Since we returned home, we've had a lot of requests from people for a summary of our favorite parts of the trip.Be prepared, this is a very photo heavy blog entry. It's full of some of our favorite photos/memories and is a good summary of the trip.
Below is a map of our entire 10 month trip. Click on any of the icons to see the date we were there and a link to the specific blog post about that location. Continue reading to see our favorite shots from the trip in chronological order.
The Wreck of the Peter Iredale - 3 days into the trip we camped on the Oregon Coast near this old shipwreck.
Cruising through the Redwoods in California.
James Dean themed gas station in the middle of nowhere California. They had an amazing selection of flavored almonds and pistachios.
Camping at Songdog Ranch, which had an interesting history as a motorcycle campground.
A small campground literally in the middle of nowhere along the Baja Coast.
This was a major highway in Baja. Construction has been in limbo for years. There are a number of side roads in the same condition, and no signs. It became hard to know if we were going the right way.
This is Coco, of the infamous Coco's Corner. He's lost both legs to diabetes, and has a reputation as a bit of a pervert (for lack of a better word). He asks women to leave their underwear for his collection. Johanna did not indulge him.
Soon after leaving Coco's, we came across this fork in the road. Luckily we chose the right path, since there were no signs.
A whale skeleton along the Baja coast. Right after this photo, the military came and told us to leave.
An earthquake caused a number of mudslides right after we made it to the mainland of Mexico. This was our first experience with roads like this.
At the entrance of Las Pozas in Xilitla, an amazing feat of art and architecture.
One more. We had an amazing time there, and highly recommend it.
This bird was actually the hotel owner's pet that escaped after we checked in. There was a lot of screaming involved in its recapture.
The rain and mist could make for some difficult, and wet days.
Celebrating Mexican Independence Day in Mexico City. Viva Mexico!
At the party our host family threw for Mexican Independence Day. We are eating delicious Pozole.
The next morning these local women made us some Gorditas. Weirdly, many parts of Mexico were unfamiliar with Gorditas, aka "little fat girls".
The amazing ruins of Tehotihuacan.
Our fist love motel. We had been told these were nicer than they looked. After an exhausting day, we found this one with an attached steakhouse with trained New York chefs. We had amazing food for practically free, and this was our private garage that led up to our room with mood lighting and nothing but porn on the TV.
Ruben honked and waved at us and when we pulled over he was so excited to see foreign motorcyclists he had to get a photo with us. People in Mexico were really nice to us.
A burned out bus used as a roadblock. This had been sitting for about a year. We just drove around it without issue.
These locals walk along this mountainous highway everyday, in the mist, with no shoulder.
Mexico was a lot more green than we expected.
We booked this place on booking.com. It was one of the most half-assed places we've ever stayed. Note the decomposing horse statue. The guy who ran it just didn't care, about anything.
At the Tonina ruins, a newer set of ruins that had nobody on it.
This campground was checked into online 6 months before. When we arrived it was completely overgrown and taken back by nature, no sign of any humans.
The combination of the metal bridge and this mud made for one of the slickest parts of the trip.
At the obscure ruins of Palenque.
This howler monkey woke everyone up with loud screaming.
A tarantula Josh almost ran over on the way to Calakmul.
On the beach in Belize.
At the Tikal ruins in Guatemala.
On Ruta 5 in Guatemala, easily the worst road we encountered this entire trip.
Another shot on Ruta 5.
A view of the mountains around Semuc Champey, Guatemala.
This kid begged us to take his picture and then posed like this. He then put his hand out and shouted "MONEY!"
This suspension bridge held up surprisingly well, considering how many planks were missing.
Josh's filthy bike at a Guatemalan gas station.
At a scenic waterfall near lake Atitlan.
Lake Atitlan.
Their dog Moxie loved to play in the lake.
An amazing sunset from our balcony in El Salvador.
At the Copan ruins in Honduras.
Surveying Copan.
Feeding time for these Macaws.
At Lake Xolotlan.
Driving through a Nicaraguan street market.
Johanna's front tire blew out on the highway. Fixing it led to us meeting some other moto travelers that we've remained good friends with.
A nature hike at our first campground in Costa Rica with our new friends Kate and Flo.
Costa Rican Palm Trees.
Cooking dinner to save money/stay out of the rain.
Riding through the Palm plantations.
Another day, another border crossing.
Cruising down the Panamanian Highway.
Our friend George riding on the beach in Panama.
In front of our beach house in Panama.
At the Panama Canal.
On a small boat on the way to the Stahlratte to sail across the Darien Gap.
Johanna at the San Blas Islands.
The San Blas islands were beautiful.
Dolphins escorted us into Cartagena.
Our view of the city as we arrived.
Unloading the bikes in a not quite legal fashion.
Johanna at the Shakira staute in Barranquilla.
Overlooking a lake in Magdalena.
On the way to Norte de Santander, Colombia.
The mountain pass had some amazing views.
In Chicamocha Canyon.
The happiest street dog in the world.
On the hike from Guadalupe to Cascada Las Gaches.
At Cascada Las Gaches, naturally formed pools in the river bed. Great on a hot day.
Taking the backroads to Boyacá.
The famous Casa Terracota.
Nelson Barco, our mechanic in Bogota.
The view from the top of El Peñón de Guatapé.
At the bottom of El Peñón de Guatapé
On a backroad to Aguadas.
On a backroad to Aguadas.
On a backroad to Aguadas.
On a backroad to Aguadas.
Coffee plantation in Filandia.
A 26 day old cow Johanna met at the coffee plantation.
On the Trampolín del Diablo, aka 'The Devil's Trampoline'.
Johanna after successfully riding over a very rickety bridge leaving the desert.
In the Salento Wax Forest.
The Casa Pastoral Las Lehas, a massive church in a valley at the Colombia/Ecuador border.
Josh and his new shrunken head from the Otavalo craft market.
Canon del Pato.
Sometimes Google maps picks some weird routes.
Canon del Rio Mantaro
Peruvian coast
Atacama Desert
The tree of shame
We hope you enjoyed this recap of our trip. It was a life changing 10 months, and an experience we will never forget. Check out our various blog entries to see more detailed posts.