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.

Departing Arriaga, Mexico we had nowhere to go but up. First, we cycled upwards from the hot and humid coastal plain through the gorgeous Sierra Madre del Sur, where a close encounter with wild coatis boosted our spirits. Next we crossed a broad, highland valley that took us to the state’s bustling capital city. But it was the second big climb, up onto the high Chiapas Plateau that nearly did us in. After gaining a mile and a half in elevation in a single day, we cycled into the magical town of San Cristóbal de las Casas - exhausted but victorious. San Cristóbal ended up being a wonderful place to hang out, becoming one of our favorite cities in Mexico.

After a break of nearly two months, we were finally back on the TransMexico Norte bikepacking route. We had spent much of the rainy season off our bikes, exploring Belize and Mexico City. But with a new, shorter deadline for cycling to the Guatemalan border, we had to get back on the road - even if it meant dealing with daily tropical downpours. Before long we had descended out of the high plains into lowland mountains shrouded in lush forests. Once again we discovered the pleasures of cycling through novel landscapes, and uncovering the hidden gems - like massive caves and offbeat museums - that other tourists rarely see.

From Guanajuato, the TransMexico Norte bikepacking route took us into the country’s central volcanic belt, passing between two majestic volcanos and through two of the country’s most popular tourist towns. Along the way, we cycled among the steep-sided foothills of towering cinder cones, as well as through fertile lowlands of sugar cane and agave. Ubiquitous, colorful murals proclaimed Mexico’s love for Monarch butterflies, which overwinter each year among the pines on the slopes of a few, high, volcanic peaks. Just as the rainy season began in earnest, we reached the city of Toluca, where we would take some time off our bikes to let the rains pass.

The sweet fragrance of a guava candy factory, or the scent of tanned hides from a long line of leather shops. The heat of the sun from a cloudless sky, or a cool breeze blowing across desolate hills. The sound of church bells, or a roving band of mariachis singing songs of love and loss. And the beauty of a mountain overlook, or a tranquil plaza in a colonial village. Traveling this part of the TransMexico Norte bikepacking route has served up a feast for the senses - anchored on each end by two of Mexico’s fabled silver cities, which at one time generated most of the wealth in the world.

The TransMexico Norte bikepacking route hugs the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains on its way from Durango to Zacatecas. As we followed the route, we found ourselves alternately climbing up into the cool, pine-cloaked mountains, then plunging back down onto Mexico’s hot, arid, central plateau. There, at the edge of the desert, we cycled between bustling cities and magical towns that trace their histories to the Spanish empire’s hunger for silver and gold.

We began this leg of the Baja Divide bikepacking route by cycling along the shores of a deep blue bay in the Sea of Cortez. Our destination was Loreto, one of Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos, and the town where Spanish influence in Baja began. From there, a lung-busting climb into the heights of the Sierra La Giganta mountains set us up for another rough and wild descent through the central desert - complete with towering cliffs, palm-lined oases, and the chance to visit remote ranches where some traditions have changed little for centuries. The last dash across the sandy Magdalena Plain carried us through acres of orange groves, until we finally came to rest in the agricultural heartland of Baja California Sur.