Any Takers?

It's my farewell to fossil fuel abuse. My last hurrah. I've kept my modest house cold enough to hang meat. I drive my fuel-miser car only when I absolutely must. I'm going to keep trying to do my bit.

That said, before I hit 60, I mean to take one last grand motorcycle adventure - from Panama to Vancouver Island.

I currently have a Harley and a BMW R1200GS. I got the "Gelande/Strasse" (the yellow bike above) specifically to get into the back woods here on the island. It's a wonderful machine and substitutes for a car/pickup just as often as possible. It got me to eastern Ontario two years ago and I rode it down Baja to Cabo San Lucas in April.

Here's the deal. I prefer to ride alone but this sort of venture makes that unfeasible. Reality dictates that a group of not less than three and not more than nine do the trip. What I'm hoping for are four starters.

The starters would crate their bikes and fly to Panama where the trip would begin. At Panama the group would be joined by a local rider, the "host." The idea would be to use a series of host riders along the way. Good riders, familiar with their region, would be able to share the very best of their countries with the group - arrange good, affordable accomodation, chart out routes, navigate the local authorities, etc.

Along the way, at least to the US border, one host would hand over to the next host, each guiding the group in turn. Five or six Central Americans would bring the ride to Mexico. There we would head through the Yucatan and over into Baja and, finally, through Tecate into California.

After that it would be a terrific run up the Pacific Coast Highway through California and Oregon and into Washington.

I'd take over in Washington and lead the group from there through Vancouver Island.

Why post this here?

Simple. I usually prefer to travel solo but this sort of trip rules that out. That means finding others of sufficiently similar outlook and temperment that they can at least get along for the six to eight weeks the trip would entail. Since I'm the guy who'll organize the run, that means liberal-minded people and I guess this site is a good place to begin.

BTW, there's no way to do this trip in 2008. The target date would have to be in February/March 2009.

If you're at all interested (and can ride a bike) let me know.