Ryan Kodak Brown

26/04/2026

One entire year of our lives. 20 photos. 3 hours. We made a film of our first year on the bikes but we didn’t expect all the feelings it would bring up. All the moments we’ve already forgotten as we continue making our way north. To everyone we’ve met along the way, thank you so much for aiding us and/or sharing part of this journey with us. It’s people like you who make these adventures possible and even enjoyable. We couldn’t do it without you. To those who journey with us through our films, we feel your presence with every beautiful comment. Thank you for the encouragement and for all the kind words.

If you haven’t already, our latest film covers our entire journey from Patagonia to Colombia — all the highs and all of the lows. It’s not been easy and, sometimes, sharing was the hardest part.

Hope to see you out there somewhere in the wild! Happy trails and tailwinds forever.
Ryan & Ilse

Latest film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFF0GFhPbIc

25/04/2026

We got lucky. As in, really, REALLY lucky.

When we rolled into , one of Guatemala's most beautiful and beloved towns, we had almost forgotten about the fact that Easter Sunday was near. It was only when we arrived in a jam-packed town with purple banners hanging from every building, that we realised: This is an event of major importance. And when we Googled "Semana Santa", we knew we were in for a treat.

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, celebrates the seven days leading up to Easter. In Guatemala, celebrations happen in the form of impressive processions and alfombras. The latter are colourful sawdust carpets, sprinkled with the occasion flowers and plants.

It's quite the effort to make these huge carpets with intricate patterns and eye for detail. Families often work throughout the night, up to 12 or 16 hours, to finish their carpet... just in time for it to be trampled by the many feet of a passing procession! Beauty is not meant to last, they say, and these serve as the perfect offering for Jesus Christ.

As for the processions... we still lack the words to describe it. Imagine large and heavy floats depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ carried by dozens of people hovering from left to right. These floats sometimes weigh a tonne or more, and as the procession marches by, you can clearly see the sweat and pain on the carriers' faces. The drums are beating mournfully and everyone is dressed in purple or black robes. At night, these floats are magically illuminated, rendering the whole spectacle an air of magic and mystery.

It's no wonder that Guatemala's Holy Week has been labeled as UNESCO cultural heritage. Even though we are not exactly religious, we were deeply impressed. The sense of the entire community gathering in the same clothes, walking the same procession, carrying the same float and tending to the same sawdust carpet... That sense of belonging, of being part of something larger than life, hung heavy in the air. We watched Mary and Jesus' tearful faces march by several times, and thousands of us turned quiet, in mourning. At times, it felt both real and surreal.

If you ever have the chance to experience in Latin America or Spain, we can recommend it from the deepest of our hearts! When people come together, they can do magical things.

With love,

Ilse and Ryan

04/04/2026

With a fresh stamp in our passports and big smiles, we cycle into country number 12!

Leaving El Salvador was not an easy thing to do, as we were received with open arms by Jinver and her lovely family. Invited to camp in their back yard, they even made us breakfast and lunch the following day. Jinver proudly gave us a tour on her lands, packed with tropical nance, banana and mango trees. Together with her sister, mother and daughter, we celebrated the beginning of Semana Santa, or Holy Week, a very significant time of year for the locals.

What an incredible experience, one that will stick with us for sure. We feel very inspired and grateful for their hospitality and willingness to share food, company and laughter with total strangers. ♥️

At the border, we meet a fellow bike packer - say what!? We haven't seen anyone on the road for at least a month, so meeting Yoann from France was a delight. Not only is he very athletic, but his bike is packed pretty light. Soon, we’re sweating to keep up with the speedy bird! Our bikes are still pretty heavily loaded with winter gear and electronics... plus, we ourselves are well-fed with tacos and burritos 🙂

Yoann has been on the road for 3 months, and is making his way up to the U.S. and Canada soon. His plan is to explore Montréal and the French-speaking part of Canada - ben oui! 😉

The sun still rises at 6am and sets at 6pm, just like in the other Central American countries. But the terrain feels more mountainous, and a strong breeze blows us forward towards Antigua and Lake Atitlán, two highlights that cannot be missed in Guatemala...

In the meantime, we're enjoying the Mexican culinary influence that cannot longer be denied - we're getting so close now! And as always, we can count on farmers and firefighters for a safe place to set up camp.

01/04/2026

We want to wish you guys a beautiful — belated — Spring Equinox 💐

As we grow older, we increasingly develop a greater appreciation and better understanding of the seasons. One of our dear friends introduced us to Ostara, the Pagan Goddess of Spring, representing rebirth and a new dawn.
This speaks to us more than ever, as we just crossed the halfway point of our travels and find ourselves cycling the busy highways of Central America.

The past few weeks, we've cycled across Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. Central America is quite literally a cluster of smaller countries, especially compared to South America.

We've been mostly following the Panamamerican Highway with some fun detours here and there. Some areas are quite densely populated, we deal with a lot of stressful traffic and wild camping has been challenging to say the least!

Instead of losing ourselves in a wild and remote landscape, we try to focus more on the smaller things: A fun conversation with the locals, singing Kate Bush out loud on the bicycles to drown out the traffic noise, enjoying the incredible street food and drinking fresh coconut water.

Central America might be the least spectacular and most busy part of this journey, yet we try to find beauty in every corner. And if we don't find it on some days, then that's okay too…

We're working hard on a couple of new videos - hope to share them with you soon.

Wishing you lots of renewed energy and new beginnings,

Ryan and Ilse

31/03/2026

Who said wild camping was easy?

It’s not. It takes a bit of work and common sense. Camping is nothing to be scared of, but since you’re pretty exposed to the elements, there are a few things to keep in mind. Eventually though, your efforts will be well worth it.

Wild camping is a small act of resistance, a great feeling of independence, and a deeply grounding experience on its own. Not only do you sleep close to the earth, but you also rely on your own instincts to secure a safe spot to rest your head on this wild earth that belongs to us all. Camping is an important right… when enacted appropriately.

This is our ode to camping in the wild. Ilse and I hope you enjoy it!

In this video, we explain why wild camping has always played an important role in our relationship. From the Pacific Crest Trail in 2021 to living in a van a...

01/02/2026

We cycled across Ecuador! The Trans Ecuador Mountain Bike Route (TEMBR) was a welcome change from the cold and choas of Peru and the Great Divide. We had a LOT of rain but at least it was warm! Now on our YouTube is the full film. See the link in bio!

Now, we prepare for the end of South America and the transition to a new continent. I can barely believe that we’ve cycled the length of South America and that an entire year has passed…. It’s been a journey!

Cheers my friends. Hope you’re doing well and off to a solid start of 2026.

05/12/2025

Hi everyone,

2025 is coming to an end… and so is the first year of our trip! That's right, we're back home to spend precious time with family and friends during the holidays. 🎄

In our case, "home" spans two different continents. This week, we'll be spending time with Ryan's family in Pittsburgh. We were really looking forward to this, as we don’t get to see his family as often as we would like. And finally, after months of just phone calls, we're beyond grateful to spend some time with Ryan's dad— albeit masked up and from a healthy distance. With the two of us having traveled on buses and planes, we can't take the risk of exposing him to any viruses or infections.

In about a week, we'll travel onwards to Belgium to spend the holidays with Ilse's parents. We'll be staying at a friend's house, for heaps of rest, catching up with friends, and editing our gigantic backlog of videos 😊

And for the latter, we need your help! After nearly 1 year of cycling South America, we thought it would be fun to answer some of your questions in a video format. Truth be told, we do our best to read all the comments and private messages on YouTube, Patreon, Instagram, Facebook, etc… but we seriously suck at it! 😬 We both feel easily overwhelmed by the amount of social media platforms, even though that’s just the part of the world we live in today.

That’s why we figured it'd be interesting to bundle up your questions and respond to them in a dedicated Q&A video!

So, any questions you have about our trip —whether it's finances, gear-related, personal, or just plain crazy— feel free to leave them in a private message or in the comments below! And we promise to answer them in a dedicated video, soon to be published on Patreon and later on Youtube. 🎬

Thanks to all of you for your continued support, caring words and well wishes! ♥️

We wish you a peaceful December, surrounded by wonderful people and fond memories of the past year.

With love,
Ilse and Ryan

29/11/2025

A few scenes from one of my favorite days on the Peru Divide Route.

15/11/2025

I’m in disbelief. After eleven months on the road, we have nearly ridden the entire length of South America crossing into Ecuador two weeks ago. Columbia is not far away.

Equador is quickly becoming one of our favorite countries. The people are warm and friendly, the food diverse and delicious, and the landscapes lush with towering volcanoes.

It’s raining A LOT! And we’re not wild-camping as much now. We stayed with firefighters, at a “finca” or small ranch, and in the visitor center of Volcan Chimborazo. We’re still camping, just more stealthy here in Ecuador with a few more rooms to dry out!

News: We’re flying home for the winter! We’ll be in Pittsburgh in early December and then in Belgium for Christmas and New Years. Let me know if you want to meetup!
Cheers!