Return to GlobeRiders Home Page

Home Page Banner

 

IndoChina Adventure 2008 Live!Journal Chapters Menu

IndoChina Adventure 2008 - Bikes & Bios Chapter

 

 

Welcome to the Bike and Bios Chapter of our IndoChina Adventure Live!Journal.  Here, you can meet our participants, get to know a little about each, and see what bike they will be riding on tour.

 

 

Best Regards,

 

Helge Pedersen - Founder

 

 




Mounting a Chinese license plate, Beijing, China.

Bridging the language barrier, somewhere in Eastern Europe.

Riding tall, Siberia, Russia, on the World Tour.


Participant:
Cummings, Vincent
From:
British Columbia, Canada
Motorcycle:
2008 BMW R1200GS Adventure
GlobeRiders Tours:
IndoChina Adventure 2008
 
Silk Road Adventure 2007
 
World Tour 2006

From Vincent . . .

 

 

With the risk of repeating myself to some of you, here is my basic riding history. Started riding at age 14 with a Yamaha 180 scrambler that I bought from Sears with money I made delivering newspapers, met my first wife with that bike, great memories.

 

Then I got a Triumph Bonneville 650cc for about a thousand dollars, had to take a loan out to pay for it and still had the same girl friend. My first road trip was on that Triumph, rode it camping from Edmonton to Banff, Alberta, along with my long-time friend on his Triumph Triple. Don’t think this road trip was more than 500 miles, but it seemed like an incredible adventure, more great memories.

 

Following the Triumph was my first BMW, a 1975 R90s brand-new right off of the showroom floor, Got this one while attending the University of Alberta. My buddy with the Triumph Triple got one at the same time too, in fact, the serial numbers where sequential. I think we cleaned and polished those bikes more than we rode them, we where pretty proud of those babies.

 

I had to take a loan out to buy that bike too, also had the same girl friend, things were looking good. Rode this bike from Edmonton, Alberta to the West Coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, learned a lot about motorcycle touring on this trip, things like; it rains a lot on the West Coast, leather isn’t waterproof, plastic rain suites from Wal-Mart don’t last long on a motorcycle, some more great memories.

 

Fast forward a bunch of years and many motorcycles, wives and girl friends later. I find myself living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, busy running an international commercial diving business, traveling a lot for business, and have a garage full of motorcycles including my first BMW (R90S), but unfortunately not the original girl friend.

 

I have now traveled many miles and through numerous countries on a motorcycle, have ridden across Canada and the USA several times, including Newfoundland and Mexico. Rode through South America to Terra del Fuego, rode around New Zealand, the European Alps several times, and of course, the incredible rides with The Man, The Myth, The Legend - Helge Pedersen on his GlobeRiders World Tour (Beijing, China to Munich, Germany) and Silk Road Adventure (Istanbul, Turkey to Xian China) - some GREAT memories.

 

So here we go, another awesome adventure. I am so looking forward to this Indochina tour with some friends new and old, creating some great memories.

 

 

Vincent


 


 



Participant:
Hutt, Joe
From:
Nevada, USA
Motorcycle:
2006 R1200GS Adventure
GlobeRiders Tours:
IndoChina Adventure 2008
 
Africa Adventure 2007
 
World Tour 2006
 
Africa Adventure 2005

From Joe . . .

 

 

My name is Joe Hutt and I’ll be along with my wife Marlene. I’ll let her talk about her past trips.

 

This will be my fourth trip with Helge.

Anyway a little about me and the Biologist (Marlene). I’ve been riding bikes longer than I can remember. I have nine children who live all over the US. They are still the main reason, along with my partner, that I get up each day.

 

I love traveling with Mike and Helge, they have the best tours and are the best prepared of any of the tours I’ve seen. My main reason for going on this trip is to see a part of the world that has been closed for much of my life, and to ride a bike in a totally different environment than I’m used to.

 

Anyway, you will all meet my wife, she’s a Ph. D Biologist, and will be studying rocks and road kill, amongst other things.

 

 

Joe Hutt

 



 


 




Participant:
Hutt, Marlene
From:
Nevada, USA
Motorcycle:
Passenger
GlobeRiders Tours:
IndoChina Adventure 2008
 
Africa Adventure 2007
 
Africa Adventure 2005

From Marlene . . .

 

 

Joe and I currently live in Reno, Nevada, with nine kids scattered all over the US. I have been retired from IBM for 5 years; since then, in addition to going back to my "biological" roots, I have been remodeling houses and selling them to keep myself entertained and out of trouble.

 

Having worked with my head all my life, I find that working with my hands is an interesting challenge.

 

Although motorcycles are not my thing, the spectacular biology of this trip sure is!

 

 

Marlene

 


 


 



Participant:
Mathews, Mike
From:
South Carolina, USA
Motorcycle:
2002 Triumph Tiger
GlobeRiders Tours:
IndoChina Adventure 2008
 
Silk Road Adventure 2007
 
Africa Adventure 2003
 
World Tour 2002

From Mike . . .

 

 

Living in upstate South Carolina, I enjoy the mountains of both northern Georgia and North Carolina for my riding and backpacking. I am not far from the beaches if the need arises to have that salt water smell and beach tan.

 

I am an engineer, graduated from Clemson University, now working in the consulting business for a local company, but have a passion for motorcycle travel, motorcycle racing and mountaineering. I have more than my fair share of motorcycles in the garage including my vintage racing Hondas. I consider myself semi-retired from the motorcycle racing world. but still attend a few events each year including Daytona in March. I am currently riding for Team Hansen Honda on a beautifully prepared vintage CR450 Honda.

 

I try to go the mountains as much as possible for backpacking but I also enjoy mountaineering. Successful summits of both Mt Rainier and Mt Whitney in the summer have been fun, but the summits of Mt Rainier and Mt Whitney in the winter, after two attempts, have been unsuccessful due to storms with high winds and very deep snowfall. My next mountaineering adventure hopefully will be Mt McKinley in Alaska.

 

I am a repeat GlobeRider customer, having traveled in past years on a Honda Transalp as a single rider around the world and across the USA including Alaska. The last adventure was on a Triumph Tiger with my girlfriend Linda in 2007 on the Silk Road, followed by a 6,400 mile trip across the USA to return to South Carolina.

 

Once again I find myself pulled to the world of adventure traveling on a motorcycle to foreign lands. I really look forward to traveling with GlobeRiders again for the first time in a very different part of the world, IndoChina. I look forward to the very different culture, food and adventures I will share with former GlobeRider clients and new ones.

 

 

Mike


Mike, motorcycle rider.

Riding for Team Hansen Honda at Daytona, Florida.

In a blizzard on Mt. Whitney, California, USA.

Linda and Mike, Gobi Desert, China.

 


 



Participant:
Ofthus, Karen
From:
Washington (State), USA
Motorcycle:
Passenger
GlobeRiders Tours:
IndoChina Adventure 2008
 
Africa Adventure 2003

From Karen . . .

 

 

When I was about 5 years old, my father brought a work colleague home for dinner - a visitor from Japan. Apparently I was so enthralled with him that I drew picture after picture of his face, excitedly offering each masterpiece for his approval. Interestingly, with each image I drew, his almond-shaped eyes become more and more prominent, making him look somewhat like the classic “alien”, with large, luminous eyes on an expansive forehead.

 

Ok…I was only a kid and we didn’t have to be PC back then, (though I do think my mother was a tad bit embarrassed). My silly doodlings were the only means I had of communicating that our new, exciting visitor was somehow “different”. As far as I know, this was my first interaction with someone from another culture. I vividly remember I was sad when he left and that in my 5-year old heart, I “loved” him.

 

As I grew, my interest in different cultures grew as well. That, coupled with an innate passion for animals and an academic and professional background in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, led me to travel to some wonderful parts of the world for work and pleasure. I work as a Naturalist at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, teaching environmental education. I ’ve also worked as a field naturalist, guiding natural history tours in distant tropical locations.

 

Not surprisingly, 20 years ago I met and eventually married Helge, another kindred soul who loves travel, people and nature. He claims that I poked a stick in his spokes, stopping him dead in his tracks while traveling his 10 Years on 2 Wheels. I say he discovered that his motorcycle had miraculously grown a “reverse” gear, compelling him to return to Seattle to check out the fabulous girl he’d met. Either way, the rest is history.

 

I have long wanted to travel to the southern part of Asia and a GlobeRiders tour is definitely the way to go! Even better, I’ll be hanging out in the chase vehicle with fellow biologist, Marlene Hutt. We have 30 lbs of natural history books, (there IS a God!). We’re searching for critters and plants and flowers. We’ll perform autopsies on road-kill, (yes, it’s true). We’ll do the hokey-pokey with every huddle of children we can find, (Marlene doesn’t exactly know about that part yet, but she’d BETTER put her right foot in…).

 

And together with the rest of our GlobeRiding mates, we’ll meet tons of wonderful people with lovely, almond-shaped eyes and discover the stories of their lives. So follow along and join us on the GlobeRiders IndoChina Adventure 2008. I can’t wait!

 

 

Karen


In Moscow, Russia.

Making friends in Mongolia.

 


 



My trusty BMW F650, ready to ship for IndoChina.

Same bike, in Namibia, 2003.

Participant:
Ow, David
From:
California, USA
Motorcycle:
2000 BMW F650 Funduro
GlobeRiders Tours:
IndoChina Adventure 2008
 
Japan Hanami Tour 2008
 
Silk Road Adventure 2005
 
Africa Adventure 2003
 
World Tour 2000

From David . . .

 

 

My first motorcycle was a new 1963 Yamaha 80 that was my transportation to college. At the motorcycle shop, I met a friend that introduced me to trail riding and my love of all types of motorcycling has never ended.

 

Over the years I have owned many motorcycles made by BSA, Honda, Bultaco, Montessa, Penton, Kawasaki, Husky, KTM, Beta, Harley Davidson, Triumph and BMW. I have told my wife Judy that this is my "last motorcycle" so many times that she just laughs. I presently own 12 motorcycles so I can ride dirt, dual-sport, trails, vintage, touring and adventure tours.

 

Judy and I have been married for 45 years. We are the proud parents of a son and two daughters along with six wonderful grandchildren. They all live in the Santa Cruz area which is so fortunate for us. My oldest grand-daughter just moved to Seattle and is part of the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Our family is involved in commercial real estate, and that has been very good to us. I am able to take extended vacations because of my family all working together.

 

My first GlobeRiders tour was the World Tour 2000, that started in Tokyo and ended in Munich. I continued riding on to France, England, Canada and back across the USA to California. Helge did such a great job and it was fun each and every day. It gave me the opportunity to see the world on a motorcycle with the least amount of worries and down time. I have been able to experience the culture, food, people and custom that I had only read about and seen in pictures.

 

Since then I have ridden with Helge or Mike, or both, on the Africa Adventure, Silk Road Adventure and Japan Hanami tours. I have made lasting friendships with the tour members and cannot thank them enough for helping me in my times of need. In times of sickness, injuries and repairs, people have stepped in to help me. They also know how to party and have a very good time. I have also ridden in Mexico, Baja, Northern Thailand, Northern Italy, Colorado 500 and though out the USA.

 

 

Peace to All,

 

David


 


 



Participant:
Pedersen, Helge
From:
Shoreline, USA
Motorcycle:
2006 BMW HP2 "Adventure"
GlobeRiders Tours:
GlobeRiders Founder

From Helge . . .

 

As a kid I dreamt about being a farmer when I grew up.

 

But things change; I got hay fever at 9, a BMW motorcycle at 21 and started to Ride the world at 27. That journey lasted for 10 years until I settled in Seattle with my then girlfriend, now wife, Karen.

 

GlobeRiders came to life as a result of all of the above in the late 90’s.

 

It has been a great Ride so far, and how lucky have I been to be able to turn my passion in to a livelihood? With a very understanding wife, I still have the chance to discover new lands and wonderful cultures while riding my motorcycle. I have visited more than 100 countries on 2 wheels and always look forward to a good excuse to go new places.

 

Last year Chris Poland, Sterling Noren and myself did a 71-day scouting trip of IndoChina. That expedition has now been rendered into a 6-hour TV series and a DVD. The DVD will go on sale early October.

 

Doing the scouting trip was a lot of work because of the filming, so I must admit that I am really looking forward to doing this second round of IndoChina as a "tourist".

 

I hope that all of you enjoy our Live!Journal from this great

Adventure.

 

 

Thanks,

 

Helge Pedersen

 


I love to meet people and animals as I travel the world.  This particular cat I befriended in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.

Not since I rode my BMW R80 G/S around the world have I been so in love with a bike as the BMW HP2.  The HP2 is like having a R80 G/S on steroids, what a great bike for Extreme Adventure touring.

 


 






Participant:
Shepherd, Jack
From:
Maine, USA
Motorcycle:
2001 BMW R1150GS
GlobeRiders Tours:
IndoChina Adventure 2008
 
Silk Road Adventure 2007

From Jack . . .

 

 

The last time I rode with GlobeRiders, I met the group in Istanbul having ridden my 1150GS Adventure in stages from Casablanca, Morocco.  Together, the group of twenty-one rode the Silk Road to Xian, China. It was a fine trip for all.

 

Shortly after my return to the U.S. from China, I went off to teach in Cairo, Egypt, for the 2007/2008 academic year.   As the school year came to a close, I received a call asking what my plans were for the Fall.   Responding to Linda Sikorowski’s query and then Helge’s follow up, I signed-up for the IndoChina Adventure.

 

True, I was in the area when I was nine years old, but this ride certainly presents another marvelous opportunity.   With my Moroccan motorcycle having been shipped back to Germany from Xian, it is my Maine motorcycle, an 1150GS, that will be my transport on this ride.

 

 

Jack


 


 



Participant:
Sikorowski, Linda
From:
Colorado, USA
Motorcycle:
Passenger
GlobeRiders Tours:
IndoChina Adventure 2008
 
Silk Road Adventure 2007

From Linda . . .

 

 

Last year, I had an amazing time on the GlobeRiders’ Silk Road Adventure, traveling 53 days on the back of my boyfriend's (Mike's) motorcycle the 8,000 miles from Turkey to China.

 

Everything about that trip was magic….traveling with Mike and 19 other “brothers” and meeting people from 8 different countries. I love how traveling helps me learn about, appreciate and respect other people’s cultures, religions, histories, and traditions. Viewing such unique and varied landscapes is inspiring, and being able to travel via motorcycle just makes every experience more intimate and sharpens one’s senses. So, when another opportunity arose to travel with Mike in far-off lands, it was a no-brainer for me.

 

I’m 58, graduated from University of Illinois…(yawn, boring). I’m a commercial airline pilot with a law degree from…(oops, that’s for parties). I’m the principal conductor for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra…(that’s my fantasy). Okay, I’m currently retired from the Colorado Division of Wildlife where I worked in the public involvement section – the people side of wildlife management. I’m fortunate right now to be able to spend time and have fun with who’s important to me – Mike, family, and friends.

 

IndoChina has always been intriguing to me and I’m looking forward to experiencing new countries first-hand with fellow Silk Road friends, Jack, Vincent and Helge. Here’s to positive Karma for us on our trip and for you at home.

 

 

Linda, aka "Tiger Lily"


Great Wall of China.

Sidecaring, somewhere in northwestern China.

Wind River Range, Wyoming, USA.

Chris (my father), me, and Christine (sister).

 

 

IndoChina Adventure 2008 Live!Journal Chapters Menu

 


Sign up for Email Updates
Email:
For Email Marketing you can trust

The best way to stay informed of "all things GlobeRiders" is to subscribe to our email newsletters. We absolutely do not share your information with anyone.  A Safe Unsubscribe link is included at the bottom of every one so that you may terminate your subscription at any time. Just enter your email address in the box to the left and click "GO".

 

Should you have any problems, send us email by clicking here.

 


 
Copyright © 2009 GlobeRiders, LLC ®.  All rights reserved.