2015 In Pictures: A Year of Highs and Lows From Patgonia to Oregon

A bike packed full of food, some mountains, and a boy equals one happy girl! Torres del Paines, 2015.

A bike packed full of food, some mountains, and a boy equals one happy girl! Torres del Paines, 2015.

This last year will be remembered by Kevin and I as a year of high highs – from cycling through Patagonia with friends to pushing our bikes up and down rough roads in the Andes – but also, one of incredibly low lows – like when ending our trip early became a reality and I cried for nights on end. 2015 was the year of South America, and all of the wonderful adventures it held, but also, 2015 was the year we began to adjust our thinking from what’s most fun in the moment, to how to accomplish long term goals. It’s been a divided year; a year in which we spent the first six months living in a tent, and the latter half living in an apartment. A year where we had complete freedom for part, and jobs, appointements, and commitments for the rest. A year where we lived in nature, and then a year where we were stuck indoors. This last year has also been the year we lived near family, the year Kevin and I solidified our relationship both on and off the bike, and the year we began to figure out where we want to be in the future. It’s been a year of transitions, and it hasn’t always been pretty, but looking back, it’s also been a hell of a lot of fun.

We began 2015 in Turkey, before quickly making our way down to Ushuaia where we began the South American part of our trip. We spent six months cycling from Ushuaia to Peru, before taking a last minute flight back home where we surprised our families, and started a (temporary) life for ourselves in Astoria, OR. So here it is, our year of adventures from cycling the Andes to canoeing in our own backyard.

2016 will also be a year of adjustment for us; we will be moving again (and are both very excited about this), and with that, we will both be changing jobs as well (plus, I will be going back to school). We are both excited by what this near year will bring, and anxious to start planning our next adventure (spoiler alert, we are in the beginning phases of planning our next three month bike trip). But until then, we are both commited to making more microadventures happen in our attempt to explore our beautiful state. Here is to what 2015 gave us, and to the new year to come.

Favorite Cycling Routes: The Carretera Austral (Chilean Patagonia)

Cycling into Torres del Paines, Patagonia.

Cycling into Torres del Paines, Patagonia.

The Carretera Austral is said to be the most popular cycling route in the world, and I can certainly see why! This Patagonian treasure is full of colorful clean rivers, beautiful snowy peaks, and easy wild camping opportunities around every bend. The cycling is easy, the route seems to have more cyclists than cars along it, and the fishing is wonderful for those of you with poles; overall it’s a wonderful Patagonian experience for those who love nature.

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Patagonia Through the Lens

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

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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.

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Gear Tips for An Easier Cycle Tour

“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.

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Gear For Extended Cycle Touring

“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

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Travel As A Lifestyle: Knowing When to Press Pause

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

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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.

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Being Sick on the Road: The Reality of Cycle Touring

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.

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

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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.

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

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.

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