chasingsummercomments

#43

Where's the envy smiley. I'm riding with you two from the comfort of my home. Looking forward to the remainder of your trip, and thank you for posting as you go.

#45

Excellent report JL. Looking forward to the rest!

#49

Sensational report!

Jean-Luc and Teryk,

Thank you both for taking all of us on this ride. This really is a fabulous report and thanks for sending the updates periodically. This report is truly the essence of why AdvRider is so cool.

#60

Great work, so far.

#64

I'm speechless......... Those are breathtaking pictures! Keep it up guys.

#70

Quote: (Originally Posted by Jean-Luc)

Again, a bad situation turned out to become a wonderful one.

You guys are awesome. Great job making it all work.

Look's like you guys had an epic ride!! AAA+++ on the report. Awesome pics. Nicely done men

#75

fantastic friggin report. great pix and write-up. thanks, and happy trails

#83

Awesome so far.

Looking forward to the rest.

#99

amazing way to spend my morning with some coffee reading your report. I really enjoy your writing and pictures JL - you too Boyscout Gold Panning Championship! who knew? I think the dragonfly pic is my favorite. ride!

#100

Just wonderful.

#101

Absolutely amazing!!!

#110

Excellent photo report.

Great job !

#125

Livin my dream!

Being the armchair adventurer that I am at this point in my life (two beautiful little ones under four), I look forward to every report. You boys are living my dream!! I am taking a twenty day trip to AK and YT in June of 08 and you are giving me a taste of what to look forward too. The scenery is amazing! Ride safe!!! Cannot wait for the rest.

#131

HEy JL, what camera do you use ?

Pics are awesome.

#132

Stunning Pictures!!!

#144

Thanks to you guys for the great pix and narratives. Am looking forward to continuing following you all on the trip I can't make (at least for now).

#150

...another great trip and thread guys, thanks for taking us along!

Best of luck...

#151

I've been following along with your trip and it has been excellent so far! Way to go guys--looks like you are having a ball

#153

Beautiful stuff, guys!!

It's amazing that I've been up there twice now (and Tiny 3 times) and you're seeing stuff and places that are completely new to me.

#154

So many beautiful pics. Well done!

#160

Amazing thread guys. Very impressed with the photos and the dialogue.

Enjoy the rest of your "trip of a lifetime" and thanks for taking us along.

#163

Hey Guys

Really enjoying the thread! Great photo's and super dialogue. Cannot wait to log in everyday and anxiously wait for another post. This is like friggin Christmas morning. I am enjoying this thread more than "Long way round"!!

Take care, and ride safe!

Tarmac.

#173

Icefield Parkway

Jean-Luc,

I'll join in with all the others in saying, Thanks for the Report. Posting all these photos is real work, we appreciate the effort.

#180

epic story J/L.

#184

Awesome report.

#185

Amazing stuff!

Great job on the report and wonderful pictures.

#187

great quality report and pics !! I'm loving it! Stay safe

#188

Awesome pictures, guys! Have a great adventure!

#190

Just when you think it can't get any better..............it does.

JL and Teryk, please keep up the great reports they are some of the best I've seen. Thanks for sharing this epic adventure with us.

#191

Quote: (Originally Posted by JimC)

Just when you think it can't get any better..............it does.

Hear, hear!!! The photo stream is non-stop spectacular. Really puts the words in context. I can wait for the south of the border series

J-L's committing to long project I'm afraid.

#195

Wow!

- great report & just incredible photos!!!!! thx so much.

#196

great scenery and photography, thanks a lot JL

#197

Great report!

Look forward to every post!

#198

awesome report.

#200

(speaking of the Oregon mud adventure)

My hat is off to you guys again. I'm all to familiar with that type of mud. It completely disabled my KLR several times. I will not try it any more. OTOH, it dries to a nice level surface which feels almost paved, but wet it's deadly.

I've seen it disable serious 4 x 4 trucks.

#202

Nice job capturing what that Oregon mud is like. I wasn't able to take any pictures of the mud when I was out there..I was in a struggle for my life and momentum was my only friend.

Enjoying your ride!!

#210

Excellent ride report .

Good Luck in South America..

Best regards

#213

Just stumbled across this tonight! Read the whole thing (well, maybe skipped some peanut gallery comments )

Excellent Adventure guys! Have a great ride south!

#224

Have FINALLY caught up on this thread- one of the best I've ever seen. Thank you for not being like Ant Ware and I and losing interest halfway through.

Can't wait for our paths to cross, J-L.

#248

EPIC thread!

You guys rule. I drool.

#249

Epic is right...what a hell of a ride report. Thanks so much for taking the time to include us.

#252

Wow! Great trip so far!!

#266

Improvise, adapt and overcome, men!

#267

Great Thread

#273

(About the Batopilas breakdown)

Glad you got things going again. The thread is fabulous! I could feel the tension building as you walk around taking one great photo after another. One more plate of rice and beans; maybe the phone will turn on! Hopefully, you find a more suitable cable very soon.

Indeed you are very lucky the damage from this mishap is limited to your clutch.

#286

Love it. I wish I had the time to do it too. Oh well, maybe after I retire.

#291

Great report!!

#303

Love/Hate

Well I finally had a chance to read the whole thread.

I have to say that I have developed a real LOVE/HATE relationship with this journey.

I LOVE the pictures and the commentary and to see what a great time you are having (even through the mishaps and injuries; I hope that everything is well). I really, really, really HATE the fact that I'm not there!

#310

Great pics Jean Luc and what an awesome trip. Good luck , looking forward to the central and south American legs of the trip.

#319

awesome report!!!!

let me know when you are coming through Nicaragua! I'll love to meet up with you guys. Depending on when you are coming through I might have place for you to stay in my house.

Ride safe!

#331

Very cool ride report

From Alaska to Mexico.......Quite the contrast. One day I'll do that ride, just need the time away from trying to make money. Alaska is my dream ride, rain and all. Great write-up, thanks...

M.

#334

Just spent 2 days catching up with this thread, a great read keep up the good work.

#337

Jean Luc - Great going! You guys are truly getting the adventure part right. Good Luck! With you all the way!

#340

Very nice ride report, brings back a lot of memories from Mexico.

#347

Wow what a RR!!! another subscription on this one!! Took me long enough to catch up on this adventure...

#348

Excellent thread. I caught up over the last two nights and I am envious.

#349

What an odyssey! I spent the whole morning catching up. I'm hooked. Got some good advice from a sailor once. Go with what ya got. But go. Thanks guys, it's an inspiration to us all. Ride safe.

#358

I think you must have some very rich career waiting for you when you return. Anybody who can talk a Guatemalan official into breaking a rule AND ON SUNDAY TOO - should be able to sell anything to anybody at any time. I read that part and was laughing at the idea of you getting them to make an exception for you and then they did!

I am amazed at that as much as anything.

#365

Quote: (Originally Posted by Jean-Luc)

Some of my friends might think of it as 'stubborn' but I like to call it 'persistent'

.

One of the many things I admire about you, JL. Dogged persistence.

#369

JL excellent ride report. Having never been that far south, I was getting a little lost.

Christian great job with the maps. It definitely adds a visual aspect to the enormity of the Trek!

#371

Excellent report, pics, and writing -- I've been checking daily for the last week or so, and have been enjoying your adventure. Thanks for sharing!

Steve

#372

What a pleasure it is to read your story day by day ! nice pictures, and interesting comments. Great !

#374

Hey there JL! Just thought I'd say hello to let you know I'm still following your travels every day! Thank you so much for your dedication to detail and story telling!

Totally enjoyable, keep it up if you can!

#376

Quote: (Originally Posted by Jean-Luc)

My front wheel couldn't hold the bike, my boots were totally useless too.

You are crazy!!!

Keep up the good work

#378

Christian thanks very much for the awesome maps, you Teryk and JL are creating one of the most entertaining and enjoyable Trip Reports we could hope to read.

Thanks to all of you

#383

You are now alone in meso America, without reliable roads, climbing hills made of wet clay and on reserve going to a place which may not be there.

J-L, you have more spine and sense of adventure seeking than I'll ever have. I am nervous just reading some of your account. I one time broke down (lost driveshaft) in the jungles of British Honduras. Spending more than a day under that Jeep trying to fix the shaft with natural materials found in the jungle was more than I wish to try again.

Ride on and ride with luck. Buenas Suerte!

#384

This story just keeps getting better.

#385

Awesome pics and report.. thanks for the continued updates..

#398

Someone had mentioned this thread in another thread posted on jomma..so i clicked to see what it was all about.....excellent report...keep it coming and its provided me with a nice spot of Sunday morning light reading from all the way here in the sunny French Pyrenean mountains!!!...well done...keep it coming...i`m just about to email the link to my Spanish friend who lives close by....

thanks...and keep the pix coming...they`re all very well taken....enjoy your time there and thanks again for letting us experience it from the other side of the pond

#399

Cheers my friend, we will talk again. I will NOT be posting a serial report as you have pretty well cornered the market on excellent reporting from the road. I am not worthy

#403

This thread is about some big brass balls, no make that steel, and a sense of adventure.

#414

damn you guys

Hi guys,

brand new member to advrider. Hope you guys realize this trip report has become a revelation in motorcycling for me.

I just put my street bike up for sale... I am now in the market for a bike that is capable of taking me places like this...

So again, I say damn you!

#415

"Damn you" don't even come close...

Waaaay hooked here, can't hardly contain myself between updates...

I have to agree with rsimpson above, Damn you, JL! I think the Triumph Sprint's gotta go!

You're my new hero!

Be safe!

#418

Ah, yes, very peaceful now at the ocean with the friendly Nicas, but I can't forget that to arrive there, he had to take his 950 up a wet clay road where I'd not take my DRZ 400.

I have owned a 950 and I am saying to you who haven't ridden one, that for all it's off road suspension and other favorable features, riding such a bike in rough conditions is a very athletic thing to do. J-L is making light of some very difficult accomplishments.

#419

Great Meeting You!!!

J-L It was awesome to finally meet you and to see you in two different cities!!

To bad i had to return to Managua yesterday because it would have been a lot fun to share a few beers and hear more stories

J-L good luck riding south and let me know if can be of any help from here in Nica!

#424

Your pictures and stories take my mind off of work! Thank you!!

#427

Thanks J-L. I'm having a tough time containing my envy. Glad it's Thanksgiving in the US!

#428

Never be sorry for the long post!! ..I think its what we all want!!!....Great pictures/ narrative for sure..keep em coming...moto going OK??

#429

Jean Luc, just checked back in with this thread. Totally unreal. You da man. Your pictures are incredible and really illustrate the areas that you are venturing to. When are you re hooking up with Boyscout. I'm sure it has got to be much more comforting having a travel partner, but also the solo part has to be pretty exciting also if not a little tenuous. Be safe and good travels to you.

Oh, and happy Turkey Day.

#434

Just caught up from the beginning ...

A fantastic trip for sure. Clearly one to subscribe to.

Thanks for all the wonderful photos of the towns. As an architect, I find these most intriguing!

Thank you for the time and effort taken to put together such a wonderful report!!!

#435

Jean-Luc,

I am in the process of preparing to complete your exact route in Mexico and Central America and beyond in 6 weeks or so on a KTM 640 Adv.

Thank you so much for your detailed report. It has given me a priceless account of what I will encounter soon.

Safe travels!

#436

Great pictures! I just finished reading this and catching up. I hope to be able to make such a trip someday.

#442

Wow, Just spent the last couple of days catching up on this report. what a great trip report. The pictures and write ups make a great commercial for visiting the areas. The local Chamber of Commerce/Tourist Bureau ought to be putting you guys up for free!

Maybe some day....

#447

Wow, fantastic updates Jean-Luc and Teryk!

From our desks we can only dream,

-Sasha

#455

Hello Jean Luc & Teryk,

it's amazing how far you have come on this journey and the adventures you have experienced thus far.

I haven't been to Nicaragua since I was 9 years old but seeing the pictures makes me want to visit C.A. again someday soon.

Enjoy your journey and I look forward to hearing your experiences when you get back.

Take care!

#459

Hey JL! just thought I'd let you know I'm still loving this thread!

#463

Damn, took a while to catch up.

Great report you have going! I always appreciate the trials and tribulations, but hope you don't have any more to deal with.

Ride on...

#465

Wow! just caught up with your thread since a while back... getting better and better with each degree south...

#468

A lot of people worry about the big risks on a long trip, but the little ones add up too. Goofy little mechanical problems that cost several days to fix. The not-really-bad crash that tweaks your body and bike. Or the terrible feeling that you're 5000 miles from home and you can't find your passport. That's an Oh Shit of epic proportions, even when you find it later. Not losing stuff is 10x harder on the road than it is at home.

Keep up the good work guys, I'll be leaving Guadalajara shortly and following in your tracks.

#473

Thank you for sharing. Great pics and reporting. Ended up spending at least couple of hours reading this report from the beginning.

#479

Tremendous and epic story -

My Spanish speaking wife tells me to tell you that you are crazy and that there are people who would do you harm at every turn down there... I'm delighted that you are proving her wrong!

JL - I've just caught up with your story and appreciate being taken along for the ride!

#480

Again JL thanks for updating us, great adventure! Keep up the good work!

#481

Not much to add..

Fantastic trip you have going. I don't have much to add in terms of the thread, but wanted to weigh in with my kudos. I really enjoy the photos and the capsule reports, particularly the observations about various cultural differences (like views on trash, street flirting, etc.). Great stuff. Looking forward to following your journeys all the way down to Patagonia.

#485

Wasting Time on the Web?

Jean-Luc,

With all the travelling and exploring new sights, how do you find the time to spend hours chasing down threads on ADVrider? You must have a new set of priorities in how you use the web these days. Those of us here at home spend hours, days or months planning adventures. You seem to have successfully inverted the math.

Regards

#488

You guys rock! I have to admit I am very envious of you... but I guess I might get my chance one day!

#491

Jean Luc,

I spent the whole evening reviewing your website after you sent me the link... what an amazing ride!

I am here waiting for you all in Quito, please let me know how I can be of assistance for you guys when you arrive.

#496

JL - I just started reading this thread from the beginning a couple days ago and got hooked! From the date of your first post and the length of the thread I thought the epic was already completed as I was reading it - how wrong I was! You're still on the journey...best wishes and enjoy South America. Thanks for writing and riding.

#501

You are true adventurers JL & Teryk! My hats off to you. Damn I wish I were doing this with you JL, I know we'd have a great time and would always have someone watching each other's backs.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you but, Stay alert, keep focused, pick clean lines, and keep those eyes in the back of your head peeled. Thugs will either jump out in front of you or sneak up and surprise you, so don't leave yourself vulnerable, always have a quick exit strategy and be very careful about stopping to help people as that is very often a setup to get robbed. That 950 and your excellent riding skills can put distance between you and trouble very quickly!

May you have nothing but wonderful days ahead!

Best of luck to you Jean-Luc!

#508

Great report JL! From office cubeland it looks like a lot of fun. ~Mike

#520

What a fantastic report.

JL - Thanks for the amazing commentary, and I wish you all the best for the rest of it. I'll be reading your exploits with the numerous others on here.

Ride safe!

#522

J-L ... been enjoying your journey and taking notes for quite some time now. I've got a fair number of 950 bits-n-pieces in the garage if your horse pulls up lame. lou

#526

I finally caught up

I NEED sleep .... I found this report on Fri night (Sun Night now) and got addicted almost right away to the excellent ride reports and the ultra cool photography. JL you said many times over that you give your credit to the light being right in your photos, but I think it is your amazing and creative eye that can turn an ordinary situation into a postcard.

JL, stay safe and I look forward to following your every adventure through this ride report.

#533

yep

Just another lurker enjoying you thread.

#539

Bravo JL

Keep us 'posted', I'm greatly enjoy your prose and pictures

#547

More great posts...pics are amazing!

Cool Brudda!!

#550

I just found this thread last night and I think it took me 7 hours to catch up. I think this is really amazing! And I have a lot of respect for you J-L and your fellow riders. Some if the scenery pictures are so amazing that it almost brings a tear to my eyes

Thanks for posting all this. . I hope I can do this trip someday soon!

#551

Finally caught up again- fantastic!

J-L, you are doing something very cool, many of us wish we could be there with you, me first among them!

#553

Thanks J.L. for the ride along. Columbia looks way cool. Enjoy! You are living out many of our dreams and we enjoy being along for the ride.

#554

J-L ... The last couple of days have been breathtaking!!!

#555

This is a great trip report, JL and everyone else who has contributed. Thanks for taking me along on your adventure. Safe riding to you all.

#556

Jean-Luc, your excellent ride report has been cheering my gloomy non-riding days here in Minnesota, and, as a relatively new rider, inspires great ambitions!

Good luck and safe journeys - I look forward to reading and seeing more!

#560

Great report. I have just started to read it but I recognize it as quality stuff. Good pictures and great writing.

#562

simply beautiful

I just stumbled across you travel log. Beautiful photos and a great adventure. I'm looking forward to your next post.

#567

Merry Christmas!

I know I speak for a lot of us, I just want to wish Jean-Luc, Teryk and R-dubb a Merry Christmas. It is tough being away from home and family for the holidays. We love your adventure. Stay safe, enjoy your journey and keep us posted when you have the time.

Happy Holidays!

Jim in Sacramento

#575

Intriguing shot.You have a good eye.

All good stuff.

Thank you very much for the great reports your making while on this killer trip.

#576

Yes! Thank you Jean-Luc, for devoting the time to your RR whilst in the middle of an amazing trip.

From what I have read lately, you are experiencing Colombia as she begins a friendlier, safer period in her history. Still plenty to watch out for, as anywhere, but I salute you for choosing to ride there.

Happy Christmas!

#578

Thanks for the continued amazing photographs and RR. I await the next installment with great anticipation.

Soto

#579

Great RR

Like many that have posted it has taken a few days, off and on to read through from the beginning. I was interested in the Alaska foray as I work up there quite a bit and it's nice to see vistors to the towns we provide telecom service, like Hyder, Haines, Skagway, Tok and others. The photo's were great.

I also travel to Guatemala for work so it is great to read about some of these places from a travelers point of view (like Huehuetango).

Good luck, safe travels and thanks for the posts!

The pics are awesome!

Hope you had a great Christmas Jean-Luc, thanks very much for sharing your great adventure with us all, you're definitely an inspiration. Keep it coming

stay safe and enjoy.

#582

Great, there went My morning

Keep it coming!

#583

It's cold, rainy, and I need more posts!

First, thanks for a wonderful report and fotos!

Started reading your trip reports two weeks ago, and dad-gum-it, I'm all caught up. New rule: when you make a trip report like this with beautiful shots and write-ups, then you are required to keep posting daily until I say otherwise!

Ok, or when your trip ends!

Seriously, thanks for making the efforts to post as much as you do! It's really enjoyable and next year at this time my hope is that I'll be on the other end of this. Keep up the great work, suerte with the gps, any other molestias, and may your trip be upright always.

#585

I've been enjoying you RR just as much as everyone else here. Thanks for the efforts to keep us informed and enlightened.

I've truly been enjoying your report and the pictures of landscapes and towns are awesome. Continue your safe and wonderful journey.

#586

Great pic's and an incredible adventure...keep it coming!

#587

Great writing and pics as always

J-L your adventure is inspiring! Took me a while to catch up. Stay safe, look forward to every post.

Be safe.

#590

Simply outstanding Jean-Luc.

#591

Wow....just started to read this thread this morning and I have to say this is a wonderful thread and you must be having the time of your life.

#595

Absolutely fantastic, J-L.

Wish I could be there with you.

#598

J-L:

Greetings from the home. Have been lost in the ozone for a while. I just found this thread and have spent several hours catching up with your adventures. Absolutely amazing.

You are an inspiration to me. I wish I could be down there by your side. Your adventurous spirit and good nature shine through your posts like powerful beams of light through the dark. I feel very lucky to be able to watch your journey. Thanks for all of the wonderful pictures and thoughtful insights.

Someday, I really hope I can follow in your footsteps. Wish it could be right now.

I'll be following your posts daily from now on. Via con dios, amigo.

#608

wow! Thank you for the RR, and the awesome pics...

No way will I ever be able to do it, but it's great following your trip!

Most enjoyable!

Thanks you again, and Happy New Year!

#615

Awesome. Traveling mercies in 08! With gratitude!

#620

Wonderful pictures and descriptions. Happy New Year, Jean-Luc! Voyages surs!

#621

Quote by Jean-Luc:

I don’t often use words like ‘stunning’ or ‘breathtaking’ but this time they are the only ones that can describe that road. It’s like if Colombia is offering me one of my best Xmas presents

.

Stunning.

#622

Fotos

Your fotos are drop-jaw beautiful...your latest round is...I don't know the right word, sublime? I think it's "beauty that you know must be out there but didn't expect to see it just this moment" type of feeling. Thanks for bringing some of it to us...

Journey on!

#624

Another follower

Hi JL,

You're doing a great job bringing us all along on the trip. I read Investment Biker a few years ago and I rarely go long without dreaming myself around the globe on his route. You are the only person I know first-hand to actually pull this off, and I'm really glad to see you take full advantage of your work situation. Bravo!

#625

As usual incredible pictures and narration JL

Thanks for taking us along!

#626

I am utterly astounded at the beauty of the place. The photos are fantastic, but I'm sure they are only a fraction as beautiful as the place itself. I had no idea such a place existed on the planet. My very limited experience in mountains had the southwest Rockies and the Alps as the most wonderful places on earth but these photos pull my conceptions into doubt.

#634

Amigo,

Still loving the thread - thank you thank you!

Be safe.

#635

JL,

I have just read through your entire thread and it is most impressive. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us and keep safe down there.

Austin

#641