A pair of Kiwis are crossing the American Continent- on scooters
By: Dodsfall
August 7th, 2012
7:11 pm
Stephen Hogg and Tim Munro are taking on a journey that would be remarkable using just about any vehicle that was not a commercial jet. They are traveling from Alaska to Argentina on scooters.
The road trip will be over 29,000 kilometers (18,000 miles) long. They will travel through 16 countries and will ride the world's longest road, the Pan-American Highway. The route will take them from the Arctic Circle to the very tip of South America.
Hogg, 26, and Munro, 27, are planning on leaving New Zealand next week on the 16th of August. The two friends live in Wellington, NZ and have been looking forward to a challenge for a while now.
''We've been delaying our OE* for such a long time that by the time we actually sat down and said let's do something, we needed something on a decent scale to make up for lost time,'' Hogg said. ''We took a look at the Americas and decided there are so many places there that we'd both love to go and experience.''
The pair started joking that it would be great to make the trip by scooter. Soon the joke turned into a serious undertaking. They purchased two Indian-made Bajaj Chetak scooters. The 150 cc machines get great fuel economy, but were never designed for such an ambitious trip.
Knowing that the unexpected is surely to take place along their adventure, the pair have left a very loose itinerary.
Hogg said, ''There are parts of the trip that we're not going to be able to figure out until we get there. There is the Darien Gap, which is a stretch of jungle between Panama and Columbia. We are going to have to find our way around on a boat, which from what I've heard is an experience in itself.”
Other concerns such as an active drug war in Mexico will be something to consider. The riders are most concerned about road conditions along the route.
Hogg concluded, '' Mum was a little more concerned as mothers generally are. I think all in all I was surprised with their reaction to it and it's just been positive and they've been helpful.”
Lookers-on can follow the progress of the trip on their blog. http://www.stepthrupanam.com/blog/
*Overseas Experience - a common New Zealand and Australian term
[Stuff.co.nz]
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1 comments on "A pair of Kiwis are crossing the American Continent- on scooters"
August 8, 2012 at 12:06 pm
I commend them on wanting to set off on an adventure, but being from Texas and knowing what is going on across our border, I don't think its very smart. The Mexican cartels would just love to make an example out them and they can expect hardly any help. I think they should make their first OE* maybe from Alaska to Nova Scotia, still a great distance and adventure but being in a little more friendly place along the way.