The Beginning of My South American Adventure After 5 days on a boat I was excited to be back on land and get back to riding. I still had to unload the bike and get through Colombia customs though. It took almost a full day to unload the bike, get it imported, load all my gear back on it and then get insurance. Captain Ludwig of the Stalhratte has improved the unloading process in Cartagena by using a floating dock instead of a dinghy. Six bikes can fit on it at a time and it pulls up to a small … [Read more...]

The last volcano I visited I could only sled down on a board. This time I wanted a bit more of an adventure and decided to jump inside of one. Myself and two other moto-travelers, Greg and Matt, left Cartagena, Colombia to ride up to La Guajira but along the way we saw a sign for Volcan de Totumo and we decided we'd go see it. When we rode up to it I realized it was the mud volcano I had heard about. I wasn't leaving without jumping in this thing. Volcano Totumo is a 20 meter high volcanic … [Read more...]

Down On A Colombian Farm After our stop at the Mud Volcano, Greg, Matt, and I continued riding along the coast past Santa Marta to a small town where Matt's friends have a farm. In Colombia, and other Spanish speaking countries, a small farm is called a finca. Up to Santa Marta it was hot and very dry along the coast, but just a few miles further it turns into dense jungle vegetation as the road winds through the beginning of the Sierra Mountains. Matt's friend Daniel and his family just … [Read more...]

Down A Dusty Road Getting local advice on places to travel to hasn't let me down yet so when a Colombian recommended riding through a desert to the northern most point of South America, I immediately started planning how to get there. I could only find two other blog posts of motorcyclists that have ridden to Punta Gallinas and they said the same thing. Lots of sand, easy to get lost but friendly people to help point the way, beautiful landscapes, and almost no one else there. I told a few … [Read more...]

To The Top. Punta Gallinas It's impossible to sleep in when camping. Especially when you're camping in a field where a herd of goats graze. An early morning start was just what we needed as we still had a long way to go to reach Punta Gallinas, the most northern point of South America. We woke up with the sunrise and the owner of the land we camped on came over to greet us. Greg was making coffee with the instant coffee he bought the day before at the store. He kindly offered our hosts a cup of … [Read more...]

While doing some research I came across a blog by Adventures 57 about the Top 10 Motorcycle Routes in Colombia. Check out their other suggested routes. This ride to Barichara was great. Greg and I left Valencia and rode a for a whole day to Aguachica. After a nights rest we headed down to Bucaramanga. Highway 45 is congested with a lot of trucks until it splits off. Highway 45A goes into the mountains and 45 goes around. 45A is a great twisty road and it's even better since most of the trucks … [Read more...]

My Christmas in Medellin, Colombia was the first time I haven't spent the holiday with my family. Since I was in a unfamiliar city away from family and friends I thought about what I could do with my time that could make Christmas good for other people, that's what Christmas is all about anyway. I got connected with Angeles de Medellin (Angels of Medellin) an organization helping poor and displaced children and families in Medellin, Colombia. In the barrio of Regalo de Dios each day more than … [Read more...]

A quick post mostly of photos about the ADV Rider Christmas party in Medellin. As much as I think this is an adventure unlike any other, the truth is many people have done similar trips, I've learned a lot from the ones who've traveled before me and have had great adventures with others who are currently riding as well. Word got out that Medellin was the place to be for Christmas. John Downs (JDowns) and Andrew Lord (AndrewUK) contacted Albert at the Shamrock Pub and he agreed to let us use his … [Read more...]

Medellin was a comfortable place to spend Christmas break in but I was ready to see more of Colombia. Looking at a map I wanted to get to either Guatape or Salento. I heard both were beautiful but the Valle de Cocora peaked my interest more. So off I road to the small town of Salento. I knew from the ride to Salento that I would like it. It's in the Zona Cafetera (coffee zone) which even has it's own highway named Autopista del Cafe. Zipping along the road the scenery was lush, green, and … [Read more...]