I  have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

I  have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

I  have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

I  have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

I  have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

  I  have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

I  have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

I  have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

I  have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

/I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt

I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SPOILER ALERT - HISTORY....This post is based on my interest to understand parts of the hisotry of our neighbor to the south.  So this not about my ride, just part of the history of the Mexico through the life of one of its main participants.

I  have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ April 14, 2024 This blog post covers this itinerary from my arrival in Hidalgo del Parral late on April 7 after 415 butt numbing miles from Matzatlan through the adventures riding in the wind to Guachochi, down the canyon to Batopilas and back up including what happens when an 850lbs motorcycle stops moving forward going up a rocky steep incline, to the adventures in the Copper Canyon Adventure Park, meeting 3 cool young Chihuahuahenses on April 12.

I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ As I mentioned, Memo (Memo is the nickname for William in Mexico, like Will) Ayala offered to escort me  to Chihuahua.  He's a stud and rode 550 odd miles from Matzatlan to Chihuahua while I stopped in Hidalgo del Parral. For me, the 415 miles I rode was more than double what I've planned for and as I mentioned, it was not comfortable. The best part of the 400 odd miles was through Durango, the 1st third of the ride.

April 8, 2024 Videos Beaches south of Mulegé - just a quick spin through two beautiful beaches. Playa Santispac Playa Requeson Curves south of Loreto

I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ April 8, 2024 Hidalgo del Parral (Gentleman of Parral) The 2nd 1K milestone occurred yesterday (April 7) morning outside Durango on the way to Hidalgo del Parral at 11:37AM. As I mentioned, my guide/escort Will was intent on riding the entire 550 miles from Matzatlan.  Here is the route we took from Matzatlan, for me 415 miles and me duele el trasero. Tomorrow onward to Guachochi .  I've decided since the issue with the starter has not returned in the last 600 odd miles, I'm going to task the risk and venture into the Tarahumara mountains on my way to the ...

I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ April 6 & 7, 2024 Arrived at the Yamaha mechanic a few minutes after opening hour.  Roberto Ruiz, the lead mechanic greeted me as I entered the service area, because Etienne had again called that morning to "grease the skids."   In 2 seconds of hearing the noise that the starter was making, he identified the problem!  Yippee! Great! Whew!  Apparently it is the "bendix" which is involved in the pinion gear from the starter engaging/disengaging with the flywheel to start the engine.  (More than most readers wanted/needed to know?)...

  I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ April 4, 2024 La Paz, BCS Mexico OK, catch up, since the last update, I did ride 200 plus miles through the desert from south of Loreto to La Paz, BCS.  Oddly enough there was cell service at one  point and I got a call from a realtor in Napa about a propery my wife is selling.   A little of the curves between Loreto and La Paz I thought to begin to include maps of my travels to help folks visualize the ride. I relaxed in a cool little B&B Casa Juarez, 5 blocks from the Malecon, which is the few mile long road that fronts to the Sea of...

I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Approaching Cataviña . (Of all of the varied landscapes of Baja, this is my favorite.) Cataviña is a small town located on the Transpeninsular Highway in the El Mármol district in the state of Baja California.  It is located 77 miles south of the town of El Rosario de Arriba where it was sunny and warm, so I took off all the rain gear.  The toponym Kataviñá is of Cochimí origin (an indigenous tribe to the area prior to the arrival of the Conquistadores), but its exact meaning is not known.  It currently has 146 inhabitants. Cataviña is one of the area...

I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ April 3, 2024 Just a view of the effects of the rain here.  Most of the towns along the Transpeninsular don't have paved roads nor do the businesses facing the highway.  This makes for careful conservation as to where I can pull over in these towns. Just a little more mud... Just a little of what I am seeing on the Carratera Transpeninsular Apparently riding in the US for 2 years with the tourpack has not prepared it for use on the Transpeninsular highway.

I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ April 3, 2024 Hotel Tripui, BCS Mexico The process of taking videos, filtering them down to ¨interesting¨ short reels takes a lot of time and more importantly really good WiFi.  So it is likely that the blog posts won't usually include contemporaneous vidoes.  And as I have time and access to good WiFi, I'll post videos and attempt to put them in context. 03-29 Day 1 Taft, CA Oil Fields 04-01 Day 3 Cataviña, Baja Mexico Roadside Fuel Up Crossing a Muddy Vado on the Transpeninsula Highway

  I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ April 2, 2024 Hotel Tripui South of Loreto, BCS Mexico   Yesterday I noticed a whining noise each time I started the motorcycle.  At first, it was pretty minor, almost indecernable.  Plus I just had the starter replaced less than 500 miles before the ride.  So as other motor folks might think, maybe I just imagined it, until it becomes really obvious and consistent.  Well it has become both obvious and consistent.  I am 200 miles north of the nearest city, La Paz, BCS.  In between are 200 miles of sand, 12 varieties of Cardo...

I have embarked on what I hope will be a 4 month, 17,000 mile motorcycle ride through the US and parts of Mexico and Canada to visit family and friends and to benefit Children International.  Please consider supporting me – learn more here  Will's Charity Ride for Children International - PledgeIt _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ March 29, 2024 Starting Odometer (24,163) 6:15AM Contrary to the weather forecast just last night, it is not yet raining, but it looks like a 50% probability locally and it seems to decrease as I head south to outrun the rain, the plan today is to ride 333 miles to Mojave, CA.  With a 50% probability do I put on the rain gear or not????  Some might ask, "Why not just put it on?"  Well because while it will keep me dry, it is a pain to put on, blah, blah, blah.../    As it turns out, today I planned to out pace the rain.  Maybe you've he...