Journal Entries

Journal from biking the PanAmerican Highway from Alaska to Argentina

Here are some links to help you navigate through the journal from our Alaska to Argentina trip. I’ve put key passages here and you can click on the link on the bottom of each post to take you to the next one. That way, it should be relatively easy to get through the entire journal (Yikes! There are something like 1018 days!)

Here is a map of our route complete with awesome pictures!

June 4, 2008 – Four days til takeoff

June 8, 2008 – We’re OFF! To the ends of the earth!

June 10, 2008 – Leaving the end of the earth

June 20, 2008 – At the Arctic Circle

June 23, 2008 – Reached the end of the Dalton Highway!

July 8, 2008 – Entering Canada! Our first international border crossing

July 14, 2008 – Civilization! (Whitehorse, Yukon)

July 26, 2008 – The best of times; The worst of times (Liard Hot Springs, British Columbia)

August 12, 2008 – Mile 0 on the Alaska Highway (Dawson Creek, British Columbia)

August 24, 2008 – Headwind or Hurricane? (Jasper National Park)

August 31, 2008 – Snow? In August? (Banff, Alberta, Canada)

September 8, 2009 – Back in the USA (St. Mary, Montana, USA)

September 15, 2008 – Bike store at last! (Missoula, Montana)

September 29, 2008 – Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock (Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park, USA)

October 2, 2008 – String of Disasters (Jackson, Wyoming, USA)

October 9, 2008 – Barely beat the storm (Pinedale, Wyoming)

October 16, 2008 – Made it to Utah!! (Flaming Gorge Dam, Utah, USA)

November 4, 2008 – Ya don’t mess with Mother Nature! (Canyon de Chelly, Arizona)

November 14, 2008 – Accident! (Albuquerque, NM)

November 23, 2008 – Flashing lights (Socorro, NM)

November 28, 2008 – The Best Laid Plans… (Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, USA)

December 5, 2008 – Issue Resolved (El Paso, Texas, USA)

December 10, 2008 – Is it Cold? Or Warm? (Van Horn, Texas, USA)

December 21, 2008 – Claim It! (Dryden, Texas, USA)

January 3, 2009 – Our Classroom (Zapata, Texas, USA)

January 13, 2009 – Goodbye America, Hello Mexico! (Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico)

January 29, 2009 – Hospitality  (Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico)

February 8, 2009 – Motorcycle Angels (Veracruz, Veracruz, Mexico)

February 24, 2009 – Showers  (Or A Lack Thereof)  (Cardena, Tabasco, Mexico)

March 14, 2009 – Goodbye North America! (Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico)

March 22, 2009 – A River Hike (Spanish Lookout, Belize)

March 28, 2009 – Forget It Pills? (by some lake, Guatemala)

April 6, 2009 – Bittersweet Reunion with Verhage Family (Omoa, Honduras)

April 18, 2009 – Culture Shock (Utila, Honduras)

April 23, 2009 – I Saw a Turtle, Mom! (Utila, Honduras)

April 29, 2009 – The whole story behind my trip to Miami

May 6, 2009 – As the bike tires turn: Part 2

May 26, 2009 – The Time has Come (Choluteca, Honduras)

June 8, 2009 – One Year on the Road

June 25, 2009 – Small World, Episode 863 (Playa Bejuco, Costa Rica)

July 5, 2009 – Border Town – Again (Paso Canoas, Panama)

July 23, 2009 – Epsom Salts (Panama City, Panama)

July 25, 2009 – My Cheerleader (Puerto Lindo, Panama)

August 6, 2009 – Bathing in Mud (Cartagena, Colombia)

August 13, 2009 – Bikes and Sloths (Tolu, Colombia)

August 25, 2009 – THE CLIMB (Valdivia, Colombia)

September 6, 2009 – A “Normal” Climb (Santa Barbara, Colombia)

September 30, 2009 – Davy’s Toes (Again)

October 10, 2009 – Wusses (Mondomo, Colombia)

October 31, 2009 – Why are people afraid to travel? (by Davy)

November 9, 2009 – Water?  Lights?  What’s that?

November 28, 2009 – Festival of Shanshipamba in Ecuador

December 3, 2009 – The EQUATOR!!!!  (Cayambe, Ecuador)

December 20, 2009 – Christmas holidays (Quito, Ecuador)

January 1, 2010 – An Ecuadorian New Year

January 15, 2010 – Up & Over!  (Papallacta, Ecuador)

January 26, 2010 – Separated (Puyo, Ecuador)

February 1, 2010 – Trapped by a Volcano (Baños, Ecuador)

This woman approached us to tell us the history of her valley

February 2, 2010 – Curse of the toe gods (Ambato, Ecuador)

February 9, 2010 – Final climb of the Andes (near Salada, Ecuador)

February 24, 2010 – Robbed! (Tumbes, Peru)

March 2, 2010 – Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Sullana, Peru)

March 5, 2010 – A struggle for a market (Piura, Peru)

March 7, 2010 – Sand dunes, Wind, & Sickness (Sechura Desert, Peru)

March 13, 2010 – Fickle (Paijan, Peru)

March 20, 2010 – In a funk (Trujillo, Peru)

March 31, 2010 – Arrival at Dark (Pativilca, Peru)

Notice the giant’s feet sticking out of the ground way far ahead?

April 7, 2010 – Can’t Beat the Wind (Chancay, Peru)

April 12, 2010 – Creative Billboards (Asia, Peru)

April 16, 2010 – Highs & Lows (Pisco, Peru)

May 1, 2010 – Locked Out with a Plane to Catch

May 4, 2010 – Rebuilding an Integrated Brake/Shifter Lever

May 19, 2010 – Aliens Slapped Me in the Face

May 26, 2010 – A Gorgeous (Long) Day (6 kms short of Atico, Peru)

June 3, 2010 – Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: Part 2 (La Joya, Peru)

June 7 – Two Years of Magic

June 15, 2010 – Civilization At Last (Santa Lucia, Peru)

June 30, 2010 – Busted Bike (Pomata, Peru)

July 1, 2010 – Country #13!!!  (Copacabana, Bolivia)

July 5, 2010 – Decadence! (La Paz, Bolivia)

August 7, 2010 – Escaped the Black Hole (El Alto, Bolivia)

August 11, 2010 – Trouble Ahead (Oruro, Bolivia)

August 14, 2010 – Northeastern Bound (Lequepalca, Bolivia)

August 26, 2010 –  Local Schools (Sacaba, Bolivia)

September 2, 2010 – Base Hopping (Montero, Bolivia)

September 13, 2010 – TAILWINDS!!  (Cabezas, Bolivia)

September 20, 2010 – Acceptable Level of Risk

September 25, 2010 – Country #14 – ARGENTINA!!  (Tartagal, Argentina)

October 7, 2010 – Regrets about long-term family travel?

October 12, 2010 – Sick on the Road (Km 66, Highway 68, Argentina)

October 14, 2010 – Life lessons from a health emergency on the road

October 31, 2010 – Family travel: A life changing event

November 5, 2010 – Rubberband Day (Hualfin, Argentina)

November 12, 2010 – Argentina = Wind (Chilecito, Argentina)

November 20, 2010 – 4000 kilometers to the end of the world

November 30, 2010 – Mendoza!! And McDonald’s  (Mendoza, Argentina)

December 11, 2010 – Home (Chacras de Coria, Argentina)

December 14, 2010 – Lost (San Rafael, Argentina)

December 22, 2010 – Tabano Dance (Bardas Blancas, Argentina)

December 31, 2010 – Dreaming of the Finish Line (Las Lajas, Argentina)

January 3, 2011 – Big Things (Zapala, Argentina)

January 4, 2011 – Is it Fun?

January 8, 2011 – Limping into Town  (Junin de los Andes, Argentina)

January 16, 2011 – Cold, Wet, & Miserable (Villa La Angostura, Argentina)

January 20, 2011 – Why I prefer traveling on bikes

January 28, 2011 – Robbed!  (El Bolson, Argentina)

February 4, 2011 – On the Edge of Civilization

February 5, 2011 – A traveling lifestyle:  The result of wise choices or luck?

February 11, 2011 – Unbearable Heat (Sarmiento, Argentina)

February 20, 2011 – New record! (San Julian, Argentina)

March 1, 2011 – ser•en•dip•i•ty [ser-uh n-dip-i-tee]

March 8, 2011 – The Final Push

March 12, 2011 – Godless Territory

March 21, 2011 – USHUAIA!!!!  END OF THE WORLD!!!

My last day on the road (by Davy)

On reaching the end of the road