I don’t feel quite ready to leave the jungle, yet there are no roads from this point that lead north unless you climb back out through the mountains towards Cusco. - So, here I am. - It is an amazing and beautiful thing to ascend with a mass of lush green behind you, up and out of the mist. - The man at the guesthouse surrounded by jungle told me two things: 1) It is dangerous for me to be traveling alone and I shouldn’t talk to anyone (I smiled and simply agreed) 2) There are three river crossings on the way up and one of them is quite dangerous. The current can be so strong that it once took his motorcycle out from under him. - He believed that the river took his motorcycle that time because he didn’t pull the clutch in. He advised me to do so, saying that it was much safer this way. - I’ve NEVER disengaged the clutch while crossing a river - I’ve always stayed in gear and on the throttle. - Is there any reason to what this man is telling me? - #amazonjungle #andesmountains #motorcyclediaries #onetheroad #womenwhoride #indianmotorcycle #scoutsixty #rolandsandsdesign #giantloopmoto #memphisshades #peru https://www.instagram.com/p/B0ivrnSBIz8/?igshid=128v1wixxayei

Me and my Saturday... #indianmotorcycle #scoutsixty #rider #nexxhelmets #bobber #mexico #mexicocity #dainese #motolife #motorette #motorettemx #motoretteclub #motorettemagazine @indianmotorcyclemx (en Mexico City, Mexico)

#losluckybastards #rubyhelmet #riders #supportriders #highrollers #customrock #mexico #mexicocity #rubyatelier #rolandsandsdesign #indianmotorcycle #scout #scoutsixty #redwingheritage #womenwhoride #beardedman #motolife #motorbike #motorcycles #bobber #custom #classic #retro #motorette #motorettemx #motoretteclub (en Custom Rock Garage)

“HOW DID YOU GET HERE?” I get this question a lot. Sometimes they’re referring to the extremely remote location, such as the outskirts of the Peruvian Amazon or the otherworldly tropical dry forests of Ecuador.  I can’t blame them; a woman dressed in black leather on a classic-looking Indian Scout Sixty, alone, is a strange sight to behold.  I’ve grown accustomed to the double-takes and bewildered stares.  Other times, they’re asking how my life ended up as it is, living on a motorcycle and pursuing wildlife protection... Read more at the Roland Sands Design blog : https://rolandsands.com/moto-gypsy-part-2 @rolandsandsdesign @rolandsands @indianmotorcycle Photo by @sebaschamorroph #rolandsandsdesign #indianmotorcycle #scoutsixty #southamerica #overland #wearealltrulywild https://www.instagram.com/p/CHp4u5rhtaW/?igshid=t7kdzot7afba

I wish that I could transport you into what it feels like for me on this white jaguar stallion, with RSD pipes, me in my RSD black leather, to pull up into a little mountain town like this. The stares I get. The comments when I stop to do anything, such as buy fruit. It’s pretty hilarious. I bet a VR experience could do it, to a certain degree. . @indianmotorcycle @rolandsandsdesign . #motorcyclediaries #overland #southamerica #scoutsixty #rolandsandsdesign #indianmotorcycle #icomeinpeace https://www.instagram.com/p/CFwyWCQh0vT/?igshid=16z53pd854yi5

Logistics: I started out this journey leaving Santiago, Chile, with stock Indian Scout Bobber Kenda K761 tires. . About 10,000 miles (16,093km) later, it was time for some new rubber... which is a pretty good run, maybe because I was on softer ground so often. . Indian sent Pirelli MT60RS tires to the Polaris dealership in Cuenca, Ecuador. Polaris has an arrangement with the Yamaha Center in Cuenca, where they helped me put the new tires on. These Pirelli tires have been better for all the dirtier, off-road situations I find myself in here in South America. I was actually already a little north of Cuenca at the time, but I didn’t mind heading back to visit my beloved biker babe, @warmi.biker.ec and the wonderful conservation biopark, @bioparqueamaru . -Armored jacket, pants, and waterproof boots are all @rolandsandsdesign - #indianmotorcycle #scoutsixty in #southamerica #polaris #rolandsandsdesign #giantloopmoto #wildlifeconservation (at Cuenca, Ecuador) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFSUI84B5B7/?igshid=1r5z1wtu33756

I carry the sky in me. I carry the waterfall that breaks in the dark jungle, and I have molded the plain to my skull and the mountain range has been enclosed in it. - #JoseEustasioRivera from Wade Davis’ book, Magdalena: River of Dreams It is a wonder how we could ever feel lonely, with all that we are woven into— a tapestry of biodiversity, hurling through space together. #magiccarpetride @indianmotorcycle @rolandsandsdesign @giantloopmoto @wadedavis9136 . #motorcyclediaries #wadedavis #scoutsixty #womenwhoride #colombia #wearealltrulywild https://www.instagram.com/p/CEo1tspo5vw/?igshid=187tku4nid688

“I'd like to introduce you to the hidden world of micro-orchids” he said. . Traveling up the slope of the Tungurahua volcano, I arrived at Lou Jost’s home, which felt more like a research laboratory tucked into the shire. . More than 8,000 orchid-filled vials covered the shelves and part of the floor in his home— specimens used to describe the 65+ new species of orchids to science in the past 15 years. . By accident, Jost discovered the smallest orchid on the planet (2.1 mm wide). The flowers of this orchid are so tiny that its petals are just one cell thick and transparent. . #ecominga #microorchids #orchids #biodiversity #scoutsixty https://www.instagram.com/p/CAaq5_thcp5/?igshid=mx2kq1tetuar