The world is a completely different place when you dont have a window in front of you. We tasted the rain, we felt the heat and the cold, we smelled the air and we most certainly saw the sights. It was a journey of the most epic proportions that spanned nearly 11,000kms and I got to experience with the best riding partner I couldve ever asked for. My dad. The Road Warrior.
Recently I discovered a verse in Death Cab For Cutie´s aptly named and beautifully sung ´Brothers On A Hotel Bed´ that goes something like this:
On the back of a motor bike
With your arms outstretched trying to take flight
Leaving everything behind
But even at our swiftest speed we couldn't break from the concrete
In the city where we still reside.
If you are ever looking for a beautiful, tropical destination to get away from it all, consider Costa Rica´s Nicoya Peninsula. We spent three days in Santa Teresa where I got to see my old friend Tomas Ritchie whom had met on a previous trip there. Consistent surf, tasty food, friendly people, diverse wildlife, amazing waterfalls & pristine beaches - Costa Rica has it all. Upon ferrying back to the mainland, I got reacquainted
with two very good buddies. Fourth Gear & Fifth Gear. It seemed like it had been so long but as always, they didn't let me down.
I am so proud of my dad. This trip is certainly not for the faint of heart. His friends think he's crazy. Hes absolutely killing it. I have seen him maneuver his bike up and down steep grades of washboard gravel and sand and even through washed out river crossings. I've seen him weave in and around potholes the size of craters on the moon. I've watched him negotiate heavy crosswinds and rain while cornering sharp turns. Part
...and so it began. An epic motorcycle odyssey that has been 9 years in the making. A father and his son careening through corners that will span over 9 countries and rougly 10,000 kilometers of road. On steel horses they will ride!...it would be enough to make Jon Bon Jovi smile. The mission quite simple - an homage to the sites and sounds of a trip my brother made when he travelled to the tip of South America and back in 1997 as a charity ride (www.moonride.org) for the Cancer Foundation and Save The Children which was completed just one month before his passing.
We have just pulled off this dark desert highway and have arrived upon a place that the engineering gurus who built these bikes must have dreamt about - Mexico´s Baja Peninsula. A place that even I have dreamt about since listening to Chris Isaak´s classic Baja Sessions. We have arrived upon a quaint little town and are staying at none other than the legendary Hotel California in Todos Santos. I could not think of a better place but here to write this our most perilous chapter yet