“Let the dream devour your life so that the life does not devour your dream.”
Headwinds, Fitzroy, and a Crazy Casa De Cyclistas: Argentinean Patagonia
5
BBQs, Cyclists, and a Whole Lot of Observations: Patagonia
“Whatever you are, be a good one.”
Kevin at the BBQ.
These last few days in Argentina have been our much needed rest days after weeks of non-stop action. When we arrived into Calafate we found a campground with hot showers, wifi, and a whole lot of other cyclists so we ended up staying three nights during which time we BBQed, hung out with our fellow two-wheelers, and simply stayed around camp not doing a thing.
Cycling Through Torres Del Paines
“Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.”
Though I have no photos to show for it, the mountains in Torres Del Paines were beautiful and we really enjoyed cycling through the park as it was so much quieter on the roads than on the trekking paths.
Trekking Through Torres Del Paines
“The core of mans’ spirit comes from new experiences.”
Headed into the peaks!
Trekking through Torres Del Paines has always been on my list as its said to be one of the top five places to trek in the world, and though we are all glad we got to do it, we are now even more aware of just how spoiled and happy we are with the National Parks in the States, parks which we find much more attractive for many reasons (mainly crowd control with permits). But before we get into the details, here are a few photos from our trek (unfortunately I hardly took any, and none of the famous towers, so you should really Google the area to get a better feel for what it looks like).
12 Days of Hiking and Cycling Through Patagonia: Planning For an Expedition
“And then I realized, adventure was the best way to learn.”
Though it’s often difficult to combine other hobbies with cycle touring, the four of us (Kevin and I plus our current Oregonian travel partners Mike and Emily) all carry backpacks on our bikes in order to trek throughout whatever mountainous regions we happen to pass through, and since we are currently in Patagonia, our first trekking stop was set to be the extremely famous and popular region of Torres del Paines. As we hadn’t done much research beforehand – in fact our “research” mostly consisted of looking at a map in order to estimate kilometers and therefore days of food – we set out with twelve days of food which we figured would give us five or six days of cycling and six or seven days of trekking before we needed to find a way out of the park and to the closest store.
Meet Mike and Emily: An Oregonian Couple on a Quest for Adventure
“There are dreamers and there are doers, but what the world needs are dreamers that do.”
Mike and Emily, our two Oregonian friends.
At twenty-five years old, Mike and Emily were living a sort of perfect life: they were happily married, held jobs that they loved (which gave them ample time off) in one of the most amazing ski/rock climbing towns in North America, and traveled and explored different countries and national parks for vacation. They had careers, a house, and a stable happy life, yet they were willing to leave it all behind because they just weren’t ready to be completely settled, at least not yet. Many of the cycle tourists we meet have similar stories, a job they hated and a life which was stagnant and not what they dreamed of, and so they set out on an adventure to shake things up a bit. Along with Kevin and I, Mike and Emily are in the group of young cycle tourists who aren’t running away from anything, but rather are running straight into adventure as we all have this inexplainable pull towards travel, the mountains, and living in the great outdoors.
The Hardest Part About Cycle Touring: The Mental Game
“Your legs aren’t giving up, your head is.”
People often ask what the hardest part about cycle touring is, but in reality, the hardest part can change with every country, or even daily, depending on where your mind is at. In general, the hardest part in Georgia was the heat as it was often over 40C, whereas in India, the most difficult part was the people. Here in Patagonia, the hardest part is going to be (and has been) the wind, as there is nothing more frustrating than pedaling as hard as you can on the flats only to see your speedometer hovering at a measly 8km/h.
The Perfect Day: What We Missed Most About Cycle Touring
“Your bike is discovery; your bike is freedom. It doesn’t matter where you are, when you’re on the saddle, you’re taken away.”
Today was a wonderful day, a sort of perfect day full of high highs that come with cycle touring, and with it, Kevin and I realized how much we had missed this lifestyle during our six week pause in Turkey. We were surprised at how bored we got in Turkey during our vacation month, and how little there was for us to see or explore when we no longer had the help of our bicycles, and so along with adventure and entertainment, here are the top five things we missed most about the cycle touring lifestyle.
Cycling Through Tierra Del Fuego
“Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.”
This last week was a difficult yet wonderful introduction to cycling through Patagonia as we cycled the small dirt route “b” from Ushuaia up to Punta Arenas. Though the first 200km of this route were paved, we quickly encountered strong headwinds which managed to slow us down to 8km/h on the flats for hours and even days at a time before we made it to the 350km of unpaved gravel roads that were to follow with just as much headwind. Though it wasn’t windy everyday, on the days it was we found ourselves pushing hard against a never ceasing barrier, as like everyone has already told us, we are going “the wrong way” through Patagonia in terms of the wind.
The Cyclists Bakery: A Slice of Heaven in Tierra Del Fuego
“If you don’t know where you are going, then any road will take you there.”
We had heard from two passing French cyclists that the bakery in the small town of Thulin hosted French cyclists for free, so as we were buying some delicious baked goods at the enormous bakery, we asked one of the workers if she knew anything about this. Less than a minute later two other cyclists, an American and an Argentinian, appeared to show us to the “cyclists quartets” where there were already nine other fully loaded touring bicycles from all around the world. Though we didn’t end up meeting everyone, there was an Argentinian, an American, a Mexican, a German, a couple from the Netherlands, and a couple from France (and someone else we never met) all touring for different amounts of time, and in different directions, with one thing in common: through word of mouth they had all heard about this incredible cyclists refuge in the middle of Tierra del Fuego.
The Wandering Nomads 