Stats & Maps

Starting Point: Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

Ending Point: Ushuaia, Argentina

Vehicle: The trip was completed in a 1994 Volkswagen Westfalia Camper (purchased at Owasco Volkswagen - Whitby, Ontario, Canada).

The Route: This trip represents the farthest distance (in the world) you can travel via road from North to South.Distance:23,564 km or 14,642 miles

Participants: The Barrs Family (Lance, Kathy, Chad & Lindsey) and several friends who joined us along the way.

Countries Traveled Through: (14) United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Equador, Peru, Chile & Argentina.

Time to Complete: The start date was May 3, 1995, and the completion date was March 17, 1997. The VW was stored in San Francisco, Mazatlan, Mexico City, San Jose, Costa Rica and Lima, Peru. Deducting the storage days, the trip took 129 driving days.

Shortest Time to Complete: The world record for completing the exact same trip is held by Garry Sowerby (Canada) and Tim Cahill (USA). In 1987 they drove a GMC Sierra from Ushuaia, Argentina to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska (the exact reverse of the route we took) in 23 days/22hours/43 minutes.

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Posts from this trip.

Pan American Highway

Stage One

We followed the Alaskan Pipeline the complete length of our journey to Prudhoe Bay.  Sometimes over ground and sometimes underground, it became our constant companion. 

Stage Two

Traveling to me is not knowing what the next curve in the road will bring. Everything you see and experience is different. Your life is not structured around routines, it becomes the experiences you encounter around the next curve in the road.

Stage Three

I want to say this is the road from hell but I know we have many more miles to go. This winding, hairpin filled road traverses the top of the Sierra de Juarez Mountain. Several times we drove in and out of the clouds. In one spot we came upon a serious truck accident that had traffic backed up. There were mangos and papayas all over the place. I'm not sure the driver made it.

Stage Four

Perched on the crest of a mountain with incredible views in two directions, Machu Picchu is well worth the effort to get there. The fog and mist surrounding the peaks just adds to the feeling of being in a sacred place.

Stage Five

What lied ahead of me was 1,100 kms of grueling and hot driving. The road ahead was through the Atacama Desert - one of the driest place on the earth.  The landscape looked baked and tortured from the heat. Inside the van it was 105 degrees F (40 degrees C). I didn't dare turn the air conditioner on for fear of taxing the engine any more than it already was.

Stage Six

It was an amazing feeling to be together with my family and stand on the spot of land which represents the end of the journey. I bought a bottle of wine and we toasted the trips end.  

Behind the Scenes

Many people have come together to make this trip and distance education project a reality. I am extremely grateful to these individuals and corporations. Their support has allowed this trip to become a shared experience.

Final Thoughts

It is hard to describe the feelings I get when I look at a world map and remember the road from top to bottom. I look at the length of the journey and I feel a connection with the places I've been - a mosaic of landscapes, cultures & people.