Lets Do This Thang.......

Soooo, yeah?? Although i'm not totally on board with the whole marriage metaphor, I do agree with what Jake has said. We work well together and we enjoy each other's company. Since we started hanging out at college in Billings a few years ago our friendship has been a great one. The standout element has been consistency. You know when your friend is like "man, we should totally climb that mountain sometime" ....... aaaand it never really happens. Jake and I climb that mountain. We make stuff happen. We make time, even if its not right away.

So when Jake approached me about this trip a few years ago, I thought "yeah, we could actually pull this off." Like he mentioned, we work well together. I tend to wing things a bit, but Jake is a planner. This trip requires careful and complete planning. He's not afraid of what he doesn't know. Life is about learning and Jake loves to learn. That's gonna be important on this trip. There is a lot to learn beforehand and along the way in order to make this journey safe, enjoyable, and successful.

Beyond just working well together, we have great fun. Whether its playing college ultimate frisbee or a late night discussion, we always find something in common. Being able to enjoy the adventure and insanity with a friend will make the trip that much richer. It takes a specific kind of personality to want to do this trip, much less complete it. "hawcub" (jacob) possesses the knowledge, desire, and courage needed. This may be due to his long, flowing mane, or maybe his solid upbringing, either way, he's got it and we're going to South America. Wut. Wut.

Stayed tuned to hear about the purchase of our motorcycles. We are currently working on procuring 2 Kawasaki dual sport bikes. The stoke level is off the charts.

Nathaniel, Will You Go on This Trip with Me?

Being a young single man I think about marriage. About what kind of person I want to marry, what traits and personality I look for in a spouse. I hope deciding who to marry is as easy a decision as choosing Nathaniel (“Than”)to do this trip with me.

I never really considered anyone else. A few of my friends are married. A lot of my friends and I would drive each other crazy after a few days. Some friends don’t want to go. Some are too young, or too old. Too organized or too messy. Too tall or not tall enough. Some are timid while some are brave to the point of stupidity. But just like a little girl stealing porridge, Than is juuust right.

Finding someone to travel with is a hard thing. Do you have the same goals for the trip? Can you have fun with them no matter the situation? Can you both be quiet and be comfortable in silence together? Can you trust them? Do you enjoy them? How do they react to stress?  Can they wingman you? What skills do they have? Perhaps most important, once they have committed to the trip, will they stick with it? Through the good times and the bad? Through health and sickness? Through boiling hot days and freezing cold nights? Through feasting and famine? Broken down bikes, losing our way and exhaustion? Have I asked enough questions yet? No? Yes? Maybe? Who’s to say?

Than is a good traveling companion. He is tough, calm and durable. Like a pair of leather shoes. He is fun, cheerful and goofy. Just like a puppy. He is smart, quick and resourceful. Like Hermione Granger.  He is tall, thin, and supple, like a twig. He is thoughtful, wise, humble, gracious and loving. He is a good friend.

So, like a good marriage (I’ve been told) Nathaniel and I are compatible: we have the same goals and perspective. Although we are different, we make a good team. Most importantly, though, once we commit, we won’t quit on each other. We will go through some rough times, personally and situationally but we have made a choice to love one another and with the grace of God, we will.

Adventure, Safety, and True Intentions

This trip is going to be awesome! We'll see everything from the Arizona desert to the rain forest, then on to the rugged Andes, Tierra del fuego, and finally Rio de Janeiro. Approximately 3 months of rough roads, new faces, foreign languages, and strange foods will be quite the adventure. That being said, I like to think that there is more meaning to this trip than just a need for adventure. Both Jake and I are adventurous dudes, and enjoy the occasional risky situation, but I would not categorize us as adrenaline junkies. It's been said that you can't put a price tag on experience. Life is made up of experiences, and this will be a grand one. I know that we will both grow tremendously as individuals through this.

Over the last 3 years our trip plans have undergone a lot of changes. Like Jake mentioned, we originally planned on riding the length of Africa, but with the civil unrest and hostility we eventually started considering other options. Central and South America was the obvious choice, not only because of location, but also because the people, culture, food, and geography were very intriguing.

"You know you're crazy, right?"  This is a fairly common response from people when they hear of our trip. Yes, we realize that there is danger involved in this expedition. We have put a lot of thought and prayer into this trip, and don't take safety lightly. We are planning it as well as we can in order to minimize potential issues.

Despite what Jake has told you about wanting to see the world, experience other cultures, and chase adventure, he is leaving out one important detail:  That little chica in Peru. Or Chile. He's not totally sure where she is (or who she is), but seems to think she's out there. I am determined to bring jake back a single man - follow our blog if you want to know what happens...

The Beginning, As I Remember It

Nathaniel and I have been talking about going on an epic motorcycle trip for years. We've both spent a lot of time in rural Africa and have really fallen in love with the world outside of the US. Initially we talked about a Cairo to Cape Town trip in Africa. We dropped that idea due to safety. Then we debated over China, or Southern Asia. Finally we settled on America. There was something for both of us in the idea of leaving our garage here in Bozeman MT and riding until we couldn't any more. A simplicity to it. Get on bike. Ride south. Stop when wheels touch ocean. 

There are a lot of reasons we are going on this trip and a lot of reasons we aren't. There's no mission, no task aside from going there and back again. I guess, if I had to give a reason, I would say because I'm young and because I can. Really though, we live in a incredible world and I want to see a bit more of it. I want to meet some people from different cultures, try to new foods and smell another place. 

We plan on leaving in May of 2016. Our rough route is to ride through Central America, take a ferry from Panama to Colombia and then ride along the west coast of South America until Tierra del Fuego. After that we will mosey up to Rio de Janeiro where we plan to sell our bikes and fly back to the States. There and back again in about 3 months.