May 11, 2025
Travel Day Part 1 (Denver to Lima)
On our way!
With an extra large bike box, a box for our wheels, and four small bags of luggage, we were very grateful for an airport drop off from our friend Matt (and nice to see Alexis in the morning too!). Luckily the bike box just barely fit into the Subaru, alongside a smooshed Erin.
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We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare (~3.5 hours). No line for American Airlines check-in (hooray!). We chose American Airlines because they are one of the few airlines who specifically say they allow tandems. When we arrived at the counter, the agent immediately asked us if we had measured our box and whether it was under the maximum dimensions….the answer was no, we hadn’t because the policy online said there were no max dimensions for bicycles. Turns out, he just wanted to make sure the bike could fit onto the aircraft. Answer? Yes, the bike was well under the aircraft max dimensions. Phew! Our box clocked in at 52 pounds, just over the limit. But the agent was very nice and didn’t charge an extra fee. We were thrilled the process went so smoothly. When you walk into the airport with a ginormous box, heads turn and people look at you with wide eyes. The employees likely aren’t used to managing such large boxes. The lesson is to stay cool and kind, and pull out the printed policy if needed. Luckily, we didn’t need to in this situation.
We were wishing we had our pride flag frame bag when we went through TSA. Megan handed both our passports to the agent checking us in and she got confused who was who and who, and then said “oh you must be friends.” Like always, we smiled and laughed and kept walking. Will this be something we keep navigating in life together? If we have the same last name eventually will people assume we are sisters? What if we never have the same last name? Will we always get assumed to be friends?
Our fingers are crossed that our bike and wheels arrive in one piece in Huaraz. We have a few other baseline concerns as we leap into this adventure, that only time will give us the answer to. Will our bike fit on the bus? Will we be able to put the bike back together smoothly? And — as we begin the route — what will the dogs be like?
We are excited and grateful for the journey ahead. We know it will be hard - with some anticipated challenges, like altitude and sickness — but other unanticipated challenges will arise that we will have to navigate as they come. Peru here we come!
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