March 9 through March 15

Sorry about the late update, I have been out of town.

I was hoping we could total 500 miles this last week, and we managed to put in 499.9 (no kidding). Great job all around, I think we will soar past the 500-mile-week barrier this week.

During the second week of March we spent most of our time in Panama. About the only thing I knew about Panama, other than the canal, was the extradition of Noriega in 1989 ("God bless him and his drug money."). It turns out it is the fastest growing economy in Central America. Real estate and tourism are booming due to the low cost of living and the fact that within a single day you can visit white sand beaches on 2 different oceans, mountains, and rain forest.

Much of their economy is based upon commerce, largely due to the aforementioned Panama Canal, a project that was discussed for centuries, and attempted several times, before finally being completed. It is estimated that 27,500 lives were lost during the project, mostly to malaria and yellow fever.

We currently are hacking our way through the Darien Gap, a 100 mile stretch of undeveloped swamp and rainforest that represents the only break in the Pan-American Highway. It has remained undeveloped for ecological and political reasons, and it is home to several fascinating native tribes. Ian Hibell, a British Adventure cyclist, completed a ride from Cape Horn to Alaska from 1971 to 1973. He and 2 companions crossed the Darien Gap. If any of you think you have crossed rugged terrain with a bike, you have to watch this video. Crazy, crazy stuff.

We also totaled 16 water miles this week. We will need to pick up the pace a bit on the water miles, so all of you that have been avoiding the pool, come on in, the water is fine.