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Family on bikes in northern Mexico
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Heading into the tropics on our bikes
This is a newsletter from Family on Bikes. The family of four is currently cycling the Pan American Highway from Alaska to Argentina as the 11-year-old twin boys attempt to break the world record as the youngest cyclists to bike the entire Pan Am. See a slide show of cycling this area here.
January 24, 2009
Finally – a new chapter in our journey!
We crossed the border into Mexico ten days ago and started a whole new adventure. It’s been a lot of fun so far, and we’re looking forward to the rest of our time in Latin America.
Since I last wrote, we’ve been blessed with more than our due share of adventures, with border towns on either side of the border providing a whole lot of them. It started simply enough – just a simple email from a cyclist.
“I’m a cyclist from McAllen,” Al wrote. “If you will be passing through McAllen, I would like to invite you all to dinner.” Out of that simple beginning came a series of events we never could have dreamed up.
Al’s cycling club – Team McAllen – hosted a barbeque for us and we enjoyed meeting cyclists of all ages. They treated us to a professional hockey game and arranged for the boys to ride on the ice-cleaning machine during breaks. In short – the team was incredibly supportive of us and made our stay in McAllen very special.
On top of all that, Eric Ellman, the Executive Director of Los Caminos del Rio, invited us to stay in his house. Los Caminos is an exciting organization trying to utilize the many, many canals in the area as hike/bike trails. Eric arranged for us to get out on the canals a couple of times with other cyclists – what fun!
But perhaps the most far-reaching event of our time in McAllen was the hour or so we spent with Claudio – former head of the motorcycle police in Mexico. Claudio graciously offered his support in any way possible.
And so it was that we crossed the border to find a whole herd of motorcycles awaiting us! They escorted us through the city, stopping traffic at intersections so we could pass easily. I felt like an inadequate turtle compared to their sleek, shiny, powerful machines, but it was sure nice to pedal through the congested city and not have to worry about traffic!
It wasn’t until the following day, however, that Claudio showed us the true extent of his powers. Escorted by an enormous entourage, we made our way to the mayor’s office where we were greeted by a representative of the mayor and enough cameras to document a presidential inauguration! Every TV station, radio station, magazine, and newspaper in town was there!
We slowly snaked our way out of town, very well protected by one police car, two police motorcycles, and four members of the local motorcycle club. It was a crazy 90 minutes getting through town, but I’m not sure how we would have made it through without them. And then – suddenly – we were on our own. A rural, lightly traveled road lay ahead – and many adventures in a new country awaited!
In contrast with the United States where we tended to camp off in the woods where nobody could see us, in Mexico we decided to seek out people for the night. All day we cycled remote roads, passing ranch house after ranch house. An occasional “ejida” (very small pueblo) came and went. As nighttime neared, we found a house and asked permission to camp near it. Always, the owners have been more than accommodating.
One night we camped next to a small rancho. Chickens and roosters slept in the tree next to us and kept us awake all night. The six people in the house apparently were used to the raucous as they didn’t say a word about it.
Another night we stayed in an ejida and were invited to a church service. John and Davy stayed with the bikes and tent, but Daryl and I enjoyed a rather unique experience at church. It happened to be a special service when they were passing out gifts for the kids – gifts sent down by a church in Canada. They had a couple of clowns dancing and singing – and all the kids wore happy grins on their faces.
And finally, we reached the next big city of Tampico – and were greeted and escorted by the president of the local motorcycle club, Alejandro. As we pedaled through the city, I couldn’t help but wonder how awful it would have been without the guidance of someone who knows his way through the city streets. Although it was a long journey on busy streets, we are now in a hotel directly at the base of the bridge out of town, so it’ll be easy to take off and enter a new state tomorrow.
Each day we look forward to the adventures the day will bring. When we climb out of our tent in the morning, we have no idea what might befall us that day – but that’s what we’ve come to appreciate the most. Somehow we know we’ll meet great people. We know we’ll find a way to meet our basic needs. We know we’ll enjoy our adventures and learn more about this wonderful world of ours. And that’s what it’s all about!
Thanks for hanging out with us!
Nancy, John, Davy, Daryl
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Read our other newsletters here:
Ready for takeoff: June 6, 2008
Dalton Highway in Alaska: June 28, 2008
Alaska Highway: August 3, 2008
Crossing into mainland USA: September 10, 2008
In Montana, Wyoming, and Utah: October 17, 2008
Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico: November 19, 2008
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