vlog: Panama Canal
Mar 6, 2025
I stopped near the Miraflores locks on the Panama Canal for a quick vlog. Complain about losing the lid to my Happy Trails luggage box luggage box. First part of this vid was at the beginning of my day, then it jumps to 7 hours later after I have arrived home. Before I cleaned stuff out of the bike I wanted to show how much rain I had collected in the open box. Average speed I traveled was 85 kph, and I still managed to gather a lot of water. I'm going to try and find someone local who can make me a replacement cover for it. Won't be able to get one out of aluminum down here, but anything to keep it covered and locked would be a bonus.
Right here behind me, to the side of me, is the Panama Canal.
This is actually the lake part of the canal.
So, if you look back there, there's a cruise ship.
It's in the Miraflores Lock.
You can get raised up to the same level as the lake,
and then it'll travel through the lake over to the Atlantic.
Yesterday, I was riding from my family's house to Panama City.
And when I got to Panama City after about an hour of riding,
I realized that the top of my luggage box was gone.
I went back to look for it, but, you know, this is aluminum,
and this is a major find for someone who walks up and down the street
looking for pants and a cycle.
So now I'm riding around with this rain-catching device.
I have a waterproof roll-top bag.
I think I just put some stuff in there and then put everything that's more important in here.
But I was really disappointed with myself.
Next time you're shopping for a luggage system,
you might want to think about buying something with a hinge.
Because if you're a dummy like me and you forget to strap stuff down,
you could lose it, it could fly off and hit someone or someone's car.
So just top tip for you.
There are two bridges that cross the Panama Canal.
One you can actually see from right here.
The other bridge is the Bridge of the Americas.
It was built by the gringos around the same time they built the canal.
Okay, guys, I made it home.
It rained almost the entire ride.
I rode six or seven hours.
It was miserable.
I can actually show you how much it rained because of my incredible Happy Trails rain-catching device.
Keep in mind that I never stopped at a restaurant and tried to wait for the storm to blow over.
I just kept riding.
The only time I stopped was at a couple of police checkpoints.
And once for gas about halfway home.
Other than that, all this rain was caught while riding my motorcycle from Panama City to Davide.
This is the waterproof bag that I had to put all my stuff in.
Here's some other stuff I didn't care if they got wet.
Some tires, some tools.
All of this was caught while riding home.