Search by tags Have Bike Will Travel
-
Edna's Drive Thru
I was really pushing my luck this time. My chain was loose, my sprockets were shot, and the chain was slipping. The good news was, I had no idea how dire my circumstances were. I was on my way home from the Women's Adventure Camp in Seattle. I'd ... -
Camels on the Creek
“Just go with the motion,” Carolyn explained to me. “Oh, and keep your weight back and hang on tight.” I'd worn my motorcycle gear as a jest, but as I was pitched forward and backward, over and over again, I was secretly glad I was in full ... -
The Real Texas
“I bet this isn't something you've ever seen before,” Carolyn said to me as we walked up to the fence. “No, I haven't” I replied. “What exactly is it?” It was a badge of honor. A testament to patience. A show and tell, of sorts, that spoke ... -
Around the Bend
It had been quite a while since I'd seen Cindy's trail of dust in front of me, and I was beginning to think that was a bad sign. Carolyn and I were riding River Road with her in Big Bend National Park, and we had spread out in order to avoid each others ... -
Javelinas
The first thing I noticed was the musky smell. Then I heard the shuffling, grunting noises that seemed to surround me. And when I came fully awake, I saw them: small, pre-historic creatures that resemble a cross between a pig and a large, hairy rodent. These ... -
"Fires All Around"
“Better check on that, the roads might be closed,” said our campgound host. “Not too sure if you can get through from here. Fires all around.” This was a supreme disappointment, and could put a real wrench in my best-laid plans. I was in Fort ... -
Cowhead Ranch
I've never been a big fan of riding the same road twice or covering old ground. I always try to go in a circle in order to see something new. But there are some special places that I always love going back to, and the area around Terlingua, Texas, is one of ... -
Shifting Sands
Blazing temperatures. Fifty mile-per-hour wind gusts. Blowing sand. Gobs of tourists in RV campers. It wasn't quite what I'd pictured in my mind's eye when I first envisioned heading to White Sands National Monument. The conditions were the complete opposite ... -
Choose Your Campsite Wisely
Converted 4x4 military vehicles littered the roadway. Camper vans, trucks, and RVs were already set up as far as the eye could see. A sea of high-clearance vehicles with camper tops stretched to the horizon. And a field of tents billowed beneath the sparse ... -
Silence
Silence is a eerie thing when you're riding a motorcycle. Silence when your engine should be humming away underneath you is unsettling. Silence is downright dangerous when you are riding the LA freeway in rush hour traffic after dark.
It was 6:30 ... -
As the Snow Flies
Summit 3000 feet. Brrr. It is cold, even though I've dropped 1800 feet since leaving Idaho Falls, Idaho. It was in a mad rush to leave this morning – the weather forecast changed last night, and was now telling me that this was my only window to ... -
Where There's Smoke There's Fire
“Do you smell smoke?” I asked my boyfriend through the headset as we were going up the last of the big hills in Western B.C. “I don't smell anything,” he said, at the same moment I looked down and saw my pant leg covered in oil. My heart rate ... -
Rain, Rain Go Away
I hadn't really considered how lucky we'd been with the weather until it turned. And I don't mean a turn as in slight change in the weather, I mean a torrential, front-end-washout with a complete soaking of all your gear turn in the weather. And we were just ... -
Mosquito Fever
Gold Fever. Alaska and the Yukon Territory were crazed with it one hundred and twenty years ago. Respectable gentlemen, schoolteachers, and Jack London all took part. Even future U.S. President William Taft got caught up in the madness. Dawson City, Yukon ... -
The Bears in BC
Normally I'm always up for an adventure. But I'd been back on US soil a scant two weeks from my South America trip, and I was a bit road weary. The weather had just cleared in the West, and now my boyfriend, Edward, was eager for a road trip of his own. He ... -
Coming Home to Culture Shock
“Donde Estamos?” I asked when the touchdown of the overnight plane jolted me awake. The gentleman in the seat next to me cocked his head and gave me a blank stare. My mind did several sleepy clicks and calculations before it came to the correct ... -
Lions and Tigers and Bears (Oh My!)
It was a Monday and there wasn't a soul around. I started walking in what I thought was the right direction, and then, RRRROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR! RROOAARR. Roar. Now I knew which way to go. Curious thing about travelers, we all like to share cool ... -
The End of the Road
The burglary at the Paraguay/Argentina border forced several things to a head. I'd been on the road for over six months, and was feeling a bit worn-out. Responsibilities back home were mounting – and were getting harder and harder to put off. I still ... -
Robbed in Paraguay
It took several moments for my eyes to translate the scene in front of me into coherent thought. It was morning, and I was going to the motorbike to pack up and travel for the day, yet my panniers were already open, the contents spread out all over the ... -
The Bolivian Road of Death
“What is that road called again?” Mom asked. “Um, the locals call it the Yungas Road,” I told her. No point in telling her it was internationally known as the “Bolivian Road of Death.” “I'm riding better now since my broken hand has started to ...
