As another gigantic season of Patagonia riding comes to a close, our thanks goes out to all Customers who endured the sometimes-grueling Patagonia conditions, terrains, and weather since all the riding began back in September. A special and HUGE thanks goes out to those who shared Customer Testimonials. Not exaggerating folks, reading your appreciation and positive reactions to the motorcycle rentals, routes & hotel packages we set up for you is still one of the greatest thrills we could ask for!

Moving into the winter months for Patagonia (late May through September) we're very excited to announce some new motorcycle trip packages in the Atacama Desert, much further north in Chile. I had blogged about the Atacama region not too long ago, and admittedly got a bit emotional as it brought back memories of my first couple years living, working, riding, and guiding in Chile. Since then, our work in Patagonia, Europe, and southern Africa has been so time-consuming, that attention to the Atacama region had just sort of "slipped" down the list of priorities, as inappropriate as that may be.

Folks, it's with great pleasure that we have added another new motorcycle trip package to our growing business, and that this route falls very much in line with the rough, dirty, nitty, gritty, and very adventurous style of riding that RIDE Adventures was founded on. In other words: It's the type of riding that I would be doing if I had more time to RIDE these days! Things are very busy with our growing business, so I'm in the office quite a bit, but not getting much time to even blog. Thank you all for being Customers of RIDE Adventures though.

Another long delay in between blog post updates, largely because so many riders are starting and finishing their motorcycle trips right now, which keep us very busy! 

'Tis the season for new motorcycles for the rental fleets in Chile and Peru! 

Part of keeping such touring and renting options running smoothly is thereplacement of bikes. While they all get regular inspection and maintenance between Customers, there comes a time and financial juncture when it just makes sense to replace each bike with a new one. Of course we need to break-in these bikes a bit and get them through their initial 1,000km's before they go through a first revision and inspection; and well ... somebody needs to put those first 1,000km's on them. Riding virgin bikes is still one of those simple pleasures that will never get old. I mean, they even smell new!

This important question comes up routinely in our line of business, aswe help adventure riders from around the world choose their trip plans: "What type of riding skills are needed for riding a motorcycle in Patagonia?"

To our friends from the November 2015 Patagonia motorcycle trip through Tierra del Fuego en route to Ushuaia at the "End of the World!"......we finally got the group video done! Yes, yes ... it was a long time waiting, but the word about Patagonia is getting out there about this unique territory in Andes Mountains of South America. We're seeing yet another year of growth with new riders joining, and some customers returning with riding friends, and as such, we've been a busy bunch. Videos sometimes take a while : )

(Click here for the post and photos about Day 3 and 4)

ITS GREAT TO SLEEP BACK AT SEA LEVEL! We've been riding these adventure bikes at some of the highest elevations in the Andes Mountains, which of course makes for thin air and occasional difficulty sleeping. Much better now though, having descended from 3700 meters to get to the Pacific Ocean. (And there are higher passes, like the one at San Antonio de Los Cobres measuring 4,850 meters!)

Riding along the shoreline as we headed north from Iquique, it's also clear that this once-small town in northern Chile is growing by the amount of construction and tall buildings being built. We can see behind us the paragliders leaping off the peaks that surround this city to the east, very close to the ocean. Iquique is a special city also, because it's so close to both Bolivia and Peru, so people from those countries have migrated here and make up part of the regular population with my fellow Chilenos.

(See blog post from Day 2 of this research trip on this link.)

Day 3 

Of course one of the great things about riding in the Atacama Desert, the "driest desert in the world," the weather is absolutely beautiful once again! Even the brief rainy season here is 'barely' rainy, so we mostly have bright blue sunny skies to enjoy.

Waking up to a view overlooking the harbor in Antofagasta, we headed north along the coast for some great sweeping curves and twisties similar to those found on California's Hwy 1, or as the PanAmerican Highway feels along the shorts of Peru just to the north. Waves crashing, birds hunting, and that wonderful scent of ocean air makes us just love this trip.