Ok... I rode from Los Angeles California to the southern tip of South America, and back. I started out with a friend from Alberta Canada - Larry is a rancher whom I met when I rode to Alaska a few years earlier and had stayed in touch with. He had recently bought a new bike and wanted to go for a ride. So we set our sights on Tierra Del Fuego. But, he had to turn back in Colombia. Then I rode with Brian from England, Patrick from Ireland, and Damon from New Zealand, from Columbia to Santiago Chile. After that, I was on my own.

This was an exciting trip for a number of reasons. It was over 30,000 miles thru Latin America and the Andes mountains, and I didn't speak much Spanish. There was also the small detail of the Darien Gap. And, then there was "Death Road" in Bolivia - supposedly the most dangerous road in the world.

Anyway, I blogged about the entire journey right here.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

This ended up being one of the more exciting legs of this trip as we set out on the trail of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  We left Potosi headed for Tupiza - an old stomping ground for Butch and Sundance.  Relaxed for a day and visited the museum there before heading out to the tiny town of San Vicente, where legend has it the two famous outlaws met their fate at the hands of the Bolivian Army. The ride out was an adventure in itself.  And, the scenery was absolutely incredible. But, the small dirt road was flooded in numerous places.  So, water crossings became a big part of the journey.  One small river had the road under water for nearly 100 yards.  But we managed to cross or find a way around each one.  We finally reached San Vicente after an exciting but difficult days ride only to discover they had no hotel or hostels.  So we dried our feet as best we could while we had a cup of coffee at the only restaurant in town.  Then we checked out the museum and were shown the actual house where the two outlaws were killed in a shootout with soldiers of the Bolivian Army and the Police.  We got the feeling that not many folks make the trip out to San Vicente.  It sure wouldn’t be mistaken for a tourist trap.  But, the folks we talked to were friendly and seemed genuinely interested in being as helpful as possible.  It was definitely worth the trip.  But the road out of  San Vicente was as bad as the one going in.  So, it provided even more entertainment with water crossings and mud - the road that keeps on giving.  We heard that Bolivia would destroy our vehicles.  Of course we ignored the warning - we were on an adventure!.  But two days after leaving the country, Patrick's rear wheel bearing disintigrated in the middle of the desert. The next day, Brian's did the same.



































































(the house where the two famous outlaws were killed in a shootout with 2 soldiers and 2 policemen)

(the graveyard where they were buried)









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