Patagonia Through the Lens

Posted on April 4, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“Sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.”

Patagonia, from the famous Fitz Roy to the rural and rough Carretera Austral, has been one of the highlights of our tour so far. It was beautiful and remote, with mountains, rivers, camping, and fishing around almost every bend. It was also easy cycling (except for the dreadful headwinds) as Patagonia is all near sea level with very few or no passes.

We started out in Ushuaia, a town considered to be the bottom of the world.

Into the Sun and Civilization: Cycling Argentinian Patagonia

Posted on April 3, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

Some people follow their dreams, others hunt them down and beat them mercilessly into submission.”

After a thirty-six hour downpour, the sun finally came out as we finished up the Carretera Austral.

Gear Tips for An Easier Cycle Tour

Posted on March 20, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“Nostalgia in reverse, the longing for yet another strange land.”

If you missed the general gear post I did yesterday, I would suggest checking it out if you are interested in how many shirts we have, or what bikes we ride, but if you already have the basics figured out, this list of unusual yet helpful tips may be just for you.

–Stick and Break: Check out the link to read more about our unusual (and free!) kickstand which doubles as a dog scaring weapon as well.

Gear For Extended Cycle Touring

Posted on March 18, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent.”

Talking about gear doesn’t really interest me which is probably why I’ve almost never written a word about it. That being said, by now I feel like I have a pretty good idea about what works and what doesn’t, at least for us, so I figured I would share our gear list with those of you who, unlike me, are a bit more interested in this side of the lifestyle. Overall, we have been extremely impressed with our gear, and the more we use it, the more we realize that investing money into really high quality stuff is definitely worth it in the long run. We have met tourers who have spent no more than fifty dollars on their gear – which is incredible and proves that anyone can do it – but we have also realized that by spending some money upfront investing in good products it can definitely save you many headaches down the road and allow you to enjoy the ride stress-free.

If you already have your shirts and bikes figured out, check out our Cycle Gear Tips post which talks about how to make your own kickstand, and how Gatorade container can come in handy.

The Bike (and Accessories): Surly Long Haul Trucker Disc

Travel As A Lifestyle: Knowing When to Press Pause

Posted on March 16, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“Let the dream devour your life so that the life does not devour your dream.”

Though it’s taken awhile for Kevin and I to actually realize this phenomenon, while traveling as we are, we have noticed that we need a “break” every two months or so in order to reboot and keep enjoying life on the road. We haven’t really noticed it before because we have been pressing pause naturally in a variety of ways. Between my time in long term home stays in India and working at a children’s home in Nepal, to working multiple weeks in Georgia, and backpacking with my brother and friend in Turkey (mind you a month off the bike there was a wee bit too long), Kevin and I usually end up taking some sort of non-cycling week/month every so often just because something falls into our lap. Now though, it’s been two months and two thousand kilometers of non stop action and though we both feel that we are ready for a reboot, it’s easier said than done down here as we haven’t found anywhere to work, and at forty bucks a night, we can’t exactly just find a town to live in for a few weeks either.

Being Sick on the Road: The Reality of Cycle Touring

Posted on March 15, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

People often ask us what happens if one of us gets sick, and since both of us had some sort of stomach bug yesterday (most likely from bad food or water, though we really don’t remember eating anything bad) I figured that now would be a good time to touch on that subject.

Families, Cyclists, and A Real Paved Road: The Carretera Austral

Posted on March 7, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

After a few beautiful days of sun we entered into the rainy region of the Carretera, a region which really reminds the four of us Oregonians of home. We can pretty easily predict the weather here as the closer we get to Argentina, the driers, sunnier, and windier it gets, whereas whenever we head west, we end up in the lush green wet forests and waterfalls which surround the white covered peaks. As we were buying veggies in one of these small rainy towns a friendly French traveler started talking to us and eventually invited us back to his place to meet his wife and two small children. Though we went over for tea, tea turned into dinner and then the night as they kindly let us all stay in their cabin in order to avoid the huge storm raging outside. Les Petits Voyageurs quit their jobs and packed up their possessions a few months ago in order to spend the next year and a half traveling around the world with their two boys (age two and four). Kevin and I really enjoy meeting traveling families as someday we too want to travel with our future children. We had a lovely evening hanging out with their family, and I had a wonderful time befriending the kids as they don’t often find others who can play with them in French.

Rest Days, Imagination, and the Art of Slowing Down: The Carretera Austral

Posted on March 4, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“It is better to travel well than to arrive.”

Kevin and I have taken the last few days off in order to fly fish and enjoy the beautiful rivers and lakes around us.

The Carretera Austral: The Beginning of a Cyclists Paradise

Posted on March 1, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“Cycling can be lonely, but in a good way.”

The Carretera Austral (or route seven if you are looking at a map) which passes through rural Chilean Patagonia has been described by all as a cyclists paradise, and after just four days of cycling on it, I can definitely see why. Though the road is unpaved it is in pretty good condition, and with only a dozen or so cars passing by a day, it’s the perfect sort of road for those who like to be alone with nature. Between the beautiful waterfalls which literally cascade down right beside the road, the hills and mountains covered with glaciers everywhere you look, the incredibly beautiful lush green forest which you ride through every day, and the stunning blue rivers and lakes you camp by and fish in every night, there isn’t a single thing not to love about this exquisite rural Patagonian road.

Following Fitzroy to Chile: A Rural Patagonian Boarder Crossing

Posted on February 27, 2015 by The Wandering Nomads

“Bicycling is a big part of the future. It has to be. There’s something wrong with a society that drives a car to work out in a gym.”

By the time we were ready to leave El Chalten and the somewhat chaotic casa de cyclistas we had been staying in, we felt as though we already knew the rural boarder crossing we were about to undertake since everyone going the other way kept talking about it. After a forty kilometer ride around Fitzroy Emily and I completed a four hour hike around the first lake in order to avoid paying thirty dollars each for the incredibly expensive one hour ferry service while the boys took all four bikes on the boat.