not all those who wander are lost | two earthlings ride around the world
- Thread starter Rockwell
- Start date
Cruiser Jimmy
New member
OMG. So sorry for the accident and glad that you kids are okay.
Ruined Adventures
Brenton Cooper
What a shame!
At least you have the right attitude though, way to get back on that horse and ride! We'll be rooting for a speedy return
HumphreyBear
Adventurer
Sorry to hear this - man, that is not merely a cracked headstock weld (terminal at the best of times), that is a completely separated headstock weld. The fact that you walked away from hitting something with that much force is astounding and fortuitous, and no doubt helped by much skill. I wish you all the best with getting everything back on track. I was just popping in to see how you were going as the title has been bouncing around in the mush at the back of my head for months and I finally realised that it is a quote from Tolkein. Surely something can be interpreted from the last lines for your current situation...
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be bike that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
Cheers,
Humphrey
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be bike that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
Cheers,
Humphrey
Awesome! I think I need to borrow that for our website.
A number of people have suggested welding the frame, but I also doubted that would be a good idea. I can get a brand new frame for $1,200, and I have an offer for some used forks off an '06 950 for about $800. I'll also need a new wheel and a few plastic body pieces.
After almost 4 months of dealing with the shipping agent, we finally received the bike back in Canada last week. We had to get the El Salvadorian Embassy, in Toronto, involved back in February in order to get things moving. We had an offer from a local dual sport shop (who were following our blog) for some shop space to fix the bike and have access to their mechanic. I'm currently in the process of organizing and order of parts, and we hope to start working on the bike soon. If all goes according to plan, we should be back on the road by September.
Frank
Explorer
If I may make a suggestion, contact Woody about picking up a new wheel. He will set you up right!
http://www.woodyswheelworks.com/KTM950990NewWheels.html
http://www.woodyswheelworks.com/KTM950990NewWheels.html
Colorado (October 3 - October 5, 2011)
The weather was warm when we had left Moab, Utah, but it got much cooler as we entered into Colorado. It was a drastic change leaving the dry, sandy bedrock for dense fields and valleys that looked painted with autumn colors. The mountains were gorgeous with beautiful red peaks and there were areas where the soil was such a deep yellow that small rivers looked like they were flowing with liquid gold. As we rode through many switchbacks and gawked at USA s little Switzerland, I was afraid that Rocky was paying more attention to the scenery than the road because the view was truly captivating.
Darkness approached quickly as the sun set behind the tall mountains but we continued to ride so that we could escape the bitter cold of the high altitude. Once we reached Durango, Colorado, we stopped at McDonald’s to warm ourselves with a hot cup of coffee and to use their notoriously ****ty free Internet to search for a public park. We rode up to what seemed to be a perfect spot to set up our tent and I immediately recognized the soft plush grass to be a sign of an irrigation system. I spent a few minutes crawled on all fours feeling for sprinklers but I wasn’t able to find any. Tired and anxious to relax , we unpacked and just as we finally got comfy the damn sprinklers turned on. I panicked at first because we were being sprayed from every direction but luckily none were spraying in our tent. Just as we had mentioned our luck, the cops arrived. It was awkward timing and I wanted to pretend I couldn’t hear him over the sound of splashing but his lights were blinding me. I needed perfect timing as I ran out of the tent to avoid getting soaked and I hoped that that was enough reason for him to allow us to stay. He asked what we were doing and he told me we would have to leave, especially since the motorcycle was prohibited from being in the park. Exhausted and irritated I had no other choice than to batt my eyelashes as I told him about our trip and explained that it was too cold, wet and dark to continue riding. My lady skills worked and he kindly gave us permission to stay for the night.
Early the next morning it was interesting to wake up to an old fashioned coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive filled with passengers as it choo-choo’d by. The park was busy with people starring at us as they jogged past and I was confused when an older man tried handing me ten dollars for breakfast. Minutes later the police showed up again but it didn’t matter what they had to say because we were leaving anyway.
After we packed up, and went to subway for breakfast, it began to rain. We decided to hang out there until the sky cleared but it only began raining harder. Shortly after arriving, the manager stopped to talk to us, he noticed the motorcycle fully loaded and was curious of our travels. We had asked if he minded us hanging out there to use the Internet as we searched for a place to go and he told us to stay as long as we needed. Hours later and with no luck couch surfing, the manager approached us and said that he had phoned his wife and got her approval to invite us to stay with his family for the night. We were very surprised and obviously happy. When we arrived at Mikes house, we were introduced to his wife Stephanie, their son Davis and daughter Stevi, they immediately made us feel very comfortable and welcomed. After a cold rainy day it felt great to have a hot shower and a bowl of stew for dinner. Mike and Stephanie were a very funny, charming couple, and their kids were extra cute. While Mike and Rocky talked about what routes we should take, I got to relax while Stevi played the piano for me. I really enjoyed hanging out with this family and I especially liked the gift and note that Stevi and Davis had made for us. It felt great to spend the night in such a comfortable environment.
The following morning we were well rested and ready to visit Mesa Verde National Park. The area features numerous ruins of homes and villages built by the Ancestral Puebloan people (sometimes called the Anasazi), and is best known for cliff dwellings, which are structures built within caves and under outcropping in cliffs. It was beautifully well preserved, and before I nearly squashed a tarantula as I was walking, I imagined that it could have been a fantastic place to live. I am not a fan of spiders, I am petrified actually but as soon as I noticed this one, I couldn’t help but stare at it for a few seconds, it was huge. As I was admiring it, a girl, maybe 7 years old, was running backwards laughing and singing. She wasn’t paying attention to where she was stepping and as she came awfully close. I had to stop her and warn her to be careful not step on the spider. She starred at me with a very bratty expression on her face, she was probably wondering what kind of person goes out of their way to protect a spider from getting stepped on. I pointed to the tarantula for her to see it and her reaction was priceless as she screamed in horror and cried hysterically. Maybe I’m mean, but I laughed about it most of the ride back into Utah.
The beautiful colours of The Colorado Rockies
Up in the mountains near Ouray, Colorado
Crystal Lake, up in The Colorado Rockies
Iron Mountian
Davis, Mike, Stephanie, Stevi and Paula
Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park - Colorado
The cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde
An underground room in Mesa Verde
Darkness approached quickly as the sun set behind the tall mountains but we continued to ride so that we could escape the bitter cold of the high altitude. Once we reached Durango, Colorado, we stopped at McDonald’s to warm ourselves with a hot cup of coffee and to use their notoriously ****ty free Internet to search for a public park. We rode up to what seemed to be a perfect spot to set up our tent and I immediately recognized the soft plush grass to be a sign of an irrigation system. I spent a few minutes crawled on all fours feeling for sprinklers but I wasn’t able to find any. Tired and anxious to relax , we unpacked and just as we finally got comfy the damn sprinklers turned on. I panicked at first because we were being sprayed from every direction but luckily none were spraying in our tent. Just as we had mentioned our luck, the cops arrived. It was awkward timing and I wanted to pretend I couldn’t hear him over the sound of splashing but his lights were blinding me. I needed perfect timing as I ran out of the tent to avoid getting soaked and I hoped that that was enough reason for him to allow us to stay. He asked what we were doing and he told me we would have to leave, especially since the motorcycle was prohibited from being in the park. Exhausted and irritated I had no other choice than to batt my eyelashes as I told him about our trip and explained that it was too cold, wet and dark to continue riding. My lady skills worked and he kindly gave us permission to stay for the night.
Early the next morning it was interesting to wake up to an old fashioned coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive filled with passengers as it choo-choo’d by. The park was busy with people starring at us as they jogged past and I was confused when an older man tried handing me ten dollars for breakfast. Minutes later the police showed up again but it didn’t matter what they had to say because we were leaving anyway.
After we packed up, and went to subway for breakfast, it began to rain. We decided to hang out there until the sky cleared but it only began raining harder. Shortly after arriving, the manager stopped to talk to us, he noticed the motorcycle fully loaded and was curious of our travels. We had asked if he minded us hanging out there to use the Internet as we searched for a place to go and he told us to stay as long as we needed. Hours later and with no luck couch surfing, the manager approached us and said that he had phoned his wife and got her approval to invite us to stay with his family for the night. We were very surprised and obviously happy. When we arrived at Mikes house, we were introduced to his wife Stephanie, their son Davis and daughter Stevi, they immediately made us feel very comfortable and welcomed. After a cold rainy day it felt great to have a hot shower and a bowl of stew for dinner. Mike and Stephanie were a very funny, charming couple, and their kids were extra cute. While Mike and Rocky talked about what routes we should take, I got to relax while Stevi played the piano for me. I really enjoyed hanging out with this family and I especially liked the gift and note that Stevi and Davis had made for us. It felt great to spend the night in such a comfortable environment.
The following morning we were well rested and ready to visit Mesa Verde National Park. The area features numerous ruins of homes and villages built by the Ancestral Puebloan people (sometimes called the Anasazi), and is best known for cliff dwellings, which are structures built within caves and under outcropping in cliffs. It was beautifully well preserved, and before I nearly squashed a tarantula as I was walking, I imagined that it could have been a fantastic place to live. I am not a fan of spiders, I am petrified actually but as soon as I noticed this one, I couldn’t help but stare at it for a few seconds, it was huge. As I was admiring it, a girl, maybe 7 years old, was running backwards laughing and singing. She wasn’t paying attention to where she was stepping and as she came awfully close. I had to stop her and warn her to be careful not step on the spider. She starred at me with a very bratty expression on her face, she was probably wondering what kind of person goes out of their way to protect a spider from getting stepped on. I pointed to the tarantula for her to see it and her reaction was priceless as she screamed in horror and cried hysterically. Maybe I’m mean, but I laughed about it most of the ride back into Utah.
The beautiful colours of The Colorado Rockies
Up in the mountains near Ouray, Colorado
Crystal Lake, up in The Colorado Rockies
Iron Mountian
Davis, Mike, Stephanie, Stevi and Paula
Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park - Colorado
The cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde
An underground room in Mesa Verde
where are you guys right now?.. let me know if you plan to pass by Venezuela.. i can help you to find people that can show you around so nothing happens to you guys...!
a little recomendation, try putting the date when the pictures where taken / or the dates when you visited the places you are showing...!
a little recomendation, try putting the date when the pictures where taken / or the dates when you visited the places you are showing...!
We're back in Canada due to an accident in El Salvador. We're working on rebuilding the motorcycle and we hope to continue our trip this fall.
I started (with the last post - Colorado) putting dates because we are way behind in our blog. Look at the top of each new post, and it should have the dates covered in that post.
I started (with the last post - Colorado) putting dates because we are way behind in our blog. Look at the top of each new post, and it should have the dates covered in that post.
Ruined Adventures
Brenton Cooper
We love Mesa Verde!
Great shot from inside the underground kiva, all of our pictures in that room turned out like crap! Glad to hear you guys are going to get back on that horse in 6 months...
Great shot from inside the underground kiva, all of our pictures in that room turned out like crap! Glad to hear you guys are going to get back on that horse in 6 months...
Cruiser Jimmy
New member
Hey Rockwell,
I'm going to be passing through Hamilton around the 20th this month on my way to Toronto. I'm working with BRP on the Canam Spyder tour and we have events in Cayuga then GTA. (in GTA from the 23rd to the 28th) If you are free I would love to meet you and marvel at your adventure. You have inspired me to look at this type of adventure in the future. Mr McGregor's and Mr. Boorman's little video's did not help this effort in anyway either!! haha!!
I'm going to be passing through Hamilton around the 20th this month on my way to Toronto. I'm working with BRP on the Canam Spyder tour and we have events in Cayuga then GTA. (in GTA from the 23rd to the 28th) If you are free I would love to meet you and marvel at your adventure. You have inspired me to look at this type of adventure in the future. Mr McGregor's and Mr. Boorman's little video's did not help this effort in anyway either!! haha!!
It would be great to meet you. Paula and I should be in around. We're not sure if we're going anywhere for the long weekend or not, but PM me and I'll give you Paula's cell phone number (I canceled mine when we left Canada and haven't signed a new contract).
