Website and Facebook

Hey guys,

For the last week and a half or so we've kind of been neglecting the blog. Part of the reason is that we've moved just about all our operations over to Facebook and our new Website.

So please check out www.endurobros.com and www.facebook.com/theendurobros

thanks!

Gear Review B P Fettuccine Alfredo

We took a trip up to the UP and spent a couple days riding and camping. In the next post we'll have some pictures and videos, but first, we wanted to share our review of Backpackers Pantry's Fettuccine Alfredo.

Aaron is muddy because he fell in some slick UP iron-rich mud... I was close behind, couldn't avoid him, and also fell, but I didn't look quite so much like a barbarian afterwards. 

It is amazing how God transforms wandering into directed purpose. Things are coming together for good.

Metrik Mayhem

It is always a scary ordeal when you put yourself at the mercy of a mechanic.  As the take off date approaches for this monstrous trip, scenarios of anything that could possibly go wrong are filling my mind.  Of these scenarios, perhaps the most catastrophic would be either one of the bikes quitting on us.  We have already discussed this scenario and the plan of action will be "two men, one bike" and neither of us are excited by the prospect of that!

So when I walked into Metrik Mayhem and asked Jesse if he could do me a favor and just go through it and find what is most likely to go next and fix it, I was nervous about the cost, but more nervous about what horrible news I might find out about my beloved DR.  Jesse had already done a wonderful job resealing my forks and the price had been half of what other area shops were asking, so this gave me some comfort.  I received a phone call only a day and half later to come pick her up.  When I arrived Jesse walked me through all the work he had done.  He had cleaned the carbs, re-wired my brake light switch, easy-outed two broken off bolts in my engine, resealed with yamabond, and even a bunch of little stuff that I would have just left alone and been bothered by for the 11,000ish miles to come.

 He had taken time on this bike and worked on it like it was his own.  It was relief to hear the expert opinion that the DR was worthy for the roads (and not roads) that we will soon travel.  If you are in the area and need work done on your bike, quad, sled, or even lawn mower take it to Metrik Mayhem right on Wonder Lake Rd.

• 4006 E. Wonder Lake Rd.
• Wonder Lake, Illinois 60097

Next week, Nathan's KLR get's the same treatment. Finger's crossed.

You can donate, if you'd like

Hello friends,


We've just opened an account with Indiegogo.com (a website that helps with fundraising). If you've read what we're doing here and thought, "How can I help these guys complete their trip and make an amazing documentary?" this is one way.





Visit here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/212197?a=1090001


Donations will be put towards recording and travel gear and any of $25 or more will receive a prize of the finished documentary lovingly wrapped and sent from us.

If you don't have money or would like to support us in a different way, please "Like" us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/EnduroBros/339244959496254?notif_t=page_new_likes)

You'll get more regular updates to our whereabouts and whats going on there.

Thanks!

Mision Vida Nueva

Charities and Missions

Mision Vida Nueva

We'll be stopping along the way to volunteer at some charities and missions that we've been connected with through friends. 

The first charity we plan to stop at is Mision Vida Nueva. It's located in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, which you can kind of see there on the map to the left. Mision Vida Nueva is reaching out to the poor, orphans, and abandoned children in the poorest region of Guatemala. It was founded by Jenna Haynes in 2011 and they've been building the ministry since. Jenna explained, "There are 153 registered children homes in Guatemala. 19 of which are accredited. Sadly, Guatemala's poorest department, Alta Verapaz, has not even one children's home. So here we are."

"Casa Gloria will provide a safe haven for these children and they will be fed, clothed, and cared for. Any child needing medical assistance will receive what is necessary and Mision Vida Nueva will ensure that these children receive a good education, which will include learning English. Casa Gloria will also provide an opportunity for the children to have a close relationship with the Lord through Jesus Christ. They will be able to study the Bible and worship in their own language. The children will learn different trades according to their interests and abilities so that when they reach an age to begin a life of their own, they will have the opportunity to attend college and/or go out and make a productive life for themselves reproducing  for others what they learned growing up."

Being a relatively new organization, they've been putting a lot of effort into getting. They'll have a lot done by the time we get there, but we'll be put to work building, setting up a fence, or whatever other work they let us do.

Below are some pictures of the work that's already been done on the grounds.

You can check Mision Vida Nueva out on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/misionvidanueva) and read more about their history and mission at their website (www.misionvidanueva.info)

Harley Davidson Rain Gear Review

Here's the third gear review. Some of our friends at Woodstock Harley Davidson were kind enough to donate rain gear, thus becoming our first sponsors. We had some fun with this one, so I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Check out Woodstock Harley Davidson here:  http://www.woodstockharley-dav.com/

That's all for now, but look forward to:

-more riding and camping gear and equipment reviews

-our next off road ride and camping preparation trip through Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula

-And our next blog, which will go over a couple of the charities we'll be stopping at on the way south.

Ratchets and Bong

Here's another installment of Aaron's Gear Reviews. In this episode, Aaron demonstrates how to use a ratchet and a tree as a lift.

On a different note, we've been trying to keep up with the rides. Here's a few pictures we took out at Bong State Recreation Area in Wisconsin. After nearly a four month drought here, we've finally been seeing some rain. As such, we thought it'd be best to get some mud training in.

Only a couple spills. Good times, though.

Gear Review 1: Sock Water

Gear Review 1: Sock Water

  We've decided to review the equipment we use along the way. This is the first review. Aaron talks about which water purifier we'll be bringing with us and demonstrates harvesting drinking water from socks.

                                           Correction, the filter is the "Hyperflo" not "lite"

.

Introduction

Hello friends, acquaintances, and strangers currently reading this. My brother, Aaron, and I, Nathan, are avid travelers. I'm an EFL teacher who has spent the last couple years teaching in Asia and Aaron is an Army Veteran who is now going to college. We've traveled Southeast Asia, Ireland, and the UK together and have done some pretty extensive trips apart.

Since I’ve returned home from Vietnam, Aaron and I have been planning a trip from Chicago, which is where our parents live, to Tierra del Fuego, the tip of Argentina. [it’s the green spot at the bottom of that picture]--->

We're thinking of leaving early September.

There's me on my
Kawasaki KLR650

What we’ve done so far is buy a couple Enduros [mine’s the shiny one there on the left], look at a map for awhile, and think of ways to avoid the areas that really ought to be avoided. We’ve taken the bikes on a few experimental rides and are currently working on making sure they’re trustworthy. The itinerary is still being worked on. At the moment, I’ve got a lot of cities lined up and a good idea of what it will take to do it, but any input regarding places, people, or activities we shouldn’t miss between the US and Argentina would be appreciated.

Me at the Red Square, Russia

Me hanging out with a rainbow at the
Great Wall of China

  So I guess what comes next is what we expect to get out of this. As Aaron recently stated,

"When people hear of the adventures I am planning, they often respond with, "That does not make sense," or, "Why would you do something like that? It is dangerous." I respond with this: "What amazing discovery has been made by a person unwilling to step outside of what is comfortable, common, and normal?"

   [I like to think that's him saying that right below this text]

Aaron at Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Aaron at Petra, Jordan

Said in another way, we're looking to ride for a long time, get some interesting stories, take some crazy pictures, fill our passports, and hopefully record a lot of it and make something entertaining to watch. That's the reason for this blog.

Additionally, we'll be looking for great camping, climbing and cliff jumping, charity work, fishing, and off road trail adventures.




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To the left here we have an example of a practice ride. We took a trip to Western Iowa from Northeast Illinois using the Trans Iowa Trail (TIT), which is an off road route, for a part of the ride. We practiced waving down and engaging strangers for information and gasoline, converting a camelbak bladder into a gas siphon, and push starting a motorbike with a dead battery.

Here's Aaron on his Suzuki DR650