The Great Divide

North. A direction we haven't touched in months. The symbolic direction of return, completion, Home. Touch base and go. We have dipped our toes (mentally) in the Panama Canal, the great manmade wonder and incredible halfway point of our Central American adventure. There is however, one catch.


Günther, our noble steed, limped his way inches from the finish line. Stuck on blocks, his wheel bearing broken, he sat one mere hour away from our southernmost point. Fate, nonetheless, would have us reach the Canal in a Westfalia regardless.



It turns out we were destined to meet our Canadian doppelgängers. Same car, same dream, even the same unwanted transitional lenses (Shades McSpecs lives again). Amazing. From Montreal to the Panama Canal, they traversed much of the same ground as us and in similar style.



Riding in the backseat of Jason and Marie Claire's white westy, we simultaneously reached our mutual turnaround point. The day was rainy and grey, the mood reflective. There was a sense of turning around, of having completed something. Even without our real ride, the geographical accomplishment of trekking from the heights of Alaska to the tip of the Panama Canal was profound.



We now look forward to bringing the journey full circle. With much of the Caribbean coast left to explore and my most favorite brothers in the world about to join us, the road home will hopefully be just as rewarding.


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-Rach