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The need for adventure pulls some riders away from the comfort of home for weekends or sometimes more extended multi-day trips. An adventurous spirit has taken one man around the world on a trip that will touch the two wheels of his early nineties Honda Africa Twin on the soil of every continent except Antarctica. This may not be the first time such a trip has been undertaken. It does likely hold the record for length of time.

Ian Coates on his Honda Africa Twin in Belize.

The man, Ian Coates of Hebden Bridge, England has an infectious smile. It is a sign of the stamina and character of a single man who has been on the road less traveled for more than eleven years.

That’s right, Ian has been on this worldwide journey since 1999. A much shorter trip from South Africa to England started this odyssey. The original trip was to take four months. Instead it took nearly a year. Mere days after arriving at home, he and his trusty Honda were bound for Australia. Years were spent on his quest down under through the driest continent on the planet. He then headed to New Zealand, South America, Central America, United States and Canada. He spent an entire decade riding, camping, helping out on cattle ranches and enjoying every moment of life.

It is in Canada where I had the pleasure of meeting Ian. The 67-year old man is a definite character. His spirit built upon true wanderlust escapes through his constant smile in a mix of non-stop tales from his travels.

The wear and tear of his circumnavigation isn’t noticeable on his body. It is only noticeable from his motorcycle gear. Most of which has seen more miles than many avid motorcyclists will encounter in a lifetime.

Boots Bring us Together

Ian Coates' well worn boots from 11 years on the road.

Ian’s worn out and tattered boots brought us together on a warm 70-degree day near Vancouver B.C. The wayfaring had taken a toll on the sole of the boots with ever mile added to the soul of this incredible motorcyclist.

Held together by duct tape and bound to his feet by rubber bands, the boots showed every dusty mile. Nevil Stow, of Canmore, Alberta, one of many friends that Ian has made along this ride, offered to get him a new pair of riding boots. They order a pair of Gaerne boots from MotoCrossGiant.com in California. Unfortunately, there’s a minor mix up and they send him a pair of size 10 boots. Ian wears a size 13. With just a few days until he flies out from Vancouver to Seoul, Korea en route to Vladivostok, Russia. There just wasn’t enough time to ship the boots internationally across the US and Canada border.

I happen to live an hour south of the border. Ian calls and asks if the boots could be shipped to my house and if I’d be willing to bring them up to Vancouver. This would not be a problem at all. In fact, I was rather pleased to get a chance to meet him and help at the same time. Two days pass and the boots arrive on my front porch. That weekend I bungee them to my V-Strom and ride up to meet Ian at Malcolm and Kathy’s house in Surrey, B.C.

Special delivery: New boots from MotoCrossGiant.com

It was a glorious day for a ride. The weather was equally nice while sitting in Malcolm and Kathy’s well manicured back yard visiting and talking about travels to far off lands. A couple cups of coffee, a few hours and tons of stories is the best way to start any friendship. It is perhaps the best gift from a well-traveled rider. The knowledge and insight that those many miles provides is incredible.

This was truly a unique experience that I’ll carry in my mind from here on out. I can’t say this enough, you meet the most incredible people on a motorcycle. The fact that he is also an inspirational and joyful person is just icing on the adventure cake.

Good luck to you, Ian. May your ride through Siberia, Mongolia, India and all the ‘Stans go as smooth as fun will allow.

Read more about Ian on his online travel journal. It is also very easy to find more information with a simple Google search.

YouTube video of a local TV station interviewing Ian and his wife Judith.

Diablo Lake from the lookout

 
Washington State Route 20, also known as the North Cascades Highway, stretches 436 miles from Port Townsend to Newport, Washington. It is in fact the longest stretch of highway in the State of Washington. The true North Cascades Highway covers the section of SR 20 that crosses the Cascade Mountains from the town of Concrete on the westside to Winthrop on the eastside of the mountains. The road opened in 1972 to much fanfare, as it was nearly a century after the state first started building the road.

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The road climbs through the rugged Cascade Mountains and closes annually due to heavy snow and avalanches that can leave up to 20 feet of snow on the road. More reliable routes for east-west travel include US Highway 2 and Interstate 90. SR 20 started as a route to move goods and has turned into more of a route for tourists to see some of the most scenic areas of the Cascade Mountain range. Diablo Dam and Gorge Dam are two Seattle City Light energy sources along the route.

The North Cascades Highway is a “dream” route for many motorcyclists. It’s a road that everyone in the Pacific Northwest talks about as a God-like creation. I don’t know about deities, but it is very Zen-like to ride.

I have wanted to ride this road since moving to the state more than a year ago. The fact that the route is closed a good part of the year means that there are limited opportunities to ride it. After a few scheduling failures, the opportunity came to fruition with a few work colleagues. In all, seven of us (Jim – the trip planner, Bill, Glenn, Harry, Joe, Mike and I) took a Tuesday off from the daily grind to put some rubber to the tarmac.

Chatting prior to the ride in Smoke Point

We met at the Starbucks in Smokey Point and hooked up with SR 530 in Arlington. The tree-lined route passed by many farms and rural homes. We even passed by a farm with a sign that read, “Kangaroo tours.” We’re a long way from Australia, but nonetheless someone has the famous animal from down under.

This was the first time that the seven of us had ridden together. Everyone had a wide range of bikes to fit their even wider range of riding styles and experiences. We had racers, commuters and cruisers all together in one fantastic group.

We zipped along SR 530 until it hooked up with the North Cascades Highway in Rockport. The first stop was in Marblemount. Everyone took turns admiring the different bikes while a couple were filled with fuel and Harry inflated the tires on his Triumph Bonneville Scrambler. With just 15 pounds of pressure in the tires, the bike was feeling lazy in the corners. A couple of minutes with the compressor fixed that problem and we were on our way.

Marblemount gas stop

About 90 miles into the ride (from Smokey Point) we arrive at Diablo Lake, Crossing the bridge over the water really opens your eyes to what it takes to alter and harness the power of Mother Nature. The dam is an amazing structure that holds back a torrent of water that comes from the runoff of the melting snow from high in the hills above. It is a very picturesque area. The impact to the environment is evident in the dried riverbed where water once flowed. It has since been diverted and tunneled through the rock to better spin turbines that provide millions of people in the Seattle area with the power to brew their much needed coffee each morning.

True wizards of the road (from left to right) Harry, Bill, Mike, Glen, Jim and Joe.

Glen and I have a couple of technical difficulties with our jacket and helmet visor, respectively. This puts a few minutes behind the rest of the group. This means that we have time to make up. Boy did we ever! Sorry no photos for the next 15 miles or so. We connected to the road and whipped it into submission. Glen was tearing up the pavement with his long wheelbase Harley. My Suzuki V-Strom really allows a person to go deep into corners. Glen surprised me with how easy he made it look on his steed. Not bad for a bike he didn’t ride every day.

We catch the group and continue down the mountain to the drier side of the state. The vast evergreens give way to sparse trees and open pastureland and fields turned green from irrigation. Now heading south along the North Cascade Highway we are flanked to the east by rolling hills and fields and to the west the mighty Cascade Mountains. We travel along the Methow River through Mazama and Winthrop. The latter is a small tourist town that restored the facades of the buildings with a western theme in 1972 in preparation for the opening of SR 20. This is truly an area that had high hopes of development but has only found success in the tourist traffic. This is a good thing when you’re looking for food and lodging. The choices abound along the entire route.

Hometown Pizza pie in Twisp, Washington

We stop for lunch in Twisp. Each of us fills up on gasoline. After the bikes are full, we head across the street to Hometown Pizza to fill our own personal fuel tanks. This place has an ordinary name and extraordinary pizza. It isn’t the best pie that I’ve had, but for a small town this food was great. The bill for two pizzas and soda all around? Just $42 split seven ways means we filled our bellies on the cheap. If you’re along the route I highly suggest Hometown Pizza.

Just after Twisp, SR 20 heads east toward Idaho. We continue south on SR 153 through Carlton and Methow and hook up with US 97 in Pateros. Again, I didn’t get any photos in this area as I was behind the group and making up time. There was a little park along the Columbia River that we stopped at that had a sandy area for me to spin tires and generally cause a ruckus. In short, I was playing and lost the group.

The drier side of the state; aka the east side of the Cascade Range.

US 97 is a busy road with growing traffic as it approaches US 2 near Wenatchee. We hop the semi super slab of US 2 and make our way over Stevens Pass and back over to the greener side of Washington State. US 2 over Stevens Pass is a fantastic ride. Check out the Yakima to Everett ride report for details on Stevens Pass.

I arrived home in Everett by 5:30 p.m. tired and satisfied. Another fantastic ride in Washington State is complete. The guys from work deserve certain kudos. A great crew that should get together for another ride soon.

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