WhereThehellisMurph, 3 Wheels, 7 Continents, 7 Years

[WheresMurph]

March 2012


Jan 2013
www.wherethehellismurph.blogspot.com
I'm jumping in here to the IPA on the Portal in year 2 of my trip,currently in the U.S.
This week sees my departure from Prescott Valley,where I spent a few days with friends and took care of some needed repairs on the bike.Prior to that I had been in the CO area,and prior to that my travels around the U.S. and Canada are on my blog.
I also stopped by the OJ office and spoke with Scott and got some needed pointers on Baja from him,as this will be my first time to visit there.
My journey started out in December of 2009 as a newly purchased (to me) BMW 1150 GS Adventure with 9,500 miles on it(it now has 44k) and was supposed to be just a two or three month "Get the Hell out Florida" exploratory trip.
Well,i'm still on the road and at this point have no intention of going back to any semblance of my life before this journey.
The Mexican 1000, http://www.norra.com/mexican1000.php is a vintage car and motorcycle race from Mexicali to La Paz,1000 miles over 3 days.I decided to follow it,photograph it,meet some of the legends of the sport who will be at and participating at the event and do a little exploring of the Baja from a newbies perspective and meet and see some local Baja life,including an Irish Bar in La Paz that Scott told me about.
My blog postings are subject to internet connection,as I do not have an air card,but I usually post 2-3 times a week.
My FB page is a little easier to follow instant updates:http://www.facebook.com/WhereTheHellisMurph

Thanks for reading and I look forward to joining the many many others who subscribe to the Portal and who are currently on IPA's.

Murph

[desertgirl66]

It's great to see you on here Murph! I have really been enjoying reading your blog--always fun to see where you are and always interesting reading. Amazing photos that really capture your journey.

Looking forward to the NORRA Mexican 1000 race write up and I know there will be some fantastic photos!

Follow along with Murph on his blog and you can always find him on Facebook as well.

Murph's Facebook Page

Murph's Blog--Where the hell is Murph?

[Scott Brady]

Right on Murph. Have a great time in Baja - it is a gem in the world.

Look forward to seeing the pictures!

[yelnoc]

I had the pleasure of spending a large part of yesterday with Murph. He rode into Phoenix and we got him hooked up with Josiah Brennan at Dirtball Customs (BMW Master Tech) to handle some new rubber and a bearing. Enjoyed the day and conversations.

Murph, have a great time in Mexico. Look forward to the action and pre-race photos from Mexicalli 1000.

Cheers,
Scott

[Ray Hyland]

I enjoyed the step by step pictures on how to change the bearing on your blog Murph.

[WheresMurph]

Ray,it was the first time to change them,so looking in my BMW PDF manual,it calls for a "Tapping" out of the bearings in the wheel with a drift or punch.After trying this for an hour and a half,I gave up and went to a shop for a bearing puller.I have since learned that it's pretty much impossible to knock out the front wheel bearings by the method described in the BMW manual.A little heat and a bearing puller is required.Even with the puller the bearings don't just "Pop out".At least they're done for another 44K or another trip to the salt at Bonneville,whichever comes first.

[WheresMurph]

I had the pleasure of spending a large part of yesterday with Murph. He rode into Phoenix and we got him hooked up with Josiah Brennan at Dirtball Customs (BMW Master Tech) to handle some new rubber and a bearing. Enjoyed the day and conversations.

Murph, have a great time in Mexico. Look forward to the action and pre-race photos from Mexicalli 1000.

Cheers,
Scott

Scott,again many thanks for your generosity,it was like Christmas there with you,seriously !!!.
The tool roll I put up on the front forks is still there Scott,works fine.
See you when I get back friend.We'll have a cold one this time
BTW,try to wait 'till I get back to crash the 1200,ok?.

Murph

[WheresMurph]

I just got back last night from competing and photographing the NORRA Mexican 1000 rally,Mexicali to La Paz in the Baja.An absolutely awesome event with really some spectacular scenery.


We started out Tech inspection at the bullring in Mexicali,press conference and mucho mucho tacos..................mang.






Ned and Kat brought along this wicked ALL owner built(going on 30 years now)flat fendered Willys rockcrawler.Ned figured he'd drive down from the States,do the event,and drive home again.Considering it's a 5.11 gear thats damn impressive.








This was the route for Day 1 and the off road stage from Puertocitos through Coco's Corner and to the highway pretty much nearly wrecked the bike,50+ miles of really nasty washboards,silt beds,washes,one crash and three drops.Some zip ties and a few tools borrowed from competitors coming through and I finally made it 2 hours later to the highway.It's not easy lugging around a 660lb bike on a course designed for a 400lb XR 500.






This is Bob Land of Bob Land Racing.Bob and his team were running an '89 Jeep Cherokee in the Cat 5 class.These guys took me under their wing and really made this event a memorable one for me.


Bobs chase team waiting at the end of Stage 4 for the Jeep for refueling.

[IMG][/IMG]
After breaking a shock strut and brake line,they worked through the night to get the car ready for the next days racing.







I probably took a couple of thousand pictures,so I will post up as I go along.

Thanks for looking

Murph

[toddz69]

Great photos, Murph!! Please keep 'em coming. I got a note from a buddy the other day who said they pointed you in the right direction towards La Paz at Insurgentes :-).

Todd Z.

[Ryanmb21]

KILL-er photos!