That Time Trent fell out of the Helicopter
In what situation did Trent fall out of a helicopter? Well, long before I was guiding motorcycle tours, married to a Chilean, and living in Chile, I was in a vastly different kind of business. I worked 7 years as a Wildland Fire Fighter for the United States Forest Service. During this time, I traveled a lot for different fires, and I moved around to different National Forest bases in the United States.

One summer I was based out of Jackson Hole WY, on the Teton Heli Rappel Crew. This was a good crew--a two helicopter, 20-person interagency Park Service/Forest Service Crew. It was an interesting crew for many reasons, one being we had two matching A-Star B3 Helicopters. We had 20 fire fighters from both the Forest Service and Park Service. It also happened to be a Rappel Crew, which meant we got to rappel out of hovering helicopters to access remote areas. It was fun to say the least.

Now typically I was the only person from back East in most of my old fire fighting crews, but in WY there happened to be two of us, not just from the East but both from GA. My Georgia buddy’s name was Trent, and during the season we became fairly good friends. Although the dynamic of the crew was such that we would get spread out all over the place and not always work the same fires, we did happen to be on one fire together in Alpine WY, about one hour south of Jackson.

It was a “good fire” up in the mountains and we got to fly a lot and work in a nice valley. Since the crew was a rappel crew, we had to rappel every two weeks no matter what was happening in order to maintain proficiency. So during this fire we had to make a proficiency rappel. Generally our Heli boss would do these “in place” as it was good practice to not always rappel into a field, but to sometimes add in real world complications. It happened to be windy as hell that day--a real-world thing we dealt with while flying. So, what happened with Trent? Well, first off nothing bad--Trent is good to go and did not get hurt. It was more a situation with several comical errors…

Since it was windy, the helicopter was bucking around a bit and that makes it harder to get out onto the skids to prepare for the rappel. As Trent went out onto the skids, he got bucked right off the skid and fell in between the skid and the fuselage. That’s not really the place you want to be at 200 feet if the helicopter has to make an emergency landing.
Everyone is watching from the ground, as the spotter inside the helicopter is helping Trent back up and onto the skid, laughing his head off the entire time. Trent gets reset on the skid and the spotter gives the rappel hand signal. Trent lets loose the Sky-Jenie rappel device and heads down rope. But he gets caught and tangled in a quaking aspen patch and struggles to get free; he goes down a bit more, cussing like hell I imagine. When he finally reaches the ground, the helicopter gets bucked up and Trent gets lifted up off the ground again and is not able to release the clip of the rappel device. Then he’s back down again and on to the ground, basically falling. In the last second, he unclips and heads off clear of the ropes that must now get tossed out the helicopter. Everyone is laughing like hell at this ridiculousness, not at Trent, as he did nothing wrong. It was just unpredicted circumstances, but funny nonetheless.

All I could do was grab Trent’s Skoll can and hand it to him as he walks up. I did not say a thing; I just gave him his tobacco and kept my chuckles to myself. A few minutes later the helicopter lands, the spotter Gomez in the back laughing so hard he can’t move. As the Heli winds down, we head out to talk, and we all recount the story several more times to our comical delight and Trent’s dismay.

In the end all’s well than ends well, and it was damn funny to see all this from the ground. Trent was a quiet guy, but always a good sport about these things. In fire fighting, things rarely go 100 percent all the time, so for us it was nothing to be alarmed about.

​Now here we are in 2020, and I feel like if we can get back on the skid, rappel down, and get off the rope, we will be able to get back at it and survive to fly another day. The old saying is “what a shit show.” Now I’m thinking people will adopt the saying “That’s a real 2020.”

As we all wait to get the global Covid-19 crisis behind us, I started thinking about what the remote areas we have traveled will look like when we can once again ride there. Most of these areas are by nature of their remoteness unmolested and natural. I wonder how things will have changed without any movement for what is now nearly a whole year. Will the roads be in good shape or in terrible condition? What happens to a semi-improved area once it is void of most human traffic for a year? Will it look like landscapes seen in the movies? With the forest overgrown and trying to take over again? We have seen from news stories around the globe that wild animals have been venturing into areas, like cities, previously off-limits for them and are now exploring areas once busy with traffic and noise.

​I look forward to my yearly pre-ride of the Carretera Austral to see how the roads fared over winter, to talk with the lodge owners we visit every year and to see how they have been over the long winter and now, due to  Covid-19, an even longer off season. Here in Patagonia we all rely on each other to make our rides possible.
I imagine empty roads and locals looking forward to seeing new travelers. Once we do get back to an open border and an easier way of moving around, I hope to see everyone start to relax and get back to enjoying life and exploring these areas with a new found appreciation for the freedom that is Travel. I think we are all waiting and wanting to travel again, to get out and see something new… Once that is possible, I think the tourism industry will have a gradual restart, but I hope that adventure travel once again becomes a priority.

This has been a winter of firsts for Moto Patagonia. We are trying to expand slowly, but with optimism, for next year and the year after that. Riding motorcycles is a way of life for us. We hope to see new riders and returning riders once again enjoying what Patagonia has to offer.

I have not written in a while. I started off 2020 with a broken hard drive on my old computer. I wish that had been the worst of it.

We wrapped up last season with some genuinely great rides. Good groups and fun riders from all over the world enjoyed not only what Chile has to offer in the form of Adventure Travel but what Moto Patagonia has to offer. With our unique style and commitment to small groups and fun routes, we were able to share amazing places with what I now consider new friends. That is the idea, to share and bond with different people from different cultures and explore using our motorcycles.

I can’t ignore the obvious of what is happening globally with Covid-19. Tourism is one of the industries most impacted by the abrupt stop of the global economy. Our industry of motorcycle tourism was already small and now it’s nearly microscopic. We have become more inventive and flexible with our bookings; however, with so much uncertainty we, nor anyone, can guarantee anything.

Patagonia is still here; it is still amazing, and I can say without reservation that you should still come ride with us. Once we get on the other side of this health crisis and the borders open, I know these routes will be better than ever. The people along them will be happy to see new riders and the industry as a whole is working together to create fantastic memories for those willing to travel again and go explore. Here in Patagonia we all work together: the fly fishing guides, rafting guides, the motorcycle guides…we all work with the local lodges, restaurants and ferry systems.

Our different activities blend and rely on each other to create our own little micro economy. Patagonia may be big, but the population of full timers living down here is small and we all count on travelers, not only to make a living but also to get out and explore ourselves. It is the greatest self-motivation there is, to share and show you what this place is all about. We started Moto Patagonia because of our own passion for travel and motorcycles. The whole business was designed around one thing, YOU!

Think about that for a second. Every small business offering unique tourism opportunities was built to share their passion with you. This makes you--motorcycle riders, fishermen, kayakers, mountain bikers--some of the most special people on earth! You are the explorers, the risk takers of the world, so don’t forget that Adventure IS for the Risk Takers of the World.

We hope to see you next season riding a moto here with us.  

How can you learn Spanish? Well, for starters you must want to learn the language.
​The commitment it takes to learn a new language and be fluent takes practice and time.

I get asked two questions a lot from our riders.
One: Did I know Spanish before moving to Chile? Answer: No
Two: How did I learn to speak Spanish. Answer: total immersion

I put in a serious effort before moving to Chile. For months I took classes two nights a week for two hours each night at the Latin American Association in Atlanta, GA, which I highly recommend for anyone in Atlanta with the desire to learn Spanish. I put in the time; I was the only student to show up on time to every class every night. I studied, I tried to follow the lessons. But I just didn’t advance as I thought I would, considering the time I was putting into learning. That is not a knock on the Latin American Association more a fact of the mater about how learning a new language requires some type of immersion.

If you can establish a base and then immediately start some type of ¨intercambio¨ classes to speak with a native speaker that is what will help you progress. I found that all the classes I took did very little in comparison to my first year in Chile and the fact that if I wanted something, or I needed to go somewhere I had to ask and I had to ask in Spanish. When you have no choice, you learn quickly the phrases, words and sentence structure so you can get out on your own with the basics.

Advancing to a higher level:
My first few jobs in Chile were in auto shops, that is my trade so naturally it’s a trade I can take anywhere. But like all things in a new country, I had to learn the technical words and the cultural shop dynamic. In short, the learning curve for me personally was steep. None of the guys in the shops spoke English except the owners but they were not in the actual shop with me working so I had to interact with other mechanics and express the things I needed so that I could get some work done. Just think, if you’re a mechanic and you need a rag but don’t know how to say “I need a rag” in Spanish, how frustrating something like that is.

Now think you are working on a new Range Rover and you need to say; “a rat ate all the control wires under the battery tray and it will take me all day to repair the wiring harness, but don’t worry I can do it.” How do I say, “Battery Tray”, “Wiring Harness”, “don’t worry” … etc. All this became a game of patience on my part because I felt dumb, even though I knew what I was doing.
However, most of all it limited me in a way I had not experienced before.

This is the most frustrating part of not speaking Spanish in Latin America. The limitations it puts on your experiences. When you travel you really want to talk to the locals and have some type of connection with them, in my experience language is a deep-rooted part of every culture. Learning the language opens doors and can help you to have a better experience and be less frustrated at times.      

If you plan to spend any amount of time in Latin America it is a great idea to learn a few phrases beyond “dónde está el baño” and “más cerveza por favor.”  Although those two are important I think being able to talk to someone face to face and express yourself and then understand them when they reply will be a game changer in what you experience while traveling here in Latin America.

A couple of tips I think might help you during your quest to learn Spanish. Establish the basics through classes, either online, or in a real classroom. After getting the basics and gaining confidence, search for a Meet Up and try to find groups in which the sole focus is to speak Spanish. There you can try out your newly learned basics in the real world.

After that, it is up to you to maintain the new skill.
If you don’t use it, you will lose it.

Bellow is a typical open air market in Santiago.
If you wanna buy your fruits and veggies here, Ya better speak Spanish!  

Some good that has come from the chaos. Like almost all tourism around the globe we had to cut our summer riding season here in Patagonia short. We cancelled our last big tour, our final rentals never happened due to the border being closed, in short it was a scramble to get all our clients taken care of in the last minute. But they were understanding and so were we. Moto Patagonia can reschedule the tours and rentals for next season, and we are looking forward to getting past this crisis and on to new and better things for the 20/21 season. It has been a whirlwind experience for us and we are like most, making the best decisions we can with the limited information we receive.

Now, on to the good part of all this craziness. The extra time we now have to sort through the bikes, logistics, and most important the new ideas we have for next season! I got a full day to tear down my KTM Super Enduro and make some changes to the rear suspension, clean up some wiring, and add a new rear frame brace. I was able to work all day without a single interruption.
We also have been able to sit down and talk about the new and exciting things we want to do for next season as well, soon to be announced. 
Overall, I think taking this time some of us have to sort through the back log of projects we have on going is smart. It will keep us all focused and give our mind a break from the constant incoming news we are all receiving.

A special shout out to the medical staff that are without a doubt working hard to help as many as they can. To everyone who is Mission critical, which includes lots of my own personal family, keep up the good work and get rest when and wherever you can.
Cheers from Chile!

Why is Chile such a paradise for motorcycle riding? It’s long and skinny with the driest desert in the world to the north and one of the largest ice fields outside of Antarctica to the south. Chile has something for all who venture this far south in the world, such as hiking, mountain biking, skiing, climbing - you name it, it’s here.

We often get asked about off bike activities. Getting off the bike allows us to see what we are riding past. It’s sometimes hard to go for a hike while on a motorcycle trip but lucky for us here in Chile there are short hikes that can be done in moto gear and we still get to see the environment we are in. You can also add in strategic rest days in locations like Futaleufú Chile to raft the Futaleufú River, a world class whitewater river. In Villa O’Higgins, at the end of the Carretera Austral you can take a full day boat ride to see the O’Higgins Glacier. Chile has something for everyone and a LOT for motorcycle riders.   

Once you leave the cities and towns most roads turn to dirt, the services become further apart, and the riding becomes more remote and interesting. From the Andes to the Pacific there is so much to ride it can be overwhelming to plan a moto trip. Luckily, you can’t go wrong with what ever direction or route you plan to ride. Even the paved road routes are spectacular and fun. Chile has riding that can be great for a day of riding to add to a larger itinerary or weeks’ worth of riding for as a stand-alone destination.

Here in Patagonia you can break down what can be seen in time frames.

• 1 to 14 days
• 14 days or more

If you have less than 14 days, I recommend you try to create a route in the Lakes Regions of both Chile and Argentina. With endless roads and route options its some of the best riding without adding difficult trip logistics to your shorter time frame. We can provide the correct paperwork to cross the border with the motorcycle and you can link together roads to build a fun and interesting route.  

If you have more than 14 days, I’d say add the big trip logistics into your itinerary and head south down the Carretera Austral or even go ahead and ride to Ushuaia. When thinking of heading further south from our base in Puerto Varas try to keep in mind the riding will not be as fast as you may think, the KM per day do not give a good indication of hours of riding per day based on speed. When wanting to head south you must factor in ferries and rough roads and almost always, we recommend more than 14 days to conquer anything in the far south. However, it is worth the investment in time and budget to see all of Patagonia.

​I have always tried to open routes for Moto Patagonia that are unique and different to offer something more interesting to our riders. With so much to see and do, there is also so much that can get skipped over. A little trip planning before hand can go a long way to getting the most our of your time riding here in Patagonia. 

I’ve never been someone who has melded with technology easily. I’ve always had a hard time adapting to new computer tech and GPS tech. But I have to say Google Earth is great to get the ideas planted and maps have always been one of my favorite things.  

Lately I have been getting on Google Earth and you guessed it, Zooming In. As we start the year and the finish off the decade, I am now looking at 2020 and the next 10 years as my chance to zoom into and look for those tiny roads that get overlooked.

Since Moto Patagonia is based at the start of the very popular Carretera Austral we get tons of request to ride this road and even more questions regarding how to do it, when to do it, and what the best stops to make are. Its famous for good reason.

However, I have started to look around our own region of Los Lagos and even to the north of us at some very interesting roads around some heavily volcanic areas and even some coastal areas. I’ve started to research new roads to explore, ones that do not appear unless you zoom in all the way and move around slowly. It is amazing what can be found doing this. The next step is to go ride them all and start building routes to share.

Sometimes we all get hyper focused on one area or a certain destination and we end up blowing past lots of great roads that could be an amazing addition if we only took the time to search them out.

​My 2020 challenge to myself and to you is to search out these lesser known roads. Let’s see what we can find and go out and explore some new routes that may not be as popular as others but offer the same great riding. They are out there and zooming in at home will get us all excited to get out and see what they offer.
I hope you all have a great 2020 with lots of smiles per mile on two wheels!   

I have read a lot about Ushuaia over the years. For many it’s a goal, a grand ending to a long journey. I’ve met motorcycle riders, bicycle riders and even walkers who are heading south to end their big trip at “The End of the World,” the city furthest south on the island of Tierra del Fuego. Located on the Argentina side of Tierra del Fuego and situated on the Beagle Channel, it is a protected city with big mountains to the north and the Beagle Channel to the south, with the Chilean Island of Navarino right across the Channel.

The ride into Ushuaia is fantastic, right over Garibaldi Pass. It’s a paved road with awesome, albeit dangerous curves to ride with old, frail guard rails and a huge cliff on one side. Once at the top you drop down the south slope and the riding is just as fun with big switch back curves and a ride right through the forest and ski area, literally passing under the ski lifts.

The location of Ushuaia makes it attractive because of the difficulty to get there. It’s far from any real big city of note, it takes a ferry ride to get onto the island, and it has a crazy climate with the weather always changing. However, while it’s far, the riding itself is not especially difficult; it’s entirely paved riding. The biggest thing to contend with is weather and wind. The border crossing from Chile to Argentina is easy, as it sees many bikers crossing back and forth.   

The food in Ushuaia is great, with King Crab being one of the local specialties. It’s literally brought right from the boats to the local restaurants. Argentina in general is known for good food, but when the seafood is this fresh, it is especially worth it to seek out.

​On the west side of Ushuaia there is the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego and on the east side of the city there is a little known road call the “J” road which takes you right down to the shores of the Beagle Channel and to some of the best seafood you can get. Down this road you have several small places to eat seafood run by local fishermen. These places are small and sometimes there is a wait, as there are only a few tables inside, but they have some of the best King Crab you can get, and the area is worth exploring.

Tierra del Fuego is also home to King Penguins, which you can visit at Parque Penguino Rey on the Chilean side of the Island about 115km south of Porvenir Chile. This sub Antarctic species of Penguin is the second largest species of Penguin. The park is privately owned and operated, and it is designed for you to view the penguins without disturbing them.

Tierra del Fuego and Ushuaia should be on anyone’s list for places to go ride a motorcycle. Even if you don’t finish the entire PanAmericna Hwy ride, you can still take a tour with us and see the best of Patagonia and finish strong in Ushuaia catching all the great sights along the way.    

Motorcycle riding is inherently dangerous. All those who ride accept the risk. However, when taking a big trip in a remote area we must start mitigating the risk somehow. I have talked about using devices such as the Garmin InReach or SPOT as a last resort to a bad situation. But I think that we should be thinking from a proactive standpoint. Because nothing can take the place of skill and confidence.  

While out on a long solo ride here in Patagonia I made a video about my thoughts on mitigating risk. How we need to have a greater percentage of skill vs the risk any ride may pose. What does that mean? Well If we are good at certain areas of riding and bad or low skilled at other areas, we can do several things to help mitigate the risk of failure for the sections in which we have low skill.

For instance, if we are not skilled at gravel roads, we must somehow overcome that and either gain the skill if there is time or adapt the route to take away some of the harder sections. Those are the only two ways to mitigate risk and avoid failure. Learn or adapt, you often hear comedians talk about how you know you’re a bad speller when you cant spell the word you are thinking so you decide instead to change the whole sentence to say the same thing but avoid the word you cant spell. Well that’s what we do with our riding. We either learn to spell or change the sentence. Learn to ride better with more confidence or change the route to better suite your skills.

Learn the skills. There are several ways to do this but a good place to start are videos about basic and advanced riding skills. This helps set a foundation to better understand the things you need to learn and of what importance they are to further your riding. I myself find that a great way to learn, push your boundaries and gain confidence is to ride with people who are better than me. This has really helped me because those friends who have high skills and a little patience will tell you what you’re doing wrong and help you to improve your riding. Remember they want a riding partner just like you so it’s to their advantage to get you trained up to a higher skill level. Another is taking classes with instructors and practicing those skill learned so that they become second nature.  All these things are the preferred method to be prepared for any trip you may want to take. This is what will help you in the long term for all your ambitious rides.

Adapt the route. Now if you don’t have the time to train and learn new methods to help you ride smarter and with more confidence the other way to complete those ambitious rides is to adapt the route to give yourself a better chance of success. This is of course a common issue for riders who may have set out on a big ride and find themselves in tough situations in which they must ride sections above their skill set. So, they adapt the route or push their boundaries. The later not always the best options when you are alone. However, the goal is to end any ride safely and so you must always put safety above ambition when you are not prepared mentally or physically with the skills required to complete a ride.
 
​I hope this helps to get you thinking of where your riding is and what may help you complete a big ride successfully. What did I miss? What helps you accomplish those big rides and gain skills on the motorcycle? Let me know in the comments. 

Over the years here in Patagonia one thing became clear very quickly. Flat tires happen and they happen more that you think. I want to share what I carry here while out riding. Being prepared for a flat is important to keep the Brraaapp train going.

Getting a flat on a tubeless wheel is no big deal, you can treat it like a car tire and plug it with those gummy tire plugs and a few tools. It’s a quick 10-minute job with a 12v air compressor and your back on the road. However, on more dirt oriented dual sport bikes that use a tube inside the tire, the situations become a bit more involved. While changing a tube is not a technically hard thing to do, it does require technique. It can be most compared to changing a bicycle tire. The ideas are the same the tools similar, but a motorcycle tire bead is much tighter and harder to dismount and then seat.

I carry several things to make these roadside jobs go quicker.

• Tools to remove the wheel
• Tire levers to remove the tire - I use 3, one long and 2 shorter ones
• Spare tube
• Patch kit as a back up
• Soap and water (these items get overlooked but make a big difference when setting the bead)
• 12v Air Compressor
• Patience

With these items you can successfully change a tube on the side of the road and get moving again. I suggest practicing this task. Its best not to be on the side of the road in a remote area and realize you haven’t a clue how to put all these items to use. Another piece of advice it to NEVER throw away the old tube. Keep it and at the next town have a tire shop patch it professionally. Otherwise your down to no spare tube. Keeping that old one will save you some headaches down the road should you get another flat. I’ve been on rides where a rider has gotten 3 flats in a 2-day period, that’s right, two flats in one day plus a bonus flat the next day!

Being prepared with the necessary items only goes as far as your skill, so get the tools you need and practice how to change the tube. Maybe even investigate taking a class on these types of roadside repairs. I know at events like The Overland Event in the UK and Overland Expo in the USA they offer classes on changing tubes and basic repairs to keep the ride going.

​And remember along with those tools and training have a good attitude and patience. Those last two have eluded me in the past and without them its always a tougher situation.