The Planning has Started. SA and CA Adventure

[Ryder West]

Well, the dreams are on their way to becoming a reality, plans and research are under way. For me, the thought of being able to be on the road for more than a couple weeks at a time has never been a reality. But now, something in my heart and soul has changed and instead of reality it is mandatory. The process of planning ahead to be able to take an extended adventure is in motion.

The plan is as many have done before me, a trip through South and Central America starting January 2017 (seems so far off). That leaves 29 months to save and get ready. I hope to have a minimum of two months but hopefully three months of travel time to travel from Ushuaia Argentina back to my home in Marysville WA USA.

I am looking for some advise from you worldly travelers as I start this adventure:

Some things that I have not yet spent a lot of research on yet are transporting my motorcycle from Seattle as far south as possible in Argentina. Any experience on this? Cost? By air or by sea. I've read that although sea may be much cheaper, the port taxes can be extremely expensive making it nearly as expensive as air freight. Preference / experience either way?

Is my timeframe realistic? Three months from Ushuaia to Seattle? I know that there are many many things that I may not be able to see or experience, but in your experiences, is it possible to do and still enjoy the sites and culture within a three month timeframe?

Speaking of sites and culture, what have been some of your most memorable experiences while touring through these many areas and countries? What should not be missed? Are some routes better than others? As of this writing the vision is to stay on the west coast as much as possible.

Language barrier? I am starting my Spanish training but who knows how much I'll retain living in an English speaking area. What has it been like for those who do not speak the native language to communicate both with the regular people and with officials (police/border patrol)?

The Darien Gap: What seemed like one of the most daunting tasks to plan actually looks to be fairly simple and will be a nice break in the middle of the trip. Looking into the STAHLRATTE and although expensive it seems like it will be a vacation within the vacation. Still, any help s appreciated.

I do have one friend who has expressed interest in sharing this adventure with me and although he is financially able to go at any time, his planning ability is severely lacking so the details are up to me which I do not mind. It will be nice to have a partner in crime.

Would any of you be interested if I were to start a blog? As I work through the process of putting the trip together and through completion?

Thank you all for your advise and thank you to the creators for creating this site.