Reliving the adventure…

I’m working on my newest book, Moto Colombia, and I am having an incredibly good time remembering and reliving an absolutely awesome adventure ride.    You know, when you’re a guy who’s a guest (as I was on this ride), it’s easy to get intellectually lazy and just kick back, lean waaaay over navigating the most amazing twisties I’ve ever ridden, make the chicken strips tinier and tinier, and not think about where you are and what you are doing.   It was incredible fun.

Now I’m doing what I didn’t have to do on the ride…I’m looking at the maps on Google to see which ranges of the Andes Mountains Juan guided us through, which routes we took, and all the rest that goes with defining the adventure so I can capture it in print.   I am even more amazed as I do this, looking at what we did and where we rode, than I was when we were actually doing it.   My good buddy Juan did a marvelous job planning and organizing this ride.

That’s Juan in the photo up top, on the right, shooting a photo of Carlos on the edge of a cliff somewhere west of Barichara.   That spot all by itself was worth the trip.  I was getting vertigo just standing 20 feet away from the edge.   Juan and Carlos rode their bikes right up to the edge and parked them at that precipice as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do.    Not me.   I was scared.   I don’t like heights, even though I found out a long time ago when jumping out of airplanes being afraid of heights is silly.   So is a fear of falling.   Now, that sudden stop at the end…that’s worth fearing.   I was thinking all of these things as I watched these two mountain goats wheeling their bikes right up to the edge, and then dancing around to get the best photo.  Wowee!

My entire time in Colombia was incredible.   It was a wonderful experience and it was one of the best rides of my life.

Ah, back to Moto Colombia.  Reliving that adventure is its own reward.   Writing this book is fun!