2023 in Review

What a year! A new year always brings the excitement of exploring new places, making new friends, and creating memories of a lifetime. 2023 was no exception! Over the last year we rode from the Sahara Desert of Morocco to the Southern Boreal forests of Finland and 18 other countries in between. Nearly 15,000 miles of backcountry roads, roadside oddities, historical places, and cities to explore!

January

January started in Quarzazate, Morocco – a small city south of the High Atlas Mountains. This entire region literally looks like you’ve entered a scene from an Indiana Jones movie. A 19th- century palace sits proudly among Berber architecture that blends into the dramatic mountains and desert scenery. An exciting and stunning start to a new year!

Since we were in the land of movies, we opted to check out the world-famous Atlas Film Studios. This movie studio was built in 1983 and was used for many blockbusters including Alexander the Great, Black Hawk Down, Gladiator, Game of Thrones, and the live action Aladdin. 

Our first month of the year was chocked full of new places and adventure. Highlights included riding offroad through the High Atlas Mountains, visiting the magnificent Ouzoud Falls, riding through the crazy streets of the capital of Marrakech, snow mountaineering to the summit of Toubkal, and riding among the colorful desert landscape of Painted Rocks. By the end of the month, we had reached the western coast of Morocco and were basking in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. 

February

In contrast to January, this month was more easy-going. The favorable weather and temperatures along the coast made us slow down and appreciate the relaxed vibe of this unique area of Morocco. We enjoyed many walks on the beach, sensational sunsets, and even a day at the Nile Crocodile park. A highlight of the month was flying tandem on a para-motor and enjoying the coastal city of Essaouira and Casablanca. We especially enjoyed walking among the incredible architecture of the Hassan II Mosque – Stunning both in the day and evening! 

By the end of the month, we had meandered our way up the coast, to the northern city of Tangier. Our Moroccan 90-day travel visa was coming to an end, and we still had a large portion of eastern Europe to explore before the end of the year. Although it was time to leave Morocco, we were extremely grateful for having the experience of spending three months in such a magnificent country. Morocco – You were amazing!

March

We boarded a two-day ferry to France and rode to Toulon, where we enjoyed some down time with our friends – The Lukasik’s. It was lovely reconnecting with an old friend, but we had plans to travel Italy and Greece before the summer tourist season. Time to move along…  

As we were nearing the border to Italy, Chantil’s engine on her mule suddenly stopped. We pulled over and discovered that she had another cable short that burned through a portion of the main wiring harness. This was the second time something like this has happened in just the last year. Although we were able to fix the problem in less than 24 hours, it left us both with the concern that our beloved BMWs may not be the best mules for continuing our travels past this year. We somewhat spontaneously made the decision to buy a pair of brand-new mules with the help of UPSHIFT in Boise, Idaho. Within a week we were the owners of a pair of 2023 Kawasaki KLR 650s that we hadn’t seen or test ridden. We wouldn’t be riding them until the end of the year when we returned to the Unites States. Crazy huh?

The remainder of March was a whirlwind of motorcycle touring and exploring of northern and central Italy: Hiking the coastal cities of Cinque Terre, witnessing the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, and seeing the sites of Florence, San Gimignano, Siena, Rome, and the Royal Palace of Caserta. Italy is a favorite among tourists and it’s easy to see why.

April

While in Naples, we took a few days to do the oil changes on both mules and replace a chain and sprocket on Travis’ bike. Motorcycles are pretty maintenance intensive, especially when you are riding them full-time and through rugged terrain. After a few days of regular maintenance, we were on the road again and continuing south through Italy. 

Pompeii was an impressive place! We were surprised at how large this archaeological area is and how much of it has been excavated, but we were even more surprised when we found out that there is still about 1/3 of the site still waiting to be discovered. It was nice to be able to finally walk among the ruins of a place we could only dream about as children. 

Our riding continued to the “heel” of Italy where we enjoyed a day in the lovely cities of Alberobello and Ostuni. As we boarded a ferry in Brindisi we waved “Alla prossima!” (Until next time!) to Italy – a country we’ve grown to love and appreciate for so many memories. Time to explore Greece…

Although we’ve visited Greece last year, we stayed in the northern mountainous regions, however this time we had plans to explore the Peloponnese and as many islands as possible. We were off to a great start with our first island of Corfu in time for the Orthodox Easter celebrations. For the remainder of the month, we continued to island hop along the west coast until we reached the expanse of the Peloponnese. In many ways, this was our favorite part of Greece – pristine with so much natural beauty and plenty of wild-camping opportunities. We were so spoiled by this region of Greece that when we arrived in Athens, we were in a bit of culture shock at how crowded this capital city was. 

May

Athens, although crowded, is an interesting city to explore. The Acropolis, Ancient Agora, and Acropolis Museum were all a joy to experience (Tip: Get to the Acropolis first thing in the morning), but equally enjoyable was walking among the Monastiraki and Plaka sections of Athens. For some reason Athens captured our hearts, but it wouldn’t compare to the rest of the month exploring the islands of the south Aegean Sea and Crete. 

In many ways, our travels through the Greek islands of the Aegean Sea were a highlight to our 2023 travels. There is something quite magical about being on the islands of Mykonos and Santorini and walking in the places that you’ve only seen on postcards or travel brochures. We also enjoyed the islands of Naxos, Paros, Antiparos, and Milos – all with their own unique take on the Greek island experience.

The next island of Crete took us about two weeks to properly explore. We hiked mountain tops and canyons, explored archaeological sites, and nearly lost our motorcycles when exiting a ferry! Sometimes adventure is more adventurous than we’d like! After Crete, we explored the island of Evia, where we relished in some of the best wild-camping of the year.

As the end of the month neared, so did our 90-day Schengen travel visa – It was now time to get out of the Schengen zone and head into eastern Europe where we had some serious maintenance overdue on Travis’ mule.

June

Our arrival in Bulgaria was not for travel or tourism – it was for maintenance. Specifically, getting Travis’ engine pulled and replacing the main drive shaft. With the help of the folks at MotoCamp Bulgaria, we found a reputable mechanic in the city of Pleven. We booked an Airbnb for a couple weeks and patiently waited for the mechanic to do his work. Three weeks later, we had the mule back in our hands with a rebuilt engine and a new drive shaft! Ready to travel again – Let’s hit the road to Romania! 

July

During the previous year, we had spent a month in Romania riding the Adventure Country Track and exploring the central and northern parts of the country. This time our main reason for visiting Romania was to visit the capital city of Bucharest and continue north into Moldova. Both were interesting for very different reasons – Bucharest is a thriving city with an interesting history, and Moldova is a developing country but one of the poorest nations of Europe. Although our time was short in both of these places, we did enjoy seeing the world’s largest collection of underground wine tunnels at the Mileștii Mici Winery, reaching the border of Transnistria which is just a few miles from Ukraine, and riding past expansive fields of beautiful sunflowers. 

The remainder of July was filled with exploring a large part of Poland to include Kraków, Warsaw, and a few historical sites including the death camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Kraków-Płaszów, and Treblinka. We were very surprised with Poland since we expected it to be more like Romania or Bulgaria, but what we discovered was an extremely clean country that was modern, very orderly, and rich in history. There is a strong sense of hope in this country and the people are very proud of their nation and accomplishments – despite the hardships endured during WWII and the following Russian occupation behind the Iron Curtain.

August

By August we had entered a region of Europe we’ve wanted to see for some time – The Baltic nations. We planned to ride as much of the Trans Euro Trail through Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia as possible while still seeing a wide variety of interesting sites. Like Poland, the Baltic nations were also clean and modern, however each country seemed to have distinct memories for us.

Eastern Lithuania highlights included the city of Vilnius, the Open-air Museum at the Centre of Europe, and the forested roads of the Trans Euro Trail. While in Latvia we had a rear-wheel bearing failure on Chantil’s mule that caused the chain to bind and snap off the holding bolt of the front sprocket! Fortunately, a lovely Latvian family helped us get the broken bolt removed and a new sprocket installed so we could limp her mule to a shop to replace the wheel bearing. Eastern Estonia was the first time Travis ever had a flat tire – nearly 80,000 miles and never a flat! He was aired down too low and got a pinch flat. Fortunately, a campsite was nearby, and we could replace the tube and be on our way the next day. Estonia was also the place that we decided to ride into Russia via a border anomaly called the Saatse Boot. Although the road into Russia was less than a mile, it was still exciting to be entering a country which normally requires a lengthy visa application process. 

By the end of the month we had reached Finland, where we spent just a short week. The weather forecast continued to call for A LOT of rain and we hate riding in the wet. We opted to return to the bluer skies of Estonia and continue our ride south along the Baltic Coast. 

September

September is often the best month to travel – most people are back at work, the kids are in school, and the weather continues to be very favorable. Camping sites are also less crowded and often offer a discount outside the summer season. One such camping memory was staying in a barrel-styled cabin on the beach of Saulesmājas, Latvia. We loved it so much that we booked an extra day – something we probably couldn’t do during the more crowded summer months. 

Our journey continued south along the Baltic Coast through Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, where we stopped for a few days to enjoy the city of Gdańsk. This is a famous city with a wealth of 20th-century history to include WWII and the Solidarity movement which catapulted Poland and its neighboring countries into declaring independence and later joining the Europe Union. It’s a fascinating city to walk through and enjoy! By the end of the month, we were in Czechia, walking among the capital city of Prague. Five countries in one month – Quite a lot of ground covered in September!  

October

October is also a favorite month for us, especially when you’re in a place to experience the bright and vivid colors of the autumn season. Fortunately, we were smack dab in the season while riding along the Trans Euro Trail in the country of Slovenia. In many ways, Slovenia is a favorite country to explore – It doesn’t seem to get the over-tourism of its neighbors Italy and Croatia, and the landscapes are stunning. Places like Lake Bled and the alpine views of Mangart Saddle, made us so grateful to be experiencing the beauty of this wonderful country in the autumn season.

After spending a few weeks in Slovenia, we made our way through Croatia and into Bosnia. We had plans to sell our BMW motorcycle mules and figured a fresh coat of paint would help spruce them up. We booked an Airbnb in Bihać where we could get the mule’s body panels painted and get some dental work done at a fraction of the price of what it would cost in the United States. Just before the end of the month, we left Bosnia with a fresh coat of paint, a new crown, and super-clean teeth.

While in Bulgaria, we made the preparations to sell the motorcycles. We created a YouTube video, listed them on social media, and hoped for the best. Unfortunately, they didn’t sell before we had to board a scheduled plane to the United States. Perhaps we’ll have better luck selling them in the spring once the motorcycle riding season starts again. Wish us luck! 

November and December

The final months of the year were spent with family in Minnesota and Idaho. It was especially nice to reconnect after not seeing most of them for the last two years. There is something about being “home” during the holiday season that makes it more special. We’re both adjusting to our home – which really isn’t a home, but more of a place to catch-up with some things before the next destination on the horizon.

A Year of Magnificent Memories

In total we traveled 14,930 miles, visited 20 countries, took over 6,000 photographs, published 10 articles for UPSHIFT, and produced 15 YouTube videos. What an exciting year of travel!

What to Expect for 2024

We want to share our experience of the last 3.5 years of travel and inspire others who may be interested in doing what we’ve done. We currently have plans to share our story at three Overland Expo events and two Horizon Unlimited events. Stay tuned for further information.

We also have a couple of brand new Kawasaki KLR 650 mules to prep for the motorcycle riding season. We’ve got a long list of items we need to install on the mules including hand-guards, GPS navigation, off-road pegs, aux lighting, off-road tires, luggage, and learn how to do the regular maintenance. It’s a lot to do before we head off to northern California for our first presentation in April. More adventure awaits…

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