Los Panamericanos: From Alaska to Argentina on Motos

July 5, 2019

A big thanks to Ian Scobie for sharing this story with us ...

I have been dreaming about this trip since I was 10 years old, when I got my first dirt bike. I told my Dad that I wanted to go camping on our bikes; he agreed that would be great for a weekend, but we should ride from Alaska to Argentina some day. It stuck with me and was the subject for years of daydreaming in school.

I met Bubba two winters ago passing through Jackson on a road trip. He was one of the only people who didn't tell me that I was crazy when I told him about my dream.

We shared stories and talked about the meaning of adventure and doing things your own way. In the end, it was Bubba's generosity that made it all happen, and why my Give'r gear is still my favorite. With any adventure it's all about starting with a dream, making the plan and in the end just Given'r and adapting as challenges arise!

There isn’t really a perfect time to go on a 6-month motorbike trip, but after years of convincing, the cards lined up and three of us hit the road! I had just been offered a job, one was waiting to go to med school, and the other had just finished up college. Looked like it was as good of time as any...

Two of the three had never ridden motorcycles before this trip, and as the “team mechanic,” I had never even changed a flat tire. So with minimal experience, but a great thirst for adventure, we headed north to Deadhorse, Alaska, and the end of the road.

While the sun never set, our timing put us there near the end of their incredibly short summer. From there we started the long journey south, always in search of winding roads, friendly faces, and good mechanics.

Four months and 26,500 miles later, as we rode into Ushuaia, the sun was setting behind the two famous pillars welcoming you to the southernmost city in the Americas. This was a particularly powerful moment — not because the sleepy little town at the bottom of the world was our most spectacular destination but because of everything we had encountered while getting there.

From riding a 100-year-old sailboat around to the Darien gap and camping on the Uyuni Salt Flat to hiking to Machu Picchu, we experienced more than we ever dreamed possible on our journey south.

It’s easy to say that riding from Alaska to Argentina was the trip of a lifetime. But as many overlanders will tell you, traveling — meeting new people, seeing foreign sights — becomes addictive. I imagine it won’t be long before we’re itching to get back on the road, fulfilling the next daydream.

To check out more photos from Ian and friends' Los Panamericanos adventure, visit...
https://www.instagram.com/lospanamericanos/

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