Welcome to the Bike's & Bio's Page of the GlobeRiders Cape to Cairo Adventure 2017 Live!Journal!

This is the "up close" and personal Chapter of the Cape to Cairo Adventure 2017 Live!Journal.  I've asked each of our riders to share a little about themselves, and also provide a couple of favorite photos to go along with their Bio's. You may not be with them in the flesh, but at least you can learn a bit more about them virtually.

This is going to be a fascinating adventure. Not only do our participants get to experience the wonders of the African Continent on their own bike's, but they also get to meet local people off the beaten track, taste the cuisine and immerse themselves in the amazing history of this mystical part of the world.

It's my privilege to introduce the members of the GlobeRiders Cape to Cairo Adventure 2017.

Best Regards,

Helge Pedersen

I grew up in Seattle and currently live in Cave Junction Oregon where I buy houses at foreclosure auctions and sell or rent them out.  I've been riding the same R60/7 since 1994. Notable trips include El Salvador, Alaska & across Canada to Newfoundland & Labrador.  I have a bachelors degree in environmental studies from the Evergreen State College and I love to travel just about everywhere; especially South America.  This will be my 6th trip to Africa and the first time riding a motorcycle on the left side of the road. 

I am an apartment manager living in Los Angeles.  I grew up in Germany, lived in Vancouver, B.C. for 10 years and then moved to California over 30 years ago.

I enjoy the outdoors, traveling, and being with family and friends.  I like being on the bike on a road I’ve never been on, seeing new landscapes, meeting new people, and learning about their lives, culture and history.  I’ve ridden from Alaska to the tip of Argentina, mostly solo; done a fair amount of dirt biking in Baja, the Mojave and around Mammoth Lakes with friends and my kids; and ridden in the Alps.  I just turned 60, and so as I enter my twilight years I very much appreciate a set-up where Helge does the work (route planning, hotels, visas, shipping etc.) and all I need to do is enjoy the ride.

We have been Globerider's since the Africa 2005 tour.  

We live near Mt. Rainier in Eatonville, Washington and own a small business.  We have 4 grown children, 8 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

We have done Africa 2005, Africa 2007, World Tour 2008 and Southeast Asia 2009.  We also each keep a motorcycle with Stefan Knopf in Heidelberg, Germany and try to ride in Europe and beyond every year.

My name is Nick Gudewill, I am 68 years old and live in Victoria, B.C.

I am a retired small businessman with previous interests in the Coca-Cola business and the helicopter industry and presently co-invest in commercial real estate with my three brothers.

One of my key passions in life is recreational boating and fishing up and down the westcoast of British Columbia.

My motorbike of choice is a 2015 BMW 1200 GSA equipped with a Garmin Navigator V. I am married to my wife Waan and have two wonderful sons aged 28 and 30.

In 2011, I joined Helge on the Silk Road Adventure and enjoyed a lifetime experience. If you want to see one of the world's last continental frontiers, being on this trip with Helge with a wonderful group of riders will be about the best way to do it.

My name is Joe Harosky and I am a Real Estate Agent in Oahu, Hawaii.  I started riding motorcycles at the age of six on the best tyke bike, a Honda 50cc.  Over the years, my interest in motorcycles developed into a life-long passion and I ride every type and brand.  Due to the warm sunny weather of Hawaii, I am fortunate to be a daily motorcycle commuter who rides a Harley, KTM, and two BMWs.

Due to the limited riding distances in Hawaii, I set a goal to ride six of the seven continents in a staged approach.  Africa will be the second continent of my best-laid plans.

I’ve had a desire to ride with GlobeRiders for approximately the last 10 years and I finally have my opportunity.  Mount Up; Let’s ride!

I have owned , I think, a total of 18 motorcycles, from Japanese to British to German. I have been riding from age 17. Currently own a 2007 R1200GS. Favorite long trips have been England, The Pacific Northwest, the Northeast USA, New England, Morocco, South Africa, Japan, Vietnam/Cambodia, the Silk Road from Istanbul to Xian, China and South America from Bogota to Santiago, Chile.

I love to travel for both work and play.

I have also traveled extensively in North America and Europe. In recent years have been to Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Spain, Finland and Sweden. The travel bug has definately bitten !! Looking forward to the many cultures, languages and history of Africa.   I am sure my expectations of visiting many different and beautiful places, and seeing many new peoples will be met on this trip. Especially on a motorcycle! The adventurer of the unknown is ready to go.

In real life I own a sales agency (manufacturer's representative agency) and sell for several companies. They are mostly manufacturers of stainless steel and alloy tubing and pipe plus a couple of stamping companies and a tube fabricator. I sell into the medical, marine, electronics, food equipment, aircraft and heat exchanger industries - traveling 11 states of the Northeast USA.

Too many hobbies and not enough time. I have restored an old Chris Craft, built a Cobra kit car project, and enjoy hiking, skiing and am a regular squash player. Even riding a motorcycle! "So many roads and so little time."

Personally, I am divorced and my significant other, Carolyn, is joining  the Africa Safari part of the trip.  I also  have a maturing 31 year old daughter, Daron, who lives in Portland, Oregon. She currently works for Quantum Spatial a growing company involved in geography information science and digital imaging.

Let the ride begin!

Mac

I’m 74 hears old and a retired container ship captain.  I went to sea for 44 years and loved every minute of it.  But that may explain why I am divorced.  I have 3 kids and 3 grandkids.  I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and have lived in Sausalito, Squaw Valley, Mendocino, and for the last 40 years in Santa Barbara/Goleta.

I’ve been ridding off and on for over 50 years, mostly off.  I started off with a Churchman scooter, then a couple of Honda Scramblers.   After graduating from the California Maritime Academy my riding days were over except for a trip down to Cabo San Lucas in 1969..  When my sons were old enough to ride I bought a couple of dirt bikes and we rode together for a few years until they discovered girls and our riding days were over.

I got into adventure riding around 14 years ago.  I’ve done a number of cross country rides (usually to visit my brother in Virginia) plus Prudhoe Bay, Guatemala, Ecuador, the Alps, and all over Mexico a few times.

I was also fortunate enough to ride with Helge and a great group of riders in Africa in 2013 and then the Silk Road in 2015.

This is going to be another incredible adventure.  I’m really looking forward to riding the length of Africa.  I’ll be riding a 2013 F800GSA which has been a very dependable bike on my previous trips.

My hobbies, besides motorcycles, are golf, skiing, and spoiling my grandchildren ages 7 to 22.

My name is Steve Smith. Fifty-eight years old, but I think somehow the dial has been moved forward this past year by some jokester that has me on strings like a puppet.

My father is to blame for my lifelong passion of motorcycling, when he thought it might be something we would enjoy together, and at 13 years old my odd jobs paid off and a 1970 Yamaha 175 found it’s way onto the first of a long list.

After a couple of years of boundless smiles, I decided motocross racing was the natural progression, and the arena of different modalities for motorcycle thrills began.

Climbing and back-country skiing eventually took over, and mountain biking started to evolve. I found myself in the Lake Tahoe area, where I’ve been for twenty-five years. After a long sabbatical from motor-bikes, I met a gal that had a Harley Davidson. You can guess what happened next.

A few years down the road I was on a GSXR 750, and in my forties, soon found my way to road racing. Haven’t looked back since.

In 2010 I decided adventure riding aligned best with my secluded preferences, so the GSA somehow manifested. When pursuing riding companions, I was introduced to Joe Hutt, aka “Joe Rocket”, a client of Helge's on several tours. I took the pictures in his Bio for his last Silk Road Adventure while on different trips we did together inhaling copious amounts of dust along the way, reaching speeds on dirt that prove some of us have far fewer brain cells than others.  Joe said Helge is the real deal, so after years of adventures in the states, and patiently waiting the arrival of this tour, I can now realize the great fortune of blessings that allow me to join in.

This is my 2nd GlobeRiders moto tour.  I participated in the 2015 Silk Road adventure.

I own a small family based video, presentation, & staging production company - Abracadabra Presentation Graphics, Inc.  We design and produce corporate special events - i.e. international & national sales, marketing, financial, technology, training and HR, Board, and shareholder meetings throughout the US, China, Mexico, and Canada.

My ride is a 2016 Honda CB500X.  I have a 2003 Yamaha FJR1300 setup for Iron Butt Association events, a 2004 Suzuki V-Strom DL1000 which completed the Silk Road 2015, a 1988 Harley Springer bar bike, and a 1980 Honda XR-250 for floundering in the dirt.

I have completed three Iron Butt Rally's, 11 Days-11,000 miles - 2001, 2003 & 2005.  May 2004 I rode 8,871 miles through all 49 states and 3 Countries - Mexico, US & Canada, in 7-days, 11-hours.  In 2010/2011 I rode 11,100 miles (17,848 km) from Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay, Alaska south through Canada, the US, Mexico, Central America, and South America to Ushuaia, Argentina. 

My personal riding blog site: All-Star Motorcycle Circus & Expedition

I’m 70 years old, and live in Orange County, California. I’m married to Susan and have 2 adult sons with families and 3 granddaughters. Sue and I celebrated our 50th anniversary last November.

G. Dean Tanji

I was made in Norway, left to see the world on a BMW motorcycle and now live outside Seattle, USA. It has been an incredible journey and I have been very fortunate to have the lifestyle that I have had since the day I left Norway in 1982.

After 10 years of riding the world I settled in Seattle where GlobeRiders were created. We have done long distance tours all over the world since the year 2000. From the early start, I have decided not to make GlobeRiders a large company, but rather a small business that have the time and energy to get to know every one of our riders that travel with us.

I love the full process of building a team from start to the end. It is a long process, but worth it in the end when we all return home from our ride with memories for life.

Besides motorcycle touring photography is a big part of my life and what a great combination it has been, riding the world and taking photographs. Yes, I have an addiction and that is that I carry way too much camera equipment with me on my bike.

Looking forward to ride with this group all the way to Egypt and have everyone arrive with memories that they can share with family and friends. My biggest burden being the leader of this pack is to make sure that everyone is safe and have a wonderful ride.

Ride Far – Ride Safe!

Helge Pedersen