Alison’s Wanderland: the journey south : a solo adventure through the America’s

[bubbletron]

Originally Posted by Ulyses

Ohh snap! That's why you do it yourself...right?

Funny...The shop did come recommended...

But yes, I should have done it myself. Or at least double checked everything.

A big washer and a nut seem to do the trick for now.

[bubbletron]

Originally Posted by Bigger Al

Yikes!!

If worse comes to worse, you can get a piece of 1/4" steel plate and have a hole drilled through it to use until you get the right parts. You should be able to source the proper size and pitch nuts, too.



I'm enjoying the ride report. It's kinda cool to see on your bike what looks to be some of the stuff that was on my old bike. Is Mendovet still planning to join you?

Safe travels!!

Going to the hardware store proved mildly fruitful...a big washer and the only 8mm nut I could find, but ample lights and stereo equip if I wanted to deck out my bike. I will keep hunting for something better suited, but until then, this should work.

And yes...I hijacked the rack and tank bags from your old bike. Menudovet will be joining me next month! Unfortunately, not with the KLR due to time constraints. That KLR has seen a lot of CA & OR though.

[PHOTON PHIL]

Love your RR. Safe travels Alison

[rtwpaul]

are you still out there people are waiting for an update and some of your pictures

[bubbletron]

Originally Posted by rtwpaul

are you still out there people are waiting for an update and some of your pictures

Yeah, yeah...

Here's the solution for my chain tensioner problem...nothing that $1.50 at a hardware store couldn't fix:



Oh yeah...and here is the craziness caught on the bridge after stamping out of Venezuela before reaching Colombia. Every inch was occupied by a moto.



And that's all for now. Ecuador seems to have the most problems (connectivity, not allowing certain sites, just general slowness) than any other place yet... More when I can find decent internet.

[bubbletron]

Time to catch up: Colombia, part ii

In Venezuela I realized I could not stay there as leisurely as expected, so I decided to run for the border and spend Christmas in Colombia. So, off to Medellin… but first some of the best riding in Colombia yet. The road from San Cristobal, Venezuela to Bucaramanga, Colombia and on to Medellin was stellar.







Medellin was a nice place to spend a quiet Christmas.


Then off to Salento to look at giant Palm trees, a town which I could have easily spent way more time.



With such a great place to stay at Finca La Serrana:



Down to a very hot and crowded Cali with an obligatory stay at Casa Blanca (Motolombia)



A quick stop over at Popayan, the white city:







A last nights stay in Colombia:



Then more spectacular roads that led to Ecuador.

[woodly1069]

Wow! Those photos are great! Sure do love the green mountains!

[bubbletron]

Originally Posted by woodly1069

Wow! Those photos are great! Sure do love the green mountains!

Thank you! It has been miles and miles of green in every shade. Just beautiful countryside.

[bubbletron]

I kept wondering if I was going to run into trouble trying to cross the border on New Years Eve.* I did, but it was not at the customs office as I had originally thought.* I ran into it (almost literally) on the road. *I thought is was just an excuse for guys to dress up in drag and festively dance in the middle of the street, but there was more purpose than that.* They held up ropes in the middle of the street to stop traffic and ask for money for explosives to ignite the new year.* They stuffed paper mache dolls (called ano Viejo – the* old year) and set them to fire at midnight.* I loved this idea of burning the old.





I made it into Ecuador and headed straight for Cayambe, the equator, arriving just as the sun was setting.* I was meeting 7 other motocyclists for the night at Hacienda Gualchapa, an old monastery turned hotel.





The actual turning of time to 12am, 1.1.13 was celebrated with handshakes and well wishes, not shouts or fireworks, tired from the days ride, I think we were all mesmerized by the big bonfire.



So I spent New Year day at Linea 0 - the equator - resolving to live 2013 in balance and, well, to smile more.




Bien Viaje and Happy 2013!

[bubbletron]

Crunched for time to catch up with blogging, ride reports and facebook, I am only posting an overview of Ecuador, but it barely does it justice the week I spent there. It is a beautiful country, with great roads, almost all of which were recently paved.

I shall start with Quito – a city I considered passing up because I don’t like the rush and mayhem of larger metropolises, but arriving on New Years day while Quito was closed was wonderful. The streets were vacant, shops were shut for the holiday and an eerie quiet blanketed the city. We stayed at Casa Bambu which overlooked the city, and has garage parking on a street so steep it reminded me of my San Francisco days. Exploring the city late afternoon turned to night and which unveiled spectacular night lighting.









A second day in Quito (which disrupted the belief that the city was ever silent) led up to Freedom Motorcycles, were a very helpful Sylvain suggested an alternate route to the PanAm highway…



So a detour to the Jungle I went, riding over the Andes a second time with minimal visibility on wet, curvy roads and where I encountered the rain part of the rainforest.





And pickpocketing monkeys at the square...





Ate some delicious grilled talapia...





Then, south to Banos where a soak in hot mineral baths thawed me out. A city where there is a lot to entertain you and wisk your money away on activities.





There is no time for frivolity, so next stop was in Alausi, where a train rides up the nariz del Diablo.







and then the clouds got thicker...



Sounded great, but I opted for a visit to Ingapirca Ruins, the largest in Ecuador – and ticket comes with a guided tour.







These doors are not made for tall people...



That evening I settled for a quiet night in Cuenca. Quiet, again because everything was shut down on Sundays. It seems to be a theme for me.







First thing Monday was a run for the border… Rejoined with Ulysses, we rode a 320 mile day, 280 which were twisty mountainside roads over 12,000 ft. passes.

[rtwpaul]

liking the B&W

[bubbletron]

Originally Posted by rtwpaul

liking the B&W

thanks

[jjustj]

Thanks for taking time ,out of your adventure to share with us!

[Rev Kiecker]

Originally Posted by bubbletron

.

I've visited this exact German Bakery a couple years back. First thing I thought when seeing your picture was ---- CATS!!!

Thanks for the updates!

[Markaso del Norte]

Hi Bubbletron,
I am at home in rainy Victoria, BC, Canada.
Your RR, and Ulyses RR, are getting me through a dreary January.Keep safe and have a great and memorable ride!