All in Border Crossing

Cycling Across Panama: The Road to the Panama Canal

Cycling Across Panama: The Road to the Panama Canal

Pedals and Puffins
Bike Touring, Bike Travel, Bikepacking, Border Crossing, Cycling, Pacific Tropical Lowlands, Pan-American Highway, Wildlife, Panama City, Panama Canal, Chinese New Year, Semana Santa, Missions and Churches

Panama stands at the crossroads of two continents. At its narrowest, just 30 miles of land (48 km) separates the world’s largest oceans. Here, where the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans nearly meet, the Panama Canal bridges the gap and creates one of the most important international waterways in the world. In addition to the canal, Panama’s vibrant traditional, indigenous fabrics formed the backdrop for festivals celebrating the Lunar New Year (Asian) and Holy Week/Easter (Catholic) holidays, reinforcing Panama’s distinction as a ‘melting pot’ of cultures. Our road ended in cosmopolitan Panama City, where on any given day we could visit a historical old town, a scenic Pacific waterfront, or a nearby tropical forest. It was a wonderful ‘adios’ to our journey across North and Central America. South America, here we come!

Cycling Across Costa Rica: Steamy Tropical Forests

Cycling Across Costa Rica: Steamy Tropical Forests

Pedals and Puffins
Wildlife, Pacific Tropical Lowlands, Bike Travel, Pan-American Highway, Bike Touring, Border Crossing, Cycling, Bikepacking, Guanacaste Costa Rica

Costa Rica. The name conjures up images of tropical jungles teeming with wildlife. We were really looking forward to cycling across this fascinating country. Then a triple whammy of strong winds, oppressive heat, and rapidly deteriorating tires created more than a few challenges. But the country’s lush landscapes, ocean vistas, gorgeous birds, enormous crocodiles, and incredibly generous people ensured that we had an amazing visit.

Cycling Honduras and Nicaragua: The Flat Pacific Lowlands

Cycling Honduras and Nicaragua: The Flat Pacific Lowlands

Pedals and Puffins
Bike Travel, Pan-American Highway, Volcanoes, Bike Touring, Border Crossing, Cycling, Bikepacking, Managua, Granada Nicaragua, Missions and Churches, Pacific Tropical Lowlands

Central America has many countries crowded into a relatively small space, leading to frequent encounters with immigration offices. Having crossed quite a few land borders over the years, we nonetheless wondered if we were up to the challenge of Honduras and Nicaragua. Both have a reputation of bringing even the most seasoned travelers to their knees with less than well oiled bureaucracies. Luckily, we successfully maneuvered the bureaucratic obstacle courses at the borders. A home run in getting a visa extension in Nicaragua gave us the time to enjoy the capital city of Managua, and soak up the wonderful, historic ambiance of Granada, on the shores of a freshwater lake inhabited by sharks.

Cycling across Guatemala and El Salvador

Cycling across Guatemala and El Salvador

Pedals and Puffins
Bike Travel, Pan-American Highway, Guatemala City, Central American Highlands, Sierra Madre del Sur, Bike Touring, Border Crossing, Missions and Churches, Cycling, Bikepacking, San Salvador

From Guatemala City we had only three days of riding to the border with El Salvador. Yet Guatemala continued to enchant us, with pre-Christmas festivities in one town and a colorful saint’s day procession in another. After a difficult border crossing, we once again marveled at the differences between countries as El Salvador revealed its own, unique character and beauty - even though our holiday plans in San Salvador didn’t quite work out as planned.

Cycling Into Guatemala: San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico to Cuatro Caminos, Guatemala

Cycling Into Guatemala: San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico to Cuatro Caminos, Guatemala

Pedals and Puffins
Bike Travel, Central American Highlands, Sierra Madre del Sur, Ecosystems, Bike Touring, Missions and Churches, Cycling, Bikepacking, Pueblos Mágicos, Border Crossing

We wanted to savor our final few days in Mexico. So instead of heading straight for the border, we lingered in one more magical town and cycled through a countryside dotted with picturesque lakes. We finally said “good-bye” to Mexico at a little-used border crossing at the top of a really big hill. During our first couple of days in Guatemala we cycled along a quiet road lined with scenic rock formations - until we took refuge from the rain in a woodland bungalow, at a quirky and off-the-beaten-path recreational park.

Baja Divide, Part 1: Cycling from San Diego, California to Vicente Guerrero, Baja

Baja Divide, Part 1: Cycling from San Diego, California to Vicente Guerrero, Baja

Pedals and Puffins
Bike Touring, Bike Travel, Bikepacking, Cycling, Ecosystems, San Diego, Weather, Wildlife, Baja Divide, Border Crossing

Baja California has a special allure for travelers, and cyclists are not immune. Since its inception in 2017, the Baja Divide bikepacking route has captivated off-road cyclists with the promise of pristine ocean shores, grand desert crossings, friendly cultural connections, and up-close encounters with weird and wonderful plants that grow nowhere else in the world. How could we resist? After traversing the urban sprawl of San Diego, we were thrown into a new world of adventure. Each day brought fresh challenges and surprises as we cycled through remote mountain passes between colorful, laid-back towns on the backroads of Baja.

Golden, British Columbia to Libby, Montana: Cycling the Rocky Mountain Trench

Golden, British Columbia to Libby, Montana: Cycling the Rocky Mountain Trench

Pedals and Puffins
Bike Touring, Bike Travel, Bikepacking, Cycling, Wildlife, Columbia River, Rocky Mountains, Border Crossing

We cycled for several hundred miles along the Rocky Mountain Trench, a deep, nearly straight, 1,000-mile rift between two of the region’s major mountain ranges. Along the way we discovered the headwaters of the Columbia River, disrupted a secret plot by a small band of wild turkeys, and eventually crossed the border back into the United States. With some deft planning, we also managed to piece together enough dentist appointments (in multiple cities) to finally take care of a nagging toothache. The mixture of gorgeous scenery and logistical complications ensured that each day was both hectic and an adventure on the way to Libby, Montana.