In July 2022 I decided to ride a Bicycle from the northernmost point in Alaska, to the very bottom of Argentina. Known as the Pan-American Highway, this is the furthest distance that you can travel continuously upon dry land on the planet. In my travels prior to this entry I worked my way down through …
It was with some sense of trepidation that I approached the Mexican border. Various conversations with folk in the US had led me to expect the worst. Perhaps the juiciest warning had come from a homeless chap in California, who told me that I would get robbed, before being sexually abused. Great.American movies don’t generally …
California is a place that is well drummed into our consciousnesses. We’ve all seen the movies, experienced the culture, seen scenes of beautiful bodies on the beaches and heard about how you need to wear a flower in your hair when you go to San Francisco. Having pedalled across the state line from Oregon, I …
I stayed in Vancouver for a few days. Needed to get various mechanical tasks completed on the bike and surely it couldn’t hurt to soak up a bit of metropolitan culture? Didn’t get more than three or four hours sleep on a given night. I began to wonder whether the Cambie Gastown Hostel had been …
The ferry from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy took 18 hours. Every now and then the captain would announce a humpback whale, or a pod of orca alongside. Every single passenger would immediately detach from their spot and flock over to that side of the boat. I saw a few tails slap, lots of blows …
Just one out of the three hosts I had messaged were able to offer me a place to stay.Both were passionate cyclists who had made extensive use of Warmshowers in the past. Over the course of my stay I got the impression that they were hosting as an act of reciprocation, rather than a joy …
Tok isn’t Anchorage. Tok is what some Americans might call ‘a wide part of the road’.There is a visitor centre, library, a few campsites and motels, a couple of gift shop/ tourist trap affairs, two gas stations, a motel/launderette/public showers and a medium sized grocery store. I rolled up to a campsite under maintenance. The …
I reached the front door of my Warmshowers host, Ted. I’d never used Warmshowers before, so I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I wasn’t left in any doubt about whether I had found the correct house. There was a big blue plastic sign in the window with Ted’s name on it, advertising campaign …
I pedalled into Fairbanks, tired, dirty and in desperate need of a pint. First order of business was getting some accommodation sorted, then I could secure the bike and head out to explore. Summer is the high season in Fairbanks (in fact it’s pretty much the only season for tourism, unless you want to see …
Having spent the best part of two days waiting around in various airport terminals and sitting in four planes I finally reached Deadhorse on the North Slope of Alaska. Deadhorse airport is not exactly Gatwick; luggage is loaded into the bucket of a digger, which drives to baggage collection and then deposits them onto a …