Sidetracked: Kickstands Up At Eight!

It has been said that collecting a group of motorcycle riders to leave on time is like herding cats.

Four motorcycles and a dozen ATVs are packed into the corral in Salinas de Garci Mendoza, Bolivia. The village is a half-day ride from the world’s largest salt plains known as the Salar de Uyuni, where the Dakar Rally will pass tomorrow. We are scouting the best place to watch. Dawn breaks as I step outside to inspect the bikes and discover a flat tire on Mauricio’s F 800 GS. I know who will be changing it, so I dive in, hoping to have us rolling before the others finish breakfast. Following a covey of quads over dusty terrain is not my idea of fun. I finish just as the first four-wheel machines are firing up. Our last rider straggles out to join us and starts rooting through his tailbag. He isn’t ready. Do we wait, or do we go on and let him try to catch up … in a foreign country … on confusing and unknown roads?