2 friends travel 1,400 miles on public transit from Mexico to Canada border
Two public transportation enthusiasts embarked on a courageous journey to travel from the Mexican border to Canada, using only local transit, including several buses and trains along the West Coast.
Miles Taylor and Jackson Betz set out from San Ysidro, California, the southernmost point of the Golden State, armed with a detailed spreadsheet containing 50 rows of carefully planned connections.
"Because it's possible," Taylor told ABC News when asked about the motivation behind the unconventional journey.
For Taylor, the trip represented a natural extension of his long-standing passion for public transportation. He began blogging about transit systems at age 13, reviewing every bus route and train station in New York's transit system. Years later, his YouTube channel, @MilesinTransit, had garnered millions of views, showcasing his budget-conscious travel adventures.
"I booked a ticket from New York to San Antonio for just $3," Betz told ABC News, highlighting the pair's commitment to cost-effective travel.
The journey, which began on a Monday from Southern California, took the two college friends through Oregon, where they encountered both scenic vistas and unexpected challenges.
"A lot of these buses have been jolting us out of our seats, but the scenery makes it all worthwhile," the duo told ABC News during their Oregon leg of the trip.
Their meticulously planned schedule faced a significant disruption when an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off Russia's coast, triggering tsunami alerts along their route.
"We checked into our motel, and then maybe 10 minutes later, the tsunami alarms went off and everything went haywire," Taylor told ABC News.
The natural disaster forced the friends to adjust their timeline, pushing their expected arrival at the Canadian border from last Friday to Monday.
"Not that I heard Miles complain too much about having to travel for a little bit longer," Betz told ABC News.
For Taylor, the journey aligned perfectly with his content creation approach.
"What I do on my channel is just the things I'd be doing for fun anyway," he told ABC News.
The pair utilized various forms of public transportation throughout their journey, including light rail systems and regional bus services, demonstrating the possibilities of long-distance travel using only local transit options.
