Merak and Telera: my first bike trip with my dog

Hello!!! My name is Merak and this story is about a little bike trip I made a while ago with Telera (Labrador), along with my friend Anna (Catalan) and her dog Nuska, or Nutella for friends (Schnauzer). The trip was made in the Yucatan Peninsula, from Cancun to Isla Blanca. It is only about 60 km round trip. This was the first trip we made with Telera and Nu together to test the trailer I bought for the bike and see what it would be like to make a longer trip in the future.

EQUIPMENT

Saddlebags:

The saddlebags are from a trip a few years ago, they are already in their last days but they are still giving everything they have (until the last breath).

Trailer:

I bought it online for about 2500 pesos, there is room for two children and a maximum load weight of 40 kg, enough to carry a 24 kg Labrador and a 7kg Schnauzer, plus their luggage for a day.

Luggage:

Tent for two people, towels for the 4, solid fire, kitchen utensils, swimsuit, mosquito repellent, sleeping bag, food for girls, lots of water, and eager to pedal.

THE ROUTE

Our idea was to spend a couple of days in nature with our pups, but in Mexico especially the tourist areas have the disadvantage that there are few public accesses to the beach that allow dogs . So tired of leaving our friends at home we set up an alternative plan with and for them. We looked for a secluded and public place, not exploited by tourism, we carried everything necessary to cook and sleep. 100% self-sufficiency. The trip was made in October, the weather is quite good in Cancun this time of the year, hot but bearable compared to summer. Well, after several days planning our getaway, the big day finally arrived. Telera had made a couple of short trips in the trailer and seemed to like it.

But just this day she changed her mind and made the trip a little more complicated. Although the beach is only 30km from Cancun, much of the way she was overwhelmed. Leaving the city was easy, as it was similar to the little trips we had practiced before, but after half an hour, Telera could not stand being inside and wanted to go down all the time and run next to the bike. We also did this activity often and enjoyed it a lot, but unfortunately there were sections where it was dangerous for her, as they were very busy roads. We only had the option to "force" her to get on the trailer, but the stubborn one insisted on getting off, and the fight continued for several more kilometers. In the meantime Anna and Nu looked at us with a "what's the matter with these two?" look. Here I must say that Anna and Nu had already traveled many places in the world, by plane, boat, train, etc. Nuska is a dog very used to all kinds of situations, she understands very well what she is asked at every moment. You can click on this link to see their adventures. Telera, on the other hand, at only 5 years of age, she only knew Cancun, I did not take enough time to teach her to travel inside a trailer, and she found that situation a bit strange, therefore, she did not feel very comfortable. But it's never too late to start and we wanted to. We continued advancing slowly with Telera running a few kilometers then in the trailer, then again running and so on.

We finally arrived at Isla Blanca very tired but happy. The place was amazing, there was a silence and darkness only possible in such a remote place, far from humankind. We could see the Milky Way above our heads and some shooting stars finished to make our days (along with 1 million mosquitoes that made us feel alive). And we got to enjoy all this together with our inseparable companions. It had been worth it. We set our tent and after a dip in the lagoon, had dinner and went to “bed”.

The next day we had to go back to Cancun. As always, the trip had a surprise for us. After a couple of km the trailer hitch failed and there was no way to continue, and we were still about 28 km from Cancun… We were almost ready to panic, it was 6 pm, the mosquitoes were crazy, there was no one in the area and we did not have cell phones to ask for help away from civilization... But there are always people willing to help (and a very generous universe with luck), so we decided to ask for a ride and in a short time we were in a truck all four with bikes and the trailer.

LEARNED LESSONS

• Take the necessary time and dedication to familiarize the dog with the trailer and make this a pleasant time for him. DO NOT OBLIGATE HIM/HER EVER.

• Sometimes it is necessary to spend a little more on specialized equipment. I would get a dog trailer and not a children one. They are more expensive but they are made and thought for that.

• Backpacking with your dog is hard, but it's amazing. It is worth the effort because the reward is unmatched.