From Alaska to Cape Horn: 30 Years of Adventures through the Americas, By Oscar Hearnden, February 21, 2025
Ted Stagnut is a long-time Bike Friday rider who has spent the past 30 years piecing together an incredible journey across the Americas, covering over 21,540 miles. Rather than cycling every mile, he took a practical approach, combining bike travel with buses, boats, and even light aircraft when needed. This flexibility allowed him to navigate diverse landscapes, from the Arctic to the southern tip of Argentina, passing through mountains, rainforests, and bustling cities along the way. His journey, completed over 21 separate trips while maintaining a professional career, highlights the freedom and possibilities that come with traveling by bike—where the route is never set in stone, and every ride brings new experiences.
We pick up his adventures on his Mexico-to-Guatemala expedition. Having already completed much of the United States on a traditional touring bike, Ted discovered the advantages of traveling with a folding bike and a hitched trailer. This setup gave him the flexibility to seamlessly switch between cycling and other modes of transport, making his journey smoother and more adaptable to the challenges of long-distance travel.
November 11, 2017: Acapulco, Mexico to Guatemala
Ted kicked off this journey by flying to Acapulco, spending one night in a beach resort before heading east on his bike. Nine days and countless roadside discoveries later, he reached Salina Cruz. From there, he used ground transportation to reach the volcanic landscapes surrounding Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. A few days of cycling near Panajachel were followed by a bus ride to Antigua, where he explored the colonial city on two wheels. Next came a bus to Tikal National Park for two days of hiking and biking among ancient Maya ruins. Wrapping up with a brief stop in Livingston and Rio Dulce, Ted eventually arrived in Guatemala City to catch his flight back to Portland on December 3rd—726 miles of riding and around 1,300 miles by bus and boat all told.
November 22, 2013: Guatemala through El Salvador, Honduras, and into Nicaragua
Earlier, Ted had flown to Guatemala City, grabbing his bike for a ride to Antigua and a near-summit of Volcano Pacaya. Pressing south, he cycled through El Salvador and Honduras before crossing into Nicaragua. A taxi collision in León forced some makeshift repairs, fortunately thanks to the help of a friendly local he was able to find a replacement bolt in only 30 minutes allowing him to continue on his way to San Jorge, before hopping on a ferry to Ometepe Island in Lake Nicaragua. He couldn’t resist climbing the higher of the two Volcanos (Volcano Conception) before finishing this eventful 14-day, 710-mile trip at Managua’s airport.
April 19, 2019: Nicaragua to Costa Rica
This adventure began with a late-night departure from Portland, arriving in Managua the following afternoon. After a quick transfer to Rivas, Ted started pedaling south toward Liberia, Costa Rica. Once there, he opted to rent a car to visit Manuel Antonio National Park and explore the cloud forests of Monteverde with his trusty Bike Friday folded neatly into the trunk. Ted squeezed in a hike at Rincón de la Vieja before riding another stretch. Across this trip, he cycled 154 miles and drove over 400 more, all leading up to a flight home from Liberia after 8 days on the road.
December 18, 2010: Panama into Costa Rica
Ted arrived in Panama City only to discover his bike had been damaged during the flight. Stuck with just a single gear, he spent a couple of days scouting out the Panama Canal before busing to David and then taxiing to Boquete. Undeterred by the gearing issue that he was facing he climbed up to Panama’s highest point, Volcano Barú, then set out along mercifully flat routes toward Costa Rica. The hills proved to eventually be to much without proper the proper gearing, so he eventually rented a car near Liberia, covering the rest of the trip by a mix of driving, hiking, and cycling. By the end of his 15-day venture, Ted had still managed to log 575 miles on the bike.
June 2, 2017: The Darién Gap (Panama and Colombia)
One of Ted’s more unconventional trips came in 2017 when he set out to “fill in the gap”—the Darien Gap, to be precise. This section of Panama and Colombia is notoriously difficult for overland travelers. Ted joined a San Blas Adventure group, traveling by boat through the San Blas Islands, sleeping in hammocks at Kuna Indian villages. Another boat ride took him to Capurganá, followed by a hike back across the border to La Miel. After a final boat-bus combo to Medellín, Ted returned home on June 13th, having filled in a vital gap in his trans-continental trek.
November 12, 2016: Ecuador into Colombia
Back on the bike, Ted flew to Quito and pedaled north, accidentally crossing into Colombia near Pasto before having the pedal back to passport control. He arrived at a momentous time for the country whose government had just signed a peace treaty with the Farc militia. Buses and a generous group set helped him navigate mountainous stretches, reaching Popayán, San Agustín’s archaeological sites, and eventually Santa Fe. Another bus to Turbo positioned him at the southern end of the Darién Gap. From there, he hopped buses through Santa Marta (with a side trip to Minca) and ended in Cartagena, flying home on December 3rd. In 20 days, he chalked up 528 miles of pedaling and over 1,300 more in ground transport.
On Oscar’s blog these photos in wrong place, Ted moved them here. (Oscar had them with August 23, 2019: Galápagos and Peru ride)
November 15, 2014: Ecuador to Peru
On this leg, Ted again touched down in Quito, climbing high into the Andes—12,678 feet above sea level—before dropping back down to the coast. A three-day Galápagos detour offered a taste of island wildlife before he took a bus to Piura, Peru. From there, he rode across the Sechura Desert to Trujillo, eventually taking another bus to Lima. By the time he flew home on December 5th, Ted had covered 827 miles in about three weeks.
On Oscar’s blog these photos in wrong place, Ted moved them here. (Oscar had them with November 12, 2016: Ecuador into Colombia)
August 23, 2019: Galápagos and Peru
Teaming up with Marty, Ted flew from Portland to the Galápagos Islands, where they spent five days aboard a tour boat mingling with reptiles, birds, and sea lions. After a quick stop in Quito, they flew to Cusco to explore the Sacred Valley and tackle a four-day Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu. Ted then continued the journey by bus from Cusco to Nazca, cycling to Paracas and catching up with Marty along the way. With Islas Ballestas checked off their list, they bussed to Lima—Ted’s last link in his coast-to-coast ride from the Arctic Ocean to South America’s tip. He returned home on September 14th, having cycled roughly 261 miles on this stretch.
On Oscar’s blog these photos in wrong place, Ted moved them here. (Oscar had them with November 15, 2014: Ecuador to Peru)
November 10, 2018: Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay
Ted launched this trip in Cusco, making quick bus hops to Puno and then La Paz, Bolivia—where he tested the famed “world’s most dangerous road.” A ride across Uyuni’s salt flats came next, followed by a winding route through northern Argentina and into Paraguay’s Asunción. From there, he flew to Montevideo, Uruguay and bused to Colonia before hopping a ferry to Buenos Aires. Arriving back in Portland on December 3rd, Ted had cycled 632 miles and traveled thousands more by bus and boat in just 24 days.
November 14, 2015: Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay
This chapter started in Asunción, Paraguay, with Ted riding to Caaguazú, then busing to Ciudad del Este. A ferry crossing put him at Puerto Iguazú, Argentina, where he hiked Iguazú Falls and pressed on by bike to Gobernador Ingeniero. More bus rides and pedaling took him to Concordia, then near Salto Grande Dam—where he had to hitch a ride across the restricted area into Uruguay. He cycled along Uruguay’s coast, including Colonia, and capped things off with a rental car journey to Punta del Este and Montevideo. Nineteen days and 861 miles later, Ted flew home on December 5th, rounding out another memorable leg of his southward migration.
