Big Lake local Kevin Staples went on a very unique trip this summer. He took his motorcycle all over Europe and into parts of Africa and Asia. In his desire to share some of the highlights of his tour with Patriot readers, Staples sat down with this reporter and recounted his journey.
Back before Memorial Day, Staples headed over to Germany, where he had arranged to have his bike shipped. He went without a plan, just a date when he had to be back home. In honor of Memorial Day weekend, he decided to start the trip off by taking in some of the WWII memorials. Staples headed to the Normandy Memorial first. He said that when the staff saw his U.S. license plates on his bike, they made sure to give him an amazing personal tour.
From there, Staples meandered up through Denmark before deciding to change directions and head south through France and Spain and through the Strait of Gibralter. He noted that the famous passage between Europe and Africa was open, but a negative COVID-19 was required in order to pass between the two continents.
Staples said that Africa was, “Nothing like what people said.” He decided to take in the local markets and meet some of the residents. He would try to find the little coffee shops or restaurants that seemed like local favorites, and avoided anything that was for tourists. Oftentimes, locals who saw his U.S. plates would wave him over to sit and chat. He didn’t speak the same language as the locals, but they were able to have conversations using hand gestures and photos.
As Staples continued on his journey, he decided that he couldn’t take much more of the Saharan heat, and so made his way back to Spain. He visited a small town which is a part of Spain, although it is on the African continent. From there, he took a trip back through the Gibraltar Strait and headed north through the Andorra Mountains. Although the mountains were cooler due to high elevation, Staples was still roasting. He had to close all his jacket vents after tiny native wasps got into his jacket (a situation that was neither popular with the wasps or with Staples).
Staples continued heading east in search of friendly locals. In France, he was mainly ignored. He liked the locals in Slovania and Austria better, as they were friendlier towards him, but they still maintained a distance. In Croatia, Staples said he felt right at home, as the people were very friendly and down to Earth.
“They’re the kind of people who don’t care how old the BMW is,” Staples said.
Staples did some research on bike storage, and found a promising place in Bulgaria, so continued to head in an easterly direction. He spent a lot of time following a river through Romania, and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery. Staples noted that this was when his trip really started to feel amazing.
Staples made it to Bulgaria and found the bike place, called MotoCamp. Although not ready to end his trip, Staples stopped and used the facilities to do maintenance on his bike. The people there were very friendly and helpful, and helped him to plan a route through Turkey.
The next day, he started making his way to and through Turkey. He loved the people there, who had big personalities and energy. Staples reported that driving in Turkey was kind of crazy, and a three lane road would quickly become a five lane road, as everyone crowded close together.
The weather year round is incredibly consistent, with very little in the way of seasons. Year round, temperatures are 80ºF during the day and 60ºF at night. Another great thing is the lack of mosquitos.
Staples began to work his way along the coast of the Mediterranean and headed back up into the mountains to avoid the heat. He ran into problems there, as several of the roads were deep under water. Staples said a local river had recently been dammed, causing lots of flooding on the mountain passes, and it took some work to find his way around.
His trip took him over the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge. The bridge runs over the Dardanelles Strait and is the longest suspension bridge in the world. It was only recently opened in March of 2022. Staples said the bridge was so huge that as he drove up to it he assumed it was much closer than it was.
Staples headed through Greece and back to Bulgaria. He wanted to check out Montenegro and Albania but decided to make those countries their own trip in the future. He visited the Black Sea. He knew that on the other side of the large body of water there was fighting in Ukraine, but he was not able to see anything.
Finally, Staples headed back to MotoCamp in time for their Overland Traveler Convention. He got there a little early and helped out some of the other travelers with bike maintenance and repair. He even gave a presentation on tire wear to the attendees, as he’d been collecting research on the various brands he’s used.
Upcoming Trips
Staples is already planning his next few years’ of bike trips. He hopes to make a trip from the southern point of South America back home again. He also hopes to go through Nepal and India. Staples says he has plans for the next five years and isn’t planning to slow down anytime soon!
About Staples
Staples grew up in Moundsview and has been living in Big Lake since 2010. He works for Branch Manager as an engineer. Staples used to own and operate a bike shop in Chisago.
