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Becktastic posted:Andrea and I finally found a cozy place to settle in and catch up on blog stuff. We made a video the other day and I just didn't have time to link it. This one in the next are more informative, but we'll get to the fun stuff soon. This is a great thread! I'm really enjoying your trip pictures and videos--it's incredibly inspiring to see someone take a journey like this without support vehicles and an entourage of doctors/support crew (eg Long Way Round). When you're done with this trip you should write a book or something with lessons you learned and tips for people wanting to travel--I'd pay good money for something like that! This is probably a dumb idea, but you could probably even do some sort of Kickstarter campaign for something along those lines if you run short of cash during the trip. I'd chip in a few bucks for a promise of a book later. Also, sorry to hear about the documents getting nabbed right out from under you--sounds like a gigantic pain in the rear end to deal with.
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Nov 28, 2013 05:46
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HNasty posted:you always look like you're naked  Related ad placement.
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Nov 28, 2013 14:40
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Yes, let's dwell on this topic further because it is not creepy at all and adds so much to our appreciation of this motorcycle adventure.
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Nov 28, 2013 17:31
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I just thought it was funny that I read Hnasty's comment and opened the link to see that ad, but thank you for the projection.
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Nov 28, 2013 17:39
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MotoMind posted:Yes, let's dwell on this topic further because it is not creepy at all and adds so much to our appreciation of this motorcycle adventure. Yeah weird internet white knight poo poo isn't creepy at all.
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Nov 28, 2013 19:43
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I can't take Hnasty posts seriously with that icon lol
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Nov 29, 2013 00:00
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I've thought a lot about writing a book, in part because there's no way to capture a large portion of the experience with photo and video. There are many moments when I want to take photos, but it feels intrusive or rude. Also a bunch of really weird random poo poo has happened that would be good reading, but admitting or exposing unsavory activities is not something to enter into lightly. Plus I'm not sure what the audience would be for such a book. What's the overlap for people who like Long Way Round -and- Chelsea Handler novels?
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Nov 29, 2013 15:56
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I just found this post and watched all your videos and I am very jealous. I have been planing on my long cross country trip for a few years and I am hoping I can do it sometime next year. I live in DC and want to ride up to Alaska (maybe not to Prodo Bay) then down the west coast since I have never seen the Pacific Ocean, then ride in to Burning Man to see that as well then work my way back threw the southern US. Love the videos and love the adventure! Keep it up and have a blast on the trip and be safe!
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Nov 29, 2013 16:06
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codered11343 posted:I just found this post and watched all your videos and I am very jealous. I have been planing on my long cross country trip for a few years and I am hoping I can do it sometime next year. I live in DC and want to ride up to Alaska (maybe not to Prodo Bay) then down the west coast since I have never seen the Pacific Ocean, then ride in to Burning Man to see that as well then work my way back threw the southern US.  A general note on planning: doing too much of it doesn't help. I don't make day-to-day schedules and plans, I plan by taking maps of the area I want to see and writing directly on them every point of interest. If I end up short on time, I can easily see what I'm cutting out of the trip. If the weather is bad in one area, I can see what options lie on the alternative route. This was especially true in Alaska. Plan to avoid the rain, it makes the roads treacherous and the fog obscures all the views. Remember that planning is just research, you don't have to stick to it and also know that you will not want to a lot of miles every day. Twisty mountain rides are a blast, but if you schedule in nothing but that all day every day from DC to Alaska you're going to burn out before you get there. Some people obsess over where they're going to sleep at night or when they're going to be where, but the whole point of travel is to explore what you don't already know, to embrace that you cannot be prepared for everything and to roll with the experience how ever far you stray from your intended course. Most of all, have fun. Here's another ludicrous video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM9LP56FNno
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Nov 30, 2013 14:56
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Mexican mechanic sounds like the filthiest sex move ever.
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Nov 30, 2013 16:09
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Haha, the kids all cheering you on was great! 
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Nov 30, 2013 18:51
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Becktastic posted:Planning for a few -years-? What's the hold up? When I say planning for a few years, what I mean is more along the lines of been thinking about the trip. Because of work and personal reasons I haven't been able to do the trip yet. But soon I hope. And when I say planning, I am trying to make a list of places I want to see, not a day by day schedule. I can not even do that kind of planning at work.
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Dec 2, 2013 14:28
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTvzNSB47yk
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Dec 5, 2013 23:40
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpiJY1USpus
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Dec 7, 2013 01:02
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Holy poo poo Mexico is beautiful! All my life I've had this generic picture of a desert wasteland filled with drug cartels and crushing poverty... your trip is making me desperately want to take one of my own!
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Dec 7, 2013 01:12
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Holy poo poo that whole day of the dead thing looks awesome. How were those food stands? It looked delicious.
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Dec 7, 2013 17:52
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slidebite posted:Holy poo poo that whole day of the dead thing looks awesome. How were those food stands? It looked delicious. Mexican food stands are awesome! We've eaten street tacos nearly every day since leaving and aren't sick of them yet! OSU_Matthew posted:Holy poo poo Mexico is beautiful! All my life I've had this generic picture of a desert wasteland filled with drug cartels and crushing poverty... your trip is making me desperately want to take one of my own! Check out even more Mexico prettiness in this video! A lot of Michoacan looks like Washington! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TCK9BIt3Xc
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Dec 9, 2013 00:57
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Mexican biker rally, that could only have been awesome.
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Dec 9, 2013 01:28
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echomadman posted:Mexican biker rally, that could only have been awesome. I know! When we got the hotel I turned back to Andrea and asked again if she was sure we shouldn't just go for it...but it was really dangerous, we literally couldn't see at all. With the windshield down it was just blackness with rain and starbursts everywhere from the lights. If you put your shield up, you were getting pelted in the eyes with raindrops. She may have been more willing to take the risk if she didn't have Ashlee on the back.
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Dec 9, 2013 15:32
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Becktastic posted:Mexican food stands are awesome! We've eaten street tacos nearly every day since leaving and aren't sick of them yet! Your shirt and sweater made me lol, good stuff.
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Dec 9, 2013 19:59
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Flaming field hockey looks like the greatest sport ever! I've played flaming hacky sack, but it's a bummer when it rolls under a car.
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Dec 11, 2013 13:15
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3VmdroEuQw
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Dec 20, 2013 16:14
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I can't believe we've been in Guatemala a month and we're still in Oaxaca in our videos!  We've been having SO. MUCH. FUN. I can't wait to tell you guys about it! In the meantime, here's a teaser: 
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Dec 20, 2013 16:25
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These videos are hilarious, awesome, and well-done! Thanks for continuing to share, and especially for taking time out of your trip to do so! Do you have any tips for camping in hot weather? Also, would love to see a writeup of the vblogging process! Do you go for particular shots/things to shoot, or just kinda do whatever with the footage/photos you do decide to take? OSU_Matthew posted:This is a great thread! I'm really enjoying your trip pictures and videos--it's incredibly inspiring to see someone take a journey like this without support vehicles and an entourage of doctors/support crew (eg Long Way Round). Is there much interest for this kinda thing? I got the idea a few months ago to maybe put something together about my time riding in Japan; from doing a Japanese motorcycle license from scratch (a huge learning process), to how driving/traffic/roads and everything work here, as well as writing up some of my trips (haven't done anything too ambitious yet, but I've set aside a bit over a month to do a trip all the way from the southernmost island that I live on to Hokkaido and back). I've become somewhat of an expert on how all the driving, licensing tests, and poo poo works in Japan (to the point where my employer asked me to write up a guide for newcomers), and in addition have put a ton of travel-related research (much of it going through Japanese websites) for my trip next year, as far as good offroading spots, quirky/weird attractions to see, etc. I'm pretty in to photography and bought a GoPro a few months ago (currently languishing while I wait for my backordered replacement chin-vents to come), and enjoy writing non-fiction, so seems like a natural thing to do, just wasn't sure what kind of audience it would find outside CA and ADV-type people.
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Dec 21, 2013 05:55
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So the place you stealth camped was someones driveway. Which other people used for toilet breaks? Lovely place, that.
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Dec 22, 2013 17:14
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Nidhg00670000 posted:So the place you stealth camped was someones driveway. Which other people used for toilet breaks? Lovely place, that. All our other camp sites were much better. That's why you don't camp on the side of the road... Pompous Rhombus posted:These videos are hilarious, awesome, and well-done! Thanks for continuing to share, and especially for taking time out of your trip to do so! Thanks for the kudos, I'm glad you like them! It's gotten way better now I've taught Andrea to edit. We work well collaborating and we can hopefully maybe catch up now. Tips for camping in hot weather, you have two choices: -Go to bed early, put your tent where the sun will hit it so you get up and get moving before it's crazy hot. or -Go to bed later, put your tent in the shade so you can sleep in, then douse yourself with water and ride in the heat. There's not much else you can do besides get a good tent and sleep with the rain fly off so you get some wind over your body. Andrea and I aren't finicky sleepers though, we can sleep anywhere in any conditions, it's a good talent for a trip like this. quote:Is there much interest for this kinda thing? I got the idea a few months ago to maybe put something together about my time riding in Japan; from doing a Japanese motorcycle license from scratch (a huge learning process), to how driving/traffic/roads and everything work here, as well as writing up some of my trips (haven't done anything too ambitious yet, but I've set aside a bit over a month to do a trip all the way from the southernmost island that I live on to Hokkaido and back). I've become somewhat of an expert on how all the driving, licensing tests, and poo poo works in Japan (to the point where my employer asked me to write up a guide for newcomers), and in addition have put a ton of travel-related research (much of it going through Japanese websites) for my trip next year, as far as good offroading spots, quirky/weird attractions to see, etc. I'm pretty in to photography and bought a GoPro a few months ago (currently languishing while I wait for my backordered replacement chin-vents to come), and enjoy writing non-fiction, so seems like a natural thing to do, just wasn't sure what kind of audience it would find outside CA and ADV-type people. I think for a book you'd want to write a story that would appeal to a wide audience and just also include what you have to do for permits and such either in the story or in a little how to section at the end. There probably isn't enough demand for a stand alone how to book. Chris Scott wrote a how to book about motorcycling the Sahara some years back and he still has boxes of it in his garage haha. Though you could write a short guide and make it available as an ebook and you might get some money from it. I think a story about your adventure and experiences would be cool though. If you do videos, YouTube pays around $1 for every 1000 views or so, so while my 23k hits sounds like a lot, it's only around $31. We've made most of our travel dollars from direct donations on our website. We send out thank you postcards and sometimes people donate again when they get them. We also started typing up packing lists with the items we use with Amazon links and we get some kickbacks when people buy stuff through there. If you guys want to help out and/or want a postcard from somewhere cool you can check out our packing lists or donate here Groovy. We're in Lanquin now, it's down what was a reasonable dirt road, but it's been raining for three days, so getting out may be a different story. ADVENTURE! Here are some butts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj6Y_yTk7dY
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Dec 26, 2013 18:01
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The beaches, snorkeling and cheap local food are pretty much ideal idea of a vacation right there.
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Dec 26, 2013 18:16
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slidebite posted:The beaches, snorkeling and cheap local food are pretty much ideal idea of a vacation right there. There are expensive tourist oriented places, but we just hunt around the local places til we find a cheap good place and then go there for all our meals. You do have to speak decent Spanish though because the cheapest places speak no English. They are generally way nicer though. One touristy place in Zipolite got pissy that we had bought a bunch of food and then sat around working on the computer. They changed the password frequently and would only give you the new one if you bought another thing. This is the place we ate at all day. Right next door to our camping (which had free Wifi!). They ran an extension cord over for us to work and let us sit there all day eating and drinking when we pleased. Super sweet family, slow service and you are having whatever they're making (probably fish) but all of it is GOOD.  Here's another episode! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYGYHL7a9wE
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Dec 27, 2013 15:36
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Hey! I made a Facebook page for our trip and I will be posting updates about our location, photos etc. Please like us and share us with anyone who might be interested! Thanks! https://www.facebook.com/motoventuring
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Dec 28, 2013 18:41
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Somebody commented that we always seem to encounter kind people on our trip, well here you go: Roadblocks, Rebels and Rapey Guys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIOM9Fl0kCI
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Jan 1, 2014 16:51
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3i829NMMes
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Jan 2, 2014 14:04
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I love that dog itchin' himself on the bush in this one 
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Jan 2, 2014 16:42
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Great stuff, definitely jealous of your adventure while I sit here in office land. lolling at the end of clip "wtf is Andrea doing?!" moments that have been in the last two vids. Keep the vids coming, excellent stuff!
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Jan 3, 2014 20:12
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 Venomous.Looks like you're still having a blast and navigating furrin parts skillfully. Any chance you'll make it south in time to catch any of the Dakar Rally?
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Jan 3, 2014 21:40
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Silver posted:Great stuff, definitely jealous of your adventure while I sit here in office land. I'm going to have to have to catch more of her rediculousness on video so I can throw them in more. HenryJLittlefinger posted:
Impossible...but we might catch it next year. That would be amazing. I've never seen a big offroad Rally Race in person. I really want to catch Romaniacs and of course the Baja 1000 some day. OMG we caught up to Guatemala! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpjBFwf-rhU
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Jan 5, 2014 14:27
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Who is the spanish speaker of the two of you? I'd think navigating these boarder crossings without a pretty strong command of the language would be impossible.
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Jan 5, 2014 16:06
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n8r posted:Who is the spanish speaker of the two of you? I'd think navigating these boarder crossings without a pretty strong command of the language would be impossible. Andrea is Team Translator. She lived in Argentina for a year and speaks very good Spanish. I speak enough Spanish to get around and get things done and it's getting better every day, but navigating conflicts like this would have been about 1000 times harder without her. She has been the single biggest asset to the trip, her Spanish skills have made the difference from being a foreign observer to really being able to interact with the local people. If you plan to do a trip like this I highly recommend either settling in somewhere for several months of immersion or bringing along someone fluent in the language. It will open a lot of doors. You have to be very careful about going to a place famous for Spanish schools for your learning though, they tend to attract a lot of foreigners and you'll find yourself going to class for a few hours and then seeking the comfort of your native tongue and end up drinking and talking to English speakers for the majority of your time and not absorbing much Spanish. I saw this a lot in Guatemala. It's probably better to find a small cheap safe town where no one speaks English and rent a place for a couple months and just talk to the locals. A lot of locals in small towns really want to learn English and you could probably work out a language exchange. Speaking Spanglish back and forth is actually pretty effective for learning, I've had my best conversations with people who speak about the same amount of English as I do Spanish, usually one of us will know the word we need. Right now I say "No entiendo esa palabra" ("I don't understand that word") a lot and then get to embark on fun games of charades while they try to explain it.
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Jan 5, 2014 20:25
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Becktastic posted:I'm going to have to have to catch more of her rediculousness on video so I can throw them in more. I know it isn't a massive deal, but I'd go postal with border banana republic bullshit and probably end up in jail. What a pain in the rear end.
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Jan 6, 2014 02:13
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Congrats on a super great adventure. I'm hoping to make the trip down to Panama one of these days but don't have the huevos for a motorcycle trip. I drove down to Cabo San Lucas for the total eclipse of the sun in 1991 and it was the greatest road trip of my life. Hell, I was sketched out driving in a goddamn Pathfinder.
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Jan 10, 2014 05:25
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Becktastic, how far are your videos trailing your real progress? IE: The videos you post did they just happen a day or two before or are you much further along in the trip and just releasing the videos on your own schedule or as time/internets allow?
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Jan 10, 2014 19:32
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