Archive | Backblocks America

Backblocks America

A motorcycle tour through the USA, Canada and Alaska

Riders: Gareth Morgan, Jo Morgan, Dave Wallance, Mike O’Donnell, Roger Clausen
Motorcycles: BMW R1200 GS
Distance: 22,096km
Countries: United States, Bahamas, Mexico, Canada

Trip description: A journey of discovery from the Rio Grande to the Yukon, Bimini Island to Death Valley. Gareth & Jo tour through USA, Canada and Alaska sticking to the backroads as much as possible.


Blogs from the trip


Gareth’s Health

As some of you heard on Holme’s breakfast show Gareth wasn’t well enough to talk, so I got a say at last. He has a saddle sore or maybe a pressure sore on his rear, probably from all the hours he is sitting on the computer as well as the motorbike riding. Then the glands […]

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This makes it all worthwhile

Sometimes I wonder why we do the public side to our personal travels, but an email from my friend in Wellington has made me realise why. Her Mum, Gretta, in Kaikoura has been rather tardy about getting into the internet until she had to follow the trip. I always try to call in to say […]

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How much gear ??

All the women I meet want to know how much product and stuff I carry. They are aghast when I explain that the only product in my bag is chain lube and I have to apply it myself every night. My teeth are getting a bit worn looking at only 12500 km so it will […]

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Another Wetback into the US

Another Wetback into the US

Having come back into the US legally, by riding our bikes through the border crossing at Ojinaga/Presidio, we felt as we rode east along the Rio Graqnde towards Big Bend National Park, that we just had to take the piss. So off with the gears – in these temperatures we don’t need much persuading – […]

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Snakes and Ladders

Snakes and Ladders

We pulled into Batopilas pretty tired after a 6,000 ft decent to the bottom of one of Mexico’s Copper Canyons down a gravel, sand and mainly rock slide road. It reminded us somewhat of the “world’s Most Dangerous Road” in La Paz which, in a moment of madness we’d descended on bicycles. Not to detract […]

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Temperature Extremes

The arid environs and extreme climes of the North Mexican desert are tough for us softies from the temperate zone to endure. 46 degrees during the heat of the day and still 34 degrees at 10 pm at night is no norm for us. Setting the air con in the hotel room to 25 degrees […]

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The Bikes

Again we are riding BMW bikes on this trip. Last year we had 650 Dakars for the boys and Joanne a 650GS on The Silk Road which proved to be the ideal bikes.This year the boys have chosen the bigger R1200GS as the bike for the American roads (easy choice for me I already owned […]

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Katrina and Rita

We are all in shock from the devastation we saw during our tour of New Orleans with a local fireman. 8 months later to have so much damage and wreckage strewn about has to be put in perspective. 250,000 homes (all of Christchurch) are unliveable so 60% of the population has been relocated and many […]

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