The All-Star Motorcycle Circus & Expedition » 6 Tri-America Nov 2010-Mar 2011

Epilog – A year late!! What-the-heck was wrong with that motor? May 3, 2012

dean — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:52:46 +0000

Apologies for dropping off the end-of-the-earth.
Procrastination! I could be a professional procrastinator.

Contrary to what a few of you interpreted in our last post, Lisa and I are still great friends. “Departing ways…” meant she had work in Jacksonville, FL (IBA Daytona BIke Week Dinner) and I was going home in SoCal.

The VStrompasourus Fix!

May 2011 – I had a long time to contemplate the 3K problem. But the first thing I wanted to do was to switch fuel tank/fuel pump from another bike. It took 4 weeks for the bikes to arrive at the Port of Los Angeles, another week to clear customs and a couple more days to be delivered.

The VStroms were uncrated and reassembled – battery cables reconnected, mirrors mounted, windshields mounted, handlebars repositioned, Jesse Bags installed. Lisa had to mount her front tire. My DL1000 cranked right up and I rode it home ~25 miles. And it still sputtered at 3K RPM. Rode home at 30-40 MPH.

6/30/2011 – I’ve finally had time to begin clean up and replacement of broken parts. I removed all plastic, tires, fuel tank, air cleaner housing down to the throttle bodies, front and rear fenders to clean accumulated dirt from Deadhorse to Ushuaia. I have a second 2004 Suzuki VStrom DL1000 that is appropriately named the Scrapasourus. It’s a donor bike for spare parts.

I switched entire gas tanks (fuel pump is inside the gas tank) and the anemic, sputtering, problematic ManStrom leaped to life! The bike is on the lift so I was limited to a stationary revving of the engine. Todays test with a different fuel pump – no 3k cutoff. Increased RPMs up to 7K and no shut down. This is the first time I’ve been able to get the engine RPMs to go over 4K without massive fuel starvation!!!

After putting the bike back together, I rode out to the freeway and ran 40 miles at 70-80 MPH! Replaced the original fuel tank and the engine returned to the sputtering, choking, 30-40 MPH whimpering dog.

The Suzuki dealer in Vina del Mar did do a fuel pump flow through test but I do not remember if it was done at speed. And why we didn’t exchange gas tanks at the Osorno Suzuki dealer just never came to mind! They exchanged and tested every sensor in the fuel injection system. My friend Brian Robert and several others called the problem – a clogged “high pressure fuel filter” inside the fuel pump which is inside the gas tank. I read the work-around and it seemed very complicated. It involved disassembling the fuel pump, drilling a hole through the filter housing at just the right angle and installing an inline filter between the fuel pump and injectors.

Well, it seems the problem with the VStrompasourus 3K fuel starvation is the “high pressure” fuel filter. When I drilled that hole into the high-pressure fuel filter chamber, black thick goop poured out of the hole! I flushed the chamber out a dozen times until clean gas came out. I next had to install an in-line fuel filter between the fuel pump and the injectors.

Now this problem is well documented on many VStrom forums. The best mod instructions are at:
V-Strom Riders International, External Fuel Filter Modification

http://www.vstrom.info/Smf/index.php/topic,6105.0.html

We are back in the saddle again!

Lisa will probably want to add some final remarks about our TransAmericas motorcycle ride. I’m off to another riding adventure in Europe.

Lisa:

This is funny – I’ve been on Deano to get this done for almost a year and today it pops up in my inbox! But no surprise, we have drafts of our 49 state ride as well as our 2001 Iron Butt Rally that have never gotten done. Oh well. As hard as it is to sit down and write this stuff when you’re on the road, I am sooo happy we did because it’s a great reminder for me of our fabulous adventure.

In hindsight, we did a lot of things right and a ton of things wrong. But as we have talked about it for the last year, I wouldn’t change much because it’s the harder parts of it that actually provide the sweetest memories. The truck driver who rescued us from the hell hole/mud pit known as Bolivia, the small towns who embraced the two stupid gringos and helped us more than we could have hoped, and on and on. I wish I had studied some Spanish before – that is the single thing I think could have improved the trip. Well, that and a whole lot more time to spend away.

If I had the chance, I would do the trip again in a heartbeat. I know certain things we would do differently but I can’t imagine it would be a richer experience. My take away from the trip is that people are wonderful, we live on a beautiful planet and the best way to facilitate personal growth is to get outside your comfort zone. Basically I was so far out of my comfort zone for the entire trip that after a while even that nagging discomfort felt normal. I was a non-Spanish speaking female in a male dominated culture, taller and blonder than most of the population for a large part of the trip and traveling on a (for them) HUGE motorcycle with a man who was not my husband. As I think about it, I know the experience changed me and empowered me, making me less wary of that often uncomfortable place we call New Experiences.

I guess that’s it for us on this, now a year removed. But for those of you who stopped back in to read this, please know that your posts to us were precious and super important. Sometimes we felt pretty exposed, a little raw and very far removed from home and your notes were wonderful, encouraging and just like getting a warm hug sometimes. So thanks a million for hanging with us! Now on to Dean’s latest adventure…..

FIRST NOTICE
If you do not want to be on this BLOG about me wondering around Europe on a motorcycle, send an e-mail to me, dtanji@gmail.com, and I will delete your e-mail address from this list. The TransAmericas ride (Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina) Lisa and I rode was a true adventure (at least it was for me). My 2012 riding in Europe is a “smell the roses’ ride which will center around beer, mountain passes, apple strudel, gelato, and most countries between Germany, Italy, Romania, and Norway.

Day72-The Fat Lady has Sung!, Tue. Mar 8, 2011

dean — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:12:49 +0000

Yogi Berra once said “it ain’t over till its over!”

It’s the bottom of the 9th …

The fat lady has sung.

This is our last official “All-Star Motorcycle Circus and Expedition” BLOG post. Tomorrow after our second flight to El Salvador Lisa and I will go our separate ways.

Start & Stop: Vina Del Mar, Chile to Santiago, Chile

Mileage: 0 moto miles, ~60 bus miles

Hotel: Plaza Suites Hotel, Santiago, Chile 45,000 pesos ($95 USD)

Fuel: $700 Chilean Peso /l liter ($1.48 USD/1 liter) or $5.51 USD per gal!

Currency Exchange: $1 USD = $473.95 Peso

18,000 miles and the indignity of a crate!

Dean: 8:30 AM at the Vina Del Mar Suzuki dealership and we begin with Lisa’s V-Piglet crating. Again everything poking out is removed. Mirrors, windshield, handlebars, Jesse bags, Tanji Flatbed Fuel Cell, etc. But we learn that there are no more metal pallets the same size as the one my VStromopotomus was loaded onto. Only smaller metal pallets were available so we make do. The VPiglet’s crating requires the front wheel to be removed and the front axle replaced and locked into block.

The smaller found crate required the front wheel to be removed and axle re-bolted to a pallet housing.

The metal box frame had to be extended to make the V-Piglet fit.

Lisa loves her VPiglet's finished crating!

Lisa’s VPiglet’s Jesse bags, front wheel and Tanji Fuel Cell were added to Dean’s VStrompapotomus’ crate because it had additional room.

This pallet is loaded! We estimated 800 lbs!

Lisa: It was kind of a mess, but heck, we’re used to that by now. About the only thing for certain on this trip is that things don’t happen as we’ve planned them. Today was no exception but still the bikes are crated and we’re on our way out of South America

Dean: We are done by 11AM. Paid our bill, caught a cab to the bus station and we are “large public caging” it to Santiago.

We had several invites to hook up with in Santiago but the combination of a morning breaking down a dirty, grimy, oily, POS VPiglet and lashing it to a metal pallet, then the 2-hour bus ride to Santiago, a mile hike to our cheap hotel and the 5AM departure to the airport has us tucker out.

Tomorrow at 5AM we take a taxi to Santiago International. Lisa heads to Jacksonville FL for the IBA Daytona weekend and I’ll be home in SoCal with my wife Sue by the end of day.

Lisa and I talked about how to end this adventure/BLOG and agreed to post a “reprise” in a month or so. There are many things we would have done differently, many things that went right, things we brought that we should have left home and stuff we wish we would have taken. On some days our plan vs. reality were 180-degrees apart. And everyone wants to know what’s up with my 50-MPH WieeenieStrom.

As soon as the moto arrives from Chile via tramp steamer (3-4 weeks) I’m replacing the fuel pump. I think it’s gotta be the fuel pump high pressure filter or the pump itself. And I have a second fuel pump sitting on my bench at home.

Lisa: So, while we’ll be back in the states tomorrow, we still have some stories to share and hope you’ll stay tuned. Meanwhile, we have both very much appreciated the support, your posts, your input when we were struggling and your care and concern for us. It really meant a lot to us and helped us laugh through some of the ‘less fun’ times.

Day71-VStroms Crated for Steamer to Port of L.A., Mon, March 7, 2011

dean — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:34:26 +0000

VStroms Stripped and Crated!

Start & Stop: Vina Del Mar, Chile

Mileage: 0 miles

Hotel: Hotel Vancouver, 2 Poniente N0. 561, Vina Del Mar, Chile

Fuel: $700 Chilean Peso /l liter ($1.48 USD/1 liter) or $5.51 USD per gal!

Currency Exchange: $1 USD = $473.95 Peso

Weather: Overcast, cloudy, scattered showers

Dean: I’m up at 6:30 AM for major reapcking. Lisa did all her packing and repacking last night. The decision is “what to carry home as check-in luggage” and “what to leave with the bikes in the crates”.

At 7:30 AM we ride 10 miles to the Chilean Aduana (Customs) in Valparaiso. Our 8AM Aduana office opening really opened at 8:30AM which in South Americanese translates to 9 AM. I do my job of lookin’ good, guarding the bikes, and answering questions from anyone who dares talk to me, while Lisa goes in to finalzie our paperwork to get our VStroms out of Chile and into the good ol’ U. S. of A. – Puerto Los Angeles. Opps! That’s Port of Los Angeles, California.

Portuguese, Spanish, English and a lot of map pointing.

While waiting, up rides a group of 4 BMWs from Brazil then 20-minutes later a couple of bikes from Argentina shows up. Then Lisa comes out of the Aduana. The Brazilians are talking Portuguese, the Argentineans Spanish and I’m talkin’ a modified pig latin. It was mostly map pointing, a lot of hand waving with everyone laughing and smiling. We all seemed to have had a great time! :)

Lisa: More hurry up and wait at customs. I checked in with security at 8 am and was told the offices open at 8:30. Because we were having such a nice chat with the head of the Stevadores there at the port, I walked in again sometime a little later. A nice man, clearly an executive at the port, was waiting for me at the door and, in very broken English, told me that I was in the wrong office and needed to go the to Valparaiso Aduana, not the International Aduana.

For those new to the blog, this sort of thing is pretty par for the course. I do a lot of walking back and forth, trying to find where I actually need to be so this came as no surprise. What I could not gather was exactly WHERE this place was and since he couldn’t explain it to me, he brought me to see his boss who speaks better English.

Now we’re getting somewhere. This was the big cheese at the customs office and he was super helpful. After chatting a bit, he asked me who my freight agent was and what the plans were for the bike. I passed him the info I had for the agent but told him we had not been able to reach him. Because there are several different prefixes in the area, we couldn’t make sense of the phone number. Mr. Important got through to the office immediately and but because it was still before 9, he got the answering service.He told me to come back in 45 minutes and we’d try again to reach Leopoldo, our contact in Chile.

I went back outside and joined Dean and his fan club for a while, trading email addresses and taking photos before going back inside to try to sort things out.

El Jefe got through on the first call and was then referred to someone else, getting another name and phone number in a rapid conversation of which I understood about 3 words. I was so happy he was taking care of this part for us. I got a piece of paper with a new name and an address just down the street so I dragged Dean away from his adoring groupies and off we went.

Senor Vegaras was in a small office with an amazing view of the harbor and in beautiful English walked me through the steps to release the bikes from the Aduana system so we could exit the country. He then set up the transfer at the dealer and in 20 minutes or so, this part of the deal was done. I almost danced out of the building to where Dean was waiting with the parked bikes. YAY!! Now we “just” have to get them crated.

Dean: We make several trips to the dealer to see if our metal pallets are available. Our friend Matias is out of the of and will not be back until tomorrow. No one knows anything about our pallets. We are told to come back at 3 PM.

Existing metal pallet being modified for our VStrompasouruses.

Everything stickin' out removed. Fuel cell re-centered over seat.

Just before the entire bike was shrink wrapped.

This is the showroom price of a new DL1000 in Vina Del Mar, Chile.

We finally find someone who knows about the crates/pallets. All is good. We make our final ride to the dealer for crating. First we strip anything that hangs-out off and roll my VStrompasourus’ onto a metal pallet. The Jesse saddlebags removed. The Tanji Flatbed Fuel Cell drained, removed and shrink-wrapped inside the metal cage. Windshield, mirrors, and hand control guards (barkbusters) removed and boxed. Handlebars lowered, purchased new ratchet straps to secure bike to pallet, and by 5PM my “125 cc” VPig is crated!

Tomorrow Lisa’s VPigglet gets crated.

Hotel Vancouver is not a traditional hotel. It’s a bunch of apartments in a hodge-podge layout. WiFi is somewhat limited in the rooms but good in the community/dinning area. It’s in a very safe area, just a half-dozen blocks from the restaurant row.

Day70-Our Last Day on the Road!, Sun, Mar 6, 2010

dean — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:42:54 +0000

All adventures must come to an end!

Start & Stop: Chillan, Chile to Vina Del Mar, Chile

Mileage: 325 miles

Hotel: Hotel Vancouver, 2 Poniente N0. 561, Vina Del Mar, Chile

Fuel: $700 Chilean Peso /l liter ($1.48 USD/1 liter) or $5.51 USD per gal!

Currency Exchange: $1 USD = $473.95 Peso

Weather: Overcast, cloudy light and heavy showers, and windy

Dean: Today is our last “on-the-road” ride. From Chillan, Chile to Vina Del Mar, Chile – a mere 325 miles. It’s taken a while for me to realize we really did complete the TransAmericas (PanAmerican Highway) ride, and the end was over a week ago, Wed, Feb 28. Where does time go when you’re screamin’ down the road at 50 MPH! :) It sounds better metric — 80 KPH!

Riding Chile’s Ruta 5 north is like riding US-99 up the San Juaquin Valley in California. Split 4-lane highway all the way from Puerto Montt to Santiago and west to Vina Del Mar (750 miles), mostly flat but occasional rolling hills. 50 mph for 7 hours is 350 miles. That’s all it takes.

After 70 days on the road, it’s hard to imagine that after tomorrow we will no longer ride our motos northward!!

Tomorrow we ride 10 blocks to the Vina Del Mar Suzuki dealer, strip anything that hangs out off and mount our VStrompasourus’ onto a metal pallet.

Lisa: Everything in DeanVille is just that simple. Would that it were so easy. Holy cow, I don’t sleep more than two hours, worrying and strategizing for what lies ahead. Meanwhile, our freight agent in LA has referred us to someone here who is not reachable. Lovin life here. Tomorrow morning is looming large for me: we have customs issues because we are leaving the country before our bikes are checked out. The computers at customs will show that we entered the country with motorcycles that have not ‘officially’ left the country and in Chile that is a huge problem.

For me.

Dean sleeps soundly.

The other issue is the pallets. We had initial confirmation on those but because our contact is dealing with serious personal issues, that assurance is not solid. Without knowing we have pallets immediately available, I know that the logistics might be very onerous. We are under a time deadline (again) and these things have to be put to bed before we can take a long bus ride to Santiago, and then fly home.

I am suffering major stress, wide awake at 3 am with a 6:30 alarm set.

Dean is snoring.

Perfect.

Dean: I know we’re going to get stink-eye about shipping our bikes back to the USA/Port of Los Angeles but we have jobs and families.

Lisa: This line from him cracks me up. Several comments or private emails have given us a hard time for different things that have happened during the ride – like putting the bikes on the truck to get them out of the problem area in Bolivia or not making the complete round trip on bikes. But when you realize that we are the ones actually doing the ride while the folks criticizing us are sitting in the comfort of their homes, it all comes into focus. Of course we are shipping home; we’ve been gone a long time and both of us have another life we have put on hold. Time to get back.

Dean: Lisa is heading to Jacksonville Beach, FL for the IBA Daytona weekend and I’m going home to prep for a one-week staging production in Hawaii in April.

Boring Stats

July 2, 2010-Deadhorse, Alaska to July 10, 2010-Tustin, CA – 4,209 miles

Nov 29, 2010-Tustin, CA to December 9, 2010-Managua, Nicaragua (home for Christmas) January 12, 2011-Managua, NI to February 22, 2011-Ushuaia, Argentina (Lapatalia, Tierra Del Fuego National Park, End of Ruta 3 Road sign) – 13,349 miles

Total mileage from Deadhorse, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina, (Lapatalia, Tierra Del Fuego National Park, End of Ruta 3 Road sign) – 17,558 miles (28,257 km)

Day69-Ferry day 4, Sat, Mar 5, 2011

dean — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:38:45 +0000

Start & Stop: Puenta Montt to Chillan, Chile

Mileage: 404 miles

Hotel: ? Chillan, Chile

Fuel: $700 Chilean Peso /l liter ($1.48 USD/1 liter) or $5.51 USD per gal!

Currency Exchange: $1 USD = $473.95 Peso

Weather: Beautiful day!

Today was goodbyes and see you’s! Getting off the ferry was like riding through a dairy farm’s holding pen. We had to ride around the cows, sheep and horses to get to the elevator. The smell and stench of 4 days was pretty bad.

As we approach the shipping dock gate, up walk Joe DeRyke (IBR’03) and Vernon Danielson! They have been following our blog and will take the “Puerto Eden” back to Puerto Natales. It was great fun to see IBA/LD guys in a remote place like this!

Lisa: It was especially fun because our Polish friend, Andy, has decided that he simply MUST ride the IBR. They are planning their trip so they can attend the finishing banquet in July. So hearing Joe also talk about it just whet his competitive nature that much more.

Dean: Rode 404 miles from the ferry to Chillan. Still limited to 3K RPM and top speed of 50-55 MPH. No acceleration. I’m pretending that I’m riding a 125. At least I’m moving!

Tomorrow will be a 325 mile day to Vina del Mar/Valparaiso.

Goodbye Gosia and Andy. See you in August. Their BLOG is: http://www.journeyfarbeyond.com

Joe DeRyke L and Vernon Danielson R were at the ferry waiting to greet us!

Day68-Ferry day 3, Fri, Mar 4, 2011

dean — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:28:32 +0000

It was a very rough night! Woke up to more rockin’ and rollin’. But by the time breakfast was over, the ferry was returning into the inside-passage going due east then north between the islands. There were many sea sick passengers over the night! Our bunk mate Kang spent part of the night in the community bathroom. He was not alone. Breakfast was not very crowded.

Around 10 AM we could see blue skies and white clouds ahead. Rest of day was sunny and clear. Top decks were packed with passengers enjoying the fiords, islands, and wildlife.

Lisa: Today was gorgeous, simply beautiful. Of the 150+ passengers, only 14 were American. I think a lot of the folks from colder areas got way too much sun today but it was a wonderful ride.

Dean:Tonight is the last night on ferry. All the saved up wine, whisky and tequila came out for mass consumption.

Lisa: And tonight I should have been in Vegas! I got out of my bunk long enough to join the festivities. Livin’ large, we played 4 games of Bingo and I won 3 of them, and got some very nice prizes. A navimag pen, a fleece vest embroidered with the ship logo, a cap and a nice bottle of whiskey. Needless to say, there were a few unhappy people but hey, I shared the whiskey so it’s all good.

Now, we’re just ready to head for the barn. Valparaiso awaits!

Pierre-Henri & Marie Thiret-Guittard, Gosia, Lisa, Andy, Dean

Day67-Ferry day 2, Thu, Mar 3, 2011

dean — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 21:52:38 +0000

Dean: Heavy rain and high wind continues all day. With so little passenger lounge areas people are packed everywhere warm and protected from the high winds and wet.

Breakfast: coffee, yoghurt, ham and cheese, scrambled eggs, bread, fruit juice

Lunch: Soup, chicken thigh & leg, rice with jus, lettuce and tomato salad, corn, bread, fruit juice

Dinner: Very tough and dry pot roast, tomato soup, lettuce and tomato salad, dinner roll, canned fruit cocktail with sweet crema, fruit juice.

The captain (right) calls out the heading and the helmsman makes the correction and repeats the heading. Some passages were a couple hundred yards on each side!!

Lisa sharing an Eddie moment at the Glacier Iceberg.

The glacier has a deep blue vein the glowed in the cold, windy haze.

Dean, Lisa, Gosia and Andy Woynarowsci. They are riding a VStrom DL650 around the world. They will be in the US around August.

I spend most of the day wondering around the ferry and getting kicked out of below-deck areas. The bridge is open to passenger from 8AM to 8PM. The captain is very accessible except during extremely tight and narrow passages. Normally the close the bridge during these critical navigations but because of the heavy rain and high winds, they roped off the 15’ wide command center and allowed passengers to watch (in total silence) his bearing calls and the helmsman repeating them.

Lisa is nested up in her bunk with her Net Book computer, Kindle ebook, iTouch & ear phones for music. She has her LDComfort loungewear on and may spend the next 3-days in her bunk bed. She has her water, potato chips, crackers, cookies and an occasional fruit. I’ll have to go an pry her out of her bunk bed for dinner.

Around 2 PM we made a 3-hour detour into a fiord (east) to view the Iceberg Glacier. In the rain and wind we did an Eddie tribute in front of the glacier. Saw a small calving with the cracking thunder like sound-effects 2-3 seconds after. This glacier had a deep blue vein exposed.

We are warned to be ready for rough seas. The night leg will be west to open seas. Probably 2-3 meter seas and the ferry was rockin’ and rollin’ all night! The lounge was packed but not much partying, probably because most were apprehensive of the forecast rough seas.

Lisa: I was too busy today doing nothing in particular to spend any time posting. Besides, Dean has such fun at my expense that I don’t want to spoil it. Again, bringing my Kindle was one of my better ideas. I downloaded a few books and got to spend hours reading. One thing I will say – all those snacks Dean mentioned are things HE bought. I was too full from yesterday to even get out of bed for breakfast.

Day66-Ferry day 1, Wed, Mar 2, 2011

dean — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 21:35:07 +0000

Beautiful sunrise over Puerto Natales

Ferry departs late – 9AM

9AM – 2PM Weather: Blue skies over Puerto Natales but dark on the western horizon.

Route: South first the fish-hook around then north up between many channels and islands.

Sunrise over Puerto Natales.

Double stacked bunk beds! Lisa in her nest.

The bridge is open to passengers. Captain Louis Flores Pino and I were comparing my Garmin GPSmap 76Cx with the ships auto pilot screen. Almost identical.

The early morning views were spectacular.

The helmsman just has a little lever thingie to steer the ship. I was so disappointed! Where's the giant steering wheel like in Moby Dick???

The captain called those three peaks the "three sisters".

These are Lisa's cows! And they are not having fun. There is no spa, no deck lounge chairs, no cabin boys, no themed bar, no hourly activities, no lectures, no dance lessons, no talent show, no …

Dean: We spend our first night on the “Puerto Eden”, Cabin CC-305 bunks 1 & 2. Our cabin has 4 bunk beds stacked 2 high in a very narrow room. The bunk beds are 6’ long by 30 “ wide. There is a reading lamp with power outlet and curtains for privacy. There are no closets, no luggage storage, just the floor and a very teeny locker 8” x 8” x 8”. For our level of cabins the bathroom and showers are communal with separate men’s and women’s. There are higher levels with private bathrooms. And there is a low level with 16-bunk beds, 8 double stacked bunk beds in one long room!

Lisa: As some friends told us, this is not a cruise, it’s a ferry and that was a good reminder. Yes, the living space is small but fairly well thought out. And having only 3 of us is a bonus because the ship is booked pretty full.

Dean: There are only 3 people in our cabin. Our bunkmate is Min Hyeong Kang from Korea. He is traveling up to Santiago where he will fly to Mexico City, then the US and then over to Europe. We are meeting many people who are traveling 6 months to 2 years.

We also meet two wonderful and fun French ladies, Sandrine Beauvias and Florence Dailles. They are heading for Machu Picchu. We get together for dinner and we give them our Machu Picchu travel tips.

Breakfast: coffee, yoghurt, ham and cheese, scrambled eggs, bread, fruit juice

Lunch: Soup, Salmon, mash potatoes, salad, bread, fruit juice

Dinner: Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, roll, fruit juice, hard jello

Lisa: So we haven’t eaten 3 meals a day more than about 3 times in the last 3 months so this is just waaay over the top. The food isn’t 4 star but it’s FOOD, it’s hot and relatively fresh, it’s cooked for us morning noon and night and the servers are cute young men. I don’t have to ride in the mud and I can take afternoon naps. Life is good.

Dean: High winds late in the afternoons.

Trying to get SPOT signal for our followers, I leave my SPOT and GPS on the bike. Bike is next to side railing. When I come back 2 hours later, the GPS and SPOT are gone! I’m crushed. How could I be so stupid? Two valuable touring and safety tools for the success of our ride are gone.

Lisa talks to security and they have my SPOT and GPS on the bridge. The deck crew who are constantly checking all the vehicle tie downs saw the SPOT/GPS, took if off the bike and gave it to security for safe keeping! I had earlier talked with the bridge staff and we were comparing their autopilot navigation plots with my GPS so they knew whom the GPS/SPOT belonged to.

Late evening the winds and rain kicked into high gear. Parts of the ship were closed off because of extreme winds. Because we are in the ‘inside-passage’, the ship was not rocky or turbulent. The forward progress was very smooth, stable considering the winds.

Day65-Ferry Pre-Board, Wed, Mar 2, 2011

dean — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 21:30:50 +0000

Waiting and loading the NaviMag Ferry – “Puerto Eden”

Start & Stop: Puerto Natales

Mileage: 0 miles

Hotel: Ferry Bunks

Currency Exchange: $1 USD = $476.51 Chilean Peso

Weather: Cool, overcast, windy

Dean: Found a laundry service one block from the hostel. 4 hour service! Everything will be ready by noon.

Trying to hook up with Steve & Davis and Sari who are arriving on the “Puerto Eden” ferryfrom Puerto Montt at 1PM.

Lisa: This seems to be a Hurry Up and Wait day. We went to the ferry early, thinking they arrived at 830 am. Nope, 12:30. So off to run a couple of errands and walk around town a bit. Then back to the ferry and the boat is not in sight. So we walked back to the hostel we had left and used the internet, leaving notes for Steve and Davis, hoping to meet up.

Checking the bikes into NaviMag was easy, we got our boarding pass and did the bike paperwork then walked back into town for dinner.

Dean:We are having pizza for dinner because we can take leftovers onboard and eat it cold. There is no meal service on the ferry tonight.

Lisa: Ok, so now it’s out there – we are so desperate for food, that we save leftover pizza and eat it the next day. that’s what my life has become….sigh….

Davis rides by and we are able to chat with Davis, his wife Sari and Steve for an hour. We are told this is not a cruise ship! This is a utilitarian ferry. Food is cafeteria style, not excellent but good. Last week the original large ferry ran aground (human error) and is in dry dock. This altered the entire ferry schedule for a couple days. With the “off-schedule” schedule, there were many cancellations and that is why we were able to find space on this ferry. The “Puerto Eden” is a smaller ferry. There is only a simple cafeteria/lounge area for guest. There are no lounge chairs along the decks, only wooden benches on the upper deck. So when the weather is bad, the cafeteria/lounge area is packed elbow-to-elbow, butts-to-butts. So many have to just sit in their bunk beds sleeping, reading or working on computers.

Dean: 9:00 PM meeting/boarding. We are told motos load after passenger’s walk onto the ferry.

Boarding after the passengers. Getting to the ferry ramp. Suzuki VStrom DL650 completely loaded, 2-up. Andy and Gosia Woynarowski from Poland are on a 2 year ride around the world.

We get to the ferry ramp and are told it is broken. The bike will load at 2:00 AM. Lisa has a cow! ”No way am I hanging around till 2AM to load the bikes!”

All 7 motos were anchored by the crew.

Professional quality ratchet straps all around!

Different angle.

VStrompapotomus on center-stand then straps tightened until the rear wheel is on the ground, front up off the ground.

Even in the roughest seas the bike did not move an inch!

2:00 AM moto loading. I ride both VStrom’s up the fixed ramp into the lower deck then over onto a huge elevator. This elevator can take a full size tractor/trailer. All 7 motos get lifted up to the top vehicle deck and all the way to the front. Excellent tie down crew! Each moto has four tie downs one on each corner of the bike. Those with center stands are tied upright. Bikes with side stands are tied at the side stand angle. Our cabin is a 30 second walk from the bikes and we can check/go to the bikes anytime.

Cattle and livestock loading top deck. Auto, trucks and 18-wheelers bottom deck

Each 4+ wheel vehicle is securely tied down. Huge chain tiedowns/locks. Very noisy from 2AM on with as all the vehicles are loaded and chained down. Throughout the 4 day ferry ride, crew staff routinely walk thorough checking the chain ties of all the vehicles!

Lisa: Yes, all that noise was quite annoying as I was trying to sleep and our cabin is so close to the cargo hold. Here’s something that will surprise no one: I was NOT waiting up until 2:30 am to move my motorcycle 30 feet. First of all, the thing looks as though it’s been dragged behind a tractor for a month so what more could they do to it, and secondly, we paid Navimag $170 to transport the bikes so they can ride or walk it the necessary very short distance while I get some much needed shut eye. As you can see from the photos, this was not their first rodeo and they didn’t need my (or Dean’s for that matter) supervision. Oh well, it made him feel better.

Day64-Prep for 3-Day Ferry Ride, Tue, Mar 1, 2011

dean — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 09:16:41 +0000

No Internet on the Navimag Ferry! We will be dark till March 5th.

Start & Stop: Puerto Natales, Chile to Puerto Montt via the inside passage.

Mileage: 5 motocicleta miles – around Puerto Natales, Chile and bording the Ferry

Hotel: Ferry “Puerto Eden” for the next 4 days

Fuel: $697 Chilean Peso /l liter ($1.46 USD/1 liter) or $5.51 USD per gal!

Currency Exchange: $1 USD = $476.51 Chilean Peso

Weather: Unknown

Dean: Not sure when our next post will be. This NAVIMAG ferry ride from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt, Chile (approx. 1,000 miles) will save me 3-5 riding days (at 35-45 MPH) most along the east coast and central Argentina and the Patagonian winds. I would have to ride east crossing the Chile/Argentina border to Rio Gallegos, Comodoro Rivadavia, Esquel, San Carlos de Bariloche, over the Andes (Argentina/Chile border), then up 5 through Osorno, Chillan, Santiago, and Vina del Mar. With no acceleration, and top speed of 50 MPH in a no wind, totally flat road, the smartest option was the ferry!

Navimag Ferry “Puerto Eden”

Boarding: Tue, 1 March 2011 by 11 PM evening

Departing: Wed, 2 March 2011 @ 4:00 AM from Puerto Natales

Arrival: Sat, 5 March 2011 @ 8:30 AM at Puerto Montt

Approx Distance: 1,000 miles

The ferry cost $430 (USD) per person and $179 (USD) for the motocicletas. We share a four-bunk room with bathroom. We load tonight around 9 PM and depart tomorrow at 4:00 AM.

Hopefully, on Sat, March 5 we ride off the ferry, fuel up and ride 60 miles north to Osorno to pick up stuff stored at the Hostel Riga then continue ~700 miles on to Vina del Mar.

Other rider news:

Doug Lear, “Doogle” on advrider.com just missed us. He came by our hostel at 10:10 AM and left a note on our bikes. He is heading into Torres del Paine.

Davis and Steve should have arrived on today’s 1:00 PM ferry. We have not touched basis with them yet.

According to Herbert’s last email – he should be in Comodoro Rivadavia.