Timy's Travels

2009-06-03T14:54:00.005-06:00

Denver to San Francisco 2009: West National Parks Adventure

Well, is that time of the year when I feel the need of a strong breeze blowing over my face. And fortunately, the only way to do that is on a motorcycle ;-)

I decided that for the next couple of weeks I will be driving Curiosa (The Curious One is my bike's name) from Denver to San Francisco. I'll depart Denver on June 8th 2009 and return around the 20th. I'm not sure how often I will be updating this blog, so please feel free to check it out often.

2008-08-17T13:44:00.004-06:00

Visiting Family in Ecuador

I've decided to take a rest from the long bike trips and instead go for a visit to my broder and his family in Ecuador. Thi time I decided to take it easy and just stay home with my brother, sister inlaw and nephews. Pictures coming soon.

2007-09-06T21:34:00.001-06:00

My baby is back from the East Coast.

2007-08-08T20:31:00.000-06:00

Visiting my aunt Laura in the Amazon
It's been at least ten years since I've visited with my aunt Laura. At 74, she is very energetic and still manages to work at her little clothing store. She's been selling clothes all her life, just like my great grandmother, my grandmother, and even my mother, at some point. The skills for selling clothes were passed from generation to generation. I still remember the words my grandmother used with her prospective customers. "Come over here my caserito (dear customer), this dress will fit your girlfriend perfectly." To the unsuspecting young guy this was like a dream, finding someone who knew what a woman likes to wear. My grandmother would put the dress right in front of him, so close as to almost trying to match his size. He would look at himself in the mirror, with the dress in front, and imagine how it will look on his wife or girlfriend. It was also about options; my grandmother would present him with all the colors of dresses, but at the end, she would say, "This is my favorite." Guys hate to decide on things like that, so she made things easier for the client. The sale was instant, to say the least. Almost 25 years later, when I went to visit with my aunt a few weeks ago, a young guy got his fiancé a dress. And my aunt used the same speech that her mother and grandmother have been using for generations, to sell a dress.
I had to return to my hometown and I had to say goodbye. Who knows if I'll see her again. I went back to the hotel were I was staying (my aunt lives in the back of her store so there was no room for me to stay at her place) I picked up my things and went back to my hometown where my brother lives. Here are a few of the pictures from that part of my trip:

Visitando a mi tía Laura en la Amazonía

Han sido por lo menos diez años desde la última vez que visite a mi tía Laura. A los 74, ella es muy energética y se arregla para trabajar en su pequeño almacén de ropa. Ella ha estado vendiendo ropa toda su vida, tal como mi bisabuela, mi abuela, e incluso mi madre, en alguna ocasión. Las habilidades para vender ropa fueron pasadas de generación en generación. Todavía recuerdo las palabras que mi abuela utilizó con sus supuestos clientes. “Viene aquí mi caserito, este vestido le cabrá a su novia perfectamente.” Para el joven incauto esto era como un sueño, encontrar a alguien que sabía lo que a una mujer le gusta vestir. Mi abuela ponía el vestido delante de él, tan cerca de su cuerpo como para comparar el tamaño. El se miraba en el espejo, con el vestido en frente, y se imaginaba cómo se miraría en su esposa o novia. También habían opciones; mi abuela le presentaría con todos los colores de vestidos, pero al final, ella diría, “éste es mi favorito.” Los hombres odian decidir en este tipo de cosas, así que lo que ella se lo facilitaba al cliente. La venta era inmediata, por no exagerar. Casi 25 años más adelante, cuando fui a visitar a mi tía hace algunas semanas, un hombre joven fue a comprar un vestido a su prometida mientras yo visitaba el almacén de mi tía. Y mi tía utilizó el mismo discurso que su madre y abuela han estado utilizando por generaciones y con mi propia cara vi como vendió ese vestido. Tuve que volver a mi ciudad natal y tuve que decir adiós. Quién sabe si la veré otra vez. Fui al hotel donde yo me hospedaba (mi tía vive en la parte posterior de su almacén y no había espacio para mi) yo tomé mis cosas y me fui de nuevo a mi ciudad natal en donde vive mi hermano. Aquí están algunos de las fotografías de esa parte de mi viaje:

2007-08-06T18:03:00.000-06:00

Fishing for Trout in the Ecuadorian Andes.
Wow! What an experience. My trip to the East Coast ended because of a schedule conflict. I was feeling down for not completing the St. John's section in Canada. Well, I guess I'll complete this section some other time. Instead, I decided to go to Ecuador and visit some of my relatives. I wasn't expecting to do anything exiting, just having coffee and enjoy a chat with my brother and my three 85+ year-old aunts. My cousin Mauricio talked to me into a trip high into the Andes for trout fishing. What started like a casual conversation ended up as the highlight of my trip to Ecuador. Sunday night Mauricio (I was named after him) prepared the fishing gear, including a Zodiac-like inflatable boat with an Evinrude motor, boots, rubber pants, jackets, and food. The next day we headed to the mountains and drove up to about 4,000 meters/snm (snm - sobre el nivel de mar). Needless to say, this is an altitude at which most Americans are not used to. My body was not up to the task and I got a bit dizzy while we gained altitude. Once I started rowing, all the discomfort went away and my body heat came back, right on time for some of the most spectacular fishing I've ever done in my life.
I came to live in the United States almost 20 years ago, just when I was about 21 years old. I was wondering how in the world I missed all this beauty. I guess at that time I was busy studying and I never gave me the chance to visit these beautiful parts of Ecuador. It seems though that today was the right time to go and fish. I got to appreciate the serenity of the water, the silence of this distance lake, and the visual treat of colorful plants and orchids growing along the shoreline. After begging my cousin for mercy, he took over the rowing and at he same time he showed me how to fly fish. He gave me the black small fly-fishing rod and an impromptu 101 class on fly fishing. Mauricio was really enjoying our chat about fishing. Suddenly, our talk turned to a little story about how our pasts are connected. Mauricio tells me the story about how he learned to fish. “When I was about 7, your dad Temistocles (Timy for short) used to take me fishing everywhere in El Puyo (A Town in the Ecuadorian Amazon)," he tells me. "Just the way your dad taught me fishing; now I'm teaching you." It shocked me for a minute. The last time I saw my dad was when I was 4 - 1/2 years old. Then my dad went to work in the United States and soon after he died in a factory accident in New Jersey. Although people tell me I did go fishing with my father a few times, I don't remember it. I thanked my cousin for this, and after his short chat we started fishing like crazy. We got 40(I got only 5  ) trout but we had to release 13 because they were too young. At around noon we stopped for a short lunch with bologna sandwiches, pop, and toasted corn, an Andean delicacy. Here are some of the pictures from that part of the trip:

2007-07-29T10:31:00.000-06:00

Plans change again
The plan was to travel further East but the Ferry schedule betweeh North Sidney and Port Aux Vasques is not reliable. It wold take me at least four days of waiting even with reservations. That would ruin my plans to visit my brother in Ecuador. So I decided to cancel my plans going East and instead head south ahead of schedule. I'll be in Ecuador for a few days visiting my brother and eating some of the tradtional foods!!

Planes cambian nuevamente
El plan era viajar mas al Este pero el horario del vote entre North Sidney y Port Aux Vasques no es confiable. Me tomaria por lo menos cuatro dias de espera aun con reservaciones. Eso arruinaria mis planes para visitar a mi hermano en el Ecuador. Entonces decidi cancelar mis planes de ir al Este y envez ir al sur adelantado. Estare en el Ecuador por unos pocos dias visitando a mi hermano y comiendo algunas de las comidas tradicionales!!

2007-07-28T22:20:00.000-06:00

Visiting Lee, MA
My friend Kleber took me to different places. This a fancy town with rich people and expensive shops. We went golfing and visited a few other places. Here are some pictures.

Visitando Lee, MA
Mi amigo Kleber me llevo a differentes lugares. Este es un pueblo con gente rica y tiendas carisimas. Fuimos a jugar golf y visitamos un poco mas de lugares. Aqui estan las fotos.

2007-07-28T20:14:00.000-06:00

Oshkosh welcomes me with a war plane!!
This is the video about the story I was telling you about. I drove by the plane just a few seconds after it landed. It was surreal. Here is the video of the actual landing filmed by a State Trooper...
Oshkosh me da la bienvenida con un avion de guerra!!
Este es el video de la historia que les estaba contando. Maneje cerca de este avion solo unos cuandos segundos despues de haber aterrizado. Fue irreal. Aui esta el video del aterrizaje actual tomado por un policia estatal...

2007-07-26T19:35:00.000-06:00

Niagara Falls Boomer resting safely at the Police Station while I visit the Falls

Me at the American side of Niagara Falls

Eating healthy at the Niagara Falls Visitor Center

Mlore views of the falls.

2007-07-24T22:04:00.000-06:00

OSHKOSH - The Biggest Air Show on Earth
I was so desperate to get to Oshkosh that the show actually came to meet me, 20 miles before getting there. One of the war planes from the show had to do an emergency landing right on the road (Hwy 41 N.) I was using. Although the plane managed to land on a busy road with lots of electric cables going across it, the pilot dodged the cables and landed safely! No one was hurt. Too bad the cops didn't let us stop for a picture... Anyway, here are a few of the pictures from the actual air show. I’ll post comments about these pictures later.
OSHKOSH - El show aereo mas grande del planeta
Estaba tan desesperado de llegar a Oshkosh que mas bien el show vino a mi, 20 millas antes de llegar alla. Uno de los aviones de guerra del show tuvo que hacer un aterrizaje de emergencia justo ahi en la autopista(Hwy 41 N.) que yo estaba usando. Aunque el avion aterizo en una carretera muy ocupada, con muchos cables electricos atravezandola, el piloto evito los cable y aterizo bien! Nadie salio herido. Que pena que los policias no nos dejaron parar para tomar fotos... De todas maneras, aqui estan algunas fotos del show.

The Goodyear blimp floats above the Oshkosh camping area.

El dirigible de Goodyear flota sobre el area de acampar en Oshkosh.

A nice guy I met at the show. He is now retired and enjoys flying his homebuilt KR-2 with a Wolkswagen engine.

Un senior my agradable que lo encontre en el show. Ahora el esta jubilado y disfruta el volar su KR-2 de construccion casera con un motor Wolkswagen.

The sun was hitting hard so I had to create some shade by placing the motorcycle cover between the motorcycle and the tent. That was the only way to get a cool breeze.

Estaba haciendo un sol muy fuerte y tuve que crear una sombra colocando el covertor de la motocicleta desde la moto hasta la carpa. Esa era la unica manera de obtener una brisa fria.

Resting under the cool shade of an ultralight's wing.
Descanzando bajo la sombre fria de el ala de un ultralijero.

This picture is part of a series of pictures that form a spheric panorama. I'll post the finished panorama once I get back home.

Esta foto es parte de una serie de fotos que forman una panoramica esferica. Pondre la panorama terminada en cuanto regrese a la casa.

This is one of my favorite airplanes; it's the Zenith CH701. It's an airplane in the Light Sport Aircraft(LSA) category.

Este es uno de mis aviones favoritos; es el Zenith CH701. Es un avion de la categoria Light Sport Aircraft(LSA).

This is another favorite of mine. It's the Skycatcher LSA from Cessna.

Este es otro de mis favoritos. Es el Skycatcher de la Cessna.

2007-07-24T21:44:00.000-06:00

Boomer on a Beemer
Yeah, I know. What's a stuffed bear doing traveling with a grown up man? This is actually, Boomer, a nice Brown Bear I got during my bike trip to Alaska in 2006. I got Boomer for my nephew Kevin Gonzalez. I dedided to take Boomer with me to the East Coast on the bike and later give it to Kevin as a special momento. Kevin is already eight years old so I hope he still likes this type of gift :-)
Since I left Denver, I've traveled with Boomer for 1,500 miles. It does create smiles but he also creates a little problem; everyone is tailgating me to see Boomer up close. I have to reduce my speed drastically, or accelerate, to avoid having those cars too close to me. If this continues I guess I'll have to transport Boomer on a black trashbag. The power of cuteness...

2007-07-24T21:40:00.000-06:00

Change of Plans
Well, after a last-minute change in my brother's schedule, I've decided to first go to the East Coast and then go to Ecuador to pay a visit to my brother and his family.

2007-04-01T21:15:00.000-06:00

Verano otravez!! Summer Again!!
Summer is almost here and Curiosa (My bike) is itching to get out of the garage to burn some rubber. My plans chaged a little bit for some of the touring I had planned for the East Coast and Central America because of personal and work circumstances. I have not seen my brother for almost two years now and I want to go see him and his family in Ecuador. I'll continue with my travels as time allows.
I'm giving Curiosa new shoes and a lower suspension. Check out my blog for pictures of these changes in a few weeks...
On a better note, Jeremiah is about to complete his trip through Brasil. Look at his link on the right section of my blog. He has some of the best pictures a biker can take!!
=====Espaniol====
El verano ya casi esta aqui y Curiosa (Mi moto) esta que le pica por salir del garage y quemar llantas. Mis planes han cambiado un poquito and cuanto a los viajes que planie a la Costa Este y Centro America debido a circumstancias personales y de trabajo. No he visto a mi hermano Raul por casi dos anios y ahora quiero ir a verlo a el y a su familia en Ecuador. Continuare con mis viajes dependiendo si mi tiempo me lo permite.
Dare a Curiosa nuevos zapatos y una suspension mas baja. Revisen my blog muy pronto para ver fotos de estos cambios.
Y en una nota mas positiva, Jeremias esta casi por completar su travesia por Brasil. Miren su link en la seccion derecha de mi blog. El tiene algunas de las mejores fotos que un motociclista puede tomar!!

2006-08-06T21:39:00.000-06:00

Mas fotos de Xavico y Enrique en Colorado y Utah

2006-08-06T21:02:00.000-06:00

Xavier and Enrique are in Colorado!!
They departed from Ecuador about a month and a half ago on two Kawasaki 650 KLRs and they are now on their way to Anchorage. On Wednesday I got the call I've been waiting since their departure from Ecuador. Donde andan "chugcha"? I asked them. We are in Durango, come and ride with us," they said. Who could refuse to accompany these crazy Ecuadorians on this part of their adventure? Newly unemployed, I decided to go ahead, prepare Curiosa, and on Friday I went to Durango, Colorado. I arrived to Miah's home, our great host, and I got to give these adventurers a big hug. They seemed in great shape and showed losts of energy even after more than 4,000 miles of riding. On Saturday we headed to Green River, Utah. It was a fantastic trip. We drove on the scenic 550 and 119 routes. On Sunday morning I headed back home in Denver and they continued to Yellowstone National Park. Here are some of the pictures from the past three days:

2006-07-28T14:32:00.000-06:00

Video
I also took an HD video camera in this trip. I'll be posting the footage soon on Google Video. Make sure you visit my blog in a few days for the link.

En este viaje tambien lleve una camara de HD. Pondre los videos muy pronto en Google Video. Asegurense de visitar mi blog en unos dias para obtener el link hacia el video.

2006-07-09T19:56:00.000-06:00

And here is the video:
This is a short video from my 4500 miles solo motorcycle trip from Denver to Alaska in the summer of 2006.

2006-07-09T14:41:00.000-06:00

Various pictures
These are various pictures from the trip.
Estas son varias fotos del viaje.

A glacier near Anchorage. Unfortunately, all glaciers are melting. Global Warming? You bet!
Un glaciar cerca de Anchorage. Desafortunadamente, se estan derritiendo. Sera un calentamiento mundial? Porsupuesto!

In a restaurant at Tok, near Anchorage. Eerie, eating salmon fillet near a brown bear.
En un restaurante en Tok, cerca de Anchorage. Miedoso, comiendo un filete de salmon cerca al oso cafe.

A biker near Anchorage. This is the land of endless roads with nothing else but beautiful mountains and ranges.
Un motociclista cerca de Anchorage. Esta es la tierra the carreteras sin fin, con nada mas que montanias y cordilleras.

One of two helicopters that transport gold prospectors to their work areas near Bell, Canada.
Este es uno de dos elicopteros que son usados para transportar buscadores de oro a sus lugares de trabajo cerca a Bell, Canada.

Three great guys: father, son, and uncle. We met along the way on Highway 37 in Canada and later in Fairbanks after they successfully reached Prudhoe Bay.

Tres buenas personas: papa, hijo, y tio. Nos encontramos en la Highway 37 en Canada y luego en Fairbanks despues de que ellos completaron el viaje a Prudhoe Bay.

The state bird in Alaska, mockingly, is the mosquito. Alaska Airlines thinks they are the state bird :-) This is an ad in a local newspaper.
El pajaro que representa al estado de Alaska, de una manera humorosa, el el sancudo. La aerolinea de Alaska dice ser el verdadero pajaro que representa a ese estado :-) Este es un anuncio en un periodico local.

2006-07-09T14:36:00.000-06:00

More float planes
These floatplanes are very similar to the one I used to reach the bears at Big River Lake.

2006-07-09T14:32:00.000-06:00

Returning to Denver with Boomer

2006-07-09T14:25:00.000-06:00

George Rahn at Trails End BMW Motorcycle Shop I can assure you George was happy to see me :-) He was just a little busy fixing broken down motorcycles that tried to reach Prudhoe Bay. George is the most known BMW mechanic in the Fairbanks area, and also a generous man.

2006-07-09T14:14:00.000-06:00

More pictures of Curiosa

Leaving the motorcycle at the Harley Davidson dealer for shipping to Denver.

Outside a nice hotel in Fairbanks.

At the abandoned Igloo Hotel.

Parked near the floatplane lakeport in Anchorage.

Finally, changing tires in Anchorage.

This is the little shop "Alaska Leather" where I replaced both tires. Excellent service, by the way.
All sorts of bugs clogging the oil cooler.

On one of the many dirt roads near Anchorage.

2006-07-09T14:07:00.000-06:00

More pictures of Curiosa

At the Air Force Lodge near Whitehorse.

At the border between British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.

2006-07-09T13:56:00.000-06:00

Pictures of Curiosa (The curious Beemer)

2006-07-09T13:51:00.000-06:00

Boomer and Family Part 2

2006-07-09T12:58:00.000-06:00

Boomer and family

2006-07-09T12:47:00.000-06:00

More pics of the flight:

2006-07-09T12:19:00.000-06:00

The flight to see Boomer and family

2006-07-09T12:10:00.000-06:00

Food

This is some of the seafood I found during my trip:

2006-06-30T02:51:00.000-06:00

Midnight Sun
I took this picture at 11:30 "p.m." in Fairbanks on June 28th.

2006-06-30T02:45:00.000-06:00

Now abandoned, this is what it used to be a very nice hotel.

2006-06-29T19:29:00.001-06:00

Moose on the loose!

2006-06-29T17:27:00.000-06:00

Chena Hot Springs
Yesterday (Wednesday June 18th) I went to Chena Hot Springs, north of Fairbanks. It was a very, very nice place, especially for a tired traveler like me. I have driven the bike for more than 4,500 miles so far and I needed a little soak. The water was 120 degrees F. I had to wait until the water was 108 degrees before I could get into the pool. The coolest part was to be in the hot springs pool until midnight with the sun still shining on the horizon. While at the pool, I could see a moose drink water from a pond about 100 feet away!
Back in Fairbanks
Today Thursday I left Chena Hot Springs and I'm back in Fairbanks. I checked in this little hostel called Billy's Hostel. Incredibly, it is only $25 per night, it is safe and very clean, it has internet, and a bunch of other amenities. Even some of the food is included in the cost. Compare this price to the $199/night I had to pay in a waterfront hotel for my first night in Fairbanks. The "fancy" waterfront hotel did not have a laundry room/service, rooms were very small, noisy, and one internet terminal for the whole hotel. The hostel was a better deal!!
Because I'm not going to Prudhoe Bay, I guess I'll stay here for a couple more days enjoying a Salmon Bake or something like that :-) I'll try posting pictures of this part of the trip tonight.

Prudhoe Bay
It looks like I won't be traveling to Prudhoe Bay because it is going to rain for the next two days. Well, I guess I'll have to do that part of the trip some other time. This is a 417-mile dirt road (800 miles round trip). I'm not that experienced driving in the rain, so I'll leave that ride for some other time.

2006-06-28T01:06:00.000-06:00

I flew in a float plane like this one to go see the bears...

2006-06-28T00:54:00.000-06:00

The Anchorage Tidal Flats of the Cook Inlet

Flying over the Anchorage tidal flats of the Cook Inlet 80 miles from anchorage. It was cool to spot moose on the ground and Beluga whales on the high tide...

2006-06-28T00:47:00.000-06:00

Oops, a little to close! This is papa bear. It got about 15 feet away from me. I'll tell you the rest of the story later...

2006-06-28T00:38:00.000-06:00

Mama bear and cubs...I was photographing this from about 30 feet! Big River Lake, one hour away from Anchorage, AK, on a floatplane.

2006-06-28T00:32:00.000-06:00

Finally, Alaska!!!

2006-06-28T00:26:00.000-06:00

Camping in Tok, AK

2006-06-26T17:13:00.000-06:00

Update
Sorry boys and girls for not keeping you updated. It's a little difficult to find a computer that lets you download the pictures from your camera. Next time I'll take my own laptop and use the wireless internet, which does exist almost everywhere.
Today is Monday afternoon. I'm getting ready to do some bear watching from a float plane. Tomorrow I will be in Denali and stay there for a couple of days. Then I will be on my way to Fairbaks for another two days or so. I'll keep you updated as soon as I can.

Nuevas
Disculpen guambras por no mantenerme en contacto. La verdad es que es dificil conseguir una computadora para poder bajarme las fotos desde la camara. La proxima vez creo que traere conmigo una laptop. Hoy es Lunes Junio 26 por la Tarde. Me estoy alistando para volar en una avioneta afivia para ir a ver a los osos comiendo salmon en el rio. Maniana salgo a Denali y estare ally por un par de dias. De ahi ire a Fairbanks por un par de dias mas. Les mantendre informados en cuanto pueda.

2006-06-26T17:10:00.000-06:00

With Luna trying to cross a little crevase. My cousin took the picture thinking I would fall, but I didn't, :-))

2006-06-26T17:06:00.000-06:00

Horseback riding near Seattle on a high forest. Notice I had to ride on snow. That is my horse Luna (Moon).

2006-06-26T17:04:00.000-06:00

Seattle. My cousin made me pose for this one :-)

2006-06-26T17:00:00.000-06:00

White water rafting...I'm the one with a black helmet, next to the guide..f cold!!!

2006-06-26T16:58:00.000-06:00

White water rafting north of Seattle

2006-06-26T16:42:00.000-06:00

Camping in Wyoming at a KOA campgroung.

2006-06-14T19:27:00.000-06:00

Day Two - Windy, windy, windy
I could not believe it! Sustained winds of about 60 MPH or more on I-80, three semi's belly up, and me driving at a 45 degree angle. Now I'm glad I got the bigger bike :-)
Apparently, a cold front hit the area and the temperatures dropped from 90 to 60 F in just a few hours, and with the temperature change came the strong winds. I wanted to stop because it was dangerous. I decided to continue driving instead. If I stopped, the wind would have pushed the bike to the ground in a second, just as it did with the two big semi's and another one that was transporting a mobile home. The winds also carried tons of dust and the usual one or two dead squirrels! :-) I'm not kidding. One dead squirrel came flying from the south and hit my front tire. I split the little thing in two: body to the left, tail to the right :-( The strong winds continued for the next 50 loooooong miles.
The ride was a lot nicer when the wind subsided later in the afternoon. The views became espectacular as I approached Tremonton. Everything is bright green and the roads are some of the best I've ever seen. I'll post pictures of this leg of the trip as soon as I get hold of a private computer...

2006-06-14T19:03:00.000-06:00

Day One
After some last-minute packing I finally left Denver at around 4 P.M. I took I-25 to Cheyenne, then I-80 to Rawlins, WY. Once in Rawlins I discovered that all the hotels were booked!#$##$%(my french goes here). I was even willing to sleep in a smoking room, but "no can do," they said!
After a few minutes of searching, I found a KOA campground. It was very clean and cheap too :-) I installed the tent right away and ordered pizza, chicken wings, and a two-liter Pepsi. I ate everything in less than 10 minutes. Needless to say, I couldn't sleep all night because of the spicy wings, the caffeine from the pop, and to top it all off, the sound of the semi trucks from I-80. All in all, it was a quiet and nice ride and the beemer behaved superbly! Tomorrow is going to be a long day.

2006-06-09T15:11:00.000-06:00

A slightly bigger bike
Well, after some thought I decided to get a bigger bike because I'll be riding on highways most of the time.
As might have happened to you at some point, I just went to get parts for my cute Yellow Bike, and this is what I endedp up with:

...a spanking new BMW 1150GS Adventure 2006 Limited Edition. What a mouthfull! I wanted to paint it yellow, just like my 650 GS, but my friends guaranteed me a beating if I do that :-)

Fortunately, the bike came with everything, including the pannier boxes, a large windshield, hand protectors, and a lighter exhaust system. But now all my other accessories are yellow. What the heck!
These are some pictures of the actual bike:

And here are some of the things I'll be taking toAlaska:

2006-05-23T12:49:00.000-06:00

Me and a Harley Davidson Rider :-)

2006-05-02T18:05:00.000-06:00

Here are the better maps. Stay tuned for for information.
From Denver to Seattle
From Seattle to Skagway
From Skagway to Prudhoe Bay, AK

2006-03-31T17:37:00.000-07:00

The Yellow boots arrived
They feel great and comfortable. Now the only problem is shifting gears! The boots are very thick at the toes and I have to change the position of the gear lever in my 650GS to make some room for the boot.

2006-03-30T22:48:00.000-07:00

Installing the yellow aluminum boxes and a custom seat with yellow trim
Ok, here are the pictures of my aluminum boxes while I'm installing them. The installation was straight forward, needing only a few minutes to read the instructions, gather the tools, and install the boxes. After the installation, I decided to use clear silicone to seal all the screws. Let's hope the slicone seals the wholes and keeps the nuts and volts in place. Remember that parts of the road to Prudhoe Bay are like washboards, and from what I've heard, everything in your bike could become lose quickly. I also installed a custom Sargent seat. Feels good so far.

Below: The custom Sargent seat. after a few short rides it already feels comfortable. See the yellow trim :-)

2006-03-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Where the heck are the yellow accessories?
Because my bike is yellow, I decided to get some yellow accessories. But I guess I went a little overboard... Oops!
To start, BMW is not making yellow bikes this year (2006). So, I guess I'm lucky that I got my yellow 650GS on 2005. The same day I got my yellow bike I got a full-face yellow helmet. A few days ago, I got a custom seat from Sargent Seats. Not that I have a big ass, but it's a lot more comfortable than the stock seat. It is black with matching yellow trimmings.
And last but not least, yellow aluminum panniers! I called Jesse Luggage Systems and they agreed to paint the panniers with yellow powder coating for a small fee. After a few weeks of waiting, I finally got my yellow panniers. I felt like a baby with a new toy, bright yellow and all :-) I even intalled the panniers at my garage, which does not have heating and temperatures fell to 20F that day. I was so exited about installing them that I didn't even feel the cold.
Later, I also got my tent, a 3lb tent from Black Diamond, guess what color?
What's next? Yellow boots. Yeaaaah! and a yellow personal beacon, yellow hand protectors, yellow wet bag, and any other yellow accessory I can find.
Why yellow? At first I thought about visivility and safety, but later it just bacame a fun thing. My friends are calling my bike the Iron Bumble-bee.

2006-02-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

Paisanos Ecuatorianos Reconquistaran America
Mis paisanos tienen pensado viajar desde Alaska hacia el Ecuador. Ellos mandaran las motos por avion hasta Fairbanks, Alaska donde nos encontraremos en Julio 1, 2006. Desde Anchorage viajaremos hasta Deadhorse. De ahi regresaremos a Fairbanks, de donde continuaremos el viaje hasta mi casa en Denver. Ellos continuaran hasta el Ecuador. Aqui esta el poster que han hecho para promover su aventura.

2005-12-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

I have decided to divide my adventure into several sections to accomodate my limited vacation time I have every year. Well, here is the tentative schedule:

Denver to Alaska, Summer 2006
I picked the middle of June for the Alaska leg of the trip because June presents favorable conditions. June provides a combination of warm weather and low precipitation, compared to July or August. The plan is to go from my home in Denver to Seattle where my cousin, a commercial rafting guide, wants to take me for some white water rafting.
From Seattle I'll head to Vancouver Island and drive to the northern-most point of the island, Port Hardy. From there I'll take the ferry to Prince Rupert. This will provide me with a couple of days of rest while covering a distance about 600 miles. From there I'll drive to Fairbanks and Prudhoe Bay (Dead Horse). Because I only have a couple of weeks of vacation, I will fly me and my Beemer back to Denver.
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Entonces tengo pensado lo siguiente (tentativamente):

- Start June 17
- Denver to Seattle (Land)1,331 miles, 4 days?
- Seattle - No Driving, 1-2 days, rafting with my cousing, a certified rafting guide!!
- Seattle to Vancouver Island, 300 miles, 1 day (Port Hardy) (Land)
- Port Hardy to Prince Rupert, 1,211 miles, 3-4 days no driving! just beer drinking!! (Ferry - Alaska Marine Highway) (Sea)
- Prince Rupert to Whitehorse, 877 miles, 2-3 days?
- White Horse to Fairbanks, 602 miles, 2 days
- Fairbanks to Prudhoe bay (Dead Horse), 400 miles, 1 day (one way)

RETURNING:
- Dead Horse to Anchorage (Land), 760 miles, 2 days
- Anchorage to Denver (Air) 1 day

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New York City, Summer 2007
The second leg of the trip is from Denver to New York City. Although I'm not so thrilled about the destination itself, I hope to visit with my favorite aunt Mercedes for at least a couple of days, and then fly back to Denver.

Denver - Panama, Summer 2008
I'm expecting this to be one of the most exiting legs of the trip. I always wanted to visit Baja and other areas of Mexico. I'm also excited about the Central American cultures, specially because I hear they are so similar to my own Ecuadorian culture! Once I arrive to Panama, my bike and I will return to Denver by air.
Panama - Ushuaia - Winter 2008 ?
This is really what I wan to see, mostly because I will be crossing my native Ecuador!!! Fortunately, there is a bunch of nice people -dual-purpose aficionados- who like to hang out with other moto adventurers. Before starting this leg of the trip, I need to decide if I'll do the whole South America at once, or in two parts. The first part would stop in Chile and the second part would take me from Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, fly to Houston, and drive back to Denver. It will all depend on time availability:-(
Chile or Argentina - Brazil, Venezuela, Houston, Denver ?

I know some of you have already covered this areas, so any type of recommendations are appreciated. Please send me your email to timygonzalez at gmail dot com.

2005-12-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

Planning for my Alaska Adventure
This week I started planning my first long-distance trip, Alaska!
I think the planning might turn out to be as interesting as the trip itself. I keep imagining what it would be like to be there by myself, and sometimes, in the middle of nowhere.
Thanks to the internet, I've been able to do a little research about the roads and weather conditions. For a better perspective of my route, I've been using Google Earth maps to see the type of terrain I will be riding through.
As far as the hardware goes, I'm trying to buy a few more accessories, but they are very expensive so I'm acquiring them one at the time. I still need to get the pannier boxes and I'll eventually get a pair of BMW GS boots, a bigger windshield, crashbars, GPS, and a bit of camping gear. My biggest concerns are las moscas, el frio, and dropping the bike on my way from Fairbanks to Dead Horse.
As my research continues, I discovered that I could also get a heated jacket liner, with socks and other heated goodies! at a reasonable price. I also found out that I could use a non-DEET mosquito repellent that uses Picaridin as it's active ingredient...

Planeando Para Mi Aventura Hacia Alaska
Desde esta semana, estoy planeando mi primer viaje de larga distancia, a Alaska! Creo que el planeo va a ser tan interesante como el viaje mismo. Me imagino como sera el viaje, yo solo, y algunas veces en el medio de la nada. Gracias a la internet, he podido investigar un poquito hacerca los caminos y las condiciones climaticas. Para tener una mejor perspectiva de la ruta que tomare, he estado usando mapas de Google Earth para ver el tipo de terreno por el cual pasare. En cuanto la las cosas materiales, estoy tratando de comprar algunos accesorios mas, pero comos on my costosos los estoy comprando poco a poco. Todavia necesito comprar cajas de cargo de aluminio y eventualmente comprare las botas BMW GS, un parabrisas mas alto, barras protectoras, GPS, y algunas cosas para acampar. Lo que mas me preocupan son los sancudos, el frio, o que se me caiga la moto entre Fairbanks to Dead Horse. Durante mis averiguaciones, descubri que tambien puedo adquirir una chompa que es calentada electricamente, que vine con medias electricas y un monton de accesorios! a un costo rasonable. Tambien me entere de un nuevo repelente de sancudos, que en ves de DEET usa Picaridin como su ingrediente activo...

2005-10-02T13:04:00.000-06:00

Storm Mountain Road, Colorado
This week I went to Storm Mountain, another beautiful place in the Rocky Mountains. Storm Mountain is located just a few miles West of Loveland, Colorado. This was the perfect weekend to see the fall colors; a combination of yellow aspen leaves, green pines, and the deep blue sky that only Colorado offers.
My friend Alex brought his dog Grover and Grover’s friend, Cooper. Greg came with his wife and three children, and I came with my mechanical pet beemer :-) Greg and Alex drove their 4x4's and I drove my beemer. On our ascent, the 4x4's traveled ahead of me. The 4x4’s did great on that terrain but I could not keep up with the road. The road was too rough for a motorcycle, especially for a newbie biker like me:-) I drove about half a mile on the trail when I had a close encounter with a huge boulder before stalling. The incline was too much for my skills so I decided to call it quits and ride in Alex's 4x4 to the summit. I left the bike parked on the side of the road, with the hope that nobody stealls it!( A New York thing still embedded in me:-)
The scenery from the summit was fantastic! I could see Longs Peak on the West, the grass lands to the East, and a valley full of colorful aspen trees. After a quick lunch we headed back home. Just like my last ride, this ride put me to sleep for 12 hours! The perks of aging :-)

The map below shows the route we took. For more great rides see the www.4x4trails.net site.

Camino de la Montania de Tormentas (Storm Mountain Road), Colorado

Esta semana fui a la Montania de Tormentas (Storm Mountain), otro lindo lugar de las Montanias Rocosas. Storm Mountain esta localizada solo a unas cuantas millas de Loveland, Colorado. Este fue el perfecto fin de semana para ver los colores de otonio; una combinacion de hojas amarillas de Aspen, pinos verdes, y el azul obscuro que solo las Colorado ofrece. Alex trajo su perro Grover y al amigo de Grover, Cooper. Greg vino con su esposa y tres hijas, y yo vine conmigo mismo :-)
Greg y Alex manejaron sus 4x4's y yo maneje mi motocicleta. Durante el acenso, los 4x4's fueron adelante mio. Los 4x4’s se adaptaron my bien a este camino, excepto yo y mi moto. La ruta estaba muy fuerte para la moto, especialmente para un principiante motociclista como yo. Decidi no continuar. Deje la moto parqueada al lado del camino I continue con Alex en su 4x4 hasta la cima. La vista fue fantastica. En el horizonte pude ver Longs Peak en el Oeste, las planicies en el Este, y el valle lleno de coloridos arboles de Aspen. Despues de una comida breve, fuimos de regreso a la casa de Greg. Alex, Grover, Cooper, y yo tomamos un poco de agua limpia y clara del la posa natural. Y como siempre, despues de este viaje me dormi por 12 horas! Cosa de la edad :-)
Esta es la ruta que tomamos. Para mas detalles vea el sitio http://www.4x4trails.net/.

A piece of mica.
Un pedasito de mica.

My bike and a Bull Snake(?)
Mi moto junto a una culebra Toro(?)

2005-09-25T00:27:00.000-06:00

First Bike Drop
Damn it! I dropped the bike today for the first time! Well, not too bad considering that this is my first bike and that, so far, I only have 3,000 miles on it. My Peruvian friend Rudy and two of his friends took me to a single-track dirt road north of Netherland near Boulder, CO.
What a ride! For the first time in my life I rode a bike under these conditions, with rocks the size of watermelons all over the road. I could not maintain the balance so I dropped the bike four times(! x 4) Fortunately, I did not get hurt. I got so exhausted that for the third and fourth time I dropped the bike, I had to ask my friends to help me pick it up. This was agreat ride and I had a lot of fun. Maybe I'll do it again once I gain more experience. See the pictures below.

La Primera Caida en Moto
Que tontera! Hoy se me cayo la moto por primera vez! Bueno, no estuvo tan mal considerando que esta es la primera motocicleta que tengo y que solo la he recorrido 3,000 millas. Mi amigo Rudy y dos de sus amigos me llevaron a un camino de piedras al norte de Netherland, cerca a Boulder en Colorado. Que viajesito! Por primera vez en mi vida que manejo en un camino de este tipo. No pude mantener el balance y bote la moto cuatro veces. Afortunadamente, no me paso nada. Yo mismo pare la moto las dos primeras veces. Para la tercera y cuarta ves, pedi la ayuda de los otros muchachos. Ya no tenia energia para pararla. Fue un gran recorrido y me diverti muchisimo. Talvez lo haga de nuevo despues de adquirir mas experiencia. Miren las fotos abajo.
Timy, Andrew, and Greg resting.
Timy, Andrew, y Greg descanzando.

My first time ever to drop my bike. Kind of cool actually :-)
La primera vez que se ma cae la moto. Hasta resulto ser emocionante :-)

The second time I dropped my bike. Not so cool this time! nor the following two more drops...
La segun vez que se me cae la moto. No tan emocionante esta vez! ni las siguientes dos veces que se cayo...

Rudy and I resting for a few minutes:
Rudy y yo descanzando por unos minutos:

Just a pic of me and Rudy's bike:
Solo una foto de mi y de la moto de Rudy:

Rudy and his bike:
Rudy y su moto:

2005-09-07T21:30:00.000-06:00

The Pawnee Buttes, Colorado
This is one of the most spectacular places I have visited so far. The Pawnee Buttes are located just a few miles north of Greeley, Colorado. Historically, the Cheyenne, Pawnee, and Arapaho tribes used the Pawnee Buttes as a place for important gatherings and Buffalo hunting. Today, scholars guard this place as one of the most important sources of rare fossils and ranchers benefit from the quality of the grasslands to produce high-quality beef.

Las Mesas Pawnee, Colorado
Este es uno de los lugares mas fantasticos que he visitado hasta ahora. La mesas Pawnee estan localizadas solo a unos cuantos kilometros al norte de Greeley, Colorado. Historicamente, las tribus Cheyenne, Pawnee, y Arapaho usaban las mesas Pawnee como un lugar para reuniones y caze del bufalo. Hoy en dia, educadores consideran este lugar como uno de recursos mas importantes de fosiles raros, y los rancheros se benefician de la calidad del forraje para producir carne de alta calidad.

To go there take I-25 north to Fort Collins, CR14 W. to Keota (good dirt road), and keep going north, following the signs, until you get to the parking area.
Para llegar alla, tome I-25 norte hasta Fort Collins, CR14 W. hasta Keota (buena carretera), y continue hacia el norte, siguiendo los letreros hasta llegar al parqueadero.

Motor vehicles are allowed beyond the parking area but you can walk all the way to the base of the two buttes. Make sure you take your camera with you because the views are fantastic. The best time to visit this place is during Summer early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
Now, instead of Buffalo, you'll find zillions of fat cows grassing on these lands. Be careful! They like to run across the road suddenly, so slow down! And if hiking away from the road, whatch out for snakes!

2005-08-16T23:58:00.000-06:00

Sun Dance Ceremony, Oglala, SD.
I planned for this trip for a while. My friends and Lakota adoptive family invite me every year to the Sun Dance ceremony. This year was no different. I went on August 16th for the last few days of the ceremonies. I traveled 800 miles round trip in great wheather and almost no traffic! I only met a few semi's that almost blew me off the road. Thanks heaven my bike is heavy.

A couple of my friends from Oglala, including my adoptive brother Brian, test rode the bike. They loved it, and compared it to the Goldwings and Kawasakis they once used to have when single :-)

The views in Oglala are owesome, but I could not take pictures because I was near the Sun Dance grounds. It is not allowed to photograph or videotape the grounds of the Sun Dance or the ceremonies themselves. However, I took other pictures outside Oglala (below). The roads were so great and enticing that some times I reached 100mph! I hope no cops are reaging this blog:-), but I sloowed down considerably after seeing lots of white tail deer crossing the roads. Not worth the risk.

2005-07-22T22:06:00.000-06:00

Fui por unos dia as mi querida ciudad de Ambato para visitar a mi hermano y para ayudar a sacar una visa de turista para mi sobrino. Durantes mis 10 dias de estadia conloci a los muchachos del Club Harley Davidson de Ambato. Muy buena gente, y hasta me invitaron a conocer a otros motociclistas que llegaron desde Cuenca. Tambien me invitaron a almorzar con ellos en el Restautante Rico Pollo! La comida estuvo deliciosa, pero se olvidaron de darme el aguado de pollo! Acuerdense que aqui en Denver no hay nada de eso y me moria de ganas por un aguadito de pollo :-)
Uno de estos dia publicare aqui algunas de las fotos que tome durante el rally por el centro de Ambato. Mi querido hermano Raul, duenio del cibercafe www.ambato.com me va a enviar las fotos por email en los proximos dias. Por ahora dejo el Ecuador con la alegria de haber conocido a un grupo de gente chevere con quien compartir las historia de motociclismo.

2005-07-17T21:07:00.000-06:00

My first long trip: July 2005, Buena vista, Colorado, USA
One day I run into the famous horisonsunlimited.com website; a place for world travelers on dual-purpose bikes. What a great siteto visit, specially if you need inspiration. They organized a meeting in Buena Vista, Colorado, so I went.

Buena Vista is only 170 miles away from Denver, but nevertheless, this was the longest trip I've made in my bike so far. There, I met Grant Johnson and Greg Frazier; two gurus of motorcycle traveling. Greg is wearing the green T-shirt.

There are Chris and Grant registering bikers for the event. Great Job and thanks for everything guys!!!!

There were about 106 participants who came to learn and be inspired by more than 12 seasoned world travelers. It was great. We had good food and lots of people to meet. Everyone got to talk to each other and share their stories of travels around the world, motorcycle gear, border crossings, routes to take, and losts of other stuff.

2005-06-08T22:43:00.000-06:00

The Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
This is the first time I advetured to ride on a dirt road. I took the Old Fall River Road all the way to the summit. It was a desolated road with almost no traffic.

El Parque Nacional de las Montanias Rocosas, Colorado
Esta es la primera vez que me aventuro a manejar en un camino lastrado. Tome el camino llamado "Old Fall River Road" hasta la cima. Fue un camino desolado y casi sin trafico.

Drinking fresh Rocky Mountain water. Actually, I forgot to bring my own bottled water, but hey, this is the source!!!

The water comes from here, a place near the summit. This is August and most of the snow is already gone.

This is a great half-a-day trip. If you want to explore the park in more detail, stay for a full weekend on a camping site.

2005-05-03T21:48:00.000-06:00

Bueno, me volvi loco!
Ya llevo 16 anios de vivir en los Estados Unidos y todavia extranio a mi querido Ecuador. El otro dia tuve un ataque de stress debido al trabajo. Por eso decidi cambiar mi rutina y hacer algo diferente. Pero no sabia que hacer; lo unico que sabia es que necesitaba mi trabajo y que tambien necesitaba un hobby o deporte que me entretenga.
Uno de esos dias rente la pelicula Diario de Motocicleta, donde se cuenta la historia del Che y sus viajes por Sur America cuando el era joven. La pelicula me hizo acuerdo de algo que paso hace unos veinte anios en Ecuador. Un dia, creo que fue en 1987, caminaba por las calles de Ambato y vi a tres motociclistats en unas motos gigantes. Ellos preguntaban a la gente por direcciones para un hotel, pero nadie hablaba ingles y a los motociclistas estaban frustrados. Yo me acerque y con las pocas palabras que sabia en ingles les invite a que pasen la noche en la casa de mis padres. Les dije que a mi mama Ines le gustaria recibirles. Bueno, eso crei yo :-) Cuando llegaron a la casa mi mama se enojo y dijo que ellos se pueden quedar pero ella no iba a cocinar ni a prepararles el desayuno. Al dia siguiente prepare el desayuno para mis nuevos amigos, el desayuno mas horrible que ellos deben haber comido!

A mi padrastro le pedi que sacara el carro del garage para parquear las motos. Yo sabia que si dejavamos las fotos toda la noche a fuera, las robarian. El primero dijo que estoy loco y que no. Luego fue a ver las motos afuera y cambio de idea. Vio tres motos BMW gigantes, con unos tanques de gasolina que jamas habia visto. Se entusiasmo tanto que el mismo se encargo de mover el carro y las motos durmieron en el garage.

Al dia siguinte mis visitantes se fueron hacia al Peru y sin antes promemterme que me escribiarian desde alrededor del mundo. Unos meses despues, yo comenze a recibir cartas de ellos, con fotos, descripciones y todo. Que emocion. Me prometi que algun dia yo tambien viajaria alrededor del mundo, pero me olvide por 20 anios!

Una semana despues de haber visto la pelicula de Diarios de Motocicleta, vendi una de mis camaras para dar de entrada de pago de mi moto. Sali del almacen con una sonrisa en los dientes por haberme comprado una BMW nuevita, del 2005. Es el inicio de mi nueva aventura!

Mi alegria duro solo unos minutos porque me olvide de algo importante. Nunca he manejado una moto en la calle, solo en el parqueadero cuando segui el curso para la licencia. Afortunadamente, Jim, el vendedor de motos del Foothills BMW en Denver llevo la moto hasta mi casa dos dias despues de comprarla. En menos de tres meses ya he puesto casi 3,000 millas. Tambien asisti a la reunion the HorizonsUnlimited.com y conoci al famoso Grant, Chris y Erin, Greg, y otros que ya han dado la vuelta al mundo en sus motocicletas.

2005-05-03T00:06:00.000-06:00

This is my blog from my trips around Colorado, the Unites States, and who knows, the world! Check this blog periodically because I'll add stories and pictures related to these trips. Enjoy it.
Aqui presentare historias y photos de min viajes en Colorado, los Estados Unidos, y quien sabe, alredeor del mundo! Revisen este blog periodicamente para ver fotos e historias de mi viajes Disfruten este blog.

2001-07-28T15:15:00.000-06:00