a sign wires are shorting in the cradle. The cold rain and high passes before Huancayo officially did it in, no power. I run on battery power now and leave the unit powered off until it’s needed. I have my […]

Chicken breast pizza and 33 churches

After a few days in Huanuco and feeling I’ve reached the apex of my cold I push on to Huancayo. Sitting at 11K ft the city is the largest so far in my Peru route. The bike’s oozing fork seals get a reprieve as the route is mostly good pavement and a cold driving rain […]

Chavin Ruinas and the road to Huanuco

I hit a construction road closure south of Huaraz less than a half hour out of town. As I sit waiting for the attendant to flip the Pare sign and wave me through I reminisce of Colombia where moto riders are waved through road closures and construction typically translated in to me riding long stretches […]

The Canon del Pato

I don’t normally prefer coastal resorts but Huanchaco appeals to me. Perhaps it’s the stark contrast of mountains against the cool coastal desert or maybe it’s just the tranquillo setting and laid back attitude of its inhabitants that does it for me. Whatever it is, after two months of riding in the mountains I welcome […]

Canyon of the duck

Riding along the Rio Santa that carved the “canyon of the duck” and separates the Cordillera Negra and Cordillera Blanca. 30 or so tunnels, some quite long, dot the route. Canon del Pato, Peru