A road in Colombia (Photo: Alisa Clickenger)
Alisa Clickenger, aka MotoAdventureGal, is on her way to Tierra del Fuego, a woman riding solo to the tip of South America. Periodically she checks in with us. When we left her last she was in Colombia.
Altogether Alisa spent three weeks in Colombia, and then crossed into Eucador. With an intestinal bug forcing her to alternate riding and barfing, she went to Quito and then Banos and then she hit the mountains.
"I rode the freakin' Andes! I'm doing more off-road riding, the scenery is incredible.
At 11,000 feet it was cold, there was mud and some rain, the fog was incredible. Up there in the clouds and you can't see anything. The going has gotten a lot slower."
In Ecuador and later Peru she has been struck with how many more people still dress in the traditional manner and live in the traditional ways--while talking on cell phones.
In Peru, unlike other places she has been, Alisa has found it very poor, with the people not overly friendly.
"I think life is too hard for them to care much about helping strangers."
Alisa with a friend (Photo: Alisa Clickenger)
Not for everyone, however. Soon after entering Peru Alisa's chain broke. She was in a construction zone at the time and the surveyors offered to take her to the local police station for their assistance. The police seemingly found Alisa a welcome distraction from their regular routine and went out of their way to help her. They found a mechanic to fix her chain and by then it was too late for her to go on. So they offered to let her spend the night sleeping in one of the cells in the jail. Everywhere she went around the little town that night she had a police escort and they even bought her dinner.
Now headed toward the Cordillero Blancos, or White Mountains, Alisa rode the Canon del Pato, which was about 20 miles alongside a river, with 40 tunnels.
"The tunnels were scary, with no lights, and many with signs saying 'Beep horn before entering.' You need to look ahead but the road is rough so you have to watch the road, too. The bike just does this dance . . . very interesting."
Reaching Huaraz, it was time for a day of rest, which is where Alisa was when we connected. She had plans the next day to get either a new master link or a whole new chain.
"I did not know there are different sizes of master links. I've gotten a real education in chains the last couple days."
Keep on going?
After that, "I'm really looking forward to Bolivia, and to leaving Peru. Then Chile. I won't go near Santiago (recently devastated in an earthquake) but I'll do a bit of Chile and then turn toward Argentina."
But will she make it south before the weather turns? And does she want to?
"I have issues. I have diarrhea, I have a cold, my chain is not 100 percent, and my butt is killing me!"
Alisa is riding on a stock seat, and while she was given an inflatable cushion in Honduras, it has sprung leaks and has been patched four times.
"I resent having to miss so much. Every day I go back and forth between those two poles. I met an archaeologist who told me about some marvelous ruins, and they were only two hours away but they were north. I couldn't go. At this point I don't even know if I can make to Ushuaia (where the road ends).
"I made plans with a friend to get there by April 15, but 10 days in I'm already a week behind, so it will be the end of April if make it. If I'm in Ushuaia in May that's stupid.
But for now I'm just gonna keep truckin' south. If the weather gets too bad I can just turn around."
What Alisa hadn't counted on was how much harder the going is in South American than it was in Central America.
"The roads are harder and the distances are longer."
We'll touch back in with Alisa soon to see how it's going.
Related articles
Riding solo to the tip of South America
MotoAdventureGal update: Canyons, mummies, and butterflies
MotoAdventureGal update: Reaction to a woman riding solo
MotoAdventureGal half way to goal, but running out of time
MotoAdventureGal update: To the Darien Gap, then the hop to Colombia
MotoAdventureGal update: 'I rode the freakin' Andes!'
MotoAdventureGal update: Hard decision not to go to Ushuaia
MotoAdventureGal update: Made it to Machu Picchu, broke her hand
MotoAdventureGal Finale: Flying to Seattle today
Comments
Whether she succeeds in making it all the way to Terra Del Fuego or not she has already succeeded in completing an adventure to rival anyone - male or female.
It looks like to me, if she can turn a phrase (which I bet she can) she's got the makings of a great book.
I agree with Patty. She has gone so far, she should be proud of her accomplishments whether she makes it or not. I love to hear about her adventures!
Wow! What an awesome story. You are a brave woman, Alisa.
Fantastic story! When is the movie coming out??
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