Bikes Across Borders is a non-profit organization located in Austin, TX, who builds and donates bikes to different towns in Mexico and Central America, building solidarity with like-minded people and organizations. Every winter, bikes are spruced up and made ready to ride from their home in Austin, to a new location in Mexico on the annual migration.
I joined the ride in January of 2010, where we rode our bikes to the destination of Monterrey, Mexico. The two week journey was...
more »Bikes Across Borders is a non-profit organization located in Austin, TX, who builds and donates bikes to different towns in Mexico and Central America, building solidarity with like-minded people and organizations. Every winter, bikes are spruced up and made ready to ride from their home in Austin, to a new location in Mexico on the annual migration.
I joined the ride in January of 2010, where we rode our bikes to the destination of Monterrey, Mexico. The two week journey was full of adventures and kindness from people we met along the way throughout Texas and Mexico. We endured lot's of flat tires, cold rainy weather and 30+ people's differing opinions, but it was all well worth it for the bonds formed and being able to do something positive for people in need of one of the best creations yet - bicycles.
Along the route, we depended on the generosity from strangers in small towns for yards to camp in or offerings of rec centers and churches to sleep in when overnight temperatures dropped to 20 degrees.
Traveling by bike is such a different experience than being inside of an enclosed vehicle. Highways are traveled at a much slower pace and you become a part of the landscape when your senses are absorbing every sight, smell and taste along the way. It is somehow liberating to feel the air as you pedal through a state and cross a border on two wheels. It's really hard not to smile while you're in motion, the sun is shining and you become carefree of everything else in life that is not right there in front of you, in the moment.
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