We Drove to the Equator! (Video)

We drove out of the United States early October 2021 and pulled up to the equator 20 months later! There was definitely something surreal about sleeping in the parking lot of the tourist center, inside a vehicle that got us all the way there.

In this week’s video, we share how the giant monument is not actually at the true equator, 0° 0′ 0”. The precise location of the equator is not fixed. According to Wikipedia, “the true equatorial plane is perpendicular to the Earth’s rotation axis, which drifts about 9 meters (30 feet) during a year.” We set out on foot to find the true equator using our GPS devices, and you’ll never guess where we found it.

Watch now:

Our next video will be about our big adventure to the Galapagos Islands! Eric is editing right now and we can’t wait to share our self-touring experience with you.

What’s next?

In real-time, we have been loving the Cordillera mountains of Peru. After a week in Huaraz, we drove over the Continental Divide at 14,000 feet in altitude (4,270 meters). On the other side, where all the water drains to the Atlantic Ocean, we explored the archaeological ruins of the Chavín culture. This history dates back 3,000 years! We filmed a ton there and look forward to sharing with you.

We just returned to the Pan-American Highway on the coast. We need to pull our attention away from our explorations and tend to some logistics in Lima. Our Jeep has a couple of issues to fix (solar panels not working and pump not transferring gasoline from our auxiliary tank).

We also need to give ourselves a week or so to suspend the temporary import permit (TIP) for our Jeep. By suspending this document before we fly to the United States for our visit, we’ll allow ourselves more time in Peru when we get back.

Thanks for being part of our journey.

-B