Stacking Adventures: Every Traveler Has a Story · Joe Saul-Sehy & Crystal Hammond

Biking 1,000 Miles Down Highway 1 From Canada to Mexico

·48 min·3 clips

On Highway 1, Corey says lumber trucks and no-shoulder roads are the most terrifying part of the ride.

1. Stacking Adventures: Every Traveler Has a Story centers on Corey Mortensen’s bike trip from Canada to Mexico down Highway 1. 2. Corey Mortensen appears as the guest and author, and Joe hosts the conversation because he has ridden long distances and wanted Corey’s route story. 3. The episode asks what it takes to ride the Pacific Coast Highway with limited gear, loose planning, and long stretches alone. 4. Corey says his first major ride was Minneapolis to California when he was 30, with “zero training” and “absolutely no preparedness.” 5. He contrasts that early mistake with this ride, where he chose a gravel bike with tubeless tires instead of a road bike. 6. Corey says a July 4 marathon in Portland and a wife traveling in Scandinavia gave him time to start the coast ride. 7. He texted his wife on July 2 that he would not be home until August, then arranged to meet her in San Francisco. 8. Corey says he rode about six hours a day and carried only a helmet, credit card, bike lock, tools, and a few tubes. 9. He says he skipped heavier gear, booked hotels, motels, and cabins ahead of time, and often only brought T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops for after the ride. 10. Corey says he was lucky with weather because he had almost no rain and almost no wind for the entire ride except one day. 11. He says one of his rules for staying young is to hang out with people older than you. 12. He says another rule is to not look in the mirror, because the reflection shows “that old guy.” 13. He says the third rule is to ride your bike. 14. Corey says Highway 1 is dangerous in places with no shoulder, especially on mountain cut-ins and winding sections shared with lumber trucks. 15. He says he now uses Google Maps street view before rides so he can avoid roads that look unsafe. 16. Corey says the most memorable logistics issue was skipping Vancouver because a room cost $500 and taking a bus from Bellingham instead. 17. He describes the Peace Arch Park start as a “no man’s land” between the U.S. and Canada where he leaned the bike against the border posts. 18. Corey’s tone mixes travel advice, self-deprecating humor, and detailed route memory, while Joe keeps the pace conversational and reactive. 19. People who like cycling logistics, road-trip stories, and Pacific Coast Highway details will get the most out of this episode. 20. People looking for fast travel tips without long story digressions may skip it.

As heard by us

Corey Mortensen's Canada-to-Mexico ride mixes historic stops, road scares, and grounded travel talk.

This episode follows Corey Mortensen on a long bike trip from Canada to Mexico down Highway 1, with historic sites, good people, and a few scary moments on the road shaping the story. It feels more like a travel account than a polished showcase, and that works in its favor.

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Why you'd press play

You want a coast-to-border bike story about a huge ride from Canada to Mexico.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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