We crossed through Ecuador in just 8 days, but enjoyed our time there greatly. After an overload of fried food in Colombia, we were happy to find the markets in Ecuador well stocked with delicious fruits and vegetables. We stayed in several hostels with well equipped kitchens, which we took advantage of to cook ourselves some much needed nutritious meals. On top of that, we found the restaurant food, although similar to much of what we have eaten in all of Latin America, to be higher quality than we had seen for the past few months. Rice, beans/lentils, eggs and READ MORE
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The Gates of Lodore
** This is an old post from last summer (June 2023) that I never got the chance to share. Since I had the time and space today I figured I would update it and get it out to the world.*** I had spent a handful of days on the river when I first saw the Green River running though Dinasaour National monument. I had gotten into a free program in college in which a non-profit flew myself and few other students around Colorado in small planes to see Colorado’s rivers and talk to locale interest groups about their work on READ MORE
The Dolores River
** This is an old post that I just took the time to finish** After my ski mountaineering plans fell through, Noel, Mac and I rallied for a trip to the Dolores: a true gem of Western Colorado that boasts only a short season most years due to high water demands from the upstream reservoir for agriculture in the area. Mac had been hoping to run the popular stretch while it was up, and had gear and boats ready when the opportunity arose. He and his wife Sarah kindly let me borrow her boat, and Mac brought along nearly all READ MORE
Frying Pan or Fire: it is Hot
After leaving the cool temps of Nevado del Ruiz, we spent the day coasting downhill into the Magdalene river valley. As we dropped in elevation the temperatures climbed and by the time we were ready to end our short day (not wanting to push it with Mark’s stomach on the fritz) we were back into a hot and humid climate at only 200 meters elevation. Given the heat and the sensitivity of Mark’s bowels we opted to stay in hotels to be close to a bathroom as well as to enjoy a fan or a/c on our way to a READ MORE
Code Brown
Despite our best efforts to “really get up and after ‘em, tomorrow,” we have found many more reasons to keep our slow pace as we meander through Colombia. In the last 5 days we probably visited 12 bike shops as we searched for the perfect replacement tire. We have not found our dream tire, and instead decided to carry a spare (an added weight that we are not taking lightly, ha). It’s not exactly inline with our usual packing routine, but it does provide significant peace of mind. Beyond our hunt for tires, we have chosen to trade in some READ MORE
Big Slow Down in Colombia
Our usual pace has taken a serious change here in the northern portion of Columbia. A combination of national holidays, mechanical issues, route choices and sickness, has forced us to change up our normal schedule. We are certainly enjoying ourselves however! The riding has been fun, the food has been great and we have met so many kind and friendly people in the last week! January 1st, Necocli, Columbia: Kilometers ridden: 0 We rung in the new year in the touristy town, lazily drinking coffee while we waited for the bike shops to open the next day. We enjoyed rich READ MORE
Happy New Year from the Other Side of the Darien!
Mark’s Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/markandnic Google Photo Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/8sK1ryrupSjneZ9BA Mark and I are in Columbia! We made it from Puerto Carti, Panamá to Necoclí, Columbia by boat over the course of two days. We need to make some repairs to our bike, so we’ll be taking today off while we wait for the bike shops to open. In this post, I’ll write a normal update first and then below share our experience in detail of taking lanchas for other cyclists who might be taking the same trip. Y a la termina es mi esfuerzo cumpurtir esta información en español. We left Puerte READ MORE
amanaPlanacanalPanama
We’re sitting on the beach, only a day away from Columbia. Our bike is broken, essentially unrideable. And for the next three days or so we’ll be taking a series of lanchas (motorized boats) in order to circumnavigate the Darien gap. It’s not exactly peak experience for us; as a reminder for those who don’t know we’re not big fans of the ocean or beach. However, we are feeling super grateful for the kindness we’ve received and confident in our ability to find a solution for our bike in Columbia, and overall actually pretty at peace with where we’re at READ MORE
In the Rain and on the River
Cognitively, we knew that at some point on this trip we would have to deal with some real rain, but now that we are actually dealing with it, we are reminded of just how luxurious the dry weather we’ve encountered on most of this trip is. We are now in Panama, and have caught in a low pressure system that spans the majority of the Caribbean side of Costa Rica and Panama. Our first night in Costa Rica we paid for a room in a hotel, enjoying the opportunity to make veggie sandwiches and get a shower after a long READ MORE
Fast and Flat in Nicaragua
After pedaling our 100 lb bike up and over impossibly steep hills in Guatemala and El Salvador, we have found ourselves enjoying the break in the mountains more than usual. At my last blog post, I wrote about getting over a bout of food poisoning as we continued from Guatemala into El Salvador. While it was true we were over the vomiting and diarrhea, I was not quite back to 100% when we got back on the bike. I was still getting over the cold I had gotten the week prior, and had not fully recovered my appetite either. The READ MORE