MotoTravel Series
Adventure Rider Radio’s exclusive MotoTravel Series featuring motorcycle riders and adventurers from around the world. Each season we will follow a rider or riders’ adventure trip, from beginning to end. You’ll get an intimate perspective of how things unfold in near real time.
Season 1: Southward Chronicles
This season’s motorcycle travel adventurers are Jeremy Kroeker and Elle West from Alberta, Canada. After four attempts at getting to South America in the last two decades, Jeremy is having a go at it again, and this time with his girlfriend Elle. Both are experienced riders and have been as far as Panama, but never further, and their goal on this trip is to get to Ushuaia.
Jeremy and Elle have been together for a couple of years, lived in different cities and spent weekends together. They haven’t lived together or spent any significant extended time together. They describe themselves as fiercely independent people, they’re both experienced riders and they have both done long motorcycle trips, but not with each other. This is the first time that they are spending this much time together.
Jeremy described their planned trip as that they are on separate, but parallel journeys. They’re travelling together but are riding separate motorcycles, and taking separate gear, including camping equipment. They’re fully prepared to go their separate ways if that should happen, for whatever reason. There’s some distinct personality differences to deal with as well, so follow along as we hear from both Jeremy and Elle as they grow and change separately and together on this journey.
When we last spoke with Jeremy Kroeker and Elle West in April, they were stuck in Uruguay for what they thought might be at least another month, possibly longer because of the pandemic. But, after several months, they’ve decided that it’s time to end their adventure and ship their motorcycles back to Canada, and then take a convoluted route, not their choice, to get back home. Some things can’t be predicted and their plans may have changed more than they could have ever imagined, but did they get out of the trip what they had hoped for? And what happens next for Jeremy and Elle?
Riding instructor, Jimmy Lewis, has some drills and methods that you can use to drastically increase your skill levels, and you won’t even need to start your bike. And we also catch up with Jeremy Kroeker and Elle West, who are being forced to drastically change their plans, despite all their planning for worst case scenarios. When and will they be able to continue their trip?
On this episode Jeremy Kroeker and Elle West are flattened, literally, by the winds of Patagonia. They encounter wild animals in a place they least expected, blow up their travel budget, experience beauty like that which they have never seen before. And to top it all off, Jeremy is falling out of love with his KLR650.
The saga continues, as Jeremy Kroeker and Elle West find themselves in.. what country? Oh, yes… Argentina. In this stretch of their trip, they’ve staved off hunger pains by eating some Coca leaves on their hike in to Machu Picchu, Jeremy’s bike has broken down, they’ve visited a floating island on Lake Titicaca and one woeful evening they even ended up eating dinner in separate restaurants across the street from each other. All part of the fun. And Jim also talks to Jimmy Lewis, a former Dakar racer who helped train the first American winner of the Dakar Rally 2020, about the race and the connection that it has with adventure motorcycling.
Jeremy and Elle have been travelling for about four months now and have been spending some time in Peru while on their journey to Ushuaia. They’ve experienced everything from muddy roads, crazy rides, dropped bikes, flat tires, being turned away at hotels, burning garbage and a deviant dog and still, they are having the time of their lives!
Jeremy Kroeker and Elle West have been on the road for about three months, making their way to Ushuaia. They’ve spent the last months riding in Colombia and one of the major challenges they’ve faced was what’s called the Trampoline of Death or Devil’s Trampoline, a road known to be the most dangerous road in Colombia. Jeremy and Elle could have just avoided it altogether, but with a name like that, how could they pass it up?
Jeremy Kroeker and Elle West are riding their motorcycles from Canada to Ushuaia and even though they’ve been a couple for over two years, they’ve never spent this much time together before. They’ve been on the road for about two months, and have finally realized a dream they both had, to make it past Panama. On this episode, things get heated up as they make their way to the Stahlratte and arrive in Colombia at last.
MotoTravel Series Southward Chronicles - We’re following Jeremy Kroeker and Elle West as they ride from Canada to Ushuaia. Jeremy and Elle have been together for a couple of years, they’re both experienced riders and travellers, but have never spent any significant amount of time with each other. They’re travelling together but each carrying their own gear, including camping equipment. Follow the adventure of these two riders on what Jeremy calls a separate, but parallel journey. On this episode, their planned border crossing in to Guatemala doesn't go exactly according to plan.
Premier episode of ARR’s new and exclusive MotoTravel Series - This season we follow Jeremy Kroeker and Elle West as they ride from Canada to Ushuaia. Jeremy and Elle have been together for a couple of years, they’re both experienced riders and travellers, but have never spent any significant amount of time with each other. They’re travelling together but each carrying their own gear, including camping equipment. Follow the adventure of these two riders on what Jeremy calls a separate, but parallel journey.
This is the final chapter in the Southward Chronicles series where we followed Jeremy Kroeker and Elle West as they rode from Canada to Ushuaia. What’s it like to get back to normal life now that their year long adventure has come to an end and what does the future hold for them? And Back Country Discovery Routes is a non profit organization that creates off-byway routes - mainly dirt for adventure motorcyclists. They began with an idea and one route, and with a ton of effort and volunteer labour they have created one new route every year totalling 10 routes. How do they choose the routes, how challenging are they, do they rate them and how and who are they designed for?