In October of 2018, I was asked to help a true professional in my niche and a man who’s work I’ve admired for some time. This man was Graeme Brown, aka “GeeBee Images” and this “help” was in the form of working for him over the course of a weekend, shooting the World Superbike inaugural round… in Argentina… after riding motorcycles… and after flying into Chile. It’s hard to believe that I even hesitated considering the offer.
Once my MotoAmerica season was over, I immediately began preparing my body for the level of endorphins that would be soon controlling my every emotion. I’ve had the honor of shooting bikes in the United Kingdom and France in the past, but to travel to the southern hemisphere was a completely new level for me. Being able to shoot World Superbikes aside, I couldn’t believe that I was actually going to South America! I was more excited for the journey than I was for the job. The job would be amazing and a struggle (Future Post), but the flight to Santiago, Chile, then onto Argentina, then on bikes… it was just too much. Even now, several months removed from the trip, it still conjures up emotions that make me wish I could board a flight right now and head back down.
Landing in Santiago, Cl ahead of GeeBee allowed me to stretch my legs and grab a pint or two of liquid chill. The airport was a little confusing as my 7 years of formal Spanish in school and 20 years of living in Los Angeles really didn’t help as much as I wish it had. I managed my way into a breakfast cafe, ordered by photo and grunting then I waited. I would be relying heavily on my traveling companion on this trip as he’s the veteran of almost two decades of globe trotting. Once GeeBee arrived, we didn’t waste any time grabbing the hire car and heading out of the capitol city. We had a long drive up and over the Andes Mountains ahead of us and we didn’t know what to expect along the way so we wanted to be open to frequent stops for shooting photos along the way.
We would not be disappointed with the views. It took only a few turns along the road up the mountains to realize that we were in an incredibly active geological environment. The valley we were driving through was surrounded by steep and rugged mountains still snow capped as the seasons were in the process of changing. The remnants of an old railway paralleled our route, a route clearly carved out by the river to our side. Hiding around every corner was a postcard like to behold. If we hadn’t forced ourselves to keep going, I’m fairly certain it would’ve taken us an entire day to make it to the border with Argentina. Although we limited our stops there was one vista we couldn’t avoid. The Ruta 60 towards the Paso de la Cumbre is one of those roads that you have to just stop, get out and marvel at the view. The Paso de la Cumbre is steep pass that climbs almost 4,000 meters towards Argentina and in one short section has over 20 turns that creates a truly stunning sight.
After a few moments of soaking in the view, we climbed back into the car and pressed on. We still had to get to the Túnel Cristo Redentor de los Andes which is the official border crossing. That’s right, the border between Chile and Argentina is subterranean and with winter like conditions, it’s about as nightmarish as you might imagine. After what seemed like an hour, we finally came back into the light in Argentina. The weather was completely different on this side of the tunnel. Where the climb up was cold and overcast, the drive down into Mendoza was sunny and clear. If you aren’t paying attention because you’re too busy looking around, you’ll drive right past the border checkpoint as it doesn’t funnel you in. We slowed as we passed it, saying to each other, “Was that the border check?” We circled back and sure enough we had missed it. The Control Integrado Horncones is reminiscent of Eastern Block Soviet style architecture. Functional rather than beautiful, it feels like you’re driving into the hold of a ferry or cargo ship. On this day, the pass was pretty empty so we managed to get through the border without much of a hassle. With our documents stamped, we again headed down the road towards or first major stop in Mendoza, AR.
The following morning, we headed straight to our destination to pick up the motorcycles we’d be riding for the next several days. Argentina Moto Tours is located inside a family run winery, Hacienda De Plata in Mendoza. Before the story goes much further, it’s important to note that wineries in this area are everywhere. Almost every home along the main road appeared to be a winery. It was truly an incredible juxtaposition with wineries threaded in between auto repair shops and markets. It took about 2 hours to get the paperwork signed, bikes packed and everything secured before we would finally be off and running through the San Juan province. Our trip was originally planned for larger displacement bikes on a fairly big loop north that would allow us to see most of the province and some truly unique geological features. However we ended up on a pair of 250cc Hondas which were very solid and enjoyable machines, but certainly not something capable of the roughly 400-600 km we had planned on per day.
Does it really matter? Seriously? For me, I was on a motorcycle in Argentina. I never would’ve imagined it! Here I am riding a motorcycle, following a true master in my profession, in some amazing far off place and I’m supposed to be chill? NOPE!! I was jazzed! Once the excitement had died down a bit, I was able to finally relax and begin to immerse myself into the environment. The road out of Mendoza wasn’t very exciting, in fact it was a lot like riding through the desert communities I’m used to in Southern California. It wasn’t until we came to the first mountain road RP52 that things began to get really fun.
When you travel and ride motorcycles with people, it’s typically a good idea to know the ability of everyone around you. I assumed that because Graeme has been ripping paddock scooters around the world for almost 20 years and holds a motorcycle license that he’d have some experience in the dirt. We had stopped and were chatting at the gates of “Hotel Termas Villavicencio” where the tarmac ends and the dirt begins. There, he informed me that he in fact didn’t have much experience because apparently England doesn’t have many public options for riding a dirt bike. I was taken aback for sure, but I did appreciate the information and I knew we would be ok, it would just be slow going. Having done zero research before this trip, I was completely dependent on him and made it my overly ambitious goal to coach him as much as possible, even to the point of obvious annoyance (sorry buddy). I’m not professing that I am a pro motocrosser, but I do have dual sport / adventure experience and a handful of American Supercamps under my belt. At one stoping point when we were scouting out a location to shoot, Graeme provided the greatest quote of the entire trip, “This is another example of where I’ve confused my intentions with my abilities.” I loved it then, I still love that quote.
Despite his lack of experience on dirt, Graeme did great through the pass and while it did take us some time to get through we finally reached our first planned stop of the day in Uspallata for a well earned rest. A rest that we would desperately need if we were to make it Barreal before nightfall. On machines barely capable of 60kph, the long stretch of dirt and tarmac to Barreal that lay ahead would continue the physical abuse and make for an exceptionally long first day. No matter how long the road, how bumpy and washed out it was, there is no greater feeling than riding a motorcycle through the foothills of the Andes. As we pushed through to Barreal a storm was brewing in the mountains which produced ice crystals that pelted us even though on the road, it was sunny and clear. The visuals were stunning and I had a pretty difficult time keeping focused on the gnarly road ahead.
It was on the second day of the riding where things literally began to deflate. Our plan was to leave Barreal and head north towards the Parque Provincial Ischigualasto, affectionately known as the “Valley of the Moon” due to its unique geological features. However, over breakfast we discussed the possibility of making the nearly 400km journey over unknown road conditions and decided it would be best to modify the route and cut through the pass towards San Juan. While this would cut a significant amount of the trip out it would also provide us with the utmost confidence that would be back in Mendoza on the correct date. After all, the point was go to Argentina for work, not to play, so we could ill afford a mishap in the hinterlands and end up stranded on the surface of the moon.
Setting off that morning, we were sore but feeling good. We knew we could easily cover the new route and maybe have some unexpected time to enjoy San Juan. As we made our way from the cabana we immediately entered a beautiful valley. To our left was a view of the Andes and its foothills that was simply too big for any single image to absorb. To our right a mountain of what appeared to be obsidian. Massive cliffs of shimmering black slate that appeared to be covered with a layer of running water. Never in my life have I seen such reflective properties in natural stone. While we didn’t stop to inspect the formations, they were assuredly the topic of much discussion throughout the rest of the trip. I really didn’t understand how much Graeme enjoyed geology until his excitement over the area we had just been through caused a sparkle in his eye. Just a little further up the road we came to a new section of the pass that was currently under construction. This offered us another fun opportunity to get dirty as we had to skirt around machines and road blocks. Crossing the river a few times added to the video game like atmosphere of this particular stretch. From that point on, it was like (name your favorite canyon) Mulholland but completely empty. I got a little too excited and thinking my tiny 250cc Honda was a WorldSBK spec superbike, I took off! It wasn’t until I realized that I couldn’t see GeeBee anymore that I understood what a terrible riding partner I must be. He was right that I shouldn’t have gone for the win as we didn’t know the road or the conditions of it. Sometimes, my inner teenager takes over and I forget I’m actually a 40 year old father of three.
The problem began as we headed up the mountain pass. GeeBee’s rear tire was beginning to show signs that it was losing air. We stoped midway up the pass at one of the many shrines to Deolinda Correa, an Argentinian / Chilean folk hero akin to St. Christopher in the Christian religion but with a much worse backstory. We were able to inspect Graeme’s tire and determine that it was indeed going flat. Knowing we were about only halfway to San Juan and armed with only a basic repair kit, we opted to use the “run flat” spray and push on towards our destination. We made it to just outside of San Juan before GeeBee couldn’t continue, the air had completely abandoned his inner tube. Time to change the tire! This is where being photographers and not mechanics was a disadvantage. We didn’t have the proper tools to ensure a clean removal and replacement of the tire, but we did succeed with the help of wrenches in place of tire irons. Believing we were now fully qualified WorldSBK mechanics, we headed out for the last few kilometers to our hostel.
As if we had somehow desecrated Deolinda Correa’s ghost we ran into another flat tire as we approached the village of Al Bardon. This time, there was no slow leak as in one instant GeeBee went from fully functional motorcycle to walking it along the road. We pulled into a local gas station and began the ritual of cursing and internet searching for a repair shop. One thing to note about Argentina, there are more Gomeria’s (Tire Repair Shops) per square km than people. The difficulty is finding one that is equipped to handle a motorcycle. The biggest issue we faced however wasn’t the need for a repair shop, it was the need for another spare inner tube. There’s another story about how I was sent into San Juan to get an inner tube that I may tell at another time, but for now, let’s just say that it was the most eye opening experience of my life and I learned that “camera” in Spanish is “inner tube” not the cool equipment I use to make money. Returning from San Juan to Al Bardon with a new camera, I escorted GeeBee to a gomeria and they were quickly able to make the needed repairs. It was at this shop that we learned the culprit inside GeeBee’s rear tire was that he was missing the thin protective rubber strip that covers the spoke ends. This meant that any inner tube was going to get constantly rubbed by exposed nuts potentially leading to more flat tires. With the our plans completely shot to hell and stomachs reeling from some seriously bad sandwiches we limped to our hostel for the evening where things got even more interesting.
Our host for the evening was exactly the kind of person you’d want to encounter on any trip. He was a well traveled man who taught “Tango” around the world. He owned a small villa in Al Bardon that he was preparing for the influx of guests for the WorldSBK races. We were the first ones to stay there and we were treated to incredible hospitality, amazingly prepared food all the while he regaled us with stories from his travels as well as local legends including the story of Deolinda Correa. After hours of food and stories it was time to finally put an end to this very odd day.
The last morning of our adventure was peaceful and relaxing as we ate breakfast in the beautifully appointed tea room. We decided that it would be best to just head directly back to Mendoza and the Hacienda to return the motorcycles. Fatigue had been setting in and the overall desire to make more adventurous routes was fading. We set out early and navigated to the main highway back to Mendoza. Along the way we made a pit stop for some gas and snacks. There, GeeBee asked if we should do the section of the Dakar Rally route that would take us through the small village of San Jose. I’m never one to miss out on an exciting side bar, so I eagerly replied, “Yes!” In hindsight, this was the nail that completely sealed the coffin in our adventure. We turned off the main highway onto another dirt road that while completely flat really uneventful. We stopped in the village of San Jose to take some photos and explore the last little bit of rural Argentina. It was the road out of San Jose where I witnessed GeeBee deflate like his rear tire. It was a long, long, long stretch of flat dirt road that was rutted and rippled beyond belief. Under normal circumstances, it would’ve been a dual sport riders dream road where standing on the pegs, leaning back and just gassing the bike would’ve made quick work of the route. However, I felt for GeeBee this was just 23 km’s of pure torture. As I was filming him, he looked at me and gave me the “STOP FILMING ME NOW” look. Why was this? Well, while the road was certainly flat and rippled, it was also one large gravel trap. Add some randomly placed large rocks and you have the makings of the road from hell. Without asking him, I knew what he was thinking. “Just get me back to them main F’ing road!”
We did eventually get back to the main road. Ruta 142 would lead us back to civilization and to the eventual end of our journey. We plodded along the backroads slowly winding our way back to Mendoza. Each town we passed through had such a unique look and feel. Some were more modern and sprawling, others seemed to have been left half completed. The surroundings were an odd mix of beauty and literal garbage fires. The people however, were always friendly. Every where we stopped we were met with smiling faces and questions about where we were from or where we were going. Pulling up to the Hacienda to return the motorcycles was truly bittersweet. It meant that the adventure of riding motorcycles throughout Argentina was over and that work was about to begin. Our final act was to hand over the keys, pose for a photo with Juan Pablo and purchase a few bottles of his family’s wine to be shared over the next few days.
It wasn’t until I was sitting back in the airport in Santiago that I finally had a chance to reflect on the experiences of the past week. The pace of the race weekend was too frantic to take a moment and absorb it all. So it wasn’t until I was alone in the terminal that I was finally able to piece it all together. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Argentina was a country of “almost”. It’s almost complete. Everywhere I looked I saw the foundations of great things, projects that were started but seemed never finished, roads laid out yet somehow forgotten. It all blended together to make something amazing. It’s an experience I’ll never forget and it will provide more stories to share for some time to come.
I’d like to thank GeeBee for organizing this entire trip and putting up with me because I know at times I was probably a little too wound up. I’d also like to thank RevIt for their support. The Sand 3 suit from head to toe was outstanding in the varying conditions we encountered.
