About Me – Contact Me
So, who am I and what am I doing? Well, my real name is Richard but a lot of people on the net know me under different nicks, the latest is TravellingStrom or TS for short, I have also been called many other names as I grew up, some not so flattering 🙂 This is me enjoying another of my favorite pastimes, reef fishing.
I intend to ride my motorbike around Australia where I have spent most of my life, then fly with the bike to the American continent and tour around there. After that, get us to the UK, go through Europe and head back home via whatever route is available when I get there that is reasonably safe, I would expect the Stans and then Asia, possibly China and then back home. If things change for the better in the middle east, I would like to check out a few of those ancient places. I figure that if I do the trip in this direction, I will have most of my funds available while in the most expensive parts of the world, ie, US, Europe. Then when the funds start to get low, I should be in the Asian sector where you get more bang for the buck. That means I can still travel at the same comfort rate as before, or maybe even better, you never know.
I am at this stage heading away on the 1st August 2008, my first goal is Cape York, or as far as I can get on a heavy pig of a bike up nearly 1000km of dirt anyway. Then proceed west to Broome, south and back east, hopefully do some of Tassie when it starts to warm up a tad. I do not have a concise plan because things change when you are travelling. If things don’t go to plan, then bad decisions can be made which could have disastrous consequences, to my health most likely, or my means of transport, which ultimately is closely connected to my health. If I do not have exact timetables then I will not be ‘rushing’ to get somewhere, possibly while tired, or fatigued on a hot day/extremely cold day, maybe even riding at night while tired. There are other reasons too, I want to see things, experience the places and cultures I will be travelling through. If I make a plan to be somewhere, I may miss out on something else which I would have been really interested in. Spontanaity is the plan! Pull up on the side of the road, enjoy the view, take some photos, stay an extra day in a small village in the middle of Columbia for example, why not, I don’t have to be anywhere 🙂
That said, I still have a couple of places I would like to be at certain times. The first one is the Ulysses Adventure Riders AGM, which this year is being held in Myrtleford, Victoria 11th October. I have a feeling I will be in Western Australia at that time. But, if I am within 2000km, then it is only a few days ride to be there for that weekend. I will try and ‘steer’ my route in this direction where possible without backtracking too much nor causing undue hardship on myself. If I miss it, I miss it, I am not going to die trying!
I had been thinking for a long while about which way to proceed with the overseas legs, I was initially considering flying to Singapore and heading west via the silk road, this has been done by many bikers in the past. I also have many ‘net’ friends in the US and was thinking of getting there around Christmas, but it would be winter there and I am not sure I could go from an Aussie summer direct to a US winter, brrrrrr, so I sort of let it rest a while, I still had plenty of time to make that decision.
I am an avid follower of the Dakar Rally, usually held from the 1st-15th January every year which winds its way through south Europe, then Africa into the finish at Dakar. This years event was cancelled due to tourists being killed which was very sad, of course they had to cancel the event 3 days before the start, but they could not maintain the safety of the thousands of competitors, officials and spectators. I heard in early April this year that the 2009 version has been moved to the South American continent and will start and finish in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
That was it!! I had a goal and a date, now I could get my arse into gear and start planning 🙂 The Dakar would start on the 3rd January, I could fly in and follow it around, find some vantage points and watch the action first hand. Over the next few months, the bike forums were alive with talk, there was going to be heaps just turning up to watch. All I needed to do was somehow get the bike there, the latest info I have is Qantas will do a direct flight, I am hoping that is so. So, that is my second and last deadline at this stage.
Why take the bike, why not buy overseas, surely it will cost a lot to fly a bike, I hear the questions coming? Well, for a start I bought the bike new, I have maintained it and modified it to suit me. If I bought a bike overseas, who knows what I would get. Then I would have all the hassle of modifying the bike in a short time frame, then assuming that worked, I would have problems at some of the international borders. Doing it my way, I only have to prove that the bike will not be sold in the countries I travel through. I also will have no issues importing the bike back into Australia at the end of my travels in a few years time, except for quarantine of course, it will need a bit of a scrub 🙂 Yes, it will cost money, probably around $5000, but I will save that in not having to keep buying selling etc while over there.
Below here is a contact form. If you would like to contact me privately then just fill out the details and write your message in the box. Also if you wish to be added to a notification list of blog updates, just send me an email as well.
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TravellingStrom 
Chris Desmond said
Hi Richard,
I am doing pretty much the same thing as you, first 3 trips around Oz, GTR1000, ST1100 and KTM 640 Adventure.
Last year I shipped the KTM to the US for 6 months and shipped it back, very expensive.
This year I bought a DL650 in the US, just finished the North Eastern part of Canada, haeading towards Colorado and Baja now, then Central and South America.
Send me your Blog updates, we might meet up somewhere on the road.
Chris
TravellingStrom said
Hi Chris, good on ya, someone has to do it eh!
Maybe meet you on the road, I have added you to my blog list
I have just got back from Prudhoe Bay and heading south.
Cheers TS
Gary Olive said
Howdy Richard,
Good to see you are enjoying yourself in the U.S. Some very nice pics of the places you had been to. Keep up the good work on this blog and expect to see heaps more.
Cheers,
Gary
TravellingStrom said
Hi Gary, I am glad someone from back in the SES is reading it anyway 🙂 Thanks for doing so, hope you are all keeping active back there, but for all the right reasons 🙂
I will certainly be continuing what I have started 🙂
Cheers Richard
Gary Olive said
Hi Richard, Lots to read and look at for sure. We have been active.
Good to see you are continuing and want to see lots more as time for you permitts. Send me a real email if you can.
Gary
TravellingStrom said
Dear!
I’ve just read something really surprising, just take a look, you’ll be amazed http://ultrajectum.sushinc.com
See you soon, TravellingStrom
Bob Cappleman said
Hi Richard,
wow you have done alot of miles on that bike, how far do you think it will keep going.
another Q how long will you be away from home.
I enjoy reading your posts every day, you are having a fantastic tour by the look of things.
keep your nose in the wind
Bob
TravellingStrom said
Hi Bob, I have personally clocked up 34,000 miles, the bike has done 37k, it should last a long time yet, even if I double it in the coming months, it will only be half its useful life before anything should need to be done to it.
I will be heading home next year in late February, so some time in March I should be back in my home town 🙂
Thanks for the comments and I am glad you like my ride report, which is basically what it is 🙂
Cheers Richard
Ted Rees said
TS, How do you manage to take photo’s “on the move”? Is the camera mounted? I’m really enjoying your BLOG and trip, keep it going.
TravellingStrom said
Hi Ted
I usually take the photos with my left hand, I have been doing it for years and comes naturally now, I always try to have the camera in shaky hand mode though, which works the best.
Cheers TS
Bob Sullivan said
Haven’t heard from you in 7 days. Getting concerned.
TravellingStrom said
I am OK thanks
cristha said
my sister loves you bike!
TravellingStrom said
Hi there, she has good taste, where do I know you from, I am confused 🙂
Ted Rees said
TS, Really enjoying your “Travelogue”. You are taking me to places that I doubt I will ever get to. Guatemala brings back memories of the ’80’s working for Telecom. The “Guatemalan Embassy” in Perth WA was a two storey house in the back streets of Menora (inner suburb of Perth). It looked like something out of the TV show “Mission Impossible”, I think the householder was a sort of Rep. for Guatemala.
TravellingStrom said
Sounds like here and I am glad my bull is readable 🙂
JJ said
we loaded 5 KLR’s on a 43 foot haywire sailboat with a bad motor and took 41 hours after San Blas eating smoke all the way. spent all day today getting our bikes thru. we were told no insurance was needed will have to rethink our plan now. glad I checked your site….JJ Mur, Lucy and John M and our new KLR guy Garret
TravellingStrom said
Hi there guys, I am glad I was of help, I know how it is at new borders and bad information, that is why I am posting actual info as I go.
I am in Medillin, heading to Cali for the weekend, maybe we can catch up again with one or more of you, if you are still riding as a group.
Say g’day to Garret the birthday boy for me , he would have loved our boat trip, as no doubt all of you would have.
I am glad you are all safely in Colombia, I had a few doubts there for a while.
Cheers TS
Ted Rees said
TS, I have tonight sent an email to Olympus telling them that you are their best ever Ambassador and that they should provide you with a good camera and advertise on your Blog. You never know what will happen, the worst that can happen is that they say no. I cannot imagine your Blog without photographs, I notice in the comments that you have bought a new Olympus, well done. Anyway keep it going and more pictures of good looking women please. If you get to the Ulysses AGM in Albany I shall buy you a “Square Bear” because you have taken me to places that I doubt I will ever get to and I really appreciate it, keep it going.
TravellingStrom said
Thanks Ted
Another m8 tried this a while back but the response back from Olympus was that ‘they handle all their own marketing, thank you very much’
Can’t hurt to try though, see what happens.
At the speed I am travelling, I won’t get to Tierre del Fuego, let alone Albany!
Cheers TS
Ted Rees said
TS, Olympus emailed me and said “Sorry” no camera etc. At least they replied. I checked out Quito on the Ecuador.com web site. You will be able to ride around the world in 10 seconds when you get there! Ted Rees
TravellingStrom said
Hi Ted, I did not think there would be a positive response.
What do you mean by ride around the world in 10 seconds, surely that would be at one of the poles, not the equator?
Cheers TS