The Pan-American Highway: The Longest Road in the World

[@geographicstravel]

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[@zorkwhouse8125]

Cool that ya made a video on this one. I think in response to a video on a different road I made a suggestion about this one (but then probably so did a bunch of other people, but I can pretend you saw my comment hehe) and so neat to see viewer/creator collaboration in practice (again, I can pretend :-) ). Great video.

[@lemo4423]

Please explain to me how you consider this the long single stretch of road when it's not complete? Makes your whole title questionable. Good video though, learned a lot as usual!

[@Tiberon098]

Could we see a video about Whittier, Alaska?

[@TheHardys01]

Would love a video about the Darién Gap😉😉🙄

[@Tiberon098]

TheHardys01 Yes, that would be so interesting to learn about all the attempts to explore & settle it.

[@hueowen2786]

Wow. 30,000 miles. That nearly as long as the runway in Fast and Furious 6.

[@joesterling4299]

😂 Don't ever try to make real-world sense of the stunts in those movies. Your head will explode.

[@MrBigEazzy]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@clevp001]

You meant 30,000 kilometers

[@mattc1304]

@@joesterling4299 actually I did this for a physics project, I think i found that the runway would’ve had to have been 20+ miles

[@seymourbutts9085]

Wow that's Guinness Book of World Records long.

[@WardStruyf]

There is also a group of Belgians that ran the entire distance. They ran one marathon a day for almost 2 years.

[@francisbell1961]

Do u know if there is a documentary on this

[@--enyo--]

Damn

[@AtemiRaven]

I will never be this determined or fit for anything in my life. What a crazy group of sexy beasts.

[@RxAwesome33]

I like running.

[@t3hb0ss]

What were they running from

[@firstnameanonymous9374]

My father had ridden his motorcycle from Colorado to Alaska then done the entirety of the Pan American Highway 8x since he retired. He switched from his BMW GS to a Kawasaki KLR after being stuck in Panama for over a month waiting for a part. Says he'll never ride a BMW again, absolutely loves his KLR for reliability and availability of parts.

[@territp]

14:25 "Riddled with potholes...." This is no longer an accurate description. The road has undergone extensive improvements within the past few years. The 2hour drive between Cartago and San Isidro is regularly driven without issue.

[@siccozandt6286]

He forgot about the potholes in Alberta, you could lose your car in it so big they are

[@DianeHasHopeInChrist]

@@siccozandt6286 ....thise are known as "sinkholes".....lol

[@donnebes9421]

territp who doesn’t deal with potholes on a daily basis anyhow?

[@siccozandt6286]

Just drove a part of this unofficial highway again today, just not normal how you have to dodge the holes. It’s a major highway!

[@workhardism]

Progress.

[@HebrooHammer]

Last summer, my wife and I spent some time in Costa Rica. We rented a car and drove all over the country, including a stretch of the Pan American Highway. The stretch we drove wasn’t so bad, and reminded me of like an old US highway prior to the creation of the Interstate System. I can say, however, that the drive from Arenal to Monteverde was so terrifying that once we got there, I told my wife, “we just live here now!”

[@davidcox8945]

I have also been terrified driving in Costa Rica

[@sandybrown7730]

Update: in June 2023 new section of that highway opened. Now you can drive from Liberia to Matapalo on 4 lane US style highway (100+kph no prob). Also, don't be wooses, driving in CR is fine 😊.. you just need few years to get used to it.. 😂

[@joshuajones9035]

I live on a city that this highway goes through! Kinda weird knowing I could start walking on it and never stop until Argentina

[@carelixacosta5601]

Haha that is me too!!! (San Antonio, TX)

[@Drskopf]

Same here, i used to live in Managua, Nicaragua👋😆

[@madisondenham440]

I went to school on the stretch on I-35 in Kansas, and I live on the stretch in I-35 in Dallas! I had no idea about the Pan-American highway, and I've lived on it for YEARS. That's crazy!

[@slavsupreme5129]

Same, I-35 runs right through my relatives hometown in Texas and it’s crazy to think it’s sitting near smack dab in the middle of the this

[@lorenzogonzalezsalas4129]

I live near the Argentinian panamerican highway, north of Buenos Aires it’s called panamericana in Spanish

[@bebopalloobop]

I grew up on I-35 in Kansas too! just got done driving the Dalton Highway in Alaska

[@Drskopf]

When I used to live in Managua Nicaragua we used to call the Panamerican Highway "carretera Norte" (only in the capital)

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

What I don’t understand is why it goes through Texas and/or Kansas. Wouldn’t it be straighter if it left Mexico and went through California up through Oregon and Washington? Then through Canada to Alaska.

[@PanzerDave]

Yet another great video. One minor correction. At the 15:35 mark the Darien Gap is mentioned as a 60Km or 100Mile gap. It should be 100Km and 60 miles. That however in no way detracts from the video.

[@craigstewart1532]

Yeah, I caught that too. Sometimes he gets his tongue twisted.

[@skratched]

Literally was coming here to say that

[@jonatanrullman]

And here I assumed it was 160 km or 100 miles. :-)

[@UnchainedAmerica]

he mentioned Deadhorse as its northern terminus...thats wildly incorrect. the northern terminus is Barrow, Alaska.

[@Dillyvl]

later in the video he says that valparaiso to buenos aires is 3km. should be 3000km.

[@mikefm4]

One thing I love about these videos are all the tidbits of history within the stories. For instance, I had no idea someone bicycled this length!! And right after this video I’m off to hear that mans incredible story. Channels like this are sincerely priceless for learning and appreciation of the world around us.

[@davemccombs]

It's a narrator reading wikipedia pages, chill

[@tygenco]

Those of us who have lived in Alaska long enough refer to the Alaska-Canada Highway as the "Al-Can". It connects just the interior of the state to the Yukon Territories and British Columbia, with only two towns that connect in the Southeast Panhandle--those being Haines and Skagway. (Skagway connects up to a summit point and is considered the general route to get to Whitehorse, YT, and Haines connects up to Haines Junction, where one can go on to the Yukon Territories or they can head toward Fairbanks, Anchorage, Soldatna, and so on) The roadways that connect to Prudhoe Bay and Barrow are... scary.

[@erichimes3062]

I missed the turn at Haines Junction and ended up in Haines.

[@ReneeCarriere]

Why are they scary ?

[@peluso4oso]

I never heard of it as "Autopista Americana". I lived in El Salvador in the city of Santa Ana where, formerly, the highway would go through town taking the main roads. Now it goes around the city, although the city is now expanded beyond no longer making it a bypass. We still call it the "La Autopista Panamericana", though we just say "La Panamericana". Although, it technically is also Central American Highway 1 (but that designation is never used).

[@ApemanMonkey]

Is that place selling the torta loca still in Santa Ana?

[@FoxSullivan]

I'm from Santiago and kinda similar, we just call it Panamericana too.

[@fsf471]

Everyone calls it Panamericana

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

I can drive through the Darién Gap without a problem

[@tylerchaney1533]

On a rocket?

[@maddog5284]

North korea = best korea

[@ninjaGrim1]

I'm sure you mean you can be driven through..*

[@briangarrow448]

Can't even drive a stick shift, chubster. And your daddy was a capitalist 🐖.

[@maddog5284]

@Dani Mendoza *ONLY Korea"

[@CarlosEBernal]

I had a friend in the 1970's who used to travel every year by road from Panama to St Paul Minnesota for the summer with her kids two great danes, a german shepherd in a dodge van. It's a great adventure stopping in many places along the way... I have been dreaming of doing this trip all the way south with my two dogs.

[@razorhawk9808]

So they lived in Panama?

[@CarlosEBernal]

@@razorhawk9808 yes, they were from Minnesota and Texas, and they moved to Volcan in early 1970's where they had a coffee/chicken farm. It's a magical place above the clouds. They traveled thru Central America and Mexico where they visited remote beaches, etc. Sort of what Overlanders and Vanlifers do today.

[@JustAFan444]

Simon. You're awesome... not only do I find your videos super interesting, but after a long day or night at work... your voice also helps me go to sleep. You can take that as a compliment or an insult, but frankly, I think the fact that you can do both is a massive gift.

[@alexsis1778]

Surprised there wasn't a warning about Nicaragua as well. They have some serious corruption and banditry problems as well. Met a guy in Costa Rica who had been following the Pan-American who had to illegally sneak out of Nicaragua at a tiny border checkpoint after escaping a gang of bandits who had then bribed the border guards to keep an eye out for him.

[@frederickevans4113]

A couple of years before I met my wife, I dated a woman from Nicaragua. Oh! The stories she told me. Even Mexico has some issues with corruption. I have visited Mexico innumerable times and I've driven clear through Mexico from one end to the other several times. It was a de-facto assumption that we had to have "mordida" on us at all times traveling in or through Mexico. "Mordida" literally means "bite" - basically the word means the Police, Immigration, Customs, and/or Soldiers who stop you either at a border crossing or along the road would make things go more smoothly if they were offered a "nibble" from your wallet/purse. The preferred "nibble" was in the form of a few US $1 bills, although, I have heard of instances of an entire vehicle being taken (from someone with two or more vehicles, often one towed by another like a dinghy behind an RV/motorhome). Used car dealers in Central America would often come up to the USA and buy used (often salvage auction) vehicles and drive two vehicles at a time back to their home country (one vehicle towing the second using a wishbone shaped tow-bar like RV/motorhome drivers use to flat tow tow their dinghy). The ones looking for mordida would typically invent reasons to hinder your progress. Basically, in this context, "mordida" means a small bribe, usually small, anyhow. It has been a while since I heard of acquaintances who lost entire vehicles in Mexico. In some cases, it might have been real banditos (bandits) and not crooked Police or Soldiers.

[@darrinspang4966]

@@frederickevans4113 In my visits to Tijuana and Ensenada, the 'mordida' was considerably more than that, and 20 years ago. It typically started at about $150 per person. We 'negotiated' it down to about $80/each. The alternative was to go to the 'police station' for a court hearing or worse, as we were instructed to do. Hard to believe a couple dollars is gonna get them off your back now. Maybe a couple hundred $.

[@Monkofthecaribbean]

Lmfao Nicaragua is completely safe, I go there every year. As long as you mind your business people are generally friendly. Your friend in Costa Rica was probably involved in some shady business. There is corruption but again if you mind your own business you’ll be good.

[@NotRelated2Ryne]

I wish I could express myself as much as Simon’s eyebrows

[@texasforever7887]

Just shave your head. Wish granted

[@brandonfavel8635]

Now I'm watching his eyebrows 😓

[@jonathanhenderson7087]

Haha one video I was like OMG they just keep going UP!

[@SomeJustice19k]

I wish I liked to hear myself talk as much as him.

[@DianeHasHopeInChrist]

Lol....well said....lol

[@AverytheCubanAmerican]

People: tries to build a long highway Darién Gap: Not on my watch

[@OneMouseGaming]

nicely played sir. ... The Gap is a nutty thing when you think about it. 2020 & still basically not possible to drive through

[@RemixedVoice]

LOL

[@andrewkonkle5447]

You should see it from above in a helicopter. It looks like Jurassic Park triple canopy jungle steep ridges and deep gorges.

[@kabanbaranodin1731]

Explain the darien gap simon cowl

[@rupertgarcia]

It's you again, Avery. I see you everywhere. 🤣

[@Fuchswinter]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned how appropriately named the end station of Deadhorse is 😂😂

[@asdrubalhiginio4544]

Dear Simon I am Colombian and I want to give you a tip: Spanish vowel are five (a, e, I, o, u) they all sound the same wherever they are in a word, so: a like in gap , e like in get, I like in pin, o like in got and u like in pull or bull. Also they have equal sound before letter r,

[@mikegike7273]

As a frequent visitor to Panama, I had been told many times that Panama aint too keen on meeting up with Colombia via a highway. Bit of friction with the two countries.

[@LucarioBoricua]

I sincerely believe that building a road across the Darién Gap isn't impossible from a technical standpoint, there's plenty of roads elsewhere going across inclement tropical rainforest and wetland landscapes. Whether it's desirable for ecological, indigenous rights, organized crime and/or international relations issues, that's an entire issue of its own.

[@scottc287]

It was an insurmountable political problem, not an insurmountable engineering / health problem to complete the road across Darien when I liven in Panama in the late 90s. It's likely still the same problem.

[@mondogeckosexoticsandoddit5866]

I live on the stretch in between Edmonton and Calgary, I’d love to see our highway become an official leg of the Pan-Am.

[@knightrider693]

Justin Trudeau has a bigger tunnel running into 🇨🇦 that brings in Muslims and embroidered dress socks. There's nothing Justin loves more than Muslims and dress socks..well besides doing black and brown face (3 times) or being under investigation for ethics violations (3 now) Oh how the women, beta males, gays and new immigrants love him and also love to vote for him! (won 2 times if you can believe it) Noone even cares about the fact we're headed for 705.00 billion dollar debt by the end of 2020. I'm sure he's got a plan to stop us from becoming a 3rd world country and he'd tell us what that was and how were going to come out of this pandemic too but he's busy right now explaining how a charity he's closely associated with got government money and then gave some of that to his entire family for speaking engagements. They're all great people though because most good people accept money for donating their time to charity..

[@irispark1381]

If you go hiking in Rockies a lot. You will notice a significant number of brave cyclist that are trying the exact thing. And there is actually a booming community of b&b for cross-contential travellers. You notice them cuz they're almost always European in their 20's.

[@janetd4970]

@@knightrider693 Not true its actually trillion in debt!

[@washingtonotters7816]

Holla out to the QE2. Im in Edmonton

[@skratched]

Also Edmonton!

[@petere8175]

1: a Doors CD 2: a pack of Camels 3: A beater sedan like a 89 Buick Century or a 97 Toyota Tercel

[@completetotalgoodness4786]

And sunglasses, and drive it at night.

[@twocvbloke]

And for us Brits, probably best end the journey in Chile, they're a bit loopy there in Argentina, something to do with the Falkland Islands and a number plate I believe... :P

[@johngalt9989]

Good ole Clarkson strikes again!

[@sportsmag6148]

Argentina has a weird fetish for other countries islands.

[@WhiteCamry]

@@sportsmag6148 After the British fashion.

[@thelonelyphish]

@@WhiteCamry if you can't beat em might as well join em

[@davehallett3128]

@@thelonelyphish or as the amerikans say. If you can t beat em. Beat em up

[@Danploof]

Fun Fact: Interstate 35 is also the route that monarchs take (give or take 100 miles on either side) to (one generation) migrate to and from (two to three generations) Mexico.

[@wwoods66]

...Oh! Monarch _butterflies._

[@aquillawhingate3248]

I living in the Great Lakes region well east of I-35 I for sure at present have been getting like a multitude of them bug boys on the milkweed and raising them to make sure they get to adulthood to continue the journey, it has been an over decades long tradition now.

[@jameskosusnik1102]

Hey simon when you said "if the Japanese were to invade in the Alaska" part of the highway well technically they did invade alaska, and the only time america has been physically invaded, The battle of Attu and Kiska in the aleutian islands. Can you please do a geographics on them and the battles that took part on them and around them?

[@HweolRidda]

What do you mean by "america". If you mean the USA, the British invaded them several times during the War Of 1812, including burning down the White House. If you mean the Americas as a whole, they were invaded by the Russians, French, British Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese (going approximately from north to south) before the Japanese.

[@piperar2014]

We fired our guns but the British kept coming There wasn't quite as many as there was a while ago We fired once more and they began running Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico

[@Hrodn]

The British invaded and defeated America in the war of 1812. On the other hand, you could say that it wasn't an invasion as the British were just returning to reclaim what was rightfully theirs.

[@piperar2014]

Treaty of Ghent. I don't think it means what you think it means.

[@Lucrezio82]

Simon, I would love to see an episode dedicated to Fordlandia, Henry Ford's failed rubber plantation in the Brazilian Amazon. His vision of a utopian American Midwest in the Amazon jungle is both fascinating and tragic.

[@GimmeJimmy23]

Haha. Looks like your wish was granted! The system works! Simon is a man of the people!!!

[@GimmeJimmy23]

Simon 4 PM!! And we're not talkin' meridians...

[@ppanonymous1700]

So excited, lovely picture of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan there!!! The Paris of the Prairies, City of Bridges. Thank you, Simon and company!!

[@adamyo9003]

There’s an interesting link between this video and your video about the Sudetenland in the former country of Czechoslovakia: The “Mile 0” marker of the Alaska Highway is in Dawson Creek, which is where a large population of Sudeten Germans refugees settled as farmers after fleeing the area and Nazi annexation. I only now this because my Oma was one of the refugees. She came over as a young girl, grew up, and raised a family of her own in the Tupper Creek area of BC. And that’s the weird little link between the longest roadway in the world and the beginning of WWII and the Nazis.

[@Brunosky_Inc]

Chilean here! This was a fascinating watch, and I wanted to mention some details that either were stuff that sounded off to me or are stuff that the video didn't go deeper on. * The Chilean portion of the Panamericana, including the branch that goes through Chile south of Santiago (the capital), is called "Ruta 5" (Route 5), extending for over 3300 km of track (Chile be looooooong). * I found it strange how it was brought up that the Panamerica went through Valparaiso, seeing how Ruta 5 entirely avoids the coastal city and instead moves inland and crosses right over Santiago. This sounds even stranger to me since it was claimed that the route went through Valparaiso and from there had a branch that lead to Argentina, while in reality the one major road in the area from Chile to Argentina is located to the north of Valparaiso (and Santiago as well). * South of Santiago, the route does indeed extend up until the city of Quellón. However, one interesting detail that I don't think I saw mentioned is that the final stretch of Ruta 5 is on an island, Chiloe, with the connection between the route on the island and the route on continental Chile being done through ferry. There's been a proposal to connect the two sides via a 2.6 km long bridge, however, last I heard that project is on hold due to the costs involved and the challenges it would face from both the sea and the high seismic activity in the area. * While Ruta 5, and thus the Chilean Panamericana, does officially end in Chiloe, there is a more southern route called "Carretera Austral" (Southern Way), which is a mostly gravel route (with tarmac around the larger cities in the area) that goes through some of the most challenging geography Chile has to offer, all the way to Villa O'Higgins. This down south in the country you start facing the Andes mountains taking up a bunch of the geography, leading to several islands, lakes, rapids and ice fields dotting the landscape. This route extends for over 1000 km, however it does not have a direct connection with the Panamericana, with at least two ferry rides being needed to get from the Panamericana to Carretera Austral.

[@Ignacio.Romero]

The 2.8 km bridge is currently under construction

[@robertlee9395]

At least three teams have driven across the Darrien Gap. A Land Rover team in 1960, a Range Rover team in 1971. A Jeep team did it in 1977. It's doable, but it's crazy tough. The Range Rover team had 64 support people from the British Army and more from two neighboring countries.

[@toby-jeanne_almy]

I'm from Billings Montana area... who would have thought it'd be famous!😂 biggest place in the middle of nowhere!

[@Andrew-zq3ip]

I've driven from the east coast to the west coast usa and back 4 times in my life for no good reason. Alone each time, that drive is where I am truly me and I'm feeling an itch to do it again soon. The road is my home...

[@zarinaromanets7290]

Have you killed any chipacabra or vampires along the way by chance?

[@mykel723]

Have to agree with you there. I've done the same thing three times between ME and So. CA with a different route every time. Can't wait for the fourth go.

[@marcbow]

I've driven the Alaskan Highway from Anchorage to the Lower 48 and back several times. Love it, especially the wide open and somewhat lonely roads of Alaska and The Yukon. British Columbia is one hell of an awesome place too, so much to see and do there.

[@Ron4885]

Can I go? ;-) Sounds like great fun.

[@mykel723]

@Aaron B Sorry, but no. Can't go on a trip alone if you're with someone. 😉

[@Dwendele]

That trip has been on my bucket list for years.

[@tonystout1545]

The trip is impossible. The gap at the Panama Canal and between Panama and Columbia puts the kabosh to that.

[@quanbrooklynkid7776]

@@tonystout1545 damn

[@davidlopez-rl4sh]

Are Americans aloud to browse the Darien gap? Do peaple actually walk through the walkway into the jungle or is it illegal? I am getting mixed feelings.

[@Dwendele]

@@tonystout1545 yet you can find all kinds of videos of people making the trip. 🤷‍♂️

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:15 - Chapter 1 - Warming up the engine 12:00 - Mid roll ads 13:25 - Chapter 2 - From nuevo laredo to panama 18:25 - Chapter 3 - From turbo to ushuaia

[@magnificentfailure2390]

I knew a guy who drove a brand-new, 1985 Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon from Texas to the southern end, then all the way up to Alaska and back to Texas. That poor little wagon looked as if he had entered it in a couple demolition derbies and it was all of a year old. Last I saw him, he was planning on doing it again.

[@solooverland3666]

Legend!!! 💪🏻👏🏻👍🏼

[@eros.manitari]

Those cars could go anywhere, and his probable could have made the trip 5 more times. Best 4WD ever made.

[@Alaska-jp8qk]

The Dalton highway, or the "Haul Road" as us locals here call it, has very good full time maintenance on the entire highway. The part you said of hundreds of KM having no maintenance is incorrect.

[@ExplanationMarks]

I've done NYC to SF (as many have), and one day I hope to tackle at least part of this amazing road. This has been one of my favorite Geographic's yet, great stuff as always!

[@brettdickey4021]

Hi. Fyi...there are no ferrys that take cars and people from Panama to Colombia or vice versa. You can ship a car on a boat but you can't ride on the same boat. There are a few sailboats available where you can board with a motorbike.

[@crashbox7130]

Two French guys drove a Citroen 2CV from Canada to Tierra Del Fuego in 1953. They even drove to the summit of Mount Chalcaltaya in the Bolivian Andes, ‎5,421 m (17,785 ft), a world record for the time, on his way to reaching the most southerly point ever reached by a vehicle under its own power at that time.

[@ghazghkullthraka9714]

I wouldn’t drive a Citroen 2CV to the shops, let alone up Mt Chalcaltaya

[@ChrisSlowens]

Met a guy who rode a motorcycle from Uruguay to Argentina then up the Pan-American Highway to Alaska and then back down to Miami to ship his bike back home. It was a pretty impressive journey. I met him as he was on his way to Miami.

[@Drskopf]

Pretty normal for Latinos to do this trip, I've seen it my whole life, when I was a kid, in the 80's and 90's in central America, I got used to see caravans of traveler doing this trip in all kinds of vehicle, I got used to see tags from so many different countries. Right now I'm following and Argentinian in a Honda Econo from the 90's going up to Alaska, a Mexican going south to Ushuaia in a off road motorcycle and a Salvadorean and ecuadorian finishing their trip getting close to Ushuaia only 700km to go, they are traveling by bicycle. This a lifetime dream for so many Latinos!

[@ChrisSlowens]

Drskopf yeah... he was talking about all the people he knew along the way already who were riders who helped him out. Especially around Mexico and certain spots in Central America. Definitely a pretty cool community... if I ever can afford to take a few months off I might try it.

[@paulbaker3144]

It might take years of careful planning. Or just wing it.

[@ChrisSlowens]

Paul Baker he told me the biggest thing in terms was planning and coordination was getting through Mexico. He knew people at a local motorcycle club who showed him how to avoid areas controlled by the cartels. That, and getting across the gap, would be the real hard parts I think. They recently stopped the regular ferries.

[@Drskopf]

@@ChrisSlowens no way, the Darien Gap has no ferries?? Damn that's bad, all those travelers that I'm following on their way North and South are counting on this ferry.. on a curious note, I found out few weeks ago there's a lady in her 70's from Argentina traveling in her Ford Camper truck, she is the only one her age that is doing this trip.. cheers from a Nicaragüense living in Maryland

[@simonpelaez2057]

Absolutely no one calls it “autopista americana” just “autopista panamericana” or “carretera panamericana” in Spanish

[@alejandrobolanos4655]

Or interamericana

[@Drskopf]

Or LA PANAMERICANA!!

[@alejandrobolanos4655]

@@Drskopf now the song's playing in my head 😆

[@cornbisque]

Gracias por enseñarle a los gringos que no se pueden apoderar de todo.

[@bsadewitz]

​@@cornbisqueFWIW, I have always called it the Pan-American Highway. In fact, I don't know what else I could call it. The term (in American English) strongly implies that it spans the Americas (plural), as the prefix "pan" denotes "all". There is only one meaning of "all" re: the Americas, and it includes everything from the northernmost point in Canada to the southernmost point in Argentina. "United States-ian" is gibberish in English, unlike its Spanish cognate, so we're kinda stuck having to use "American". The term "North American" includes Canadians, so we can't use that. Now, are there people in the US who act as if there is only one "America"? Yes. Unfortunately, there are.

[@lavaflow1625]

Thank you Simon, and the Geographics team. For the endless content y'all have provided

[@lavaflow1625]

@annag cocl what about i22?

[@garvdog3793]

“Completing the trip will surely eat up all your vacation allowance.” *cries in American*

[@movietimeateds69]

For us, it'd be a decade of vacation time.

[@DianeHasHopeInChrist]

What's a vacation? I haven't had one since Obama destroyed our economy......lol. Seriously. Getting ready for a vacation....in 2 weeks! Yeah!

[@Alexwhywest]

@@DianeHasHopeInChrist lmao be quiet, diane. Stop being that person who brings up politics every 5 seconds.

[@AndrewAMartin]

@@Alexwhywest Not only brings up politics, but is totally wrong as well, AND she has absolutely no clue about economics.

[@UnicornsPoopRainbows]

@@AndrewAMartin It is a sad indication of our education system, to be sure.

[@ravensmill3927]

When Simon listed the countries from North to South, he did it in such a rhythm that I had to go listen to the Anamaniacs sing Nations of the World or it'd have stayed stuck in my head.

[@badgerbox]

4:45 completely over looked interstate I-5 which runs from Vancouver, Canada to Mexico. Runs through Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, SF/Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego .....

[@markwilson4078]

True. That said, I do have to ask: if you took I-5 to San Diego and entered Mexico in Baja California, what road would you take them to get to Guatemala?

[@barriosdd88]

In 1996, my mother and I drove the pan-American, from Chicago to Arica Chile, we continued on to Rio de Janeiro. There and back it was a 6 month trip.

[@tbz1551]

The longest road is the one to your house during any ‘walk of shame’.

[@EarlJohn61]

The hike to the outhouse is longer, during a bout of gastro-enteritis

[@pathfindercl]

Depending on the country, and the local spanish dialect, the road can be called "carretera", "autopista" or "ruta", but it is always referred as "PANAMERICANA".

[@kamikazeclaymore]

When you mentioned Texas, you showed a picture of the Lighthouse (I think), an awesome sight in Palo Duro Canyon just 25 miles south of Amarillo. You should do an episode on that canyon. I grew up there and went all the time. The canyon system is huge and amazing. Tons of history with the goodnight trail, native inhabitants, and caves, plus the largest history museum in Texas is nearby in my hometown.

[@crazyguy32100]

For anyone cruising the Alaska Hwy stop at the Signpost Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon. 90,000+ signs from all over the world started by a homesick Army Engineer when building the highway.

[@unusuarioimportante]

In Spanish is autopista "panamericana" not "Americana"

[@janourzua]

Carretera panamericana.....

[@QuestionEverythingButWHY]

“Two roads diverged in a wood … I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.” - Robert Frost

[@bronwyngavin6076]

Very sad poem.

[@cherylbaker3319]

I’m from the UK so I cannot imagine how people cope going through this as a road trip for fun. I drove to Cornwall from East Midlands once is one go, took over 6 hours and I had to take the two week holiday to get through the car-jet lag of ever driving such a long time.

[@neilsonlee7610]

Believe it or not its pretty common for us Americans to drive 20 hrs in one stretch if we're traveling. Its exhausting for sure but put on the radio or hook up your phone and do about 90 mph. Its a huge country.

[@DT-sb9sv]

My typical commute is 70 miles one way. It changes since I'm a contractor, usually an 1h to 1.5h one way to the job site. In the States we typically refer to a road trip in how long it takes. In a city like LA 1h can mean 10 miles. In a rural western state 1h can mean 70 miles. Most Europeans don't get how big the States are. To put it in perspective NY to LA is 2400 miles (3900 km) London to Moscow is 1800 miles (2900 km) numbers rounded. The county I live in in California is larger then many east coast states.

[@HBC423]

It’s about an 8 hour drive from Chattanooga Tennessee to Daytona Beach Florida.. friends and I have taken off in the middle of the night and randomly drove down there, swam in the ocean for a couple hours, then driven straight home

[@unkierich]

I drive more than most people as I live 50 miles from work. I normally drive anywhere I want to go that is within 600 miles of home. By the time I factor in the time wasted getting to the airport early to check-in, the time of the flight (which is always late), time to get off the plane, get my luggage, get a taxi to the car rental place, and then pick up the rental... I can normally get there quicker by driving and then have the comfort of my own vehicle while I am there.

[@Noah_E]

I have driven from Augusta Co, VA to Pell City, AL (590 miles) in one go multiple times. Leaving VA around 10pm and arriving in AL around 8am, avoiding the traffic in Knoxville and Chattanooga along the way. I've also driven to Columbus, OH where I bought a car and headed back to VA after a stop for lunch. 780 miles round trip in 14 hours, leaving at 6am and returning at 8pm. I know several people who have driven from DC to LA (2,700-2,900 miles depending on the route taken) in 3-4 days. Driving 15 hours in a single day isn't outrageous to many Americans.

[@sialuArtscat]

This is a very Very interesting channel, thanks for all the work Two small corrections on Costa Rica (from a costarrican) 1) despite the state of many other streets, la Autopista tends to be the best taken care of, rarely are there any potholes there at all (even less in Cerro de la Muerte, that section of the trip is already dangerous enough without them that they get patched up almost even before they begin forming 2) that is Not a photo of San Jose capital, that's a photo of province Alajuela's capital. I recognized the church (and most of San Jose's streets are both narrower and with more traffic the best time to traverse Cerro de la Muerte is before mid day, when fog starts rolling in. and a good way to do it if later or during the night, is to stick to the back of the buses (they ride through so much they've got the rout memorized

[@carschmn]

That would be an amazing trip. I live in Minnesota and didn’t know we were on one of the routes of the Pan American highway.

[@coldfuse01]

You said 60km 100mile at the Darian Gap, when i presume you meant to say that the other way around :)

[@markwilson4078]

Yeah, I noticed that too. Also, another thing I noticed is when he talked about entering I-35 in North Dakota even though I-35 doesn’t even go through ND, but rather Minnesota. But I-29 which does run from the Canadian border in North Dakota will join I-35 in Kansas City in Missouri, so I am guessing that was what he’d meant for that route.

[@RuralRootsLiving]

When i was in highschool driving the Pan-American Highway was on my bucket list. It actually still is

[@solooverland3666]

Plan. Save. Do it! 👍🏼

[@kevinmazter]

Can you do a video of the "Lincoln highway"? It's the first highway built in America to connect the east and west coast.

[@rnhubble]

Apparently entire road is tied for "most dangerous portion"

[@Drskopf]

Don't believe what your see in TV is not as dangerous as would think, ask this gringo who did the whole trip from a small town in Georgia to Ushuaia in 2yrs driving a 4runner.. now he lives in Mexico and his name and his KZbin channel is Ford Quaterman.. his blog about the trip is called where's the gringo...

[@resileaf9501]

I love those kinds of videos. It feels like I'm doing an entire road trip in twenty minutes.

[@ianhoad2211]

"Go west from Valparaiso" he says, although Buenos Aires is due east.

[@rjfaber1991]

Well, if you wanted to go from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires, but you happened to have an amphibious car and you also wanted to see Melbourne and Cape Town on the way, you absolutely should be heading west. :D

[@XLAdvRider]

And well over "3 kilometers"

[@ericg7183]

Been inside the Darien Gap once, but we didn't go more than fifteen or so miles into it. Joint mission with the Panamanians.

[@d.c.8828]

The last time I was this early, the Olmec were still paving the way.

[@VoxNerdula]

taco so raw it gave a diarrhea

[@kentcourtney5535]

William Jackson Palmer had a bold plan of linking these United States all the way through Mexico and into central America by rail. He was distracted by the different gold fields of Colorado. He did, however contribute to some major rail construction in the 1800s in Mexico.

[@losersintuition]

I almost died laughing when he said you can enjoy the scenery from Edmonton to Sasakatoon. I love this channel but that was the silliest thing I've heard all week!

[@therealracerxtablet5162]

I've been on some parts of this road in Chile and in Panama. It was a hair raser in the mountain's of Chile and its still till this day the scariest road I've ever been on!

[@GameTimeWhy]

Massive infrastructure projects has always been a good way to help rebuild an economy. Why do people have such an aversion to it now?

[@smuuthbrane7029]

Still waiting for infrastructure week.

[@DarkNightLight68]

‘Cause of massive spending

[@GameTimeWhy]

@@DarkNightLight68 it's been shown to be a positive throughout history to help get the economy through a hard time.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

It extremely expensive especially now, back in the 1930s they didn't care about ruining the environment or bulldozing poor neighborhoods now we do and that adds significant cost. There is also massive corruption in these projects and tons of delays that lowers moral (see the disaster that is California HSR)

[@GameTimeWhy]

@@AdamSmith-gs2dv infrastructure projects have been done way more recent than the 1930's. I understand what you are saying about those pesky regulations though.

[@TommyOnTheRun]

This has always been #1 on my bucket list

[@stuartsprigg8914]

Australia's Highway 1 in here in Oz is the longest Highway in the World. 🇦🇺 Circumnavigates the entire country/continent. ;)

[@Sh3rk69]

Longest national highway mate. Pan-Am stretches across multiple countries so isnt a 'national' highway

[@mushroomsteve]

The Pan-Am goes from the southern tip of South America all the way up to the Arctic Ocean.

[@Drskopf]

From what I heard from other travelers the whole trip from prudhow bay to Ushuaia is a mere distance of almost 50 000 KM. Depending on the stretch you take, but definitely between 40 -50 thousand KM...

[@paulbaker3144]

Sounds very expensive to go that far. Do they have roadside assistance?

[@homuraakemi493]

The pan-american highway actually circumnavigates two continents, not one. We call it "the opposite lane"

[@TheOnlyVipey]

Simon I love you but @ 5:10 you pointed out I-29, not I-35. I-35 stretches up eastern MN all the way down to Dallas.

[@TheOnlyVipey]

Once you hit Kansas City I'm pretty sure I-29 stops and that's when I-35 takes over.

[@kevinchavez6594]

A mistake: The photo of San Jose is actually Alajuela, it's around 20 minutes away from San Jose.

[@julianrivas556]

Well, San Jose is technically in the photo. It can be seen at the end of the road, in the distance.

[@kevinchavez6594]

@@julianrivas556 True!

[@sonshinelight]

Well, Simon. I live in Dawson Creek, Mile"0" of the Alaska, or "Alcan" Highway. Nice that you mentioned it.

[@coltonware5627]

I got the pleasure of passing through your town this summer as I traveled to Deadhorse Alaska from Florida!

[@sonshinelight]

@@coltonware5627 That is a very long trip. Especially on a dead horse, lol

[@sonshinelight]

Oh, and my sons name is Colton, too. 😁

[@malp6280]

now that looks like a hell of a trip to venture on!! hell I'd do it if money wasn't an issue

[@Drskopf]

If you speak Spanish you wont need that much money, people help along the way. You can earn some money by creating some type of craft, you can paint for example or make musical instrument like a Chilean couple is doing to sell in artisan markets along the trip. I follow a couple of travelers from South America whole are basically doing this your of activities to finance their trip

[@arthurbttf]

You'll probably only need 20k dollars. I watched some people travelling and most of them said they had spent R$100k in total.. With many stops

[@malp6280]

@@arthurbttf it would be nice to dream & say 20K but life & its costs unfortunately works out more expensive,, I'm in uk & have children etc with that life costs, travel sight seeing etc usual expenses I'd like to see anyone really spending just 20K for such a trip ... but heyy one day maybe I'd do such a adventure

[@malp6280]

@@Drskopf yeah speaking foreign language's helps anywhere.. making instruments thats a nice still however takes weeks/months to do correctly depending on what you create..... I've a mechanical electrical engineering back ground.. ultimately you need money before carrying out such a trip as such fall backs you couldn't rely upon, dont forget you'll need tools, material etc & I'm sure these other ppl lugged around all that extra equipment... with utube or tv you cant believe everything you see as theirs alot more planning & goings on behind the scenes then what you may believe.... also dont forget alot of established utube channels have sponsors & income from previous uploads which alot of ppl dont talk about openly "as they'll also ask ppl to donate money" which allows them in reality a free life & free expense "I dont agree with" anyway.. I'd love to have such a trip & even throughout europe & new zealand, Australia.. where alot of history could be ventured.

[@arthurbttf]

@@malp6280 Good luck for you, but don't give up

[@victorbosch9197]

I lived in in the Canal Zone in night from 1966 to 1971. I have been where the Pan-American Highway ends there is a river and the jungles on the other side. My father was an engineer in the Canal Zone in the military and he told me that if they did the highway in Darien jungle it will take somewhere around 5 million dollars 1960s money to maintain the road. The problem with that is that it rained so much that the road that you build with sink and you would have to keep on adding to it so it would be too costly besides what you said with the people in the animals are endangered. Thank you and I have enjoyed all your videos Victor

[@griffisjm]

This is definitely on my bucket list, drive the whole thing!

[@multitieredinvestor5246]

Drove from Panamá to Fort Hood, Texas in July 1974 with my then 7 year old son. It took 11 days although stayed two days with my brother in San Salvador. It was an opportunity for him to play with his three cousins.

[@davidlopez-rl4sh]

Did you have to go around the Darien gap?

[@Sobdame]

As someone from Edmonton, I'm disappointed with the image used being so out of date. But as an Edmontonian I am happy about the Calgary image.

[@johng7410]

Been to Ushuaia. It's a breathtakingly beautiful place.

[@quebradoresdelvalle2880]

I live in Costa Rica and drive every week through Cerro de la Muerte. Not a single pothole

[@michaelmorris4515]

@12:00 Thorium is not highly radioactive. It has a 14 billion year half-life, nearly 3x that of Uranium. Highly radioactive would be something like Actinium, which outright glows and has a half-life of 21 days.

[@Opus313]

Road Trip!!

[@midlifeduck7040]

I am so ready to road trip after watching this.

[@generalhyde007]

Woohoo!!!!!

[@speedy97979]

Shotgun!!

[@TORchic1]

Woo! I'll bring the snacks.

[@tonystout1545]

Not. The gap at the Panama canal and between Panama and Columbia will kill it quickly.

[@redrjw]

The Prudoe to Fairbanks Alaska route is one that is featured on several series of "Ice Road Truckers"

[@cornbisque]

It’s actually called Autopista Pan-Americana in Spanish not autopista americana. In some countries it is known as carretera Pan-Americana.

[@PhoenixBeI]

Great video! But for the record, I was raised in Ecuador and it's called Panamericana and not Autopista Americana. Friends of mine have traveled it from Ecuador to Chile. They never said that it was known by any other name. It's Panamericana in South America. ;)

[@PhoenixBeI]

I was going to point out the same thing. The road is known by different names in different countries, being Panamericana, Interamericana. I too grew up in Ecuador, and in Panama it's also known as Panamericana.

[@protector7886]

I’d also love to learn about other road trips and train trips. 😀

[@leddygee1896]

Simon... I enjoyed that Immensely!! Subbed.

[@jairomaciasrally317]

you missed the fact tht there is a race on that road every year called La Carrera Panamericana..... Hi from Mexico

[@XLAdvRider]

I saw this! En Mil Cumbres!

[@GG2137GG]

The part that goes through Peru cuts right through the Nazca plateau, where you can stop for a moment to appreciate the famous Nazca lines, as well as get depressed seeing how the Panamerican highway cuts straight through a few of these drawings without even trying to maneuver around them.

[@Mikeyalbum]

Bloody hell! You've got more channels than Enya's recording studio!

[@remnant2588]

That's a neat trick, getting from Montana to Colorado going directly south without hitting Wyoming...

[@luciw.3133]

Everyone knows Wyoming isn't real. It's a vast conspiracy, just like Finland.

[@omnikei]

15:37 *100km, 60 Mile

[@notgod3532]

5:08 as someone who lives in Sioux Falls South Dakota its interstate 29

[@j.a.weishaupt1748]

The line between Geographics and Megaprojects is getting thinner. Great channels nonetheless though.

[@Erin-Thor]

Oh hi there - And then there’s the crossover episodes. Let’s keep in mind that this is a business and each of their channels have their own dedicated audience unaware of the others existence. Given KZbin’s constantly shrinking revenues to content producers you can see why Simon and his team keep reinventing new channels and sharing content between them.

[@BRUXXUS]

I just assumed this was Megaprojects then realized the camera work was different... lol.

[@--enyo--]

@@Erin-Thor I think very few people would be 'unaware' of the other channels, especially as he plugs them within episodes.

[@videopipeline6419]

@5:11 "follow interstate 35..." ...as the video points to I-29. Also, there's no reason to head farther east to Minneapolis from North Dakota.

[@JustAFan444]

"No relation to Katie Holmes or James Vanderbeek." I died lol XD

[@andresbermudez2419]

14:13 Bro, that’s not San José. The video’s showing Alajuela, a town that’s 20 km away.

[@BrunoHenrique-gi1wd]

2:05 wait, is that the ryzen logo used to mark the map?

[@han5vk]

no.

[@Pantheragem]

Looked like the alien language in "Arrival".

[@rschaumann512]

My grandfather had to travel from Argentina to Mexico in the 60’s. Back then some parts of the carretera americana were not yet paved, including one strech through the Andes. This strech was a dirt road with mountains on one side and a deep fall on the other, my grandpa’ s VW beetle just fit. You had to keep a constant speed of around 40 Km/h and the trip took around one and a halve days, time where my grandpa was unable to sleep or go to the bathroom... he took a rest of around one week afterwards ;)

[@neilsonlee7610]

How did he get through the Darien pass?

[@rschaumann512]

Neilson Lee Darien Pass: by ferry... There was also one part in Colombia where the street ended at the banks of a river, not knowing what to do he asked the locals how to continue his trip, they replied that there was a large barge and when he asked when it might arrive, the locals replied that “it arrives”. He had to wait a week for the barge...

[@neilsonlee7610]

Damn that's a he'll of a trip. I would love to drive from the US to Argentina but my biggest concern would be traveling through central America with all of the cartel traffic. Definitely not safe nowadays.

[@Fido-vm9zi]

Wow! Scary!

[@GokuXiao]

Ewan McGregor has a new motorcycle adventure show coming out called Long Way Up where he and Charlie Boorman drive this road.