Feliz Navidad!

Spending Christmas in wine country….Cayafaye, argentina.
Picture postcard small town surrounded by vineyards butting up to the Andes, which here are red rocky with green..christmasy in their own right. First noticeable tradition difference was the blasting fireworks at midnight on Christmas eve…not a big display like 4 july but everyone in town lights off their own little displays lasting until 6am or so. Say fireworks lightly because I'm pretty sure there was some small dynamite included too….huge blasts actually feel the air pressure when they go off…not sleep much.
Was hoping to go to church at old school cathedral type but the one here is adobe new and modern…ok though…..don’t have to go in as they project it thru loudspeakers in the square to whole city….lots of people attending outside. Gonna head to another dealer town tomorrow because the oil pressure sensor went out on the ride down from Salta…oil everywhere constantly having to refill…..want to square clutch and forks too before getting into remote south.own little christmas dinner on 23rd before parting ways...martina and didi going west first 30 miles south of salta was flood zone... rode more like creek and sprayed from oncoming cars soaked before drying out in beautiful foothill arid-ish countryside

merry christmas.............................!

just like that

.....out of poverty and into summer.
Argentina definatley has distinct feel of being unlike all other countries of the ride.
Western faces, big houses with pools…with what? Bbq’s, boating, farm animals/ horses everywhere.... a giant butterfly that just flew in the window at this cafe and landed by my feet...swimming in rivers instead of washing clothes, lush green landscape modern gas stations with high octane...nike, smiling faces, bigger bikes, no death smells, European feel and organized streets….and for the first time in 4 months Im the one being flipped off and yelled at for passing on solid lines and running red lights….they mind road rules and even have brake lights ….just when not think about it accept road mayhem as the norm…its back to rules
Drove down to salta appreciating another great thing about this easy to fall in love with country……perfect one lane mountain hugging road with more twists and turns than any ive ever seen. top it off with thick huge steaks everywhere in argentina...goodbye chicken and rice

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

the last country

Back up into the red andes and over to argentina this time on pavement…..cold then hot then cold then hot. Crossing the border in nowhere land about 14000ft went as smooth as it could. after border... few hundred miles of scenery and a few sheep herders living way out... wicked winding down...dreamlike riding.... canyon carving....then into some beautiful dirt roads……and finally ending up in a flutest mellow little Andean town surrounded by the most colorful mountains ive ever scene….red, green,purple, orange, rust, yellow all distinct and layered into one another…very cool town…. last of Andean type feel... so im told.

how ya feel about having your picture taken

strange feelings in san pedro de atacama

San pedro de Atacama is a unique little oasis town.
One story-adobe-dusty-walking streets-tourists-hippies-adventure seekers-artists-boiling hot-relatively expensive-hotels and bars- stop point for the altiplano area. old and new-funky architecture inside- flat colorless outside buildings that make it look like any other dessert town though its not at all but youd never know until you go behind the walls..
first sign of christmas but holiday feel not in me


It’s the first town in Chile from remote Bolivia entrance and very welcomed after the past 5 days out.
Hot shower, comfortable bed, internet, beer and good food.
Only problem is there is no money in this town…literally. there are only 2 atm machines…one is for mastercard only (none of us have a mastercard) and the one visa machine hasn’t had any money in it since we got here 3 days ago…..on top of….none of us have any cash. Thankfully plenty of restaurants take visa but cant move until the machine gets filled because need cash for gas and cant travel without cash…most places arent tourist filled accepting credit cards.

cleaned out the fork seals and wrapped makeshift sleeves with the sleves of my t-shirt

Stuck here drinking beer in the shade….pretty content for the moment although lots of strange feelings going on…..dawning on me that Ive been living this dream as reality for the last few months but its gonna come to an end sooner than later….then what? put the beer down spacehead, youre drunk

favorite part of travel is that everything is new everyday....big or small… kind of a youth sponge addictive feeling that cant be gotten in one place…so….what?… back to easily taken advantage of comfortable living in minn, really enjoy my business and daily but pretty predictable. move back to iowa where all my family is? Maybe move somewhere in Rockies, always loved mountains (trip has reminded that) especially skiing in winter… and beauty of my business is I can do it anywhere. Alaska? still look as some of my favorite years but probably changed or I would be there now. Keep going?…maybe ship the bike to South Africa and ride that continent north?(no too dangerous solo)….New Zealand/Australia then work up to, have always wanted to see, The East and across? Ride back up thru brazil...that doesnt sound too bad? Of course have settle down thought in back of mind too…..who knows? I do know though that im ready to get back on the bike……guarantee to get these self absorbed thoughts out and just enjoy this time right now.

day 5 and into chile

Day 5
Starts out with dropping the bike when crossing rocks to get back on road…..aaahh!
Instant frustration lasts thru day….more sand. Come to a red valley that lifted spirit’s because of beauty…still sand though….paths start to get a little better…gravelish. Ride up to lago verde (green lake) with huge volcano behind it….very cool…but to cold to enjoy…get some gas from a tourist expedition truck. Keep going at other side of lake pull over to park like building, talk to an attendant who tells us only 5 miles to border and into chile!
YES!!!! Press on were almost there. Ride up mountain sand road and there it is….border immigrration building in the middle of nowhere…..finally made it. Get stamped out and ride into chile…the second you cross road turns from gravel sand to hard paved red dirt….F Ya!
Then few miles and its regular solid pavement going down the mountain range 25 miles about 14000ft into the desert, feels like you can actually see the roundness of the earth. Turned off engine and coasted the whole way down to take it in silent as reflect on absolute didn’t know these road conditions existed, riding ever. Thinking how Bolivia make Alaska roads like a babies butt…Morocco a cream puff. and how easy it is to coast at 60mph..temperature rising until reaching hot desert floor. stamp into chile at immigration…two bus loads of tourists there… strange feeling being back in civilization from where I just came and sorry for those around smelling me.

was ultimately rwarding knowing very few...maybe 10 bikes a year do this crossing and having made it thru with little damage

crash totals

me--5

dan--7

simon--6

martina and didi--0 ( and they were two up)

as the crow flies the ground covered was only about 400

miles that took 5 days 9hours a day excluding breaks etc...break that down and you got about 10mph avg.