Riding to Patagonia

[DuciD03]

you did it! 

Dog nadit; ... omg... 

 

[Monsterlover]

Great job!  Seriously, write a book. I'll pen the foreword for you.

[1.21GW]

Thanks you, everyone.  Really.

Six years ago almost to the month I sat on a 125 Kawasaki in near freezing temperatures in a Philadelphia parking lot taking my MSF Class M licensing course.  I remember after receiving the M designation being so worried about actually riding on the road with cars and stuff that my bike sat unridden on the sidewalk outside my apartment for a month, chained to a drainage pipe like some junkyard dog.  Eventually I built up the courage to ride the damn thing and within a month I was frantically scanning craigslist for something bigger, faster, louder.

And that's how I ended up with a 2001 M900s, a bike too big and too powerful for my own good but I was too noob to know it.  By shear luck I survived the following year unscathed, thanks in large part to the community of Ducati owners that I met along the way, the bulk of which are inmates here on the DMF.

As I look back over the past sixteen months and realize what I did and where I was six years ago---too afraid to even ride a 400cc vintage shitbox that was so old and worn it couldn't top 50 mph---I'm a bit amazed at what I just did.  But I also realize that it would not have been without the DMF.

- The first time I had read about long distance adventure riding was DMFer Eric's trip from California to Prudhoe Bay on an S2R. I had never imagined such a thing was possible.  It stirred the waters.

- When I started researching bikes for the trip, He Man invited me over to try his Yammy 450 on the snowy January roads of Redhook, Brooklyn.  As a result I had my first dirt bike experience and my first asphalt get-off on the same day.

- When I zeroed in on a DR650, Ungeheuer, a DR650 owner himself, traded PMs with me on the merits and demerits of the bike, and what to look for when shopping used.

- When I needed to learn how to change a tire, a motley crew of derisive DMFers mocked and prodded my efforts at DIMBY 2016 but, in the end, taught me one of the most basic ADV maintenance skills.

- When I needed spacers for my pannier rack and rear pegs, MonsterLover offered to make me a pair and sent them free of charge.  (As disappointing epilogue to this is that only once in the whole trip did I ride two-up, and it was not a foxy 24-yr old Latina I had imaged when I talked to ML about machining me a set, but rather some aging Mexican mountain man who was too lazy to walk to town and conned me into offering him a ride.)

- I bought my waterproof/winter gloves for this trip from Triple J (since left?) through the DMF.

- When I needed to figure out how to cross the Darien Gap, DarkMonster620 offered me a home away from home and chauffeured me throughout the city getting parts, doing paperwork, and so on, while also playing host, tour guide, and general critic of everything under the sun.

- Whenever I had a problem with my bike, on this trip or long before when I was learning to wrench my monster, Speeddog and Ducpainter and Koko64 and Howie and dozens more offered free and helpful advice, often flavored with humor (I'm looking at you, Grampa).

I could not have done this trip without this community.  Each day this site is less and less about Monsters, as the internet and social media continues to evolve away from old school forums, but the community is no less valuable or supportive than when I joined it six years ago.  Thanks everyone.
 




I'll be back in the states in a few weeks so for anyone that wants to share a pint, I've got a story to tell...
 

[Speeddog]

You've been on an epic adventure, made all the better by your awesome photos and text!

Thanks for sharing it with us, and I'd be more than happy to trade pints for stories! 

[yamifixer]

Some People dream big. others do. You sir are a do'er. Congratulations and Thank you for letting us ride along.

Not sure were your base is but a road trip to buy you a beer sounds like fun. Be well

[ducpainter]

I'd be hurt if I thought you were calling me Grandpa...

but everyone knows I don't have a sense of humor, so it can't be me.

I'm honored that you took the time to chronicle your journey on our little corner of the internet.

Well done Royce. Hope you get a chance to stop by again sometime...be it at DIMBY, or just a stop on a trip to hike the Whites.

You're welcome here any time.

[Mhanis]

This is in no way intended to demean the rest of the forum, but your adventure has been the most intriguing thing here for a long time. I am going to miss the ever living shit out of your posts.

If you ever come through the Dallas/Ft Worth area let us know. Our local board used much anymore but there are a few of us that stay in regular contact via text so we would certainly love a story telling night out.

What is the plan now? Sell the bike and stuff and fly back? 'Cause shit, the way I see it, you are only half way done!!!   

Mark

[duccarlos]

Selling the bike should not be an issue down there.

[koko64]

It would be great to have a beer and hear the full and uncut story. You'll cherish this adventure deep in your heart for the rest of your life. Well done man!

[Jaman]

Thank you for letting me/us live vicariously... 

Now, where are you going next??!! 

[MikeZ]

It's been amazing following your journey.  Congrats on making it through in 1 piece.

[greenmonster]

 

[DarkMonster620]

~~~ 'Cause shit, the way I see it, you are only half way done!!!   

Mark

that is how I see it exactly too

[GK]

Some People dream big. others do. You sir are a do'er. Congratulations and Thank you for letting us ride along.

What a ride it’s been, for your good self and all us forum passengers!

A wonderful achievement! 👍🏻👍🏻

[1.21GW]

Well, though the road ended in Ushuaia, I still had to get back north to ship the bike home.  And I still had the most famous park in Patagonia to visit: Torres del Paine.  It prove to be the nicest national park I visited in the fourteen countries I rode through and it matches the beauty and grandeur of even the best US National Parks.   Really:






















Wildlife there is abundant.  So much so that my lack of zoom lens did not prove a hinderance.  Baby skunks ran up to inspect my bike in the middle of the road, sniffy my tires and inspecting its rattling before running off into the brush.  Guanacos calmly ate grass right next to the hiking path to the Los Cuernos viewpoint.  Armadillos fearlessly explore your campsite as if you were the wildlife and they the tourist.  Condors circle in air drafts every morning, their wingspan so broad that it throws off your sense of distance: your brain tells you they're a kilometer away but their size tells you they must be less than 100m.  It's disorienting.  I even saw a puma calmly pass 15m from my tent a dusk one night.  I took a picture but in the rush to capture it I didn't get the settings right and it's all blurred.

























But as great as the fauna is, the stars of the park are its two iconic mountain clusters: Los Torres (The Towers) and Los Cuernos (The Horns).   Nowhere outside of Patagonia are there such sharp and beautiful spires.  I spent a night camping within view of each group.  The first morning I woke up to a beautiful sunrise on the Cuernos, then blanketed by morning clouds.  At midday, denuded by the winds and the sun, the Cuernos were postcard picturesque.













The following more, on Christmas, I was awaken by an equally spectacular sunrise striking Los Torres.  Up close, they are as majestic and exotic.  If you visit one place in Patagonia, Torres del Paine should be it.