Bradford’s Lukas Robert King is racing to get home as the COVID-19 pandemic intensifies.
In mid-December, King decided to take a trip of a lifetime by motorcycle to Panama City, with plans of being home by the end of April.
King took the scenic route to his destination, stopping in towns all over the United States and Mexico along the way. He made it to Panama City at the end of February in time for its large Carnival celebration.
His plan was to stay in Panama City for a few days and slowly make his way north, to be home by the end of April.
King was in Mexico when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the pandemic on March 11.
“I had the foresight before that though that I should make my way north,” he said.
“And luckily I did because I got out of Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua a day to three days before they closed the borders.”
The race home is proving to be challenging, as most establishments are closed so he is unable to stop anywhere to eat or to recharge his phone.
“It reminds me of the movie Zombieland, where I have to make my way across the country where cities are hot spots of infection and finding supplies (food) is hard.”
When he does find stores that are open, he says he keeps his motorcycle helmet and gloves on for protection.
“If anything, I’m more protected riding my bike. I have my gear, which creates a barrier,” he explained.
He noted crossing cities within the U.S. is taking longer than expected. He is currently in Laredo, Texas where they are in a two-week quarantine with curfews, and anyone caught breaking the rules can be charged anywhere from $50 to $3,000.
He says he is mindful of the risks associated with COVID-19 and is doing his best to keep his distance from people.
“I’ve thought a lot about my responsibility as a traveller, so far no symptoms and I try to isolate myself, so I still camp with my tent, most of the time just (in) some field or behind some trees by the roadside,” he explained.
He noted that driving through the mid-western states would be the quickest route, but with tornado season hitting, he has had to go off track a bit. He plans to ride from Texas to Georgia and then head north to Canada.
“I’m trying to go as direct as I can. I do some sightseeing here and there, but it’s mostly just taking pictures from the road. Everything is closed, so there isn’t much to do other than look at buildings or the roadside scenery,” he said.
He noted how drastically different people’s reactions are to the pandemic.
He said in Mexico and South America, “life is pretty normal” and “relaxed”, but in the U.S., people are panicking, leaving grocery shelves empty and restaurants closed. He said people in Texas were crossing the border to Mexico to fill up their cars with groceries and supplies.
“With each border I crossed going north, I could see things were becoming more serious.”
King hopes to be home within two weeks.
“I originally planned on being away longer but it’s better for me to return home.”
You can follow him on his journey on Instagram @lukas.robert.
