Help Me Finish Panamerican Hwy Dream & Journey

My name is Melissa and I hope you can help me get back on the road. It’s with heartbreak to announce that my beloved Honda XRE 300 has been stolen!

I’ve come so far, approximately 18,000 kilometers from Medellin to Mendoza to have my dream of reaching Ushuaia on motorcycle interrupted. To anyone that has talked to me about this trip, it’s been more of a life goal and commitment than a long vacation. I’ve passed landslides, survived hail storms and freezing temperatures and rain, rectified mechanical issues, and uprighted the motorcycle by myself when I was injured in the middle of the desert between Uyuni and the border of Chile. I’ve also cried at the beautiful landscapes and met incredible people and enjoyed (almost) every second. Getting back on the bike has always been liberation for me.

I’m in my last month of a one year journey and I truly felt as if the grand obstacles were behind me. Maybe naively, I felt like it would be smooth sailing as I would reach Ushuaia in just three weeks, finally without stopping to volunteer or wander, just ride and enjoy the journey. After long altiplanos and deserts and high elevations, I knew southern Chile & Argentina was a reward of sorts. And I’m tearing up as I write this because I’m imagining riding through pines, and flower fields backdropped with snow capped mountains of Patagonia and the magical Andes at their most impressive sights. Finally, I would arrive at the “Fin de Mundo” on my motorcycle knowing I conquered some pretty wild shit, that I did it alone, when everyone told me it was dangerous for a woman to to do this solo. I would arrive and think about all the obstacles I overcame to reach my goal.

Right now I’m mourning the loss of the Honda and the future sale of it as my security blanket to get back to the States and start over. I’m making contingency plans. I kind of want to abandon the rest of my trip and fly home. But I’m realizing I have to finish what I started. Someway, somehow. I’m thinking of buying a small motorcycle or even buying a bicycle. I’m working with police to try and recover the moto and soon I will contact news stations in Mendoza and Argentina to get the word out (local bikers have advised me not to go to the news station eyt or they thieves will trash and obscond with the moto).

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and followed by journey so far. I’ll give you all updates as to my plans and if the motorcycle is ever recovered.

If you could please donate, even $1, or share this post it would greatly help. I set the goal at $5000 because I'd like to find a used replacement motorcycle, something old or small is fine. I'm thinking I will spend between $2000-3000USD on the motorcycle. The rest of the funds will go to purchasing a helmet, my travel costs, and a return flight home.