Charlottamiles South and North

Follow Ned, Kat and Charlotte (an intrepid 1987 Volkswagen 4x4 Vanagon) as they wander the Americas, turning the 10,000 crow-fly miles from Ushuaia, Argentina to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska into 40,000 circuitous ones. With no route planning, no internet research and a penchant for bush camping and remote, dirt tracks, Ned and Kat’s experiences and unexpected encounters while living on the road will leave you breathless. With 2,300 fascinating photos and plenty of exciting, unpredictable and electrifying stories, you will find yourself along for the ride of a lifetime.


“At 6am, December 21st, right on schedule, Ned and I looked at each other in the pre-dawn dark of the bus, gulped a couple of times and said goodbye to all the comforts of home. The future was now an immense unknown. I felt this crazy fluctuation of feelings bouncing around somewhere between the anticipation of elated excitement and the apprehension of sheer terror. But how incredibly fortunate we were; the road ahead was not so much a black hole as a blank canvas.” -Excerpt from Charlottamiles South and North


From the vivid color and vibrancy of Mexico, to the jungles of Central America and the soaring elevations of the Andes, Ned and Kat delve into a rich diversity of people, culture and food with honesty, humor and insight.


“Following Charlotte and her human counterparts, Ned and Kat Bacon, through the Americas is to live a vicarious adventure. Their plan was to “have no plan at all;” simply travel south until they reached land’s-end. During this multi-year trek the trio navigates, in a zigzag kind of way, a gauntlet of third-world challenges with the prowess of a kayaker through Class-V rapids. They seek out the roads less traveled, immerse themselves in foreign cultures, and savor the aroma of street food cuisine. I am inspired by those who step away from the norm, take adventure into their own hands, and let the trip take them in the direction that the wind blows.” Chris Collard, Editor-in-Chief, Overland Journal


Ned and Kat met in spin class at a gym in 2005 and have been inseparable ever since. Common interests like hiking, skiing, trail running, mountain bike riding, jeeping, and vintage road and desert auto racing have kept life exciting. They also share a mutual wanderlust and have traveled extensively both in the United States and in several exotic countries around the world. Whether backpacking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, enduring a thirty-hour, rickety train ride in Viet Nam, desert racing 1,200 miles in Baja, Mexico, or just crossing Nevada on dirt roads in Charlotte, their home-on-wheels VW bus, Ned and Kat are happiest in motion.