‘America is nuts about guns … experiencing it for real is different’
Peter Murtagh felt no gun pressure on his trip all the way through South and Central America but that all changed in Texas
Tip2Top
Peter Murtagh’s journey by motorbike from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska
‘I felt a bit emotional. This truly was the end. The final ride of this adventure’
After reaching Deadhorse, Alaska, the last stop on my journey up the Americas, I took a dip in the Arctic Ocean and reflected on what I’d learned
Peter Murtagh: No grocery stores, banks, medical facilities or cell phone service. You may not hear from me for a while
Coming out of Fairbanks on my journey up the Americas, there is a warning for would-be users of the Dalton
‘I told ‘em there was people buried there, but they didn’t listen’
Things are changing for locals in Moricetown, where I stop on my journey up the Americas
‘We get a lot of people who want a joint on the go, on the way to work’
The cannabis industry in Canada is a rapidly emerging major player in the economy of British Columbia
In Canada, I visualise myself trying to reason with a bear by waving my T-shirt at him
People I meet are helpful and friendly in British Columbia, where I stop on my journey up the Americas
Once again, I am reminded just how young the US is in places
I don’t much like the sound of Dismal Niche and Cape Disappointment but stop in Ilwaco, Washington on my journey up the Americas
Are there ever earthquakes? ‘Oh for sure. There was one a couple of weeks back’
I find warm hospitality and spontaneous friendship in Gualala, where I stop on my journey up the Americas
Best breakfast in San Francisco? It has to be Mel’s Drive-In
Peter Murtagh continues his journey up the Americas with a stop off at the famous Mel’s Drive-In Diner. He isn’t disappointed, and meeting a rock queen is an added bonus
As I travel through California, the Mexican influence is impossible to miss
Peter Murtagh: On my journey through the Americas I stop in Salina, where fields that stretch on forever are farmed at an industrial scale
Tip2Top: One of the odd things about California is the names. You catch yourself thinking ‘Oh yeah, I know that place’
Peter Murtagh continues his long journey up through the Americas, reaching California with its famous roads and protected land developers would kill for
The metal fence I inspected in El Paso is a monument to the politics of Donald Trump
Peter Murtagh ventures along Interstate 10 through the poor, dry, baking hot landscape of west Texas to see an intimidating fence on the Mexican border
Boy, they sure don’t like Joe Biden down here in Texas
Tip2Top: On Peter Murtagh’s journey up the Americas, he ponders how a president of such reforming zeal as Lyndon B Johnson could emerge from such a place
Tip2top in Mexico: There are saints at work here. I just hope there are no monsters too
In north central Mexico, where I stop on my journey up the Americas, I meet people in a desperate situation but am in awe of those trying to help them
‘I’ve never been 70 before, I’m not really sure what to make of it... I don’t think I much like it’
Relieved to be in a big city with Easter in full swing, it’s good to be among people and celebration as I turn 70 on my journey through the Americas
Arriving in Mexico, it dawns on me this is a massive, massive country
The scale of Mexico is apparent when I stop at the capital of the state of Chiapas during my journey up the Americas
‘What the feck are you at?’ I’ve asked myself at times over the last 14,000km
In El Tunco, where I stop on my journey up the Americas, I make a friend for the long road to Antigua
Tip2Top Nicaragua: First impressions were good. Then I got pulled over by the police
On the latest leg of my journey up the Americas, I crossed from Costa Rica into Nicaragua, where officials don’t seem to like journalists and I don’t care much for the grasping arm of the law
Tip2Top Panama: In the crater of an extinct volcano, there’s a touch of west Cork
My journey from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska: Having got lost, I hailed a taxi and got to the Sendero Cerro Gaital
Tip2Top in northern Colombia: In a small town, migrants pursue the dream of a new life in North America
This year, over 360,000 will trek to Panama to progress their dream. This truly epic human drama begins on a beach in Necoclí – the latest stop in my journey up the Americas
Tip2Top in Cúcuta: Colourful chaos at the last frontier
Colombia and Venezuela share a 2,220km border and it is here where I stop on my journey through the Americas
Tip2Top in Colombia: Here, I see most degrading scenes I have ever witnessed. I feel diminished just watching
Covid scuppered my plans to ride from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska. Now, my ‘great retirement project’ continues
Tip2Top leaving Ecuador: Border crossings can be strange places at the best of times. This one is definitely on the weird side
I have left Ecuador and have technically entered Colombia, as my passport proves, but my bike has not – or at least not legally
Tip2Top on the Galápagos Islands: It’s animals galore and they are utterly unfazed by people
Up close, iguanas look ferocious and medieval, or like something out of one of those sci-fi-meets-vikings nonsense series
Tip2Top in Cabo Blanco: Hemingway once held court here, in all his degenerate glory. The rich still fly in to hook a prize marlin
The writer came to Cabo Blanco, where I stop on my journey up the Americas, as this Peruvian village was where much of The Old Man and the Sea was filmed
Tip2Top in Valparaíso: How Chile’s wine producers are trying to address their country’s water problem
For the first time in its history, Santiago has a water rationing plan in place after many years of continuous drought
Tip2Top in Peru: Navigating a trail of anger and bloodshed, when suddenly I’m handed the bull horn
Peter Murtagh meets protesters in Peru, where 48 people have been killed since political crisis gripped the country last month
Tip2Top in La Paz: In this small Bolivian town I must have appeared like something from Nasa
Just south of La Paz, I stumble across a colourful celebration, and am reminded why I travel in the first place
Tip2Top on the Beagle Channel: A woman with a wonderful face lies in one of the most beautiful places I have seen
Picking up my pandemic-hit bike journey from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska, a trip along the south coast of the Beagle Channel in Chile turns up some interesting indigenous history
Tip2Top in Puerto Williams: If anything happens – a fall, a sprain or a break – no one would know where to find me
The pandemic scuppered my plans to ride from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska, but I’ve made it to Puerto Williams in Chile
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