Inspiring Motorcycle Travel With Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman

[Moses Ludel]

Spent late night R&R last week streaming the two documentary series by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. The "Long Way Round" and "Long Way Down" have generated hordes of bucket list entries from off-pavement motorcyclists, rough country travel buffs, 4x4 enthusiasts, cultural anthropologists and others interested in untainted and remote parts of the World!

 

Fantastic footage, this on-the-ground HD video travelogue provides a unique look at the natural world and "underdeveloped" (lucky for them!) countries in Central Asia, Siberia and Africa.  While David Attenborough and National Geographic have done wonderful work with wildlife and human cultural coverage, the spontaneity, authenticity and grassroots insights from McGregor and Boorman take this to a new level.  There's nothing more humbling or physically demanding than riding a primitive road on an overloaded BMW motorcycle...Uncontrived, un-staged, and anything but "reality TV", this is a viewing you will never forget...Both series are available from Netflix, get on it!

 

I'm inspired—and prepping for a more accessible and affordable venture of our own:  the 4WD Mechanix Magazine HD Video Network filming of the vast Nevada outback, sharing its diverse and challenging Great Basin geography and remoteness, visiting the first people and sharing their cultures, exploring the Silver State's rich mining history, and poring over the contrasting landscapes.  The on-the-ground challenge for motorcycles will add more adventure and color this travel!

 

I'm converting at least one of our vintage four-valve XR Honda motorcycles to a street-legal, dual-sport for the brief stints on asphalt and long stretches on dirt.  (The magazine's base is mere blocks from the Lincoln Highway/Highway 50A access at Fernley; U.S. 50 across Nevada is known as the "Loneliest Highway in America"—our kind of asphalt!) 

 

Part of the plan is affordability, riding and camping at the high desert, rugged mountains and remote, primitive routes without compromising our life savings...This is the yet "under-exploited world", right in our backyard...Stay tuned!

 

Moses