721 miles No Pain, No Gain (Bicycle Ride)

This photo was early on, must be due to me looking so darn good. I had this crazy idea while on our S. America ride that perhaps Graham would like to ride bicycles to B.C. I didn't think that one through, but it sure sounded great in my mind. Wouldn't you know it, he agreed to go.

It isn't always pretty, but after a day in the saddle you just gotta stretch it all out. Graham taking his afternoon nap.

We came upon this chair/table set along a creek, and made ourselves at home. Awesome. Due to the heat, we tried to be in camp by noon, or 2 at the latest. The later, the more pain we suffered.

Lake Koocanusa. We rode along the East side of this lake/ Kootenai River to the border of Canada.

This delicious meal would later come back to kick my a___. Looks great doesn't it?
I won't let you view the photo Graham snapped while I was in a compromising position. Not pretty.

En route to Waterton, from Pincher Creek. Graham calls it the clown bike, I call it bike in a box ( how it arrived in Bend), but it's really called Bike Friday. It was a lion. No issues other than one front flat and seat height.
This ride would also enlighten me whether Stacie and I ride Europe in 2018, on bicycles. That plan is now in motion and data is being accumulated.

The replicated Prince Of Whales in Waterton. All the times I have seen this and still think " That is one big A__ Hotel."

A river or stream in the Red Canyon area of Waterton.

The label sold me on this IPA. An elderly man in the bar asked me " What does IPA stand for"?
My reply "I piss a lot".
Below: Lake McDonald in Glacier, the fire enhances this landscape for a nice photo.

Franks Slide,, 1903 or so it wiped out a whole town.
Below: Duck Lake, Mt. back in the U.S.A.

We purchased bear spray due to the fact that we would be camping mostly and WE WERE ON BICYCLES. Never wanted to buy it when on motorcycle.

The largest , biggest truck on earth in Sparwood, B.C. The cycles and myself look minuscule next to it.

Don't ask. That clown bike looks so large next to that small tire. Notice my left knee sock. The first 7 days of this adventure, both knees were in severe pain. I knew from prior experience, this is due to seat height. I was popping 8 Ibuprofen a day in order to keep a pedaling. Thankfully after raising the seat a total of 2 inches my pain subsided. Let's Ride!

Jump.

We had bad anticipations of Crowsnest Pass kicking our butts, but it didn't, and there were others that really hurt us bad. Thompson Pass, to just name one of the many hills and passes we would cross.

We rode 12 miles uphill to make the summit of Logan Pass. It was a steady pedal at 4 m.p.h. and 2.5 hours to reach the top. Again, our thoughts were proved wrong on this endeavor.

Looks like Kansas, that, from my saddle point of view is deceiving.

In Libby, Mt. we had 2 days off to relax ( me relax ha ha ). I tried to land the big one..
Below: we camped behind a Mini Mart/ RV park. The wind was howling and temps. dropped to about 47 degrees.

Mister HYDRO to you. I debated in taking a Hydro but opted no to, due to weight. Thankfully Graham choose to take his. It supplied us with ice cold water and ice for our whiskey . Thanks Graham.

Typically we were up at 5 or 6, and on the road within an hour. The mornings were cool, no traffic to speak of, and less wind.

I watched Graham photo his steed often, as I have Darth. It proves " I've been somewhere"

Pincher Creek, Alberta, we were beat, having ridden 60 miles in the valleys with no opportunity for shade. When we spotted the Super 8, we both exclaimed OH YEA! The pizza was over the top good.

Stacie, at the beginning of this adventure, dropped us off at Cavendish, Id. Thank you Stacie, we rode 34 miles the first day, and due to the heat, were exhausted by the time we made Little Boulder C.G. There was a hand pump in the C.G., it took us about 3-4 hours using that pump to bring our body temps down.

As on a motorcycle you end up with a lot of STUFF to load and unload on a daily basis.

Graham is the one responsible for most of the photo's and video on this ride. Thank you Mister Perkins.

Graham gets his first ever moose sighting.

Yea baby we made it into B.C.
It was at times doubtful due to me having severe knee pains. 

Now that was funny.

Glacier Park is definitely worth a trip and should be on everyone's bucket list.

South America

You wonder where are all the Jeep Willy's are? In Solento Columbia. They use them to transport tourist's up to the trail heads.

How many tourist's can you load in a Willy? I'd say a whole bunch!

Again these people know how to survive and try to make a buck(peso). They load kids in the carts and push them around the square.

This elderly man is pushing this child up a pretty good grade.He was busy ALL day long, loading kids and makiing a living.

The Cathedral in Las Lagas

I know it's redundant but these kids were happy to put on a show for tips and contributions,

At this Hostel the next door neighbor came over to tell us that the police would come and ticket us if we didn't cover our license plates. We were confused as to why but obliged to cover them anyway.

This is back in Salento, we hiked up numerous stairs to get an awesome view of the town and valley.

In Medallin, Columbia, our bikes look new after the tires were installed and bikes washed. Stacie took care of most of theses details due to me being bed ridden for 3-4 days. I hadn't been ill for over 15 years and all it took was a small kid sneezing on me to kick my butt.

Our sleeping quarters in El Zaino, Columbia.

The fort in Cartegena, we stayed in old town. This was just after we received our bikes from customs.

Murals in Cartegena.

Alright just do what you feel and give me a trim.

A view from the fort and all those hat's for sale.

The Christmas decorations in S.A. are something to see in themselves.

We had 8-9 bikes parked in the lobby of this hotel.

The fort in Cartegena.

Ecuador was one of our favorite countries. This was on one of our trips in the Amazon to visit the local Sani natives.

This Hotel was on our return from the Amazon, it had a hot spring which was awesome due to us being chilled to the bone.

The view from the above Hotel.

Chocolate,cheese,and salami for dinner.

Guinea Pigs, and no we never tried them.

2 or 3 times our rooms had three little bear beds. It did give us more room to toss our gear around.

We rode 20 miles or so to get to this park only to find it was a 10--15 mile hike into the campgrounds.

In the Amazon, we decided early on that Machu Pichu wasn't going to happen and we'd splurge to go to the Amazon.Machu Pichu you need to make reservations 2 months in advance and it was too expensive to do both.Our choice was IMO a good one.

Our guide Edwin, he was basically assigned to us wherever we went and except for sleeping he was our shadow.

Yes I can clean off my boots but they bend over backwards (forward in this case) to take care of all your needs.

The butterfly's and insects in the Amazon are amazing.

This is Frank, he did all the dirty work including eating this larvae.

Our meal of fish , heart of palm,grilled banana,grilled white coca.

This bird resided at the Sani Lodge.

One day we hiked up to this lookout for bird watching.

It was an extensive workout to get to the platform.

Our sleeping quarters in Sani Lodge,

Yep Stacie hooked a Parahni

She was drooling all over this yarn, I had to pull her back before they got furious.

Now who on earth needs a 5-10 lb. bag of animal cookies and or candy?

Octavalo, Ecuador at Rose Cottage. This was located up a steep dirt, rocky road . The views were amazing, we had some chili carne here that was the best I've ever had.

The Equator and Stacie dividing the North and South.

We traded stickers with some locals at the Equator.Really nice people, don't believe everything the fake media tells you!

I wanted to buy this for Stacie but she was blunt in the fact she wouldn't wear it......

Bird nest's at Sani Lodge.

Sunset in the Amazon

This guy was from Texas, he was an avid bird watcher. He not only had a Sani guide but also a private guide.

Birds seen while in the bird platform.

Can you see the Owl?

A Croc which hangs out at Sani Lodge.

You see people walking in the middle of nowhere and wonder, where are they going and where the hell did they come from. I wish we could of collected 1 each of all the different hats that we saw on this adventure.

Quilotoa , it was a crater like Crater lake. There is a loop that takes you out around this region. It is called the Quilotoa Loop, was supposed to be all off road but now a lot of it is paved.

A cart full of chickens being delivered to the market.

Another style of hats, and they all had a significant meaning.

The views we experienced were unimaginable. One thing I desired was heated gloves or grips in the higher elevations.

6 bottles of propane, ingenious

Santa Claus,Grinch, and more characters to help the children celebrate Christmas.

Money to be made, yes you can touch,photograph my Llama but you must pay.Check out her hat.

And all of a sudden a parade breaks out and people  line the streets to enjoy.

See what I mean by all the different hats?

This little guy was just too darn cute,

The view in and around Huaraz, Peru

We found this view by mistake, the road ended up at a gigantic rock quarry. It was 75 miles out of our way when the road ended. The map was wrong!

Cusco,Peru

The celebrations at Christmas and New Years are something to experience. We have never seen so many fireworks in all of our lives.

They made decorations out of Sprite bottles Coke cans and whatever else.

Cute Lambs but yep it will cost you.

New years in Cusco.

A local had informed us of many ruins that you could visit in and around Cusco,Peru. You only needed a 7 day ticket to view them all, cost @ $30.00 each. We chose this option instead of Machu Pichu

Reed Island, made of reeds, this is on a tour out of Lake Titicaca, Peru.

This old man has been knitting since he was a child. I snapped this and then had to go get change to pay him for his service.

Shoe soles for hinges.... Now that is ingenious.

Peru was a lot of off road riding with narrow one lane roads. Throw in some rain, mud and freezing temperatures and call it an adventure. We rode some days 100 miles in 6-8 hours that's how bad it was.

An abandoned salt peter mining town (Humberstone) in Chile.

Camping on the beach with the locals. some of which appeared to have been here for ever.

San Pedro Atacama , Chile it was crowded, expensive and Hot!

I told Stacie reminds me of Chocolate ice cream.

Only the hand knows for sure.

Moto camp just outside of Pucon, Chile. The owner is a avid adventure cyclist. His operation first class, do maintenance on your bike, and relax with a cold one poured from a cycle engine.

Another crowded market.

Above. the boat that would take us South.
Below some of the views while on the cruise.

Our sleeping quarters on our boat from Quellon, Chile to Puerto Aisen. It was a 2.5 day cruise and provided us relief off the bikes and some awesome scenery.

Views en route to Punta Tranquillo, Chile

The switch backs on the Caraterra, it would take forever to get off some of these mountains.

Our Marmol cave tour in Tranquillo.

Lake Tranquillo, the water was beautiful to say the least.

Oiling the chains in Punta Tranquillo, where we camped in order to go tour the St. Mary's Glacier.

Howdy neighbor.

A Glacier en route to St. Mary's Glacier.

Our guide had been picking up pieces of Glacier ice along the way and we wondered why? Well he found the perfect piece and we then indulged in some Johnie Walker Red.

St. Mary's Glacier

Um Um good.

My best buddy at St. Mary's Glacier.

Leaving Villa O Higgins.

Villa O Higgins, Chile the end of the line for us before heading back North to Argentina.

Honey you're a Capricorn, get out there for your photo.

At a Suzuki shop in Antofagasta, Chile. We needed rear tires, chain sets and Stacie's fuel petcock was sucking air. They didn't have the parts to repair the petcock. I saw a 200cc Suzuki on their showroom floor and after some time convinced them to install it.

The beer tap at Moto Camp

We found and enjoyed a German Brewery in Valdivia, Chile. Their wheat beer Unmoglich
( unbelievable)

Below is more of The Moreno Glacier.

Luckily she only caught the left front bumper section of the van. We knew immediately we were screwed. The bike is totaled and her life is much more valuable than it. Thank God she was safe.

I was leading us out of our camp of Lago Roca and this van flew by me. I guessed about 80m.p.h., it caused rocks and debris to paste me as it passed by. My first thought was, I hope Stacie is past the cattle guard. I was looking in my mirror and only saw a world of dust, she didn't appear from it.

We rode a double decker to see the city of B.A.

B.A.

Sure I'll share a beer with you.

Tango dancer's for the tourist's in B.A.

Grave yard In B. A.

Canyon Del Pato, Peru just outside of Huaraz. This road has 35 tunnels that were hand carved back in the day. It is a one lane road and many times you are right on the edge of a steep cliff.

They paint their political advertisements on the side of their houses.

At a construction site, whenever possible we would try to get to the front. Many times I passed out stickers to the kids and naturally the adults when they wanted.

This is in Peru, where we spent a lot of time up in the mountains.

Sugar cane trucks, this one has four trailers, we came across some with 5-6 . Hit the gas and hold on baby.

I'm a man of no patience, passing a truck pulling a trailer plus a water barrel leads to this .

Columbia, Peru, and Ecuador there are Tuk Tuk's, taxi's, moto taxi's and buses that are definitely a hazard to ones livelihood. They would as soon run you over than give you space to ride. This is one reason you must ensure your bike is as narrow as possible.  

In Peru we experienced all kinds of weather and riding conditions.

Going into Chile from Peru.

This is what a border crossing should be like in C.A. Nobody begging for money or hassles.

This would be on the Argentina side of border, we saw so many different animals and birds on this route. It was rewarded us well.

My partner, it's amazing that Stacie adapts to all  of the elements thrown at her in our adventure's. Add to that Billy and I say she is awesome!

This was going into Argentina on our adventure crossing.

The Moreno Glacier.

The end of Stacie's riding adventure. The police and I loaded her bike into the back of their truck and I followed to the Police station in El Calafate, Argentina.

Above, my daily encounter with the Patagonia winds. At times you could barely see 50 yards ahead.
Below, is town that the Pope is from.

Just outside of Villa O Higgins, Chile is the end of the Carretera Highway(LOL) we rode all of it that was off road . The views are fantastic and the road gives you all you want in off roading and more.

With all the young backpacker's that are everywhere you sometimes have very little space or privacy.

The Paso Roballos crossing.One thing about this crossing, it was a one man show and only took maybe ten minutes to get everything completed.

Our guide from the St. Marys Glacier informed us of a place to cross from Chile to Argentina. He stated it was an adventure crossing and not paved. We decided to go for it. We saw but 1 or 2 cars while on this route. It was an adventure to say the least.

This was after we crossed from Chile to Argentina.

We had some of our business sticker's left and found a good use for them. They are now stuck in different locations throughout S.A.

Mount Fitz Roy

 Located in El Chalten, Argentina.

Above and below Glacier Moreno. It is the third largest in the world and still is growing in size.

The DRZ'z had some fantastic views, here they're enjoying just one of them.

Below are all the views from our camp at Lago Roca.

Lago Roca where we camped in order to see Moreno Glacier. The views were spectacular.

It was about a 20 mile off road adventure to get to Tombo and the wind had me on my sidewalls.

Punta Tombo, Argentina, a penguin reserve. At this point I was riding solo.

The trains are packed like sardines in a can, especially when all are going or returning from work.
Reminded me of my time in Germany after a concert,

Everyone has a mini split, this is a reflection of the opposing building. I thought, that would be a great photo.

Sometimes this woman impresses me with her sense of humor.

The styles in Chile and Argentina, platforms and shorts that don't leave much to one's imagination.

How many times has this gentleman been waiting for a train in his life time?