The threadbare riding gear is faded, the colour bleached-out by the sun. The passports are full, newer stamps overlay the old. The bike is scarred and worn from multiple crashes and countless tip-overs.
But like Ilford 120 through a Pentax, Margus and Kariina defiantly roll on, taking some of the finest overland travel photography you will see.
(Click any image to view larger, higher quality photos - All photos copyright Margus Sootla)
Anthony
How long have you two actually been on this epic? Have you lost count of the days? Do words like “Tuesday” or “Weekend” have any meaning at this point?
Kariina:
We set out on the 1st of October 2008, so it is something like two and a half years by now - after a while you really stop counting the days and the months! The initial plan was to do the circle in 1000 days but now it seems we'll be going over a little.
Days of the week are pretty irrelevant, as are the numbers on the clock - we wake up when the sun rises and go to sleep soon after it sets, which is quite an organic way to go about our daily life.
Posted in
interview,
motojournalism,
Photography,
Travel
Just got back from a fantastic trip down the Eastern US to North Carolina, where I gave a presentation of my
Cross-Canada to Panama trip at the
Overland Rally Southeast.
I was able to meet lots of cool folks including Waterlilly of
Dual Sport Plus, Dr Benny of
MotorcycleMexico, and DrRock & LDF of the
Mobius Trip.
I'm digging in to the photo post-processing now, lots of photos from the Rally, the
Blue Ridge Parkway,
Works Engineering in Brooklyn,
Manhattan, Coney Island, Mount Washington and everything in-between.
Before all that goes up I'll post the interview of
Margus and Kariina of "From Estonia with Love"
There's so much there I think it may be a two-parter!
Here is a quick preview of the US trip.
Posted in
motojournalism,
News
Just a quick note to say, I'm making my way south to the
Overland Rally SouthEast, in Asheville, North Carolina.
I received a last minute invite to do a photo presentation about my Canada to Panama trip. So I'm attempting to fit the entire trip into an hour presentation!
I'm looking forward to the ride, as I've never been to the eastern US before, and the map shows plenty of squiggly lines...
Sunday, I'll head from Montreal to Toronto to meet Les and Cath' of
DualSport Plus where I'll throw on a fresh chain and sprockets. Monday I'm headed south along the Appalachians till I hit Asheville, North Carolina on the 9th. Just gonna wing it, like always - just how I roll.
After the Rally I'm headed to NYC where I'll catch-up with
Dr. Rock (of Mobius Trip fame)
Come check-out the rally if you can!
See you on the road,
Posted in
motojournalism,
News
A few photo highlights from the 2011
Eastern Ontario Adventure Rally at Elmhirst's Resort in Keene Ontario.
Crash retrieval crew...
Check out all
the banter on ADVrider, and see
the rest of the photos here.
I've recently interviewed Guarav Jani The motorcycle travel filmmaker who made
Riding solo to the top of the World and
One Crazy Ride. At the time he was up in Leh, in the northernmost regions of India, to renew permits to film in the sensitive India-Chinese border areas.
There is finally a teaser of that latest film he is working on:
Motorcycle Chang Pa. It's Guarav's one year journey on foot, on horseback and on Royal Enfield Bullet, to one of the coldest and remotest deserts in the World - The Changthang Plateau on the India- China border. Looks like the quality of this film has taken another step-up, each film looks better than the last.
Find out more about the film on the
Dirt Track Productions site.
*Update*
I've just received an email from Gaurav, he writes:
"Despite innumerable problems and harsh weather, the journey and the film are shaping up better than we expected. We have cut a small teaser for the film and you can see it at http://dirttrackproductions.com/
On the website, you can also read about the nine month journey so far at http://dirttrackproductions.com/motorcycle-chang-pa.html
But the best viewing experience is to be had on your Full-HD TV, so we've uploaded a high-resolution (1080p) version of the Teaser as well. Do take the trouble to watch it on a big screen.
The Motorcycle Chang pa journey is still far from over. I have about three months of filming left.
I would greatly appreciate your feedback on the Teaser.
Thanks and Regards,
Gaurav Jani"
A reader dropped an email asking about the DIY pannier/soft luggage rack on my KLR650. The
Ortlieb thin dry bags that I use are perfect for my needs - lightweight, low-profile and absolutely waterproof - They can be thrown over most motorcycle saddles as-is, but the way the passenger handles stick-out on my KLR keep the panniers too far forward. I found the bags would hit the back of my legs while standing on the pegs. Big problem off-road, especially on steep downhill sections.
Making this rack let me mount them at least 6" further back, with the rear luggage strap looped through the passenger handles. The rack also keeps the luggage away from the exhaust and off of the side panels. Perfect.
I mocked-up each rack in cardboard to get the bends right. I cut the perforated stainless steel bar with a hacksaw, rounded the sharp corners with a file, and bent the steel with vice grips on a table edge.
I bought long metric bolts and washers to attach the bar to the KLR luggage rack, and the standard passenger peg bolt worked fine for the lower attachment point. Blue Loctite all around. Total cost $10-$15
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The bend on one side is slightly different than the other.
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Before:
After: Note the difference, look at where the back of the pannier lines up relative to the North Face duffel bag. Much better. I don't even notice the panniers when riding off-road.
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Sure, these racks get a bit bent out of shape in a tip-over, but the beauty is, you just bend them right back!
I've run these from Canada to Panama without a hitch.
@AmericanSahara and I had a laugh on twitter when I wasn't sure what to call this kind of rack: On a KLR it's "the cheapest way possible" on a BMW it would be an "Adventure Brace™"
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Posted in
DIY,
Motorcycle
This weekend I've been going back through the amazing
From Estonia with Love ride-report on ADVrider.com, preparing questions for The next Motojournalism interview. Margus of Estonia shoots some amazing photographs with his medium format film camera and he has been travelling round-the-world with his wife Kariina since 2009.
Sketchy bridge crossing...
Also, just wanted to post this edge-of-your-seat video for you folks who aren't following me on
twitter (you're missing all the good stuff!)
The video is from Graham Styles of Brainrotting fame. Here he has to cross a suspension footbridge in Colombia because the main bridge is washed out. Keep in mind he's on a fully-loaded BMW650, panniers, spare tires, the full lot...
