Winging it on Wheels
In September 2024, I quit my job, boxed up a bike I barely knew how to maintain, and flew to Seattle. No route plan, no touring experience, no clue. I pointed south and started pedalling.
9 months and 10,000+ km later, I'd cycled through the USA, across the Baja desert, down mainland Mexico, through Central America, and into Colombia. I wild camped, got robbed at butter-knife point on a volcano, rode out a thunderstorm on a hilltop, and was fed by more strangers than I can count.
I kept a daily journal from the road, every entry written on my phone at the end of the day. All 117 of them are below, unedited, typos and all.
Prefer photos? Browse the Google Photos album .
The full journal
117 entries, Seattle to Colombia.
- Intro: How did I end up writing on a crazy guy website?
I can't change a tire, I'm very out of shape, and my cycling experience is commuting 2 km to work. But none of that matters. I have a 3 step plan: buy a bike, quit my job, start cycling.
- The plan: You do have a plan though, right?
Planning a 10,000 km bike tour without actually planning. Why I decided to wing it and just start pedaling south from Seattle toward South America.
- T minus 3 weeks: This shit is starting to feel real.
The moment a Pan-American bike tour became real. Booking flights, second-guessing everything, and preparing to leave Ireland for Seattle to start a 10,000 km ride.
- Gear List
Complete gear list for a solo 10,000 km bike tour from Seattle to South America. Bikepacking setup, camping gear, electronics, and what I packed for a Pan-American adventure.
- The Night before: Last min tech troubles
Last-minute scramble to box a bike for a transatlantic flight. How to pack a bicycle as checked luggage from Ireland to Seattle for a bike tour.
- A day of Traveling: Ireland to Seattle· 0.6 km
Flying from Dublin to Seattle with a boxed bicycle. The anticlimactic start to a 10,000 km solo bike tour down the Americas.
- Day 2: Or the real Day 1?· 60 km · Puget Sound, WA
Ferrying west out of Seattle, grinding hilly backroads into Belfair
- Day 3: Belfair to Elma· 90 km · Elma, WA
Threading forest backroads after a wrong turn, rolling into Elma for cookies and rest
- Day 4: Rest day· Elma, WA
Leaning into rest with tiny-town wanders, charger upgrades, and route dilemmas
- Day 5: Cooking shouldn't be this hard.· 70 km · Twin Harbors, WA
Cruising easy rollers to the coast before a cursed camp kitchen ends in steak consolation
- Day 6: Gentle hills and nice people· 70 km · Bruceport, WA
Gliding coastal rollers into Bruceport, sharing elk tales, and getting a drivetrain rescue from a folding-bike Canadian
- Day 7: A day of Beautiful views and wildlife· 59 km · Long Beach, WA
Following a Garmin detour into owl-and-deer encounters before landing a Cape Disappointment bed and plotting the Astoria bridge
- Day 8: Beer is great· 50 km · Fort Stevens, OR
Braving the Astoria bridge into Oregon and turning the hiker-biker site into a beer-fueled story swap
- Day 9: Rest day... AND ELK!· Fort Stevens, OR
Lazy rest-day tinkering turns into elk wandering through camp and a veto on the Portland detour
- Day 10: My first flat + rough hills· 60 km · Nehalem Bay, OR
Fixing the first flat before battling the Arch Cape tunnel and sweaty coastal climbs into Manzanita
- Day 11: I feel stupid· 65 km · Cape Lookout, OR
Hunting a runaway valve core before leaning into hiker-biker banter and instant mash experiments
- Day 12: Wind, rain, hills and racism· 70 km · Lincoln City, OR
Grinding through rain-soaked coastal climbs, binning the wrong rain pants, and discovering which pubs honor Irish IDs
- Day 13: Great views· 45 km · Newport, OR
Spinning gentle miles along cliffside vistas before a motel reset and derailleur straightening
- Day 14: 2 weeks in and maybe 2% done!· 60 km · Carl G. Washburne, OR
Realizing the rain jacket vanished, rolling through lifting fog into camp early, and hacking campground wifi with a VPN
- Day 15: a bad impress on tubeless tires· 73 km · Tugman State Park, OR
Pushing a longest-yet day with German pacers before a roadside tubeless battle ends in a tube swap
- Day 16: Reality check· 65 km · Umpqua Lighthouse, OR
Donning high-vis after a sobering roadside story, swapping a leaking tube outside Walmart, and finally wrangling Warmshowers
- Day 17: showers are great· 60 km · Humbug Mountain, OR
Gliding along fast-feeling coastal miles before luxuriating in the best hiker-biker shower yet
- Day 18: last night in Oregon· 80 km · Harris Beach, OR
Logging a biggest-yet climb day en route to Oregon’s farewell campfire while swapping raccoon heist lore
- Day 19: First warm showers!· 48 km · Crescent City, CA
Rolling a short border-hop into Katie’s warm showers community center and savoring first Californian milestones
- Day 20: Rest day: Pints at church?· Crescent City, CA
Leaning into a rest day of laundry, tube patching, and churchyard pints with fellow tourers
- Day 21: Begining of the redwood forests· 56.99 km · Elk Prairie, CA
Surviving a sleepless warm showers night, grinding into the redwoods via drive-thru trees, and rationing quarters for a 60-second shower
- Day 22: Cycling to a deadline· 70 km · Arcata, CA
Savoring quiet backroads before a lunchtime flat turns the dash to a warm showers deadline into a drop-bar sprint
- Day 23: First 100k and the Avenue of the Giants!· 100 km · Burlington Campground, CA
Chasing a first 100 km day through the Avenue of the Giants after a failed Walmart tech run
- Day 24: Hills and reantless heat· 70 km · Standish-Hickey, CA
Wrestling punctures and merciless heat through redwood climbs before reviving at Confusion Hill
- Day 25: Rest day· Standish-Hickey, CA
Settling into a redwood rest day of map fixes, tube patching, and overstocked camp beers
- Day 26: Leggett hill· 65 km · Westport, CA
Conquering Leggett Hill’s quiet switchbacks before blasting back to the Pacific and collapsing at a bare-bones hiker site
- Day 27: Great campground but racoons· 68 km · Manchester KOA, CA
Grinding coastal rollers into a Jacuzzi-equipped KOA before raccoons raid the hiker bikes
- Day 28: I survived the racoons· 67 km · Salt Point State Park, CA
Slipping past raccoon raids, mending a stove pump, and sharing a gifted campfire under approaching-SF mile markers
- Day 29: Wet day and walk down memory lane· 101 km · Samuel P. Taylor, CA
Riding a rain-soaked 100 km singalong toward San Francisco and toasting Guinness from a hacked Gatorade glass
- Day 30: Made it to San Francisco!· 57 km · San Francisco, CA
Crossing the Golden Gate amid Blue Angels flyovers and settling into Aoife’s rooftop welcome
- Day 31: Rest day: Bike upgrades and Cheesecake· San Francisco, CA
Rest-day hill walks turned gear upgrade spree capped with Cheesecake Factory indulgence
- Day 32: Rest day - Planning for Big Sur + playing Baduk· San Francisco, CA
Plotting a Big Sur workaround, gearing up at Sports Basement, and dropping stones at the SF Go Club
- Day 33: Rest day - Last rest day in SF· San Francisco, CA
Soaking up a final city rest day with secret-menu experiments and Pan-Am planning pints
- Day 34: Back on road· 55 km · Half Moon Bay, CA
Rolling out of San Francisco through foggy dunes, testing sand skills, and camping under a windfallen tree
- Day 35: A day of flats· 95 km · New Brighton, CA
Battling serial rear-wheel flats en route to locking in a Big Sur train detour with help from fellow riders
- Day 36: Short 20km day· 20 km · Sunset State Beach, CA
Spinning a token 20 km before being banished to the beach until check-in and resting up for tomorrow’s train dash
- Day 37: skipping big sur landslide with a train· 44 km · San Luis Obispo, CA
Dawn sprint to Salinas, enduring train mishaps, and trading tales with a fresh PCT finisher before a motel crash
- Day 38: Short day and some needless nerdy tech stuff· 27 km · Pismo Beach, CA
Cruising an easy 27 km into pricey dunes while demoing the phone-and-termux touring rig
- Day 39: Racoons...· 78.7 km · Santa Maria, CA
Waking to raccoon carnage, pedaling strawberry flats, and getting turned away by RV-only parks into a motel
- Day 40: A wrong turn leads to an adventure!· 52 km · Refugio State Beach, CA
Taking a construction detour into singletrack chaos, hauling the bike through a dry riverbed, and dining spork-less by the surf
- Day 41: So many punctures today so go tubeless which causes more problems· 40 km · Santa Barbara, CA
Evicting tent ants, enduring endless flats, and limping a half-tubeless wheel into a hostel for diagnostics
- Day 42: Rest day in Santa Barbara + Bike upgrades· Santa Barbara, CA
Spending the “rest” day fitting a front rack, tidying drivetrains, and gaining confidence in a temperamental tubeless setup
- Day 43: Unexplained speed boost· 87 km · Point Mugu, CA
Riding surfer coastlines at a surprise 21.5 km/h clip, sans helmet, and filtering milky campground water after losing yet another spoon
- Day 44: LA!· 80 km · Los Angeles, CA
Rolling from quiet coastlines into Venice bike paths and landing at Joshua and Kyla’s doorstep for tacos and a self-driving Tesla spin
- Day 45, 46 + 47: Rest days in LA· Los Angeles, CA
Soaking up Redondo downtime, pre-dawn Hollywood wandering, and splurging on an InReach while plotting the Baja push
- Day 48: A great warm showers host· 88 km · Orange County Coast, CA
Rolling south with Dave’s escort before taco-fueled fireside stories at Zack’s warm showers haven
- Day 49: A long cycle and hit San Diego· 114 km · San Diego, CA
Hammering a longest-yet 114 km into San Diego, detouring around a Marine gate, and hauling the bike into a hostel
- Day 50 + 51: Rest days - And last days in the USA· San Diego, CA
Racing through Baja prep—new 2.3” tire, GPX splits, InReach support—and trading maps with Kerry before the border
- Day 51: HOLA MEXICO!· 1 km · Tecate, Mexico
Rolling through an unmanned border, chasing down the FMM visa, and christening Mexico with Tecate tacos
- Day 52: A rough day one on the Baja divide!· 55 km · Pete’s Ranch, Baja California
Meeting the Divide with sand traps, dog chases, and a hard-earned shade lesson before camping at Pete’s oasis
- Day 53: A fun days cyycle in Baja!· 65 km · Northern Baja Desert
Freezing under a rainfly-less tent, slogging sandy tracks to the first rancho tienda, and accidentally deleting the day’s Garmin track
- Day 54: Got a good beating today· 67 km · Uruapan, Baja California
Field-testing dog countermeasures, surviving brake-melting descents, and bumming a lift when the hiker camp was closed
- Day 55: First wild camp!· 50 km · Pacific coast near Santo Tomás, Baja
Linking up with a multinational Baja crew, topping up tubeless sealant, and sharing a sunset wild camp above the surf
- Day 56: Should I skip a section of Baja divide out of bike worry· 40 km · Colnette, Baja California
Breaking from the Divide to nurse the bike toward Fass Cycles while horse pace lines and Baja 1000 crews color the day
- Day 57: First run in with Mexican police· 47 km · Vicente Guerrero, Baja California
Trading Divide sand for highway shoulder until police reroute me to dirt, then rolling into town for a bike-shop rest bloc
- Day 58 + 59: Rest days and bike shop· Vicente Guerrero, Baja California
Handing the bike to Salvador at Fass for drivetrain rehab, wax lube tutoring, and parts logistics while soaking in true rest days
- Day 60: sand and more sand· 40 km · Pacific dunes near Camalú, Baja California
Wrestling relentless sand with Blake and Marcus, sharing trail magic, and camping on the coast ahead of Baja 1000 rest plans
- Day 61: Some sad news from the Baja 1000 race· 40 km · San Quintín dunes, Baja California
Escaping a tide-trapped camp, trading stories with fellow tourers, and hearing tragic Baja 1000 news over beach beers
- Day 62: Cycling on the beach + the Baja 1000 race· 10 km · El Rosario, Baja California
Hangover-pushing bikes through tidal sand before cruising firm beach to catch the roaring Baja 1000 trucks
- Day 63: Today was brutal· 48 km · Cataviña desert, Baja California
Hauling a loaded bike through lonely post-race sand and hitting a personal elevation PR on my first solo wild camp night
- Day 64: Valley of the candles· 75 km · Valle de los Cirios, Baja California
Defrosting a frosty camp, gliding through alien cactus forests, and refueling at El Sacrificio before cactus thorns test the tubeless
- Day 65: To skip a section of the Baja divide or not?· 75 km · Cataviña, Baja California
Rolling desert tracks into Cataviña, weighing resupply gaps, and choosing Highway 1 over a dry Divide stretch
- Day 66: Mini photo review of Mex 1 road· 55 km · Highway 1 south of Cataviña, Baja California
Battling brutal crosswinds on Mex 1, cataloging shoulders and potholes, and camping behind a local’s house
- Day 67: Downhill + tail winds· 100 km · El Rosario, Baja California
Soaking in Milky Way skies at Eugene’s rancho before tailwinds and descents rocket me toward camp with Fiona
- Day 68: Gotta catch 'em all - Pokemon· 82 km · Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur
Daydreaming a Pokémon-themed tour while crossing into Baja Sur via wind-blasted, checkpoint-laden Highway 1
- Day 69 and 70: Rest days and refreshing some tech skills· Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur
Lingering over cafe rest days, swapping stories with Jan, and tinkering on his NGO website while the clock shifts
- Day 71: a normal day on highway 1· 75 km · Vizcaíno, Baja California Sur
Knocking out another straight-shot Highway 1 day while finishing Spanish With Paul and lining up a mailed tire swap
- Day 72: San Ignacio· 70 km · San Ignacio, Baja California Sur
Sleeping in before highway rollers deliver me to the oasis plaza, splurging on Spanish lessons, and reuniting with Jan and Fiona
- Day 73: Rest day· San Ignacio, Baja California Sur
Lounging in the oasis campground journaling, resupplying, and drilling Spanish before rolling toward the Sea of Cortez
- Day 74: Fist pumping road magic· 75 km · Santa Rosalía, Baja California Sur
Climbing alongside the Tres Hermanas volcanoes, fist-pumping passing motorists, and catching roadside kindness en route to pick up new parts
- Day 75: Mulege· 62 km · Mulegé, Baja California Sur
Rolling into Mulegé for Spanish podcasts, classic rock, and a BajaPack pickup with fellow tourers
- Day 76: Rest day and the Mexican Fisherman· Mulegé, Baja California Sur
Recovering a forgotten passport, wrangling my first tubeless tire swap with gas-station air, and sharing beers with a real-life Mexican fisherman
- Day 77: Upset stomach· 23 km · Bahía Concepción, Baja California Sur
Pulling the plug on a planned century when my stomach revolts, holing up at a gringo bay motel with stunning views
- Day 78: Loreto· 110 km · Loreto, Baja California Sur
Hammering a 110 km rebound along the Sea of Cortez, scrounging mid-route water, and landing in a friendly Loreto campground
- Day 79: biggest distance to date· 121 km · Ciudad Insurgentes, Baja California Sur
Tackling a 120 km highway push with Manuel over long climbs, Fantas, and friendly truckers
- Day 80: alcohol and pier pressure· 80 km · Ciudad Constitución, Baja California Sur
Riding ruler-straight Highway 1 with Rocky anthems, stealth-camping behind a restaurant, and letting beers spark a La Paz century dare
- Day 81: Peer pressured into my first 100 mile day!· 157 km · La Paz, Baja California Sur
Dragging sore legs through a peer-pressured 157 km dash into La Paz, fueled by sunrise starts, roadside dogs, and Airbnb lockbox improvisation
- Day 82 - 95: La paz, rest days, great times· La Paz, Baja California Sur
Two weeks off-bike in La Paz swapping philosophy with tourers, failing at windy kayak outings, and diving into urban food, markets, and nightlife
- Day 96: Ferry to Mazatlan· 20 km · Mazatlán, Sinaloa
Rolling onto the cargo ferry as the last passengers, bivvying under the stars on deck, and waking to dolphins before settling into a Mazatlán Airbnb
- Day 97 to Day 104: Rest in Mazatlan for Christmas· Mazatlán, Sinaloa
Lingering through Christmas in a high-rise Airbnb, wandering markets, flying the drone, and soaking in sunsets with new friends
- Day 105: Finally on road again· 70 km · El Rosario, Sinaloa
Shaking off Mazatlán comfort, threading dog-lined outskirts onto Highway 15D, and droning over agave fields en route to El Rosario
- Day 106: Silly accommodation problems· 150 km · Ruiz, Nayarit
Knocking out 150 km on Mex 15D before a nighttime cash hunt and motel shuffle amid a town basketball final
- Day 107: Steep hill· 64 km · Tepic, Nayarit
Grinding up 1,400 m of post-holiday climbs into Tepic before collapsing into a grassy campsite
- Day 108: New year eve kindness· 110 km · Coastal village near Mex 200, Nayarit
Choosing the Puerto Vallarta route, coasting a huge descent, breaking yet another pair of sunnies, and ending New Year’s Eve sheltered by a retired SEAL
- Day 109: Pictures of signs· 62 km · Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
Rolling into PV with a New Year’s care package, collecting ever-escalating wildlife signs, and dodging city traffic
- Day 110 - 121: Hard to leave the conforts behind and get on the road again· 93 km · Escuinapa & Mazatlán, Sinaloa
Busing back north for reunions, slipping into coastal comfort, and rebooting Spanish study with Dreaming Spanish
- Day 122: Bike problems· 83 km · Ixtlán del Río, Nayarit
Grinding uphill toward Tequila country while nursing a chain jam wedged behind the cassette and limping into a no-frills motel
- Day 123: Tequlia - from field to flavors· 73 km · Tequila, Jalisco
Climbing into Tequila for José’s field-to-glass tour and savoring small-batch agave while camping at the distillery
- Day 124: Guadalajara· 69 km · Guadalajara, Jalisco
Rolling out of Tequila hangover-free into Guadalajara’s traffic to set up a maintenance break and DIY drivetrain fix
- Day 125 - Day 129: Guadalajara rest days· Guadalajara, Jalisco
Parking the bike for a multi-day city break filled with DIY drivetrain repairs, salsa socials, and Go club nights
- Day 130, 131 + 132: Guadalajara to Guanajuato.· 285 km · Guadalajara to Guanajuato, Jalisco/Guanajuato
Knocking out three rolling days via Tepatitlán and León, battling dark tunnels, and landing in Guanajuato for a Go-club break
- Day 133 - 136: Guanajuato - Rest days - Mostly a Go entry· Guanajuato, Guanajuato
Soaking up the Coco-like city while cramming Go marathons with the local club and plotting the route toward Puebla
- Day 137 - 139: Busted rim and bus to Mexico city· 201 km · Guanajuato to Mexico City, Guanajuato/Hidalgo/Mexico City
Rolling toward CDMX amid podcasts and Spanish drills until cracked rims and broken spokes force a bus hop
- Day 140 - 145: Rest days in Mexico City + Bike Repair.· Mexico City, CDMX
Stashing the bike for a rim rebuild, wandering Reforma parks and speakeasies, and gearing up for the tough ride to Puebla
- Day 146 + 147: Robbed at Knifepoint, Scaling the Pass of Cortés, Record Altitudes and Freezing Temps· 160 km
A guy pulls a butter knife on me on the side of a volcano. Honestly, the friendliest robbery you will ever hear of. Then I push my bike above 12,000 ft between two smoking volcanoes and nearly freeze to death.
- Day 148 - 156: Rest in Puebla· Puebla & Cholula, Puebla
Laying low with friends, deep-cleaning gear, sipping mate, and logging more Go games while plotting the route toward Oaxaca
- Day 157 - 159: Thunder, Lightning, Music, and Gunshots· 175 km
I camp under a cactus on a hilltop because it looks cool for a photo. Then a thunderstorm rolls in and I have to starfish myself to stop the tent blowing away. Then unexplained music starts playing from nowhere. Then I wake up to gunshots.
- Day 160 -163: large climb and arrival in Oaxaca· 295 km · Oaxaca, Oaxaca
Savoring long descents, conquering a 2,100 m climb with lifesaving tortas, and rolling into Oaxaca escorted by local riders
- 164 - 171 Oaxaca: I have a big head (apparently)· Oaxaca, Oaxaca
Soaking in Oaxaca’s food scene, crafting a zip-tied sun hat, and automating Garmin downloads while playing Go with locals
- Day 172 - 186: Boiling, Brakeing and Beaching Whales· 210 km · Miahuatlán → San José del Pacífico → Barra de la Cruz, Oaxaca
Lingering in mountain hostels, dodging brake failures on the coast, camping with surfers, and watching whales breach
- Day 187 - 193: Chiapas, Wind + an end to the Mexican chapter· 565 km · Oaxaca Coast → Tapachula, Chiapas
Hammering windy Tehuantepec straights, dodging ants and electrified showers, riding with Louis, and closing the Mexico chapter in Tapachula
- Day 194 - 196: Guatamala· 337 km · Tapachula, MX → Guatemala → El Salvador border
Navigating exit fees, losing-then-finding an ATM card, hammering big Guatemalan miles, and rolling into El Salvador
- Day 197 - 201: El Salvador· 315 km · El Salvador coast
Climbing soaked volcano tunnels, revisiting Bitcoin Beach, wrestling tubeless punctures, and pushing toward the Honduran border
- Day 202 - 207: Honduras and Nicaragua· 520 km · Honduras & Nicaragua
Blitzing the Pan-American toward Costa Rica, wrangling border bureaucracy, dodging drone questions, and enduring more tubeless puncture drama
- Day 208 - 217: Costa Rica· 450 km · Costa Rica coast
Paying the gringo tax, botching a brake bleed, swapping calipers, resting in pricey surf towns, and losing a bank card before the Panama line
- Day 212 - 225: Panama· 490 km · Panama
Settling into David, adding aero bars, battling catastrophic punctures and bridge repairs, waiting out floods with locals, and rolling down the Amador Causeway
- Days 226-244: Medellin rest days· Medellín, Colombia
Settling into a two-week city stint of yoga plans, Amazon deliveries, scams and near-muggings, Go games, and Garmin replacements
- Day 245 - 249: Medellin to Salento· 240 km · Medellín to Salento, Colombia
Grinding lush Andean climbs, dodging rain, being adopted by local cyclists, and rewarding the legs with Salento chess nights
- Day 250 - 251: Colombians are the incredibly welcoming· 200 km · Salento to Cali, Colombia
Enjoying Andean descents, collecting roadside gifts, and being escorted into salsa-filled Cali for hostel dance classes
- Day 252 - 263: Dancing in Cali· Cali, Colombia
Living at a salsa-hostel—private lessons, Calle de Sabor street parties, nightly Go battles, and a failed yellow-fever paperwork hunt
- Day 264 - 274: Dangerous Tours, Andes Climbs, and a Dog Bite in Southern Colombia· 400 km · Cali to Mocoa, Colombia
Touring Cali’s toughest barrio, battling southern Andean climbs with Jason and Sarah, visiting Popayán, and finishing with a rabies scare after a dog bite
- Winging it Home
The final chapter of Winging it on Wheels: 10,000 km, countless campsites, and memories to last a lifetime.
