Honduras-Nicaragua

Nicaragua sunset

On the island of Lake Nicaragua. The roads need some work.



On the island of Ometepe, volacano conseption.

Lake nicaragua

5 AM start, Nicaragua.

El Salvador

Crossing into El Salvador was such a huge occasion they didnt even find a need to stamp my passort.


El Salvador locals showing me around past the curfew for gringos.

Earth quakes are a huge part of the history in most cities in Central America. A good portion of buildings in El Salvador look like this one since the last big quake was only 5 years ago.

El Salvadors economy is based around corn and razor wire. Its hard to imagine why razor wire even lines the roof of Mcdonalds.
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She was charging 3 quitzales for a photo. Most of the indigenous population acquires money by either selling handicrafts, produce, and photos-kisses.

Half Of The Americas To Go

Crossed through Honduras yesterday, it took 8 hours.
From Antigua, Guatemala I headed south to the coast. The road lowered in elevation from 7,000 feet to sea level and the heat went up 30 degrees. The road from sea level continued at sea level for around 400 kilometers and then climbed into the mountains of southern El Salvador around San Miguel. Santa Rosa Del Lima was the Salvador,Honduras boarder crossing and from there the road continued through Honduras for the next 100 kilometers. I stopped in Choluteca for my second lunch destroying a pound of rice in a couple minutes. It rained for the better half of the day through honduras and the wash from the streats where a steady current of silty water. Everytime I see people emptying their sewage into the streats I think of all the times puddles splashed my face from a passing truck.
My hour on the net has ran out so I must write later...
Quinn-

Lake Atitlan

The most amazing place I have ever been. The hills entering Lake Atitlan where enough to burn out my breaks. The view of Lake Atitlan where enough to burn a permagrin into my face.

Guatemala from Huahua to xela

Guatemala

In Xela I met up with Abner he is a medical student and needed help with some political banners for his school in return for a place to stay. Abner helped me with spanish alot and showed me around xela.
In 1905 a volcano erupted in Xela and killed 60 percent of their population. After the dust cleared malaria killed nearly 10 percent more. After the top blew on the volcano another volcano developed on the edge of town "The most dangerous volcano in the world" volcan Salvidoria. Xela is the 2nd biggest town in Guatemala.

Mexican Indy Week

Mexican independance week just before I crossed into Guatemala.

San Cristobol Market

San Cristobol To Lago Atitlan(Atitlan means the most beutiful lake in the world)

The hostel that made me better, with some good sleep. I had so much fun in this town of San Cristabol De La Casas.

9/11 mileage is tallied up

Hello everyone, Quinn just tallied up his mileage on 9/11 and came up with 90 miles. We want to say thanks to everyone for your donations. Almost everytime we talk to someone about Macular Degeneration, they have a friend or relative with this disease. Thanks for getting the word out there, this thing is going to take off.
Just to let Steven S. know, Quinn rode 25,000 miles on your birthday. So you owe $2500.00 and I'll collect. Happy Birthday!!
Thanks, Rose&Brad

Guatemala and lake Atitlan

Since I entered Guatemala everything has been perfect. Every night I have stayed inside out of the rain, every person I have met has fed me and tried their best to help me in any way they could. The roads are better than the roads in the States. I can't even believe the mountains here, I didn't know what to expect from Guatemala but it's aparent now - I am in what I had pictured as ideal.
The food here is the best, also. After only 4 days of being healthy I started playing roulette with the street-vendor food. The portions are huge, foods great - much better than Mexican food, and they dont make it a point to put lime and chilies on everything. I am just a few days from El Salvador and am enjoying every second of Lake Atitlan. Lake Atitlan is a high alpine lake surrounded by pine trees and two immence valcanos. And the pine trees remind me of home (Wisconsin).
Photos as soon as I get to a computer that is fast enough.
Hope all is well
Quinn-

North America.............Check

Three weeks of Montezuma's Revenge and it was time to let some drugs help where my body could not. I am healthy again and my spirits are higher than ever. After having a good rest in San Cristobal, MX, I headed solo in the direction of Guatemala.
I have always been partial to the mountains in the past and the Mexican mountains are no acception. I've gotten the best nights of sleep since I was in nothern California. The terrain here is nothing short of breathtaking. It's also a treat being able to really appreciate it here without all of the trash on the roadsides. And the roadkill doesn't get a chance to bake in the heat since the vultures here are on their game. I crossed the border into Guatemala yesterday a little after noon. I was very excited about this since, in respect to the trip, I have completed North America!
Thanks to everyone that has helped me get this far.
Quinn-

Salina Cruz

The last time I had updated I was feeling really down on some things. It had and has not been because of the trip itself — just to clear that up. I have been loving the trip itself, but some things at home with freinds have been getting to me.
The other night in Santa Cruz I was about to pitch my tent under a bush just shy of downtown and noticed a scorpion had plans to get out of the rain with me.
The town of Santa Cruz was the nicest I have been to yet in Mexico. The ocean was beutiful there and the surf was insane enough to watch some good surfers getting tossed. Yesterday was possibly the most straning part of the trip, the hills were systematically leading up one after another. Never once was there a flat section more 1-mile long. Peter and I pulled into Salina Cruz last night at 9 after peter had a flat just outside of town. The place we stayed was across the street from a bar that was having a huge party till 4 in the morning. My night consisted of running to the toilet every 20 minutes and not being able to sleep because of the sound of the same drum beat over and over. I am not harping on the Mexican music, but the beat doesn't change! We took a rest day here, and are planning on going to Chiapas to see some ancient ruins. I am going to try and meet back up with the German guys I had ridden with a couple weeks ago. I miss everyone and hope all is well. I will let the pledgers know how many miles I do tommorow.
Quinn-

Mexico mucho HOT

The weather is still scorching. It was on the average of 110 deg. ... I got sick and thought it was probably malaria, but after a couple days it went away. I was more homesick than ever but it has just come it spurts... I am back to eating vegetarian since all the roadkill is insane. One thing I will not forget about Mexico is the smell — it's always a bad smell. It seems like the smell varies every couple minutes. It goes from auto exhaust, to cow feces, to dead animals, in a matter on minutes. It's very beautiful, but you have to wear a mask.
Hope all is well
miss everyone
Quinn-

Tepic a aqui(Petatlan)

Nearing Aculpoco

The last days since Tepic where wet. At times my feet were in the water while riding. Hurricane John has now passed but the rainy season persists. It has rained every day since I arrived on the main land of Mexico. Also the heat is overwhelming at midday, so siestas are necessary. I have been trying to catch up with Peter(the German guy I rode with in Canada) for the last 2 weeks and I guess I had passed him yesterday sometime. It will be very nice to have a companion for a while if not the rest of the way.
My spanish is making leaps and bounds every day. I have been lucky pretty much every night to have stayed with a new family. Montezuma´s Revenge caught up to me for a week or so, but am good now. The tourist tax is getting less and less as my spanish progresses. I am very anxious to get to the ruins of Mexico down south.
Hope all is well with everyone..
I have been trying to get a hold of some freinds since I have a phone again. So get me some digits. Elliot echem! I have not spoken with my hippie freind in a while.

Oh yeah the other day I was trying to chop open a coconut with my machette. As I was nearing the nut of the coco, it split open with a lot of force and the milk went all over me in the heat of the afternoon. The bad part was that the coconut was rotten and I had no way of washing the vile mess off of my face and arms. It was a long 10 miles to the next river.
Take care all..