Welcome to the blog of Matthew Thorn and Inna Shmelyova. Here we intend to document our motorcycle adventure trip from Seattle, WA, USA to the southern most tip of the world, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Leaving our dear Seattle home and friends behind, we depart the day following the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, and head […]
Just over a week to go before our scheduled departure, and I still have all of these bits and pieces to work with. The Red Star needs new handlebars, heated grips, a center stand, and Acerbis handguards. Both bikes get new, sealed batteries. The rest pictured is the to-be-mounted tool tubes, medical kits, a mosquito […]
After plenty of last minute tasks with a blown fuse thrown in for good measure, we finally made our departure this afternoon. It’s been a long time coming after all the talk and all the planning, but it felt good to finally lock the door and get on the bikes. It was a typical November […]
We’re 0 for 2 on easy starts to the day’s riding. We got early to hit the road only, the bikes were loaded, helmets were on, only to find that the key would not turn in the ignition on either bike. Frustrating to say the least. I sprayed lubricant judiciously in the keyhole, furiously jiggled […]
Other than the custom seats, the best KLR upgrade I made by far is the heated grips. With just a flick of a switch on the dash, my hands go from freezing cold to toasty warm. The last 500 miles of cold and rain would have been a far less pleasant experience without them. I […]
The last two days on the road have not been easy. Tuesday morning, we started out from Crescent City, CA, heading South on 101 through the redwoods. The scenery would have been enjoyable if not for the constant rain, wind and fog, that pretty much lasted all day with various degrees of intensity, making me […]
Thursday, November 13 We awoke on this morning to what we desired most: sunshine. It was a beautiful sunny day and it was already almost 70 degrees. After the cold and wet days prior, this really lifted our spirits. We headed west on Highway 68 to Monterey. We rode past Laguna Seca and after all […]
Friday, November 14 Only five days into our trip, and I already feel the demanding effects of riding the bike for hours on end. Not only do I constantly feel the nagging pain in my neck, back and sit bones (though I count on the muscles to adapt soon due to daily “training”), we are […]
Saturday, November 15 Today was our final stop for bike maintenance. I had ordered some parts to my friend Steve’s house in Fontana, where we were staying. The bike have new chains and sprockets. We went shopping at the Chaparral motorcycle store and I’ve never seen anything like it before. It was as big as […]
Monday & Tuesday, November 17-18 We moved slightly down the road from Fontana to Carlsbad to visit my cousin Elizabeth and her family. They were kind of enough to put us up for two nights in their beautiful home. It was nice to catch of with family I don’t get to see very often. I […]