In 2004 I purchased a used Kawasaki KLR 650 with the dream of touring the world on a motorcycle. Like many before, the realities of life quickly got in the way of those plans. I had a decent job for someone in their mid 20s, yet didn’t really have enough capital acquired to drop everything and live on the road for 6 moths.
A few years of riding and by 2007 I was ready to plan a trip. John, a friend of mine, had just finished a trip to Mexico and loved the idea of riding through the endless desert landscape of Baja. My other buddy Ryan had just left his job and the timing sounded perfect to take some time and hit the road. I took a month leave from work and we planned a trip from Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Ryan would be riding a road bike so we would be somewhat limited to the slabs of concrete (or asphalt) that connect Canada to the tip of Baja. Planning was loose and I like it that way. Staying to a schedule leaves opportunity to fall behind, feel rushed or skip places you would otherwise stay another day. We planned a few destinations including visiting friends in Vegas on the way down and San Francisco on the way back. A mutual friend of ours was getting married in Penticton, BC, so we knew we had to be back for the wedding. My girlfriend (now wife) was going to drive out to BC to meet us for the wedding (and bring my suit to avoid me having to lug it 10,000km)
So it was planned, we leave August 20, 2007 for a 10,000km roadtrip to Cabo and back: