Howdy -- this is sorta kinda trip planning, not quite route planning, but still I hope somebody finds it useful:

My daughter and I are prepping for a three month run from the US to Argentina, departing (finally) next Saturday (Jan 23). Rides are BMWs, R1200gs (me) and her F650gs. We're truly pumped. As "the Papa", I can't believe my luck to have such an amazing daughter, who would want to spend three months on the road with her pop. But I wander...so...

We spent this last week end at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina, taking the two day off road course. Of all the money and effort invested in bike prep and such getting ready for this trip, I don't think anything else we've done comes even close to what we've gained taking this course.

Please don't get me wrong -- I have HUGE respect for all the folks who head out 'round the world two weeks after buying their first bike -- but with a little time to get ready, a little personal prep couldn't hurt, yes?

So to the point; My only regret is not taking this course years ago. Anybody who wants to tune up their skills pre-launch should really consider taking the course. The instructors dialed in perfectly to what we needed for where we're headed. The bikes and facilities were nothing but the best, and though it was one hellova workout, the skills we picked up are gonna be more useful than ALL the other preps we've done, combined.

I know doing the course isn't cheap. I'm sure for many (and me until recently) it would be considered an unnecessary extravagance. But what do you suppose one crash avoided would have cost? And what if said mishap ended the "trip of a lifetime", or produced a serious injury? That's the justification that worked for me.

I've no affiliation with these folks, and gain nothing from this post, but if you're even thinking about tuning up your off road skills, I'd suggest giving it a thought, and taking a peek at our write up at

Haciendolo…

Cheers --
mr

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Mike R.
Santiago, Chile