*********UPDATE COMING SOON!!!!!!!! ***********

*********UPDATE COMING SOON!!!!!!!! ***********


I KNOW IT'S BEEN MONTHS BUT I HAVE MORE STORIES AND PHOTOS TO SHARE. COSTA RICA, PANAMA AND BACK TO THE STATES COMING SOON!

WELCOME!!

Hi All,
Welcome to my blog! I've created this blog to share my photography, stories and updates from my travels and life. Starting April 8th 2013, Nate Kayhoe, my great friend since college, and I will hit the road on our motorcycles and set off on an adventure of a life time! Stay tuned for updates coming soon including routes, highlight destinations and prep pictures! Also, be sure to check out Nate's Facebook page for an in depth look at his continued travel plans! www.facebook.com/TheWorldViaMotorcycle

NOTE: Post dates don't reflect actual dates of events, but posts are in chronological order, starting with the beginning of the trip!

Cheers!
Chris

Feb Snow

Making sure she can handle some snow in NJ. Good prep for Mexico : )

USA and Mexico Route!

What's up Everyone!

We've got our basic USA and Mexico route mapped out! It will obviously change a bit as we ride but here is the basic plan. Click the link and check it out:

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=217810884473859718756.0004aa8d9c8a6b86156cf&msa=0&ll=21.330315,-90.395508&spn=33.953401,55.546875

GOPRO Test Ride

I installed a GOPRO mount to my helmet and my bike. Check out my test ride video! (First vid I made, I realize it's too long for what it is. Shorter more interesting vids to come in the future! ha )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjEwSZLvecE&feature=youtu.be

Crossing the Darien Gap

Crossing the Darien Gap

If you look at a map of Central America you will notice at the bottom of Panama there is a section of land called the Darien Gap. Consisting largely of swampland and forest, there are no major roads and crossing by motorcycle or car is near impossible. So, Nate and I have come up with a solution that is a little less stressful: Relax on the deck of a 120 foot sailing vessel as we cross the tropical waters of the Caribbean Sea to Cartagena, Columbia, with our motorcycles safely strapped on board! We're all booked and super pumped about it! Amazing.

Check out the ship we'll be on and a bunch of other great information here:

http://www.stahlratte.de/index_neu_en.html

Custom Crash Bars!

Custom Crash Bars!

Nate and I each have after market gas tanks which extend the mileage we can cover on one tank considerably. The stock tanks are about 5 gallons and the IMS tanks we have are about 11, allowing us to travel about 400 miles or so before fill up! Because they are so much bigger the crash bars we had on the bikes before will not fit now so we fabricated a custom design and worked with a welder friend of ours to complete the project! We also built a support bar that connects the back cases together giving them support when the bikes fall over. Here are a few pics of us working on the projects:

Finished crash bar pictures to come soon!

Pull up break!

Good Bye Christie's

Good Bye Christie's!
Well, it's the end of an era. I'm officially finished with my 6.5 years at Christie's auction house in New York City. It's pretty surreal to know it's over for good but I'm so excited for what's ahead of me. Tomorrow will mark one week of unemployment and I'll be celebrating at Whiskey Brooklyn with a bunch of my friends. I had a great time working at Christie's. Over the years I met  many amazing people and learned so much about the high end art auction world. It was a great experience, one that I will always remember. To all my friends and coworkers, thank you for all you have taught me along the way. I'll be sure to always give a big shout out to my team in the Interiors Department!

Soon I'll be packing up my motorcycle and heading south to DC. New York, you'll always be home and I'll always love you. The future is bright. Ride with me.


Peace Out Christie's

DC Bound

DC Bound


After a 7 plus hour ride, complete with traffic jams, car accidents and closed roads, I finally made it to DC last night with all my belongs in one piece. The trip has officially commenced! (For me). That might be the last time I'll ever make that NYC to DC ride. At least not for a very long time. I'll be in DC for about a week while Nate and I finish prepping and then we're off! It's an odd feeling knowing I don't have an apartment "back home" and all my belongings for the next six months can fit on a motorcycle. It will take some getting used to, but one thing is certain: The Adventure has begun!

Where in the world am I?

Where in the world am I?

Nate and I will each have a satellite GPS tracker with us as we ride. This device, called "SPOT" sends a signal out every 10 minutes, tracking our route as we go. We can also program a custom "I'm OK message" to send out, as well as activate an SOS in emergencies.

Follow my location and track me in real time! Click the link:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0ykfyDT2qBllcskRM6nxjuroeFue6u0uY

I'll post it in my Blog Sidebar as well for easy access.

Case Cover Fixed!

Case Cover Fixed!

It ain't pretty, but it works. And that's all that matters folks. Back from the dead!

The Adventure Begins

The Adventure Begins

After a week of long days and nights working in the garage, goodbye parties and hugs, we finally finished the last minute prep and hit the road. It's amazing how long it takes to outfit a motorcycle for world travel, refine packing lists, figure out where all your belonging will fit and what to put them in and then at the end of all that, where to put it on the bike! It was a stressful process at times, but in the end I think we did a pretty good job. Once we hit the road we soon realized how much heavier the bikes were and immediately started thinking about things to give away at our first stop.

It's day four now, I'm sitting at a Waffle House outside of Nashville, TN. The sounds of dishes and waitresses shuffling about fills the space and faint rays of sun cut through the clouds. It's starting to sink in that I'm doing this. The daily routine of packing and unpacking gear, sleeping in new places and covering miles on the road is starting to feel normal. It's a great feeling, one that I've been working towards for a long time. Although we've only covered ground from DC to Nashville, we've already experienced so many different people and places. From country grocery stores in rural Virginia, to truck stops in Knoxville Tennessee, the daily life routines are there to observe and enjoy. It's going to be an adventure! Next stop is Little Rock, Arkansas on our way to Santa Fe!

Storms, Cows and Tumble Weed

Storms, Cows and Tumble Weed

It was 7pm as we pulled off Route 40 West into a gas station for a pit stop. We were about 45 miles from Oklahoma City and it was time to figure out our sleeping arrangements for the night. As the sun started to get low in the sky we watched as big storm clouds moved across from our left. It was going to be a beautiful sunset but we quickly realized the sky was going to crack open at any minute. As Nate rushed to pull out the laptop and set up a mobile office I snapped some shots of the sun and clouds, both of which were moving faster and faster. Hotel booked, we geared up and hit the road, our chances of out running the rain looking dimmer by the minute. We shifted up to high gear and blasted down the interstate at 75 miles per hour, constantly checking our left side as the sky darkened. Lightening and thunder made us open our throttle even more and we pushed faster down the road but it was no use. The rain came quickly hitting every inch, stinging our skin as it cut through the air. Then, a few miles later, we did it. We passed the rain and the road began to dry. The sun set below the horizon and we pulled into our budget hotel buzzing from the excitement but happy to be out of the saddle. 

The next morning after loading up the bikes we hit the road, Santa Fe, NM in our sights. It felt like days of riding, through Oklahoma and Texas, but as the sun was setting we crossed into New Mexico and headed north to my parents house. Along the way we did find some fun places to stop. Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo was pretty unique. Along the highway it's pretty hard to miss, a row of Cadillacs stuck hood first into the ground, like a modern day Stonehenge. There were plenty of cows, pastures and big sky as well as the occasional tumble weed. Once we turned off the main highway and headed north up 285 to Santa Fe, the landscape changed dramatically. The mountains shot up in the distance and the rolling hills and mesas reflected the suns last rays as darkness set in. We turned into my parents drive way to cheers and claps, a welcome sight after a long day of riding. 

The last few days have been full of projects on the bikes, organizing more gear and refining lists and packing procedures. We met up with a family friend, an artist and welder in Santa Fe who helped us with a kickstand project. Our bikes are very heavy when they are fully loaded up so when we use the side stands they are still pretty vertical. To fix this problem we cut an inch out of our stands and had Gilbert weld them back together. They work great now! A big shout out and thank you to Gilbert! 

With a little luck we'll be all finished tomorrow and we can head out to Tuscon, AZ, stopping to visit some friends in Albuquerque along the way. The adventure continues.

Mexico!

Mexico!

This morning I woke up to the sound of crashing waves pounding the beach on the coast of Mazatlan. The sun was shinning and the view from our 11th story balcony was spectacular; a small island and some fishing boats off in the distance. It's May 1st and our fourth day in Mexico, but let me start from the beginning.

After visiting some friends in Albuquerque, NM we headed to Tucson, AZ staying with a old high school friend and positioning ourselves for an easy drive to Nogales where we could cross the border the next morning. The day had finally come to head into Mexico, we were excited and ready to "begin" the adventure. About two hours drive down 19 and we were at the border town of Nogales, not knowing what to expect we pushed on, the wall and Mexican houses in our sight over on the next hill. We stopped at the check point and to our surprise we were just waved on through. With a smile and a sense of ease we continued down the streets of Nogales, through the traffic and hustle and bustle of the town. We did it! We were riding our motorcycles in Mexico. The excitement turned quickly a harsh realization about 10 km down the road when I noticed my registration was going to expire in 4 days and I wouldn't be able to get my visa and stamps at the immigration office. Deciding it was best to sort it all out back in the states, we turned around and made it back to the border, where to my surprise it was pretty easy to return even though we had only been in Mexico for a few hours.Suspicious to say the least. Back in Tucson I sorted out my papers, and a couple days later we were back at the border, feeling confident all would go smoothly the second time around. It did and we pushed south to Hermosillo, where we had a Couch Surfing contact and her family family waiting for us. All to say, the first days in Mexico were definitely an adventure. From Hermosillo we drove to Obergon, through 100+ degree deserts, small villages and towns, asking about hotel prices and the best place to find tacos using the little Spanish we're learning, continuing on through Los Mochis, finally making it to the coast. Two nights ago we found a small coast town, with the sun getting low in the sky we decided to drive around and look for a hotel or a place to camp. The town had an eerie feel to it as most of the houses appeared to be empty or abandoned. There was one main paved road that ran parallel to the beach with smaller dirt roads making up a grid. Most of the houses were fairly modern and pretty nice, almost as if the city ran out of money and people just left it all behind. Every once in a while there would be a house that someone was living in so we road further down to investigate. At the very end of the road we came across a property that appeared to be a hotel and after looking around the owner found us and we asked about camping on the back lawn. The vibe became more relaxed as we walked around, seeing the kids playing in the pool and the friendly dogs gave us a sense of safety and we decided it would be a great place to set up camp for the night. We soon realized it was just fine as the hotel workers went about their duties and a few guests sat by the pool and beach. It was our first time setting up camp and we couldn't have chosen a better place. After watching the sun set on the beach, a true feeling of relaxation set in and it felt like the first time I could truly enjoy the beauty of Mexico. I fell asleep to the sound of waves, the wind in the palms and a million stars shining down on me.

Most of the riding we've been doing so far has been through desert. Only recently has the landscape changed to farm land, rolling hills and now of course the coast with the beach life and cooler temperatures. In between the larger cities are beautiful little towns, some only lasting for five or six streets. The locals always watch as our bikes roll by and some return our waves. There are farm animals everywhere, we even passed a goat walking down the highway yesterday. Tractors and field workers are a common site as well as school children in uniform and men resting in the shade of a roadside tree. The people are friendly and the food is delicious. Mazatlan, the city were I'm currently writing from is the first city I truly love. It has a wonderful mix of culture, amazing architecture and of course beautiful coastal views. It feel like a true working city and although today is a Mexican holiday, the streets below me are still busy and the beaches are full of joggers and couples relaxing by the water. Last night we got to walk around the old city square and enjoy a delicious meal, sitting outside in the cool night air. Live music and voices of people walking by mixed with the occasional taxi and radio of passing cars. I'm trying to soak it all in as best I can. There is so much to see and experience and it's nice to be off the bikes were I don't have to focus most of my attention to the road and riding. I will definitely be back to Mazatlan one day!

As much as I'd like to spend a week here the journey must continue. Soon we'll be taking off, heading to Puerto Vallarta and then zig zagging a bit into the mountains and back to the coast before crossing into Guatemala. It's a surreal feeling to be riding in a new country and even though it's only been a few days it's starting to feel like this is all happening.