BC to Ushuaia & back - Oct 2020-Mar 2021
 

Hi


I'm hoping to make this trip next year to be in Pucon, Argentina by 14 Dec for the total solar eclipse there:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_...ember_14,_2020

Route will be pretty standard, and direct, on the way down to ensure arrival on time, more relaxed from there.

I'm a fit 52 yo Brit-Canadian guy and will probably be riding a KTM 640 ADV (unless I decided a simpler, indestructible KLR650 is a much better choice)

Interested in hearing from anyone interested in joining and/or able to offer advice on ambition, cost, etc - I've guesstimated a minimum of CA$12k (US$9k) NOT including accommodation (I plan to camp mostly) for actual bike expenses (fuel, services, tires, etc), sailing Colon-Cartagena return, food and drink, etc - is that realistic?


Thanks for any input!
Chip (Adam)

2.5 months between BC and Pucon sounds fairly speedy, but certainly within the realm of possibility. You'll want to keep moving, at least to allow for potential mechanical (or physiological) failures. That might mean flying your bike across the gap, for example.

3.5 months down to Ushuaia and back to BC doesn't sound particularly "more relaxed." If your goal is to ride a lot, maybe that'll be ok. If the point is to see stuff, do things, interact, explore, stay open to whatever comes your way, well, not so much.

Your budget is about US$50 per day, which is fine for what it is....but camping doesn't always lend itself to efficiency and speed. That's worth thinking about. I blew out a shock in Suriname, spent a week and some money getting a bodge repair, then finally found a replacement in Guatemala for US$500 or so. I also had unexpected repairs in Texas and Curitiba (along with a slew of predictable maintenance), and if your budget is tight that sort of thing can create havoc.

I'd have a few fallback positions in mind, e.g., can you extend the trip if that looks appealing? Can you skip Ushuaia entirely without serious regret? Etc.

Hope that's helpful.

Mark

Have you factor cost of crossing Darien gap?

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Yup, at min $500 each way on one of the sailing boats that regularly go. Either that or a container or the nice boat that costs $1200 each way which will bump the budget..

Very, thank you! I definitely do want to see stuff on the way. I definitely don't want to be riding the whole time. Extending the trip is a possibility. Budget is as little as possible but this is a long time dream and probably my last 'hoorah' so I'm not cutting anything out for the sake of a bit of time or money. I could skip Ushuaia but probably not Torres Del Paine NP. I'm thinking to help fund the trip by selling the bike after- I don't want to afford the insurance for the use it gets at home any more anyway.

I know that you have to take Google times and distances with a pinch of salt but the bare numbers - hours & km's - seemed doable. I have a lot of experience of travelling (a while ago admittedly) but not so much of bike touring, the furthest I've been being to Yosemite from BC 6 summers ago. I drove 3400km across Canada in 3 days 5 years ago so I can 'give 'er' when needed.

I was wondering about cutting C America out - to speed things up and avoid the most dangerous bit - but haven't found a good shipping option yet. Another option is to ship BC to Colombia and fly to meet the bike but, as ludicrous as this might sound, I'm trying to avoid flying these days.. :) I also don't get to visit friends in Mexico that way.

Most people--including most people who plan a complete round trip--seemed to run out of steam after getting to Ushuaia. Lots end up selling their bikes in South America or shipping them home. I thought the five or six months I spent getting back to Washington State on a completely different route was entirely worthwhile, but I'll admit that the section through Central America was much less intriguing the second time around, headed northward.

That would suggest riding south, then selling your bike rather than making the full journey north...or, given your schedule revolves around the eclipse, maybe shipping the bike to Chile, Argentina or Uruguay, exploring the continent until eclipse time is near, then riding it home afterward.

An ability to run on afterburners for short periods of time doesn't necessarily mean that's safe, fun or interesting on a longer journey, especially on a bike. I've done the 3-day-cross-North-America trip quite a few times, but I'd never try to sustain long hours in the saddle for more than a week without taking substantial breaks. This becomes far more important in areas of the world where traffic laws are more along the lines of vague suggestions, roadways are full of unpredictable hazards, night driving is generally unsafe, and interesting sensory input predominates. There are remarkably good roads throughout much of Latin America, but it's not like jumping on a multilane highway and not stopping until you reach the other ocean.

Take all of the above for what it's worth, and definitely make your own path!

Mark

Adam, be sure to gt to HU CanWest Travellers Meeting this summer - it will be WELL worth your while to meet up with people who have done what you're planning! See you there!

About being cheap I have heard the stories of bikes being dropped in the water during load.. just saying

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Already (just yesterday) booked! :)

No, for sure.. All good points and will bear them in mind as I hone the trip down from the current 'BUT I WANNA DO EVERYTHING!' model.. ha ha


Not exactly comparable but I just heard that Charley & Ewan just got to LA from Ush after 3 months on 'The Long Way Up' - of course they're fully supported, etc so not quite the same.. perhaps I'll just leave a month earlier and get back a month or two later.. :)

The CanWest meetup is a hoot (aside from highly informative)!

Chip Board, where are you in B.C., if at all? Your user name makes me think of one of those northern towns where expanses of aspen forest get transmuted into sheets of flake board...

The reason I ask is that ten or fifteen years ago a bunch of us managed to meet up in a pub in Vancouver--also a hoot, and also highly informative. One of those attending became a moderator here for a while (besides me), another I met up with in Central America a couple of years later, then again in Cuba--he's since died. Some have dropped out of sight, at least from my perspective, and a few I'm still loosely in touch with. It's like CanWest without the crowds, camping, presentations, meals, or admission prices...but with good people, beer, and lots of information.

Any interest in such a thing? I could promote a bit but not organize, and I'm from the wrong side of the border so not very familiar with venues. Whether it would be possible to entice Grant and Susan out for an evening is an open question, although drive-by kidnaping is always an option.

Mark

Edit to add: If planning to do like Charlie and Ewan with the sponsorships and support vehicles, I'm afraid I'm not going to be much help.

That's where it came from! I'm a Brit and that's what we call Particle Board (as I believe it's better know here) It's actually an old alias from snowboarding days but it's the one I registered on here with 7 years ago (how long??!!) so..


I'm near Ashcroft, about 4 hours NE of Van up Hwy 1.. I get down there fairly regularly for family events, supplies, etc..


I could be interested for sure but I'm prob not riding anywhere, other than around here on dirt roads, until next Fall - saving every penny I have for this trip now and insurance is ridiculous here.. Let me know if anyone is up for a meet!..


edit: just noticed you're in Bellingham - I have a friend there and if I buy a fridge (which I might do soon) it'll probably be in Bellingham (US prices can't be beat even factoring in exchange rates) so I'll give you a shout if it happens..