Over the Andes

our first and last photos together....

2008-04-19T14:40:00.001-07:00

to bring or not to bring...

2008-04-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

here is the original list of things i took with and a short review of each piece of gear.

1. marmot never summer sleeping bag
best sleeping bag ever. hot in the summer weather but so thankful i had it when it got cold. packed well.

2. dragonfly stove (from my friend Matt who took it twice across the US) and fuel can
this stove is a bomber. loved the simmering action and how field repairable it was. it was, however, LOUD!

3. folding knobby mountain tires (continental explorer)
wish they had more tread at times but they were a nice light tread...packed great.

4. six spare tubes
didn't need all of them!!

5. ti spork
!!! loved it.

6. canon rebel xti camera and a small pocket one (i travel light!)
i debated on the camera for a long time. it's bulky and when it rained i got a little worried...but now that i'm home and see the difference in the pictures from the 35mm camera to the pocket camera, i'm glad i took both.

7. first aid kit
thankfully didn't need it. but this kit didn't have alchohol wipes which we needed to clean rims and leah's rotor.

8. frisbee
have frisbee, will travel

9. chain
switched half way through trip. maybe not necessary but if we hadn't brought it, we would have needed it.

10. topeak road morph pump
BRING EXTRA PARTS!!! i had mine on the out side of the bike and the pieces vibrated apart and then, my road morph was rendered useless. but, we used leah's and to be honest, it's a great pump.

10a. nightstand*
couldn't live without it.

11. balloons (to make animals for when i meet kids)
they melted together so i gave the remaining balloons to a bored little girl.

12. clown nose (for days when we need laughter)
the best thing i could have brought.

13. harmonica
wish i knew how to play better but, it came in handy when we met people who knew how to play.

14. penny whistle
didn't work well. gave it to a little girl on a rainy day outside a bakery.

15. 3 pair bike shorts (2 pearl izumi ultra sensor and one bright purple pair)
i loved the chamois but, if i could have fit more into my bag i would have. they got kinda ripe.

16. long underwear
only needed once. i'm glad they were silk and didn't take up much room.

17. skirt
was fun to have in buenos aires but not so necessary on the open road...

16. two shirts
perfect.

17. two collared shirts
woulda only brought one.

18. pants
mine tore so badly i had to throw them out. i did a horrible patch job on them that brought people to tears with laughter.

19. shorts
yup, loved it.

20. two pair socks, underwear, etc.
glad i had them. i am so thankful for the wool socks. on those cold wet days, puttingo on a dry pair of socks was a treat.

21. sunglasses (which with no hair i look like a rock star!)
booya! too bad i lost them.

22. my lucky shirt
it's so happy to have come on this trip.

22a. typewriter*
ran out of ink.

23. sleeping pad (insulmat thermo 6)
most comfortable pad next to a bed!

24. tools--spare chain, SOG multi knife, patch kit, spare bolts, pink zip ties, spoke wrench, super glue, band clamps (to make a cup holder), duct tape, pro link, crank puller, cassette remover (fits in the dropout so i don't need my whip), allen wrenches, tire levers, chain tool, adjustable wrench
my SOG knife is the best but i wish i had just a knife...the philips on the SOG came in handy, however.

25. tent (rei cirque 3 tent)...i'm carrying the poles and foot print, and stakes and the rest is being carried by the rest of the crew
great tent in the wind. difficult to set up because it's a wonky pole design. the poles are now bent due to the wind. but, all being said, it did a great job.

26. water bottle (2)
can't believe i didn't lose them

27. 10L water reservoir
we didn't think we'd need this...we thought it was a "reserve" but we used it almost every day. i would have taken three smaller ones because whoever had to carry "baby" was carrying 20 lbs. more until the co riders got thirsty.

27a. gumball machine*
ran out of gumballs. replaced with peanuts.

28. aqua mira
came in handy when the water filter leah was carrying pooped out...also in super questionable areas it came in handy.

29. a frying pan (we have a pot that someone is carrying)
it seemed capricious but we had some of the best meals. we became outdoor chefs.

30. an extra pop can stove
didn't need. wish i would not have brought it.

31. compass--suunto ranger
didn't need it...thank goodness!

32. orikaso folding bowl
genius! also worked as a cutting board.

33. crocs
best shoes! great for all weather.

34. shimano cycling shoes
worked good on the bike, in rain, and in cold weather. they didn't dry fast, however.

35. toothbrush
hmmm...

36. tikka plus headlamp
loved the dimming feature for reading...saved battery.

37. pack towel
perfect.

38. novara stratos rain pants
also worked for pants in the cold. incredibly durable.

39. OR enigma rain coat
great jacket. i mean, really great jacket.

40. tent repair kit, stove repair kit, two extra stakes and some parachute cord
glad i had all of these things. we fixed a leaky seam, a hole in the tent, and had to guy out the tent in the wind.

41. glasses
42. contact solution
43. cookies
thank goodness for these.

44. spare bungee cords
definitely glad i had some spares, really.

45. buff
surprsingly, a great piece of gear. it kept me toasty on cold days and nights.

46. OR rain mitts
i only needed them twice. i'm glad i had them because i would have been miserable. they became a gauge for how cold it was...if i didn't need them, it wasn't cold yet. if the inside gets wet, however, they take forever to dry.

47. BD jet stream gloves
great great great gloves. they work well even when wet.

47a. easel for drawing like they do on pbs with 47 different colored paints*
wish i would have brought 48 paints with.

48. wool arm warmers
they were funky but not necessary.

49. peace cranes
they were great gifts.

50. space pen
!!! i loved this pen...and my only goal on this trip was not to lose it and, i didn't.

51. journal
just another sort of camera.

52. books (2)
trading them was fabulous! we read about 10 books on this trip!!

53. magnifying glass
this was to start fires in desperate situations...i thankfully didn't need it.

54. wool shirt
yup...a great idea. it never got smelly.

55. a hat
whew.

56. a thermos mug
this became a life saver. when it was cold we heated water and made hot chocolate to increase our core temperature. also in a country that drinks mate and everyone walks around with a thermos, we did well to have our own.

57. spare BOB skewer (one between the two of us)
we didn't need it but we found two spanish boys who needed it.

58. spare BOB tire (one between the two of us)
unnecessary. we gave it away midway through the trip.

59. spare spokes (8)
didn't need em!

60. spare batteries
good for the head lamp.

61. plug adapter
thankful i had it.

62. Patagonia R3pursuit fleece
the perfect fleece. it was warm, lightweight, and durable.

i would have to say that the most surprisingly useful pieces of gear were the thermos, the buff and the space pen. well, someone suggested i do a little review. in many ways i think i packed alright with minamal "o i wish i hadn't of brought this" or "i wish i had"...there were probably only a few things i would have trimmed down on but i never really wished for anything.

THE BEST OF LIST IS HERE!!!!

2008-04-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

ladies and gentleman, boys and girls brace yourselves for the "best of" list!!! this is a behind the scenes look at our incredible adventure....

and in no particular order we commence.

BEST:

campspots--with over 90 sleeping experiences, here are the best: our first night in the andes with Luisa, the rock beach in bariloche, lago steffen, the last night in chile, the river alumine, spanish boys spot, camping with eva.

lago steffen

last night in chile.

shower (sorry, no photos!): coyhaique (at agustin's and lucas' house!!), junin, and the farm in el bolson

hostel: punta arenas, villa amenguael (after a long rainy day!), junin

desperate meals: mayo crackers, oil and salt bread, raw potato with oil and salt

meals: "mr. beef", norma's house, bulgoki (for leah's birthday), hamburger buddies, potluck with the spanish boys

shared snacks: "cookie with 8", crackers with frederico and "a kari" in el bolson

cuppa coffee: with agustin and lucas in the abandoned bus shelter (quite possibly the best of my life)!!

mate experience: cutral-co with the police officers, the RV people at lago steffen, at the end of the "magic road"

sunset: at luisa's house, with loni by the river, lago faulkner, bariloche, and "bomba"

"bomba"

lago faulkner

bariloche (also a favorite campsite)

"loni river day"

sunrise: luisa, "bomba", last day in chile, ranch, lago steffen (sorry, no pictures...sometimes it was hard enough just to get up!)

stretch of road: "bob" sandwich day into manihuales, national park with loni, ruta 46, "penguin road", "wrong turn road", quelat park, 1st part tierra del fuego, big climb day with chilean boys.

chilean boy day

wrong turn day

manihuales day

most memorable ripio (gravel roads): truly the best: tierra del fuego, loni park day, seno otway
truly the worst: F-- day by trevelin, on the way to la Junta, "martin/ angostura day"

new songs (created by us on the open roads): "i am not a hippie", "o-town", "john lenon/tigger medly", "como te llamas", "my chamois has a first name"

accidents with language: "tu cabesa es loco" (your head is crazy), "pegar" (to hit) instead of "pagar" (to pay), "sopa" (soup) for jabon (soap), "tenador en la calle" (fork in the road which is not an idiomatic expression in spanish)

descent: 2nd on 46, 1st on 46, to el bolson, 15 switchback descent, junin gravel day

2nd on 46

wind: (tail wind): "miracle tailwind day" into zapala, tolhuin crosswind day

bad advice: "there's this secret road..."

beer experience: the flavia, ethan broken rib day in the park, the walk with flavia back to the ranch, junin

ethan in the park moments before he broke his rib on that very bottle!

beer: austral, quilmes, artisenal beer in bariloche

gift: mate mug, trophy from norma, mate, bread at cutral-co, gift from street vendors, chocolate from spanish boys, chocolate from jose at the ushuaia sign, juice from jorge, peaches from alfonso, pastries in tolhuin

comfort on road/luxury items: powdered milk, hot coco, thermoses, margo, whiskey, sesame oil, nutritional yeast, my space pen, nutella

catch phrases: "por favor", "nunca te rindas", "yo pienso, yo puedo", "what is going on here", "todo es possible", "nobody matter you", "porque no?", "Let's eat the @#*$ outta that!", "we are survivors", "these are the good old days", you can't handle the truth"

speechless moments: cuppa coffee in bus stop day, when cari and leah received these ugly earrings as presents, norma torphy moment, the top of every mountain pass.

marriage proposal: alfonso at neuquen, bus driver in los antigos

stream/river/lake: rio azul, rio futalafu, lago steffen, laguna blanca stream, laguna verde

laguna verde

rio futalafu

place to meet people: bridges

piece of gear (or gear we were so glad to have): waterproof stuff sack, space pen, "baby" (the 10 liter water bag), zip ties, ear plugs

piece of gear we never needed (and thankful for it): first aid kit, space blanket, spokes, brake cables

lost gear: sunglasses (x 3), top of leah's bell, towel, binoculars

"pig out": junin (we each ate an entree at a restaurant and then ordered a pizza to share, chapparos, at norma's house

ruined gear: bob trailer, cari's brake levers, cari's head lamp, water filter, crocs, all our clothing, "poop shovel", jude's derailleur, cari's kickstand, jude's topeak pump

new discovery: mate, dulce de leche, empanadas, frutigran, the knife/spoon tool, dr. bronners as toothpaste, bob trailer as grill, "cindy meal", paint thinner as gas, leah's flat bread

books: "cloudstreet" by tim winton, and "the hobbit" by tolkein

most looking forward to: no chamois!!! jubelale in rachel's fridge, music, down blankets and beds, watching a movie and in general to experience simple comfort

what we'll miss most: meeting new people, being special, can't live outside, not knowing what is around the next bend, hunger--real deep hunger, dulce de leche, knowing the time by the sun, moon and stars, the simplicity of just being

well, that concludes the list...hope it makes you laugh. i'll publish my short story soon. and a sincere thank you to everyone we met on our trip for the never ending kindness. and for the readers of this fine blog...thanks for sharing the adventure.

jude.

twelve things i love about buenos aires. a short list and not a long essay.

2008-03-31T11:52:00.000-07:00

it happens that being back in such a large city is incredibly stimuating...almost, in fact, as the first time we rode through the andes. my senses go crazy and wild with excitement wanting to photograph everything...so i narrowed down a few scenes in my mind...things that i believe capture buenos aires.

1. carts. i feel a little dr. suessey writing this but there are carts on bikes, carts on people, carts on cars...what these carts are used for is not entirely clear. the streets are narrow and i assume they are collecting cardboard and trash from the curbsides while others are making deliveries.

2. balconies. the unique iron design of balconies on each apartment building. the balconies where plants burst from them...big leafy plants, plants with flowers, and plants that climb into the next balcony. yeah, a balcony is a thing of beauty...an opportunity, if you will, for self expression where otherwise everything would be the same. as a stranger to the city it´s been fun to walk up and down unknown streets looking up at and into balconies.

3. the old european looking women, who even though they look as though they are about to fall over have not retired their heels. they may be bundled in sweaters on such a lovely day but do not take away those heels!

4. street signs...or any signs for that matter. the font on the various signs is comical in some ways. some look like circus writing while others are stencils or caligraphy. most are brightly colored. and the street names are great...most street names through argentina, in fact, are named after important dates such as "25 de mayo" or "9 de julio".

5. school kids standing in uniformed herds. some uniforms look like lab coats while others are the traditional plaid. the little lab coats make it look like the kids are pretending to be scientists...with converse sneakers on, of course!

6. the streets and streets of old buildings colliding with the modern world. this display really makes the city feel timeless. it´s true. hours and hours can slide by here without your consent and you´d swear it was still 10am in the morning. the city feels like a brand new day always regardless of physical time.

7. rows and rows of freshly baked pastries in shop windows.

8. subway stations. the old tiles, the tranquil ebb and flow of people. the loud rattle of the trains echoing in the underground tunnels.

9. murals everywhere. stenciled murals, bright colorful murals, posters, banners...

10. street musicians and performers. while every city can boast of their underground talent, there´s a fresh, sassy energy in these performers be it tango or a funk band.

11. the sidewalks. they are patched together with different desgins and change about every half block or so. it never gets boring.

12. the dogwalkers. today i saw one guy with about 15 dogs and later i saw another dog walker with his dogs still tied to their leashes napping in the park. somehow all the dogs were tranquil and napping as well.

photos from the end of the road.

2008-03-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

proof that we were at the end of the road...there´s a better picture of just the sign below.

our last sunrise...and it´s at the ushuaia airport!

our last meal at the end of the world.

that leah and her flat bread!

the road to ushuaia.

do you recognize these people?

the sign at the end of the road!

just a little thinkin...

2008-03-30T18:40:00.001-07:00

can you guys wait just a few more days for the final pictures from the journey? i have some divine ones from the very end of the road!!

we´re currently in buenos aires and the only reason i thought to write about this experience, the experience of being back here right where we started, is because it is incredibly and absolutely strange.

when i first walked the streets of buenos aires i was looking for something...be it fuel, maps, or last minute camping supplies. i wondered, as i briefly took the time to soak the city in, what i would feel the next time i was walking in buenos aires. would i feel a sense of accomplishment, pride, disappointment? and today i have the word that describes exactly how i feel about this whole journey, about being back in buenos aires...rejuvinated. i found myself laughing in a way i haven´t for a while and it simply feels great. those andes, they´re something else aren´t they?

this trip still feels like a dream and i might need the pictures to prove even to myself that once upon a time i rode over the andes.

don´t worry, our fun and fabulous list is still coming...

peace.
jude.

wait...there´s more!

2008-03-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

it´s a stark reality for us now...our trip is over. we are currently in the process of packing up our bikes to head back to buenos aires. last night we camped for the last time two km from the very end of the road in the national park.

as we were reminiscing about our trip we decided that what was going to be most difficult about giving up our bikes was that we are now just ordinary. it´s true. we look like every other tourist especially in long pants when you can´t see our bulging muscles! we no longer have a "story" and our days will once again become more predictable. and, sadly, no one will want to take their photos with us anymore (it´s true...today alone we had to stop to take photos with people...these people are wierd, stopping to take photos with three smelly cyclists...we sometimes think we could have paid for our passage had we charged people for the photos). we will also miss being called "crazy".

but, we have a few "behind the scenes" treats for all of you faithful blog readers...give us a few days to complete our "best of" list...which will include our best camp spots, best gear broken, best new recipie etc. etc. and if y´all are super patient in about a month i´ll have my first short story up on this very blog...mainly because it´s the only place i know it can be published!

but for right now, i think i owe a few thank you´s as laden with cheese as it might seem. i would humbly like to express my gratitude to the people of argentina and chile (except for one very grumpy man here in ushuaia) for all their warmth and hospitality and also for not giving us the wrong directions and being incredibly patient with our language skills or lack thereof. i would also like to thank these kind people of argentina and chile for accepting us with open arms even though we smelled bad a lot of the time, giving us places to stay, providing us with food, giving us showers and always smiling and waving to us on the road. as much as i am full of laughter as i write this, i am uncontrollably and quite simply appreciative and i believe it´s that appreciation that has turned the simplest piece of bread with a swathe of butter on it into a feast. and so it has been that after these last three months i am going to return home wealthier than when i first began.

i would also like to thank REI for providing us with a tent (REI cirque 3) or home for the last few months. we had doubts that the tent poles would make it through as they are currently bent into new shapes from the wind. our tent smells funky having housed three cyclists for three months but nonetheless it has been a faithful home. it has also been a true refuge from wind, rain and cold.

i would like to thank bob williams and rachel bannister for all of their support...especially in setting up this blog page. and a pre emptive thanks especially to rachel for sharing her last jubelale with me!

and, i would like to thank my friend, guy larson, for all the bike advice, parts, and countless hours of listening to me deliberate on how to build up my bike...she´s a classy number guy and she rides like a dream!

i am also thankful for all the people who looked at me in disbelief as though an unplanned trip was not possible. it gave me special courage to be able to ride on. everything is possible.

and of course, where would i be without my friends and family. their encouragement, amazement, tireless love, and joy for this journey has meant more than words can say.

and lastly, my travel companions: leah, cari and margo. i really don´t have adequate words to describe how incredibly thankful i am for your friendship and for sharing this section of road, this adventure.

enough cheese. but y´all have to know that we had such great people behind us the whole way. and, don´t forget to come back to this very blog page for our "best of" list.

until later and, thanks for reading...

jude.

we´re in the papers!!

2008-03-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=85183&sid=4&fid=1

check out this article in the register guard, a eugene newspaper!!

peace.
jude.

tolhuin to ushuaia...

2008-03-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

after the last post in tolhuin we ambled back to the very famous panaderia where the head baker picked us out of the crowd and asked us if we needed a place to stay...we answered, tiredly, "yup". turns out he lets people stay above the bakery, enjoy tons of free coffee and pastries, gives them some food to cook dinner, makes them a lunch the next day and lets them walk through the bakery like it was their home. the bakery is also home to two tucan birds and some parrots. i have to say, this experience was fabulous...especially for cari who has a perpetual sweet tooth--it was a "sweet spot".

that night we performed surgery on my camp stove. apparently after three months of use it needed a little love. while we have a repair kit we didn´t have the cleaning kit so leah invented a little cleaning bristle from a bike cable for the stove. she works like a gem now.

after leaving tolhuin we decided to take it easy and find a sweet campspot for our last night on the road. we found a little spot just outside lago escondida alongside the road. we cooked our last meal, read from a book out loud (this is actually funny because leah and i are reading the same book and we keep cutting it into parts but we were at the same point in the book so we just read it aloud...awwww) and counted guanaco to fall asleep...the only problem for me was that in picturing/counting the guanaco i kept envisioning the guanaco getting caught in the fence, making silly faces, or skipping...yeah, getting to sleep was hard that night. and then...a horse galloped by so close to our tent we didn´t know if we were going to get pummeled! absolutely no worries, the horse galloped on.

and well, you know the rest of the story...we made it to ushuaia. crossing through the mountains were no problem...it just got a little cold is all. so, with most of our clothing on we prevailed through wind, snow and more wind to the sunny city and an ice cold beer in the southernmost city.

today, as i´ve mentioned we will ride to the end of the road...!!!!!!!!!!!! we´ll talk to you in a few days!

peace.
jude.

...

2008-03-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

at the end of the road with our motorcycle friend, jose, who finished his journey from mexico city at the same time. what a sweetie...he had some chocolate for us!

about 20km outside of ushuaia. hmmm....

even margo has a smile.

riding along the beagle canal!

stay tuned...there´ll be more from our trip soon!

just a short update...and sorry i don´t have the photo.

2008-03-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

WE MADE IT TO USHUAIA!!!!!! at about 4:30 this afternoon we stood at the "welcome to the southernmost city" sign giving each other high fives. we spent the day climbing our last mountain pass, descending through a mild snowstorm and pushing ourselves into a ferocious headwind (i almost used my granny gears on the descent it was so hefty!).

when i´m not so tired from the journey and from celebrating, i´ll be sure to include the photos....

tomorrow, however, we will ride to the end of the road. literally the end of the road...

i am just so tired right now that i don´t even have the energy to comprehend this entire experience...

peace.
jude.

2008-03-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

at this very moment i have consumed far too much coffee, sunshine, wind, and great pavement that i feel as though i am going to explode and once again, where do i begin...

after leaving the internet station the other night we walked back to the house of our family and there already prepared for us was a gigantic dinner of rainbow salad and traditional argentine meats!!!

i wish everyone could meet norma. she is the mother of this family and a taxi cab driver. she may be small in size but not in character. i find it sort of comical to be in someone´s home before meeting them...it´s like detective work. i find that i absorb the subleties of someone´s character. in this instance it felt like a gigantic brass orchestra was playing...sometimes in triumphant harmony and sometimes searching for the right notes. if i might continue on this tangent, the walls of norma´s house are red and juxtaposed against these walls are tables and stands of well taken care of plants in every nook and crany of the living room and the kitchen. in the yard out front there is a ferocious pit bull named simon (who is in fact very dangerous and when he broke free from his chain while i was getting something from my bike i almost "smp"). the sofas inside are a white pleather and fit tightly together in the small living room around the television. and the figurines and trophies (from her excellent cycling sons) adorn every available shelf space.

and norma, well, she´s a gem. when we finally did meet her she came into the house wearing red pants, fading makeup and holding a cigarette and speaking quickly in a pleasant but raspy voice. even the wrinkles in her face told outrageous stories. she reached across the table for the glass of rum and coke that "donnie darko" was sipping as she gave each of us a kiss on the cheek. how could we not just adore norma!?

it´s always amazing to experience the kindness of someone...i find that it is most humbling when a stranger invites us into their home, feeds us, lets us shower and gives us a warm place to stay. though we miss camping, we love the experience of being with a family.

when we left norma, chris, and the "donnie darko" look-a-like, norma gave us a little trophy of our own. she gave us a cross-stictched picture of a flower basket and on the back she wrote a memory for all of us. it´s moments like this that make you scream out, "I LOVE MY LIFE!" as you can see, how much weight we carry in our trailers is no big deal as we are now carrying a trophy around with us!

leaving rio grande meant facing the wind again. most of the day we experienced that delicious tail wind. hmmmm...and we could laugh and shout out to the birds trying to fly into the wind, "nunca te rindas!" ("don´t give up!"). it´s true, the birds look like they are suspended in mid air as they try to fly into the wind. in fact, on a day like today i think even the birds cancelled all their flights due to wind.

and last night, once again, we could not predict what was going to happen or who or how we were going to camp. it seems to me that bridges are the "water coolers" of the road. and so begins another episode of this adventure...

we were getting water from a river as the day was winding down and as we were thinking about where we were going to camp for the night we spotted some cyclists coming from ushuaia in the distance. this is the first time we saw people traveling with bob trailers like leah and myself.

the cyclists stopped to say hi to us and we started talking. their names: paco and jose (from spain). as the conversation progressed we learned that paco had broken his bob skewer (the piece that connects the trailer to the bike...and since it´s a proprietary piece and sometimes difficult to find even in the united states you can guess that it would have been sheer luck for them to find one in chile or argentina where the trailers aren´t even sold). but, it was paco´s lucky day because leah and i had an extra skewer (yup, we know this part of the trailer breaks)! so, since we have only a few more days on the road we gave up our skewer (and helped paco fix the shifting on his bike) and thus, we made new friends. we ended up camping together by the river enjoying a campfire and a camping potluck. we learned, through the course of the evening, that this was their first time camping with girls because not many camp in spain (or so our friends say). so, leah ate a live moth to show them that girls rock. jose later tried one too!

there were many great things about camping with these fellas. their fresh spirits being infectious to our weathered spirits. their sheer enjoyment of setting up their tent for only the second time in compared to our scrubby looking home which goes up so quickly now. they made us laugh as they talked about their concerns about the weight of their trailers. when they lifted my trailer (which is now being held together with zip ties and wooden boards...yeah, don´t use your trailer as a grill) they bowed down to us in awe. but, we told them in about a month or so they´ll want to take that jar of jam with them or that spaghetti sauce, that mate cup, or that trophy.

our brief encounter with paco and jose also made us realize just what we had done...how much stronger we´ve gotten both mentally and physically too. and, if i might, how special it is that we are an all female group. we´ve only met three other women on the road...two traveling with their partners and one solo. in this moment, and i can´t tell if it´s the coffee or if i´m getting sentimental, but, i think it has finally sunk in that we have been doing something incredible--sometimes it was difficult, sometimes it was easy as pie...but we just rode our bikes through the andes!! and as we parted ways with our friends this morning they told us of the difficult undulating road ahead of us (to this town) and now that we´re here, we´ve all wondered where the hills were because it seemed flat to us...(though we do here we have one more small pass ahead of us tomorrow).

and today...where are we today? in tolhuin, argentina of course. though we didn´t have any climbing, we fought an incredible crosswind today to get here which turned out to be fairly dangerous at some points. the wind has to be going at about 45mph right now....the roof of this internet place feels like it going to blow off! anyhow, it´s dangerous because the cars drive fast and don´t seem to comprehend how difficult it is for a bike to move through this crosswind. a headwind would honestly be easier. in fact, at some points we did have a headwind and it was a great relief. anyhow, if even for a moment i lost vigilance i got whipped across both lanes of traffic into the shoulder and only in a matter of one or two seconds. the trick is to keep the legs moving freely, relax, enjoy that new sensation and steer into the wind...so you end up climbing on a slant and descending crooked! it´s great. though today, it honestly felt like i was drowning in the wind...it was so difficult to take a deep breath. but, we still managed to kill 50km in about two hours and here we are at this most famous bakery enjoying empanadas and chocolate!!

and before going, i hope you enjoy all the photos. this internet place is the fastest connection we have thus far experienced!

only two more days until ushuaia!!!

i think i´ll go get another cup of coffee and enjoy the mountains, once again on our horizon, and being at the end of the world!

peace. and for those of you that celebrate easter, a very happy but belated easter.

jude.

ps...when i asked our friend chris, from rio grande, how he liked living at the end of the world he just laughed...apparently life here is just "same same."

2008-03-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

punta arenas, chile.

a directional post at a vista in punta arenas, chile.

some photos.

2008-03-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

the sign on the outside of my bob bag.

on the shores of ushuaia.

even margo has had too much wind and adventure!

tierra del fuego....

2008-03-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

as always i sit before this blank white space where i feel the need the regurgitate every single detail from this trip and as always i have not a clue where to begin and as always i will most certainly and unintentionally leave details out.

i believe i left off at the ferry ride over...yes, that is where it was. we crossed the over the straight of magellan with our friend, who we have nicknamed "frenchy" but whose real name is julian. i can only humbly begin to describe the feeling of crossing over to the tip of south america. perhaps it is because it is the end of the journey or because many people are ending their respective trips here. there is ubiquitous melancholy, satiated adventure cravings, new memories made...and the list goes on and on. all of these feelings come cascading through you as you begin to realize what it is that you were able to do, that you have had the ability to experience. tierra del fuego, to put it bluntly, is like having desert after an extravagant meal.

well enough getting sentimental. yall are dying to hear about tierra del fuego.

we reached porvenier, chile (the port city) in pouring rain. though, we did not get to see penguins we did get to see dolphins! we parted ways with "frenchy" and promised to meet in ushuaia. since it was raining we decided to just sit in a cafe and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. the day was grey and rainy and no sign of the sun. it fit our sad moods (the end of the road looming over us). we ambled out of town sometime in the afternoon but only made it 10km before we came to a beautiful lake where we decided to camp for the night. cari was sick the following day so we decided it was a good place to stay since we had a water source...or so we thought. as it turns out, this lake was a salt water lake. it really was not something that crossed our minds...to check the water for its salt content, though in hindsight it makes perfect sense because we are on an island surrounded by salt water. fun thing to learn. so, leah and i walked 5km around the lake to a little ranch to ask for water.

the walk over was dreary. we crossed the bodies of manya dead animal...sheep, bird, cow (the skulls remaining). this is actually fairly common in argentina to see the skulls of animals. i thought it might sound more dramatic including it in this story. so, we walked up the house. and because it was an overcast day and our spirits were still low there was a seemingly eerie shadow cast over the house. when we reached the house, we called out. no one answered. we called out again. no one answered. then we knocked on the door and then....

a man about half the size of leah answered the door. he hobbled over, acutally, and we followed him in. his small size made the ceilings feel miles away and the doorways seemed to dwarf him even further. we sat and had a slice of bread and some coffee with him (which seems like an incredible treat--homemade bread and a cup of coffee in a warm house). chileans, in general, speak far too quickly and as though they are practicing for a ventriloquist job. we sat there trying to patch together what he was saying and we hopefully answered somewhat correctly though we have been known for our language blunders. the house was like a time warp...the radio sat against the window sill coming in fuzzily. we managed to fill our dromedary bag with water which was a brownish color before saying our goodbyes.

cari got better the next day and we were able to continue. whew.

the first part of tierra del fuego is laden with hills. but, it was fun. there was so much mud from the rain and plenty of wild guanaco (yup, google this one) and coastal waters (with playful dolphins) to keep our minds entranced. it is truly, and pardon the overuse of this word, beautiful here. the green cliffs abruptly fall off into the ocean bays and the road seems to laughingly wind to the water and then back inland, to the water and back inland. in this manner, and with a divine tailwind, we made it to the border of chile and argentina for the last time.

i think, before i continue, i should mention this wind again. we again are thankful for tailwinds and even some crosswind is ok though it is difficult to stay on the correct side of the road. in fact, today i was literally blown off the road because i was not intentionally steering into the wind. it is crazy! but i love how refreshing it is, how cleansing it feels and that for me is necessary at this point in my life. cari and leah, i believe it is safe to say, would rather climb mountains than battle a 35-50mph crosswind/headwind...but i love it. maybe it is because i grew up in chicago and made peace with the wind long ago. for me, it takes much more mental focus to stand at the bottom of a mountain pass than it takes to slice through the wind. i notice all the turns in the road more, that goes without saying though i have just said it. i notice when i turn into the wind, when it is at my back and when it is at my side. camping is also a blast. the wind and the tent seem to be in constant battle--the wind seems determined to flatten the tent and the tent, with heroic determination, tries to stay upright. thankfully the tent wins though the poles are bending more and more each day and we can only approximate the day in which the tent will lose the battle. however, it is incredible to feel such a powerful, invisible force. the wind has so much to teach mentally, physically, metaphorically....

so, we crossed over into argentina where we slept inside of a tienda. crazy story. we asked for a camping spot and they let us sleep inside their store...the first time we have slept indoors since i cannot remember. they also let us shower and it felt so great! the weather here is bitterly cold with the wind. perhaps it is a bit exaggerated but the wind carries a strong bite to it though it is possible to get sunburned as well. so, it was great to wake up inside, cook inside and strange not to know how to layer for the days ride. also strange to sleep next to a purple pool table.

today with the wind at our back we rode 80km in about 3 hours. it was amazing. we stopped for lunch along the ocean. and this brings me to the telling of our incredible day.

after riding about 35km in one hour we decided to ride a stretch further for lunch. the goal was to find a little shelter from the wind while we ate because riding in a tailwind is warm but stopping is cold. so, we found a nice little cove on the shores of the ocean (the atlantic ocean). now, for all of the readers out there that love guy maupassant and o henry, you will love this story. we had a box of milk because we could not find powdered milk so we thought we would make some hot chocolate with lunch. so far, so good. it being windy the stove was hard to get started because we could not get the match or the lighter to stay lit long enough to light the stove. so, leah had a truly brilliant idea...let us get the tarp and put it around us to make a "wind free zone". aha! it worked!! so now we got the stove lit and when we reached for the carton of milk we realized that in the setting up of the tarp we had spilt the milk. maybe that is where the saying originated. not to worry we just boiled some water and had a sad tribute to hot chocolate.

however, as we were eating lunch (egg salad on crackers in case you want to know), we had the privelage of watching furious storm clouds blow over us. the weather here truly changes every fifteen minutes. it is fascinating! i love clouds...all kinds of clouds and to be here and see these dramatic shifts in weather is incredible. at one point the clouds were dark blue and the ocean a genuine seafoam green and it was crazy beautiful! perhaps i have never experienced being cold and sunburned at once. even the most uncomfortable things are wonderful to experience becuase it is a new sensation...well i could go on a long tangent with this thought but i will let it be because there is more to talk about.

so off we went from lunch. we caught the tail end of the storm and then we found our groove in the tailwind again. at this point in the story i was a few km ahead on the road. and as i was riding along, i met a local cyclist...a mountain biker coming back from his ride. we again patched together a conversation riding together for 10km or more into rio grande. we waited for leah and cari and then he, christen, showed us where the supermarket was. while we were shopping he went home to change his clothes and then came back and invited us to stay with him and his family. so naturally we said yes and that is where we are tonight-- staying with our new friend, his twin brother (who looks like the actor in donnie darko) and his parents. they actually feel bad because they do not have beds to offer us...only a warm shower and the offer to wash our clothing (which we said no to because we had just washed our clothing a week ago...which made them laugh but for us that seems like yesterday). how silly...a warm house seems like a treat now...forget the bed!

we often try to predict where we will be at the days end but it is impossible. sometimes it is in a ditch next to the side of the road hiding from the wind, sometimes in a warm house, a shop, or along the banks of a beautiful lake. it does not seem to matter. in many ways being able to travel by bike has allowed us to travel through chile and argentina and not merely hopping from port to port which would only enable us to experience an even smaller slice of the culture. well, we are not doing anything earth shattering here, just riding our bikes and attempting to create world peace.

only a few days left until we make it to ushuaia...wish us a beautiful tailwind!

hugs.
jude.

ps. i am sorry not to use contractions, which makes me sound like i am trying to be incredibly proper but i cannot find the apostrophe on this keyboard. yes, it exists but when i press the apostrophe this is what i get: { or if i press shift: [ . my apologies.

pps. i did not do the siting of guanaco, which whimper like a sad horse, or dolphins justice. please use your imaginations and imagine us sitting on a lush green clif overlooking the ocean, watching dolphins below at play.

punta arenas...

2008-03-17T17:58:00.000-07:00

today we sadly came to the realization that in a week or so we will run out of road going south. in the morning we will cross the straight of magellan on a ferry to that southern tip.

this afternoon i embraced being in a "big city". i found many cafés to sit in and sip coffee and write in my journal to catch up with myself and my thoughts. i definately drank too much coffee. i also had the opportunity to visit a cemetary.

this cemetary is in the midst of a town and is an above ground cemetary. the only reason i am taking the time to specifically mention this cemetary is because the cemetary has rows and rows of what looks like buildings that look like dressers and each of the "drawers" is labeled and decorated. it looks a lot like my sand collection at home in their drawers neatly labeled and dated.

ok that was it. downloading pictures takes forever so please forgive me for not posting a picture of the cemetary...it will come soon.

peace. and please pray for tailwinds!
jude.

ps. in eugene, by the train station is that statue and at the bottom they have listed many places and the distance. you will notice on the bottom of that statue that tierra del fuego is listed...crazy isn´t it? i´m there!

a correction.

2008-03-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

it seems we must pay homage to cari's mom for insisting that we use powdered milk in our cooking. this has truly revolutionized our lives and had we been smart chicas we would have carried some with us from the start. so, our deepest apologies to diane fox. we have now named our pasta sauces...foxy sauce. our deepest regrets and thanks for being patient with us.

an ode to cindymeal.

2008-03-17T06:05:00.000-07:00

why we never got this recipe before we don´t know....but there are manya thing you can do with cindymeal...

dried fruit.
fresh fruit.
cinnamon.
sugar.
nuts.
or no nuts.

and so we gladly eat our cindymeal every morning....thank you cindy!!!!!

and a few more...

2008-03-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

this really is real. ahhhhh.....

another beautiful river.

rocks in river.

tales from the end of the world.

2008-03-16T19:33:00.001-07:00

it´s been a while hasn´t it? and of course, there is so much to tell and where to begin and what to include as part of the telling is always difficult.

the raw facts first. tonight we find ourselves in punta arenas, chile. if you drag out your map you will see it´s just before crossing over into the island of tierra del fuego (land of fire) though we would kindly like to rename it and thus call it ¨land of wind, rain and cloudy skies¨but that is just our humble opinion.

punta arenas itself was a pleasant surprise if for no other reason than it is an actual town and not a tourist hot spot. meaning, the town´s population isn´t 800 and the tourist population 45,000. it´s refreshing for all the senses to see an actual functioning city. fathers walking with kids, people hanging out around the television watching the soccer match, people sweeping in front of their homes...etc. etc. not that we haven´t been in ¨real towns¨ but this one is exceptionally large and we haven´t been in such a populated place in some time. we could conceiveably get lost in this city if we weren´t surrounded by such orientating features such as the strait of magellan. and, there are actual stoplights, people who stare at us as we move about the street in our little parade of bikes, buildings that look as though they have their own stories to tell, murals, statues, parks!!!! i love this town.

this evening we treated ourselves to some delicious beers and some well deserved burgers (yes dad, i had a hamburger with mayo). after today, i´d eat anything. traditionally the wind is supposed to blow from the northwest. it´s convenient for us because we are heading southeast. and i say traditionally the wind behaves this way because there are trees that look as though the wind is perpetually blowing them in the direction of southeast. so you can imagine our joy when we thought this was the case. friends, let me be the first to tell you this is not always the case.

and here begins the telling of the last few days.

yes we left el calafate. well there´s a funny story here. we were in el calafate, argentina and i asked for directions to take this very secret route that would take us by the perito moreno glacier and then into torres del paine national park crossing back into chile. it turns out that the route is very secret and even though the people at the ranch at the end of the road were willing to give us the information, we still needed an exit stamp from argentina. the good news is the road we had to back track on was absolutely stunning. we may not have woken up to the sight of the mountains and the glaciers had we not chosen that path. the juxtapostion of the yellow velvet looking pampas (desert ranch land) against the grey blue mountain giants was enough to make us take a deep breath and savor the moments on that road...afterall, we are in PATAGONIA!!!! so, tired, rumpled, and inspired we entered el calafate again and decided since we had ¨lost¨a few days we would just take a bus to rio turbio and resume our trip there. and that´s exactly what we did.

so, here we get off the bus in rio turbio. it´s a lovely enough town. we put our bikes together and start the long climb out of town. ok, so in compared to what we´ve climbed before this is really just a little ant hill. but here is our new challenge...or an old challenge revisited: the wind. yes we have graduated from being sun burned to a new element called wind burn. and wait, there´s more. we spend the greater part of this day heading into the wind or at best with a severe cross wind. the wind being so strong that we spend most of our energy trying to keep our bikes straight. going downhill takes great effort. not getting blown off the road or into a car takes great effort. i didn´t know wind so strong existed! at the same time it is frustrating, it´s exhilerating! and in my mind the only mantra i´m repeating is "i am a hot knife and this is like butter"...and then, there is the turn in the road and then, absolute silence. i can hear myself breathing, i can hear my tires on the road...what happened? it´s what we call a TAIL WIND!!!!! so, the next fifty kilometers just flew. sometimes we didn´t have to pedal uphill (ok maybe that´s a bit of an exaggeration). that night as we slept in ditch next to the road we could hear the wind howling over the pampas. sometimes it whistled, sometimes it screamed but i have never heard such vivid peeps from the wind. in those moments of riding, with the wind rushing at me so quickly, i felt refreshed and cleansed...it´s hard to believe but as i´ve always said, when the wind is blowing hard, switch gears.

so, that day of wind we crossed back into chile. even in chile the wind was blowing! we had a nice tail wind for the next day and we were enjoying it until we stopped for lunch and met the glances of three cyclists headed up from ushuaia, argentina. they looked tired, weary, but still with smiles. we met remy first. remy is from france and has been traveling for several months. he made his way down the west coast of africa and then came to ushuaia. from ushuaia he will go up to boliva. we have met several cyclists on our journey. i wish i had the time to mention each of them and give you a full synopsis of their journey...it´s just not possible for me to do that--to recall all of these details as i sit down to write. but remy, he´s someone that stands out in my mind. he´s a lumbering giant, quiet and contemplative. he stumbles with his english but i am so appreciative he can even speak english. he also speaks german and we patch a conversation together in german, english and a little spanish. i mention remy because when i asked him what he thought about on his bike he thought for a moment and then responded. he talked about how much beauty he saw but if your heart wasn´t in that moment the beauty couldn´t mean anything. the three of us nodded in complete understanding...how many times have we been on the bank of a river standing there as the water lapped over our feet looking into the face of the mountains and couldn´t feel the exhalting words were dutifully saying from our mouths. but, remy went on to say that to have that feeling of beauty was a choice. everyday we have that choice. then two other cyclists appeared and we had a little gathering...we asked about our friends who were further up on the road and the usual questions about the conditions that would unfold before us in the following days. we said our good-byes and promised to share part of the headwind so that they could have a tailwind (we didn´t think it would actually happen but today, i hope those cyclists enjoyed their ride because we "took one for the team").

after lunch that day we were tired. the sky was grey and it was cold. it´s at this point that we came to a fork in the road and again our little group of three chose the road less traveled. also, it was a gravel road though quite pleasant. we have never been more thankful for having chosen this route. it was a quiet, winding road. we came across some birds called nandu (small ostrich looking birds). we´ve come across them before but this time they were in the road ahead of us running and running. their run is enough to make us stop and laugh. they look like burlesque dancers of yesteryear in an old western. they also do a fabulous job of blending in with their surroundings. their dead giveaway, as i´ve mentioned, is when they run. that evening we hopped over a barbed wire fence and found a camping spot under some trees. cari created a new flat bread recipe which involved polenta and we ate another satisfying meal as we watched another satisfying sunset.

then came the next day. we woke up and tended to our morning routine. leah woke up first, followed by cari and margo and i woke up last. i like to wake up when i hear the coffee water boiling. in the start of this trip we hated oatmeal and then we met matt and cindy and they introduced us to the joy and wonder of powdered milk. we now look forward to a bowl of "cindymeal" every morning. post that experience we "saddle up" and continue our trek along rio verde (green river). on this particular day were are most exquisitely surprised by salt water bays, little otters, rain, and penguins! it´s true. but before you get all excited let me explain the context. the rain, ocean bays, big lumbering grey clouds, grazing cows, and otters are all in the context you are, i´m sure, imagining them (i believe you think we´ve ridden our bikes into a 1000 piece puzzle?!). it´s all true. the penguins...well let me explain.

we had been wanting to see penguins. and the impetus for taking this gravel road was the possibility of seeing penguins. and they do exist. in the morning we verified their existence when we stopped to buy the most heavenly loaf of bread from the only ranch we saw enroute (which also served as a very remote shi shi working ranch hotel). when we arrived the ranchers were busy separating the sheep in the most curious fashion with their dogs and all...what a sight!! well, these sheep herders, as i´ve already mentioned, said there were in fact penguins. so, off we went with our lovely loaf of bread to find these penguins. now, on this particular day it should be mentioned that i dressed like a penguin donning all my black and grey clothing...but this is just a side note.

so the day rolled on and no penguins. we were sad. it rained. and we grew sadder. then, we spot a sign for a nandu park (nandu being those ostrichey birds) and a little sign eluding to the existence of penguins. ok we said, finally we are here. we pay the obligatory fee and ask for the route down to the bay to see the penguins. the man looks very confused. and it only takes a moment for us to realize why. as it was, this man had built a swimming pool in his backyard and put a whole bunch of penguins in it. he also had pens for the ostrich, emu, llama, alpaca, ducks and ironically not for the nandu that the park was named after. we have never laughed so hard in our lives though we did stand eye to eye with a male and female ostrich and let me tell you, it is not as romantic as it might sound...they eye of an ostrich is almost as big as its head!!! we camped in this park for the night laughing at our funny circumstance and in the morning saddled up after a warm cup of coffee and cindymeal.

so, here we are today. we traveled through a mighty cold headwind to be here. it´s hard to decifer whether i am sunburned or windburned. though the former would imply that the sun is actually visible which i am afraid to report we are under a thick blanket of clouds.

thus far we have re written the words to many songs or have sung at the top of our lungs the words to the songs we know (usually just the refrains) and we have come up with our own medleys as well. i can´t wait to hear how that weezer song ¨going surfing¨actually sounds. but today the words to "red red wine" were transposed in my mind and they became "big big drops" referring, of course, to the rain. but all is well. the road has flattened out and we can once again seeing for kilometer after kilometer.

in fact, these past few days have been a road cyclists dream. the road gently rising and falling. sometimes i ride as though i´m not carrying a trailer behind me. some people say the pampas are ugly and should be skipped...but i feel it´s different. the pampas require a different sort of spirit and offer a different sort of scenery. the foothills are covered in a blanket of grasses and when the sun, if the sun should decide to appear, it lights the hillsides up and that blanket of grass seems to look like yellow velvet. it´s beautiful in particular when it´s juxtaposed against the diffused light of a dark blue clouds.

i cannot help but overuse the word "beautiful" though it often seems inadequate. i have found beauty to exist in all sorts of forms. beauty that is felt, beauty that is seen, beauty that is heard in the howling of the wind. beyond what words may be able to express, i am so completely grateful to have this experience. i absolutely love riding my bicycle...

2008-03-16T18:50:00.001-07:00

this is seawater...when you look at a map of chile you can find us at the part that is broken to bits like someone picked up chile and crushed it.

no, it´s not going to rain...the sky is just pouting. this photo was taken in a field we camped in where sheep and alpaca were our neighbors.

2008-03-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

the road to coyhaique, chile.

three happy campers!

!!!!!

2008-03-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

riding through the pampas!!

can you see how much we have to suffer? we spent the whole day looking at these mountains...and the glaciers too!

a picture with our friends from seattle, matt and cindy.

what´s this? we´re in the province of magellan? it´s true and imagine we rode along the strait of magellan today! we´re at the end of south america!!

a writing exercise on making a memory.

2008-03-07T11:57:00.001-08:00

for those of you who know me and for some of you who may not you should know that every now and again i dream of becoming a writer. it´s hard to believe given the content of this blog but i assure you the words jumbled up in my mind can indeed manifest themselves into a story. the last few days i have been working on a short story and it is the only time on this trip i have wished for a computer. for two reasons really: the first being i can´t write as quickly as i can type and the second being that when i write fast i can´t read what i write. what a conundrum. i would share the story with you but we´ll have to see how it turns out. rest assured that it will be my greatest work of art. or at least it will pass for something at least readable. but, for today, i will write for you post the factual description of our day a journal entry of mine...just to keep you all excited and reading this fine blog.

we find ourselves today in argentina again. this means we have crossed the andes again (thankfully following a river valley and hence the day of uphill followed by the day of downhill) and the terrain is once again the pampas. we have shirked off our forested mountain sides and have traded them in for shades of brown. but being back in argentina means we are reintroduced to perpetual matte drinkers and very inexpensive food. our first stop has been the ice cream shop. from here we will catch a bus to el calafate. we bought our tickets and almost walked away with a husband for cari! and so the final leg of our journey begins.

and now, a journal entry from today. we were crossing lago buenos aires on a ferry and as my mind was trying to fathom everything i had seen and experienced these last few months i came to a point of wondering what is required to make a memory. i am reminded of my friend ashley middleton at this point because well, she knows.
note: i have decided not to edit this because well, my thoughts don´t always come out so perfect and that´s part of the authenticity in sharing this entry.

March 7 (or is it the 8) 2008.

*every observation is only valid for the present moment
*these places that i have seen were once places i only dared visit in pictures!!!!!!!
*i haven´t written a sort of essay for a while and given that i have a few minutes here i think i´ll write one. i am most intrigued by what it takes to make a memory. what will it take for me to remember these moments and how can i be sure that before they are filed away in my mind in such a way that they can be easily called upon. and so here i begin this telling though i am aware even as i write here that i have forgotten what the proper essay format is. somewhere in here must be an introduction and i must conclude somehow. we´ll see.

It is required, for this fine art, that a memory is made with all five senses open wide and quite willling to appear vulnerable to the world. there is the sense of sight, touch, taste, smell, and sound. i remember the first time in kindergarten we talked about these senses. i forget about taste the most.

the eyes must fulfill their obligation by absorbing the color, the outline and as manny small nuances as possible. Yet, they cannot be the chief sense as we have so often come to rely upon them. it wouldn´t be fair after all. the eyes are simply the lens for the mind to take a photo yet that photo is not at all three dimensional without the other components. it remains flat and lost withoutht the remaining details.

the eyes absolutely need help from the hands. the hands and feet and chin and legs for that matter are vehicles for the sense of touch. they have an important job to carefully feel the texture of an object. even when looking at a mountain from a distacne are not the hands and the feet in a place as well and is not that place a part of the experience? the sense of touch is underglorified and for that purpose i find i must give way for some exhaltation.

the nose. the nose is always working though never noted except in extreme conditions of beauty or disgust. it is impossible to always remember to take a deep breath through the nose but it is paramount for making a memory. (note to future self: remember to take a deep breath even now as you are probably reading this in an attic somewhere and even now is a fine time to allow the nose to work in this capacity. though i am sorry if something has happened to your nose and this has brought up a bad memory). this is why it is also critical to always carry a hankerchief. it was something my grandmother taught me though i am not even sure if she was aware of the wisdom she was imparting on me. furthermore, a deep breath through the nose allows the body to relax and opens the other senses further allowing your surrounding to become a part of you. you are the water splashing on the rocks and the wind against your face. it is like immersing a drinking glass in water in that once it is fully under water it is a part of the water and only its outline remains. ...now the nose is only a vehicle for smell. there is always something to smell and it is our lack of imagination that says there is nothing. perhaps new words can be created for these various details.

the sense of taste is something quite interesting. you may not, at first, be able to taste a mountain but it is possible. if you take a moment and breathe through your mouth and let the air fly across your taste buds, there has to be something there. right? well then how did the expression come about that air tastes sweet? well this one is somewhat of a challenge for me and therefore i cannot necessarily write more about it until i have experimented with it more. i will say that one should be careful with this experimentation on a bicycle because bugs are quite large sometimes and what a pity it would be to choke on a dragonfly mid experiment.

and lastly, the sense of sound. how quickly this sense is omitted from our memory. i have made a special effort to remember sound. the the back of this journal is a list of sounds and drawings of their various pitches so i remember them. perhaps it is because our world moves so quickly and so much is ingested that we forget to really listen. listen to the sound of someones voice, a moth fluttering by at night etc. sound is always occurring we just have to be especially present to record it on our memories.

and when i first began this writing i was convinced that the heart had to be open prior to making a memory and now i am convinced that in the process of making a memory something remarkable happens to the sensitivity of the heart and how this really becomes the intangible sixth sense.

in this moment i will practice enscribing this moment into my memory...

and so ends that journal entry. i realize it´s quite elementary but how often have i stood in a place of beauty and so quickly tried to absorb it only to forget it in the very next moment. my camera and my journal can only do so much...

just hello.

2008-03-06T13:10:00.000-08:00

well we have made it to lago buenos aires earlier than expected. it might be because we spent the greater part of the day descending. about 30km of sweet sweet pavement.

we find ourselves traveling through a desert like region again. the mountains instead of being robed in trees that look like moss from a distance stand exposed. the rock has formed in layers of green, pink, red, and even some blues. the spires ahead of us stand tall and proud.

traveling by bike has been the perfect pace for my thoughts. sometimes i find myself working on a story in my mind, thumbing through the pages of my own life story, or just trying to absorb everything i am seeing to commit it to memory for a rainy day later in my life. i have so thoroughly enjoyed these infrequently traveled roads and the community that is formed between cyclists. we ask about our friends who are ahead of us on the road and are excited when someone has spotted them.

well, i cannot say when i will write again. we have the pleasure of waiting till tomorrow morning to catch the ferry across the lake.

i will post pictures again soon...it takes so long! plus this way yall will be excited to see me again!

jude.

more pictures!!

2008-03-04T12:43:00.000-08:00

the river valley we would soon follow. outside manihuales, chile.

the mob of cyclists in manihuales, chile where we camped for the night. sorry the picture is so funky but we had to put the camera on a stump.

here is a shot of the pavement winding through the mountains...hard to believe that we get to experience this scenery every day. well, the pavement is a treat.

a winding river outside of villa santa lucia, chile. the river is literally green-blue because the water comes directly from the glaciers!

once upon a rainy day...

2008-03-04T05:41:00.000-08:00

Where I left off, I don´t really know. So much has happened. So many details to try and recall.

I haven´t really expressed what it´s like riding a bike day after day and the only reason i even think of it now is because we have been camping with other travellers and it is curious to see what rhythm people adopt. We usually rise at about the same time…leah (the rooster) gets up first, cari usually second, and margo and I keep our eyes closed as long as possible. We´ve treated ourselves to some coffee (ok, i have treated myself to some coffee) in the morning which makes waking easier. Unless we really have to make it through a section (there was a day when we discovered the road is closed for certain hours of the day for construction) we take our time in the morning and then begin our day. The first few kilometres hurt especially on gravel. We stop when we want a cookie, a moment to absorb a new vista, or because we thought of a new joke. Our tummies are on the same lunch schedule and we generally stop when it´s beautiful or there´s a river. Sometimes it isn´t possible and we take a little shade for a lunch spot as a consolation. The morning dew dampens some of our things and the hot afternoon sun is perfect for drying…we look like a gypsy caravan unpacking our clothing and laying it out to dry. Lunch is usually some type of bread with fixings...mayo is a new favorite and is packed with calories! We try to keep cookies on hand as a little treat. We snack often, ride happily and stop to find a camping spot when we´re tired. We have hopes of reaching certain destinations by days end but so often the road dictates what we´re able to do and when we´re tired, we just stop. Well, sometimes literally but most often we agree on camping in the next beautiful place. It´s not hard in these parts.

Chile is a wonder. There is more shade as we were promised…there is also more rain. For the last week and a half or two weeks we have been riding on gravel. All different kinds of gravel--like the inuit people who have many different names for snow we have many different names for types of gravel. When we see another cyclist coming from the opposite direction one of our questions is about the road conditions. But, as I have mentioned earlier, even a bad road is only temporary.

Back to the rain. It rained. It rained so much and so hard I couldn´t blink fast enough. Our first day of rain was still with plenty of sunshine as we met a solo woman traveller named eva from germany. We camped together in a field and exchanged stories about our travels. Though there aren´t many fool hearty souls on bikes travelling through these parts, the ones that do bike make a special sort of community. Everyone has a unique way of travelling. Some know everything about the road ahead of them and have every camping gadget while others just wobble along with an old bike. The lens in which we view the same stretch of road is as varied as our reasons for even being on the road. Regardless, each of these cyclists are incredible.

Back to the rain…again. We slept that night to the sound of the rain on the outside of our tent. There was rain that danced, rain the whispered, rain that bounced, rain that plunked and rain that splattered. There is nothing quite as comfortable as snuggling into your sleeping bag and just listening to the rain. But, then the next morning came and as we put on our wet rain gear and shoes our spirits were slightly dampened as well. We cleaned up camp quickly and got to our bikes…the only thing we could do was keep moving and this was the day of the ¨big hill climb¨.

Well, no sooner had we begun riding, singing, and embracing the rain did we meet another group of cyclists. Three fellas (two with the exact same frame as my beloved). They were three brothers stopped at the side of the road. One brother was going back because it was raining and the other two crazies were continuing on. We shared the road. We climbed that beastly mountain together almost laughing. And it was beastly…we hear it is a mountain of 15 switchbacks…but you can imagine that the clouds hanging in between the mountains, the big leafy vegetation and happy spirits made that climb one that will be long imprinted on the memory. In fact, that day we were on so many home videos and pictures…people couldn´t believe it. At one point the rain was so hard that I nearly lost my contact lenses. But, i think on this day it was nice not to have to climb in the heat. We ate lunch in a covered bus stop with the rain pounding against the corrugated roof. The cold gusts of wind blowing in were soon forgotten when the Agustin and Lucas made some warm milk and a little coffee. I have never felt so thankful for a cup of warm milk.

We weren´t a group of five for long…soon two more cyclists showed up and we were seven on the road. These two cyclists were a couple from seattle who have been riding down through the Americas for the last year. Their names: matt and cindy.

The sun poked out that afternoon and after a long day of riding we reached a little town with one tiny mini mart. We decided to invade a small hostel and cook a well earned meal together. We hung our things to dry around the oven and took warm showers. It felt like a dream to sip hot chocolate in a room full of cyclists.

Our group of seven continued on, braving the road together. That evening we reached manihuales and camped with another cyclist named pavel from Britain who was heading north. Pavel was a character. i say that with a slight smile on my face as i would need pages to describe him.

It was in this day that I think I officially became ¨hard core¨. My rear derailleur spontaneously combusted. really. The inner spring was completely gone and the rivets pulled out. I managed to piece it together with a key chain ring to keep some tension on the chain so I could use the front two chain rings (one for climbing and one for riding between the climbs). For two days I rode like this through the andes. Granted these were ¨flat¨days—only 3500 feet of climbing but most of it coming in one giant hill. I made it through trailing all my things. I think the only reason it was even possible was because I knew if I couldn´t do it I had six new friends who would have gladly helped me carry my things. It´s so funny to discover the things you didn´t know you were capable of and how a concept as complex and simple as friendship can literally flatten mountains.

For the last day we have been in coyhaique, chile. The two boys invited our troop to stay with their parents. Their home is in the most beautiful place i´ve ever seen a home. I feel as though i´ve only been here in my imagination…I didn´t think such a place was possible. The house sits on the edge of a valley and below us is the river winding through a patchwork of greens. The view of the mountains is not even something I can even begin to describe let alone the sunset, the sunrise, and the stars at night. Here again I will have to call on your imagination. But I can only say that after a long day of riding to come to a resting point here seemed surreal. Agustin and Lucas´ parents cooked for us, washed our clothes, let us take warm showers and in general cured all that ailed us. I feel content. These last few days have been simply sublime.

Tomorrow with our bikes repaired we will continue on. We´ll continue to flirt with the Chilean-Argentine border possibly taking a bus for one small section just to save time…or to give us time in a more beautiful place. We can see from the map that we have a few days of pavement before us. What a treat that will be. We have learned that on pavement we can easily accomplish 100 kilometers (60 miles) with hills and mountains but on gravel (depending on the type) we can only realistically accomplish about 40-50 kilometers. Since my cycling computer abandoned me I have not been able to keep track of the distance and in some ways, it has been incredibly liberating…though I do find myself wondering how fast we actually descend through the mountains…

Well, i´m sure i´ve left a number of things out…you´re probably still wondering about our bridge rapelling experience. Perhaps some stories are shared best over a cup of coffee.

Well, I have to leave now. The sun is setting soon and to miss it here would be a crime.

I hope everyone is doing well…I sympathize with my fellow Oregonians who are braving a winter of rain. After the rain we experienced here for just a few days I have never appreciated the sun more…

Cheers.

Jude.

Ps. A common game we play on our bikes is ¨if I could switch with one person…¨ in this game we say who we would switch places with for five minutes. I thought I would put some down here…

When I came to the most beautiful river i have ever been to i wanted to switch places with my mom for five minutes because i think it would take her breath away.

When I came to a big hill I wanted to switch places with Ignacio so he could climb the hill for me and I could work at the restaurant for him.

When I was watching all the stars twinkling over a river valley I wanted to switch places with Bethany so she could play her guitar in this beautiful place.

When I was going downhill so fast I wanted to switch for five minutes with my little sister so she could experience the joy of going downhill!!

When my derailleur was broken I wanted to switch for five minutes with guy larson so he could scratch his head on this one (and then leave me a note as to what his recommendations might be).

Pps. And when we were cold, tired and wet we wanted leah´s mom to come pick us up and make us some hot chocolate!

a quick update.

2008-02-26T14:15:00.000-08:00

i managed to quickly find the internet. here´s the thing...we found rivendell! luscious mountains and a green river (we found out about glacial flowering) and little cows with a ribbon of road running through it. can you tell i finished reading ¨the hobbit¨.

the road has been brutal. bumpy gravel. washboards...i don´t think you can appreciate these. they are about four to six inches deep and catch your front wheel...it´s like successive potholes and they come unexpected! don´t feel sorry for us though...we´re riding in patagonia!

today we met some guys with a slackline and jumped into the harness and rapelled off a bridge. ummm...yeah. it was ¨safe¨. i have overcome my fear of big black dogs chasing me while going uphill and of cows with horns larger than life standing in the midst of a hill...who knew!

well it will be a few days so hope this tides everyone over. we´re having a blast...tomorrow is leah´s birthday!!!

peace.

2008-02-23T11:04:00.000-08:00

o sweet pavement!

finally a clean jude!

enroute to chile...

the ¨bomber¨on a downhill

pics n´more...

2008-02-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

the saddest sign...the ending of pavement. even margo is sad. also, this is our farmer, loni.

it´s real...we made it to chile!

the crew in front of a mountain with a glacier?!a duplicate photo i can´t get rid of but now you know we made it to chile!

we made it to chile...and it´s still hot outside!

2008-02-23T09:31:00.000-08:00

i remember the first day i began this tour. the first day on my bike that is. i was intensely wondering what it was i was supposed to be doing on tour. what should i see? what should i be feeling? what should i be doing with my days...

as the kilometers started piling up and the roads changing and the scenery becoming more intense i began (and still am) learning what it means to be on a journey.

the most reoccuring question on this trip has been ¨where are you going?¨ most often we tell them the tip of south america. it is the end goal...it is the point at which we will run out of terrain, without turning around, to keep riding and thereby the question answers itself. but whether or not we´ll actually make it there remains yet to be seen. and the reason being is that the journey actually unfolds differently. for example, yesterday we stopped to eat lunch under the shade of a tree in a small town before crossing the border into chile. the road was rough and we had taken a wrong turn earlier and then found a short cut via asking two laughing girls that put us back on track. in this small town of about one city block was this tree where we lazily set up our lunch. at this point we were suddenly aware of about ten people gawking at us. the curiosity on both ours and their part was laughable. we quickly broke the silence by asking for hot water for a cup of matte, chatting with the children, and buying some bread and juice. this whole event of lunch then took three hours and as a parting gift we were presented with a frozen bottle of water which at first we thought was going to be difficult to carry but in the end we were really grateful for. it was hot outside. as we were later riding to the chilaen border those same people had piled into their car and met us shortly before the border to wave us goodbye again. it´s moments like these that happen time and time again that make this more than just a point a to b journey. i sometimes feel like i might be letting down the entire cycling community by not riding as hard as fast as i can but what is the use? so much of the scenery isn´t in the mountain scapes it´s in the experiences along the way. well, all of you out there knew that and i suppose i did too but as i look at a map of where we´ll go and what we´ll see i realize i can only keep a tentative plan...

for this moment, we have made it into chile. crossing the border on our bikes was a thrill like nothing i´ve experienced before. there among the line of cars come four girls on bike and a puppet (who by the way did not need a passport...whew!). the border guards kindly offered us massages should we need them...uhhh right. our farmer, loni, has now gone back to her farm. she was a fabulous edition to our expedition. we miss her already. we have taken a spontaneous rest day here in futeleufu, chile. we met a new friend jorge whose opening line to us was ¨i like anything 80´s¨. when i have a moment to post the pictures you´ll see it´s true. he showed us where the river was and where a nice place to camp would be. for this bit of information we are grateful. we have only paid for a place to stay on occasion and a free spot with a spectacular view is always preferred. the other night, for example, the fire department outside of trevelin allowed us to camp outside of their firehouse and even let us use a well earned HOT shower!!! in exchange we delighted them with stories of our adventures...the treacherous roads, the silly repairs, and the idea of an open adventure that i could tell pricked their imaginations!

chile itself looks the same as argentina though the border patrol assured us the days would be a bit cooler, the roads smoother, the men sweeter, and more shade en route...we´ll have to see about this won´t we?

to say it´s beautiful here would be redundant. to say the roads are difficult would also be somewhat redundant. we are now on days without pavement and we don´t expect to see it again soon. we remain curious to see what kind of gravely roads are ahead of us. but, everything is temporary...an awful road can only last so long, a hill can only be so high and in the end when we are tired mentally or physically we need only seek out a tree to rest under and enjoy the company of each other, a horse, a cow, or other weary travelers on the road. our community exists everywhere we go.

on a side note...well not so much a side note...cari ¨bomber down the mountains¨ stebbins took a spill on a winding gravel road. her bruises indicate that she hit a bump and skidded sideways down the mountain. thankfully she is only left with some hardcore markings and a fantastic story! believe it or not, this hasn´t slowed her down...it has however put the fear into me!

well that´s all i have to say today. well, one more thing...in the park in trevelin we ran into two portland cyclists who are connected with the eugene mountain biking community. their names escape me now but for those of you who know of two portland cyclists in argentina, we met them by happenstance.

cheers to all.
the crew.

gear update: my cycling gloves fell over a bridge. cari has one left glove which helps. gloves seem like a pansy thing but sweaty hands mean slipping around on the bars which can be dangerous. my left arm is also shorter than the right so if i naturally slip to the left so it´s kind of essential to have a left glove. crazy story.

the tent has a few holes in it. it blew away one day and flipped over two barbed wire fences. we finally got it back and i put some tent repair tape on our little turtle shell.

my topeak road morph foot pedal broke but i made a new one using a sardine can pin that we found on the side of the road and cutting off a piece of plastic from my patch kit.

and now, for your reading pleasure chapter one of ¨tales from the back of the bike...the life of a puppet¨ by margo

it was a bitterly cold morning that morning we started. i was snuggled inside the tent squished under someone´s foot and someone´s head. after managing to wriggle myself out i gently whispered in the riders´ ears to wake up. jude, woke up in usual groggy fashion and gave me the ¨five minutes more¨stare which is different than the ¨puppet..shhhh¨ stare by only the movement of one eyebrow.

after finally managing to wake the crew up we sat around the stove silently eating, shivering and waiting for the sun to come over the mountains. the dew still on our tent our bikes and the back of the bag i ride in. thankfully this morning jude remembers to save me a crust of bread and secretly slips me a sip of matte and a cookie. afterward i get tucked into the back of the bag where i´m able to see the world go by and the wind rush through my purple hair without any effort!

i can tell when we´re going up hill and how hard of a hill it is. we slow down so much i can see a bright orange butterfly coasting by us. i can hear the sweet giggles of the butterfly as she passes us. sweat comes flying back at me like a thunderstorm and i can see cari´s strained face in front of me. she looks concentrated as a hammer thwacking a nail as she´s climbing. i get scared...we´re going higher and higher and if we fall did we bring enough thread to put me back together again? then it comes...i can see the expression change on cari´s face...her smile doesn´t even fit on her face...there must be a---wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! we´re going so fast now. we rattle over the washboards in the road trying to avoid the big rocks but this isn´t always possible. i get bike sick on occasion and i keep my focus on the turqouise lake to my right. how sweet it looks...who lives under that glassy blanket?

when we finally stop for lunch i take a moment to fix my hair. it´s rumpled. i need another cookie. on this particular day there are a bunch of school children gathered...wait, they´re staring at me!!! i´m popular with the little ones...that´s how come i´m so dirty. their fingers get in my eyes and on my striped body. they leave behind smudges from their lives and their adventures. the dirtier i get the prettier i get, i think. at this moment jude notices them and we begin our routine. she gently puts me on her right hand and in that instant my inner thoughts are given a human voice. i have perfected a smile, a grimace, a laugh, and a burp after delighting my audience with my number on trick...eating a cookie!!!

after lunch i take a little nap before finding my way back to my riding position. this time leah is in front of me. sometimes leah makes faces at me and i laugh so hard i almost fall out of my pack. i try to make faces back at her but i´m laughing so hard that i can´t. i wish i had a tongue. leah always sticks her tongue out at me and i wish i could do the same!

this particular afternoon is good for my imagination. i´m pretending i´m an explorer discovering these lands for the first time. i make mental notes of the geologic formations we pass through--the various striations in the rocks and in particular their colors. i trace the horizon with my eyes and commit it to memory to make contour drawings later. i pretend i have to report back my findings and use a glove hanging off the side of the backpack as my communication device...¨hello mission control this is margo c. puppet reporting from patagonia do you read me?¨ i wait for a response. it comes in fuzzy and i begin to report my findings starting with my location. ¨we are just below the big jagged mountain point that looks like a hook finger heading north. the rock is a creamy vanilla color...¨

by the end of the day i´m exhausted and as i drift to sleep even before everyone has brushed their teeth i can´t help but wonder what tomorrow holds...

we stole the farmer!

2008-02-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

so we left el bolson...with the farmer!! may we talk mechanics for just a moment? the farmer has a walmart quality bike. we teased her a bit about riding south with us for a few days. her main objection was that her bike didn´t work. she was right. the derailleur hanger was striped out and the brakes were held together by some sort of cable. i spent a day creating a solution to hang a new derailleur on it...what i did was find a bolt that matched the new threads then i took the old derailleur bolt and with a hand drill (the ranch has no electricity) drilled through the bolt and then filed it further with a small rat tail file to make a shim for the bolt (a derailleur bolt is fat on top and skinny at the bottom). then i put a whole bunch of locktite on and voila that bike has made it through the andes! the three of us have been carrying loni´s (the farmer´s name) stuff. she was only allowed a few things. and so we have company until tomorrow when we cross into chile.

this last stretch of land from el bolson through the national park and down into trevelin has been the most beautiful stretch thus far. i spent the greater part of yesterday in a dreamlike state. the remote gravel (i use that term generally but these roads are crazy! even cars chorgle up them and i think they´re going to fall out backwards!) roads wind up and down and around pristine lakes. these lakes being so clear it looks like glass. sometimes i wonder if these are the last clear lakes in the world. i have never experienced anything so beautiful. the mountains have been posing so perfectly for me to take their pictures...if not with my camera with at least my memory.

we have been camping as we feel tired and as we find a beautiful spot. we generally camp alongside a river or a lake. in the morning we are often surprised by horses, cows, or sheep grazing right by our tent.

my mind feels free and content. my quest with this journey has been to mentally be in the present moment...be careful what you ask for! when you climb these rugged roads there´s no time for daydreaming. your mind has to be in that moment or it´s off the side of the road or you tip over. riding with 50lbs behind me has also been a great training program.

i apologize for how scattered this update is. we have now made it to trevelin and tomorrow we cross over into chile for a while. we decided we wanted to see what the other side of the andes looked like! i suppose i should go buy a map of chile...what do you think?

so, here´s the million dollar thought...if someone challeneged you to ride your bike anywhere for 1 km, would you do it? now, think about it...i did yesterday while i was slogging through the mountains. patagonia is rough. the gobi desert would be rougher. the swamplands of louisiana? how about the swamplands of louisiana with the winds of the antarctic? the combinations are endless...

well cheers for tonight we have some groceries to buy if we plan on eating tonight and then we have to find a gorgeous camping spot with a dynomite view...

jude.

tick tick tick...

2008-02-14T04:03:00.000-08:00

no pictures today though i hear that a picture is worth about 1,289 words. our time at the ranch has been chalked full of new adventures as i´ve already eluded to some of them. for the past few days we´ve been harvesting rye...with steak knives. yes, i am a bit thankful that half the crop was eaten by rabbits thank you very much because that meant that the long, slow, tedious process of cutting the rye was only long and slow. a big smile here because it was just something to do while i thought and observed what was happening around me.

i´ve come to enjoy a handful of oddities living in that little cabin and working on the ranch. the color of the garden patched together in shades of greens is as strking today as it was the first day i saw it. watching the sun come over the mountain and instinctively knowing how that correlates to human time. finding the cow and bringing her in (something i have now done all by myself and might i say not an easy task when considering that ¨cloud¨is very stubborn). watching the color fade from the sky as the sun sets behind the mountains and the moon pops up looking as though it is just suspened in vast creamy blueness. the stars, the stars, the stars. the sound of the birds squawking throughout the day. the feel of the earth moving as a stampede of horses runs by. bathing in the river in the hot, sticky afternoon heat. collecting water from river to wash clothes, dishes, and give water to the animals. simply stated, i like how life just flows and how the concept of time has reinvented itself yet again in my days.

we are planning to leave el bolson on saturday and simply head south. we may meander through chile, we may not. we may take a bus for part of the way through the desert to save time and we may not. who knows? well my friends, i won´t write for a little while yet. it´s thursday morning and we leave saturday and it will more than likely be a few days before i have an update for the blog...sorry to leave you wondering...well, actually i´m not because i think it´s kind of fun. sometimes i feel like i´m writing to myself because i can´t see the people who are reading and i thought i might have a little fun. hey, c´mon now, i´m allowed a little fun, eh?

ok ok. before i go i thought i should give a brief equipment update. the only problems we´ve encountered are with the tent, a headset, my melted bob washer, and some flats. the tent poles on the rei cirque 3 tent have bent! this happened a while ago on a blustry desert night and the tent still works fine it´s just well, reinvented a little. we have the necessary equipment to repair the poles when they finally go. bummer. my headset came unthreaded due to vibration and i may seek out some beeswax to use as a natural locktite. first, i need to find a wrench big enough for tightening it down. i´ll go find a hardware store here soon to find some washers to repair the bob...it shouldn´t be too difficult...what were they thinking making a perfect grill trailer and using plastic?!

but....the rest of my bike is running like a dream. considering we´ve been doing a fair amount of gravel riding, curb jumping, and ¨mountain biking¨, MY WHEELS ARE STILL IN TRUE!!!!!! the tension still feels wonderful and i´m starting to wonder why i even brought with extra spokes! :O) when i built them i had some reservations about using a sun rim but the cr-18s though heavy are awesome! i heard about a guy who was coming through chile and busted his phil wood hub! sucka! just kidding. i tried to keep everything really easy to fix on that bike and even though a phil wood shouldn´t bite the dust, stranger things have happened and thus, i am happy to have just a standard shimano hub with replaceable bearings and somewhat standard cones should the need arise.

my cycling computer popped off my bike yesterday and got shredded on the ride into town from the ranch. i haven´t described this ride have it? i think that this ride takes the cake in terms of a beautiful commute. we live on the river and have to get over a small ridgeline into town. the classic argentine method is cover as much up in as little time as possible. so, on this gravel sand, bouldered road are a few switchbacks to the top of the ridge and then a screaming downhill into town all in about 5 miles which takes about 35minutes to ride. the views are incredible from the top of the ridge. there´s an elevated mountain lake and the winding blue river azul all nestled into the mountains. so, you can see on this treacherous road how a cycling computer could just pop off! so, who knows how much we ride in a day now and maybe, who cares?

and finally a dirty, tired margo would like to add a word...ok she´s a little shy to say hello....give me a minute here. stop laughing, she doesn´t have hands and she´s being a little difficult. ok, margo would simply like to say hello and that she can´t wait to be riding on the back of my bike again watching the days go by and riding along in places she thought she´d only see in her dreams.

see margo, that wasn´t hard. i tell you, puppets sometimes are difficult to take on adventures.

peas.
jude.

el bolson.

2008-02-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

the ranch.

our cabin...the rats are not pictured here...

the view outside of our little cabin on the ranch.

the river flowing into lago steffen.

my bob trailer as a grill.

attempting to fish with a homemade pole.

our friends at lago steffen.

i come with so many ideas roaming around in my head to write and as soon as i pass through the door i feel as though some sort of magnet pulls it out and i´m left fumbling for the words to describe not only what my senses are able to experience but what i am able to make of the experience.

we have been gone for almost one month now and it´s difficult to determine the transformations we have gone under given that we are changing at every moment...our ideas about what is difficult is changing and our world has shrunk to a community of three and expanded into a whole country of strangers. at times i wish this were my first experience leaving the country because i might be more entranced with every little detail and every little cultural difference. i am afraid sometimes i begin to take those differences for granted. on the other hand, it is a seamless transition between where my culture ends and the next one begins--i suppose it feels as though culture more or less does not exist and only humanity does.

we have stopped for two weeks in el bolson to work on a ranch. we had originally thought a month but the ranch was not exactly what we had expected. the work is fun, difficult, exhilerating and frustrating. we are nestled into the andes mountains near a clear turquoise river called rio azul. we sleep in a semi finished cabin with rats (i am not kidding, i flung one off of me the other day...i sleep in a pile of straw and i heard some scratching and flipped my sleeping bag up and heard a thud a few feet away) but the mornings are beautiful. just outside our cabin is the most beautiful view of three mountains. i relish taking a deep breath at the start of the day trying so hard to love even more where i´m at, trying to burn it into my memory. our days consist of working on a mud house, weeding the garden, tending the chickens, finding the cow, repairing the fence, and cooking amongst other things. what we find a little difficult is how disorganized the ranch is and that we were hoping to contribute our time and energy into an argentine venture and the man, alex, who owns the ranch is american. in fact, the whole farm appears to be an experiment. water lines have not been properly secured and as a result things that have been planted are dying. in addition, it is unclear as to the purspose of the ranch or organic garden venture. in our group of three we seem to be divided as to whether these factors are important or not. the result has been to compromise on the length of time we spend there and we all feel comfortable with this decision. perhaps i could elaborate more on this venture but the details seem scattered and in some ways very unimportant. we´re here enjoying this experience for what it is and soon we will leave.

el bolson itself is nothing to write home to mom about. if i didn´t live in eugene the experience would be fresh but i live in eugene and el bolson is like being home. every saturday is almost like the country fair (but on a smaller scale). the road to the ranch is 8km long but again like moutnain biking. i´ve come to enjoy the steep hills especially without my bob trailer. to get to the ranch from town you follow the signs for the river and then chuck your bike over the fence, follow the washed out road through a pasture with horses. when you get to a white cart hanging over the river, turn your back to the river and head for the hills...the ranch should be visible to you then. got that? we´ll see you for a barbeque tonight then. :O)

the thing i love about my fellow travelling companions is their desire, like mine, to live the width of an experience not only the length. in the end we hope to make it to tierra del fuego but the reality is that a certain like might beckon us to it or a certain detour might seem worth the extra effort. on an adventure, anything is possible and end goal is just the excuse to have the journey.

i hope everyone is well. perhaps some of the thoughts that have circulated in and out of my head will find their way to this blog...for now they remain thoughts that come to me as i pedal around.

paz.
jude.

ps. we met with our friends brook and ethan in el bolson and sadly while we were taking a photo ethan fell backwards and broke his rib. he´s fine now and they are well on their way!!

¨Give Peace a Chance¨

2008-02-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

I have come to discover that what i previously regarded as a hill is no longer a hill and what i had previously thought was a windy day is no longer in my mind a windy day. everyday is a winding road and every day the road rises and falls and with each rise, a new vista and with each descent a beautiful freeing feeling. well this next part of the journey won´t be easily put into words and ironically it has been my favorite part of the journey thus far.

after leaving bariloche we decided to take our time getting to el bolson. well, we hadn´t initially intended it but, one day whilest we were packing up our bags after eating lunch off the road in the shade by a river we spotted a cyclist coming up the hill. two subsequent cyclists also ambled up the hill. they were three argentine boys on a bike adventure of their own--including a guitar and a flute. we all decided to head to a little remote lake called lago steffen. the 10km bumpy, gravel road (with parts of the road missing and two stream crossings without bridges) made for a dramatic entrance to the beautiful, peaceful lake. there we set up camp and for two in a half days, enjoyed cooking, attempting to fish, drinking matte with other campers, and bonfires at night. two other cyclists joined us as well and for a night we sat around that campfire and like the hippies of yesteryear sang ¨give peace a chance¨. sadly, i was unable to catch a fish with my homemade fishing rod, but we did take my bob trailer and use it as a grill to make some burgers**.

we found a way out of the lake hitching a ride from a nice guy who was willing to take us back to the road (c´mon we´re hard core cyclists but that road of 10km of up up up didn´t sound like that much fun...). and the funny thing was that we were able to secure this ride with my ability to speak german?! it´s true. argentina is full of older germans and german vacationers and since my german is better than my spanish...

last night we made it to the road as the sun was setting and enjoyed a vibrant 10km of downhill against the fading colors of the sky. we spent the night at a checkpoint station sadly missing our friends. the guards thought it would be safer than trying to bike at night and we couldn´t have agreed more. and this morning as we rode on, even the parts of the road that wound their way up seemed to neatly fit into the cadence of ¨give peace a chance¨.

so now, we will begin to work on the ranch. we´re here at the internet cafe trying to make our final connections. pictures will come soon along with other odds and ends....

peace, love, and happiness.
the hippy cyclist, jude.

ps. i have come to deeply enjoy having matte with people. one cup and straw is generally used and everybody takes a turn sipping from the mug. the matte is good, better with fresh mint leaves, but the conversation and the community that is woven together in this tradition is something beyond a cup of tea.

**i accidentally melted a plastic washer from my bob trailer. if i am unable to recreate this washer i was hoping that maybe i could get a little help from my friends and have the piece sent here. the trailer runs well as i have been able to put it back together but, it is not the same. however, the burgers were again, deeelicious!

2008-01-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

can you believe how muddy our faces are!!!?

Note* Added pics of Claudia, Picasso and their daughter. -WM

here are a few photos...you can meet our new friend martin, and the sunset on lake faulkner from our campsite along the lake. regretfully, i was unable to upload a picture of claudia, picasso, and their daughter...maybe in the future...

Easy Ridin!

2008-01-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

a few side notes before i begin to regurgitate the last few days of adventure. we would like to petition the argentine government to possibly plant a few more trees on the sides of the road to provide for a little more shade to make our days a little less, shall we say, epic. we would also like to talk to the people who ignorantly laid the roads through the mountains. while we appreciated some of climbs, was it really necessary to make it all hilly? well, at least our dinners have been fabulous!

so, my friends we have entered the vactionland of argentina...also the land of lakes. ¨they¨say seven lakes but my friends, there are at least a handful more. the riding has been poetic. in fact, dare i say this whole adventure has been a line from a well constructed poem...each of the lines flowing together in gentle cadence, flawlessly. every uphill of ours has come with a beautiful view, a deep breath, appreciation, and a long flowing downhill. the scenery, though outstanding has become something we are now growing accustomed too--jagged mountains that look like doodled contours on the horizon stacked for miles and miles changing hues of blues the farther away from the eye they reach. and every now and then we climb to a new height and a new horizon appears before us in all its splendor.

we´ve camped every night along some sort of placid lake as clear as i´ve ever seen. the approaching road to a given lake is somewhat fascinating as well. the mountains stand guard around and as we climb the final ascent we catch a glimmer. our hearts pounding with glee, we descend the hill with unbridled fear sometimes ebbing on exceeding the speed limit (well on pavement). the water is so pure and refreshingly cold that believe it or not, a filter is not even required--we drink directly from the water.

after stopping for the greater part of a day in san martin we found a little camp ground outside of town. this was our first ¨campground¨. ordinarily we´ve been finding a place off the road to camp. it felt somewhat strange but our adventure rumbled on...we met the most wonderful argentine family on vacation (pablo ¨picasso¨, claudia, and mylinda). we shared stories, ate together, and in the morning they made us matte and cappucino before our long ascent up the mountain (again a 4000-4500 ascent in only a few km). that night we found a place along lago faulkner to camp.

at the lake that evening i discovered something spectacular about my sunglasses...i could use them as a filter for my camera lens! the pictures will be posted soon! it seemed as though the mountains and the lakes in deep cooperation were posing to have their picture taken.

and then came the morning. another epic day of riding. again we encountered a long stretch of gravel...this time the ascent and the descent being extremely difficult. the gravel was sometimes as big as a fist and round. while there were no notable hills to climb, the whole stretch of 30 some miles was a rollar coaster demanding every bit of energy just to stay upright. we met a guy by the name of martin who rode with us for part of the way before he decided to stop for the evening (smart man). the new company was great. we asked him a lot of questions--particularily about the big black bugs that kept circling us, nipping at us, well, annoying us. that alone made climbing a bit of a challenge.

and yesterday was one of the easiest days of riding for us. if it would have been at the beginning of our tour i´m most positive we might not have thought so. we seemed to glide effortlessly up every hill and small mountain pass with big smiles on our faces. we took a long siesta at the shore of a lake and ate a scrumptious lunch including some fresh strawberries. what a life!

after lunch, i had my first accident. it´s funny now. we were on route 237 heading into nahuel haupi and both leah and i were eyeing a stream cascading down from the mountain above noting how we should get some water for our reserve and our bottles before we hit an arid desert like patch. as you might guess, i ran into leah and my fabulous bike bucked me off and i slid across the pavement with a dramtic scraping of metal. thank goodness there were no cars in the road (big semis included) and i wasn´t hurt. just a little road rash on the good ole knee.

in this moment i cannot even begin to describe what it feels like to struggle with the road and then to reach a beautiful destination. it almost feels like too much. everything inside of me feels so content to just sit and try with all my effort to absorb everything that i´m seeing. it goes without saying that it is impossible to do so. our bikes have proven as a catalyst for meeting people and sharing a smile.

this morning before heading into bariloche (where we are now and will be thru tomorrow) we woke up again next to a lake with mountains surrouding and met some fabulous women who had gotten their car stuck in the gravel. we tried to push their little fiat out but instead ended up entertaining them until they could be pulled out.

well, i´ll write again tomorrow before we take off for the farm in el bolson....yet another chapter of our adventure....we hope our friends ethan and brook are enjoying their bicycle journey and can´t wait to catch up in el bolson!

cheers from the open road....
jude.

ps. thanks marvin and margaret for the recipe!!! we can use spokes as kabob skewers!!

on a side note...

2008-01-23T13:18:00.000-08:00

thank you so much for all the comments...the ones i´ve been getting via e mail and on the blog. while i don´t have the time to respond to all of them, thank you! it makes me miss everyone a lot! and to susan my boss at sojourn (www.gosojourn.com) where i guide bike trips, you would´ve creamed me on those descents!!! can´t wait to ride with you again!

and in the following issues of blogger i´ll tell you a little more how my beautiful little vaquera (cowgirl) is doing!

peace.
jude.

!!!

2008-01-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks WM for helping with the pics...they´re great. so, i bought a topo map here today and realized that we climbed 4500-5000 feet in 6 miles into the wind...is that a lot? well the invitiation stands that if any of you would like to join us for some gourmet camping meals you´re welcome to. dessert tonight is figs with cream cheese....

i probably won´t write for a few days as we will be between towns.

cheers!
jude.

Pics!

2008-01-22T14:53:00.001-08:00

*webmaster note- Jude had some issues uploading so I've pulled a few images from her email. I'm not sure which ones she wanted to post so these may not be correct. Great photos at any rate! -WM

Margo!

here are just a few photos. it takes a long time to up load. you can now meet margo. and yes, those are the roads we really road on. the last picture is actually the road below us, it´s the descent.

OVER THE ANDES...THRICE!!

2008-01-22T06:08:00.000-08:00

well well well...how does one even begin to describe the road that led us out of zapala and into the unknown terrain of the andes. in zapala we decided to head south taking the scenic route. in fact, we came to a real fork in the road--a moment when we all had to decide what road to take. we decided on the "scenic" route (route 46 to i believe route 23 for all of you with a map). and as you might be able to infer, it also meant the more epic route. after riding about 70 miles (dont forget we have about 50lbs. of stuff trailing behind us and for the majority of the climbs i have about an extra 10 liters of water--what i dubbed a lake in my bag!). so, after riding about 70 miles we start to look for a camping spot. we see the andes looming in the distance and a road that goes up up up! tired, hungry, and dusty from sunscreen and road dust we stop and talk to a guy on this lone road and ask him if there might be a place to camp. he thinks. and with a jolly italian type of jigglely laugh points up at a little white house half way up the big hill. reluctantly we climb the steep hill--which is only about 4km long--but it is steep and feels heavy at the end of a day. we reach a gravel driveway and march our bikes up the almost vertical ascent. the woman at the little white house flashes us a confused smile of one tooth plus a few at the appearance of us (margo the little puppet included). she starts laughing profusely and continues to laugh when we ask her if we can pitch our tent on the little overlook. i suppose it is funny. three gringas covered in dust in the middle of nowhere. to no avail, we try and explain that our little troupe of bikers is not a joke. we really have ridden our bikes a great distance and we really have ridden them up this hill (which we later find out is a small mountain pass). and so, there you have it, our first night camping in the andes. the moon is waxing and bright in the sky and the stars feel so close we could pick them out of the sky. we cook our meal of pesto pasta and veggies in these conditions watching the evening light disappear as the silhouette of the mountains become more vivid.

our next day of riding starts with a beautiful sunrise and the woman looking at us from the highest point of her property (which also overlooks the road). we hear her laughing and laughing and we almost fall off our bikes trying to climb and wave goodbye. my memory is starting to blur some of the days together but on this particular day, as i recall, we still have a paved road and our first mountain pass is on pavement. the road winds forever, it seems, and after every corner there is nothing but up. it is surprisingly enjoyable. we stop to rest every so often eating a cookie and drinking hydration salted water. the views are amazing. jagged mountains, clouds so puffy you wish they were snow cones, and a little bit of a breeze. the descent is another story. the top of the climb is anti climactic. there is no one there to cheer us on. we gather at the top just before the road starts to tilt down, smiling as though we had just reached the top of everest. and then, zoom. desending through layers of earth to a little stream at the bottom where we refill our 10 liter container of water. that night we find a bonafide ranch to camp at. the only house we see in miles and miles. the men are literally cowboys. there is no electricity and they let us camp in the field where the cows horses and chickens are running about. we pitch our tent next to some freshly acquired sheep pelts and play frisbee with the little eleven year old boy who has never heard of the game. that night we cook a big meal of rice, lots of oil, carrots, onions, beans and garlic. as the sun sets behind the mountains we drink a bit of matte before curling up in our tent.

now, this is a funny story if you have a fantastic imagination. we wake up in the morning, very early. we close up shop and head out. what i did not mention was that there is a little stream to cross to get to the house...without a bridge. we slog through the water. it is cold in the morning and the water for once does not feel so good. in this little driveway between the two cow pastures are two cows. they are there because they are supposed to be busy at working making more cows. but, as these three chicas come up the driveway they get spooked. they tear down the rudimentary fence and bolt out. we feel awful. they let us camp in their front yard and we lose their cows! no worries. we immediately think on our feet and decide to wrangle them. and i kid you not, these three chicas wrangled those cows back into their driveway in spandex and all. my only hope was that this family of cowboys got to see this episode...it might have made them laugh.

that day in a split second we lost pavement and began riding our first gravel road. the wind blowing hurricane like gusts in our face as we crept along. then, comes the next mountain pass but this time on gravel. it goes forever. maybe only 8 miles but it is steep. it is not like climbing over any pass in the states. its rugged. the few cars that pass us sputter up the mountain. we stop halfway up and talk to a family. they assure us it only goes for a little longer and that the down hill will be epic. they give us a kiss on the cheek and wish us good luck. they are right about the epic downhill. we get to the top to see a volcano revealed on the horizon. and below us it looks like about 10 miles of sharp descent on gravel. five switchbacks and then like a bowl of pasta, the road noodles around for miles. we reach pavement again briefly and we feel awesome! that night we make it about 40-45 miles (dont forget the wind, gravel, climbing and stuff) to camp alongside a river. i felt like huck finn. swimming in the cool river, washing clothes to let hang to dry in the trees, cooking, and being crazy high on adventures from the day.

then there was yesterday. a full 50 mile ride on gravel in the hot sun with an even longer mountain pass. this one with switchbacks on the way up. halfway up we see a bunch of horses gathered in the road. a car is coming at them and we are a little afraid that the car might spook them toward us with his horn. the ironic thing was that the horses seemed to care less about the car but as we slowly crept up to them, they ran and ran like we were a brigade of hunters. this stampede of horses was a beautiful sight--someone must have told them about our days as cowgirls!

yesterday was by far the most difficult day i have ever had riding my bike. even when the road went down, it went up again before continuing down. it was a head game. a relentless head game. how we had the strength to continue riding is a mystery to me. because i have fricton shifters on my bike, there are moments when it feels like mountain biking with bar end shifters. it is incredible. the road itself is epic even without the climbs. to boot, we had not seen a store for days and the little tienda we stopped at earlier that morning only sold bread, jam and honey all freshly made. we bought some food, of course, but it only lasted a bit. we had enough food to last another two nights but on the road we were so hungry we ate a raw potato with a little garlic salt and bread with vegtable oil and salt--and it tasted so good. in the end, we simply needed calories. at the end of our epic day we encountered pavement again before our final descent into junin de los andes.

at dinner last night we had to explain, before ordering obnoxious amounts of food, what we had just done. enroute all day we grew accustomed to people just staring at us in disbelief. sometimes people would cheer us on and sometimes they looked at us as though we were a concoction of their imagination. but here in town, we look like three regular tourists with grossly large leg muscles! we laugh at the thought. and beer never tasted so delicious.

and today is a rest day. and as i think about everything we have just gone through, i cant believe it myself. and its really funny, there isnt anything i think about on my bike while i ride. every once in a while a neil diamond song comes into my head (riding through the desert on a horse with no name...(it really is the only line of the song i know too so it gets old real fast)). but through and through, its just living in the moment. there isnt anything i would rather be doing, epic conditions and all. it feels like life is a dream.

i will upload some pictures here soon. i do not know if the pictures will even begin to explain how beautiful it is to experience something in the very moment. even more so than driving a car through the mounatins, riding a bike helps you to notice even the smallest flower vying for water and sunlight in the dry desert, mountainous conditions. there were a few moments when we debated what it would be like to be in a car going over the mountain (especially as the wind is whipping in our faces and the sun beating down on us) but to rob ourselves of the experience would be a pity.

these girls that i am riding with are incredible. i think i should mention that. the experience would be great going solo but to have some good peeps to share a laugh with, soak your feet in a cool stream with, or just to understand is something that cannot be paralled.

hopefully this long oration has not bored you to tears as i know sometimes it can be if you are not the one experiencing it. until next time....thanks a matte!

jude.

ps. my puppet, margo, has been our little mascot and ambassador to the children. i think she has even quelled situations when people look a little confused at our arrival. she is now dusty and equally as exhausted but still a kick in the pants.

Of Epic Proportions...

2008-01-18T10:44:00.000-08:00

It is indeed day three of riding and I have decided that the cycling through a country is by far the best way to experience a country. There really isn´t a way for me to explain the last three days in the few minutes i have here to give an update. i´ve chosen some highlights.

we surprisingly received our bikes in neuquen and immediately grabbed our things and hit the road in the hot hot sun. as we left town, on a two lane busy highway, we felt as though the whole town was cheering us on. perhaps that faint sound of clapping really was a cheer. it´s funny, what happens next. we stop for water and this man offers us some shade under his fruit stand. so we make our way over and spend an hour or so talking with him and his son, both alfonzo. he gave us some fruit for the road and a tour of his orchard, which he had planted six years prior. it isn´t really this story that left us grinning from ear to ear, it´s that we sat under the shade eating donut peaches with two alfonzos, laughing. and this alone describes what i love about riding my bike.

the roads that first day were awful but i think i would take them over what came next. that first day we found a little stream where we took a siesta and a swim before getting on our bikes. and then the road changed. no more bumby gravel-pavement shoulder...in fact, there was nothing. so there we are three chicas on a the only two lane higway between here and there and everything was on the road with us. well, we survived. our first night of camping was at the side of the road where one lone man owned a little tienda in the middle of nowhere. we bought some fresh cut beef from him and cooked a well earned meal.

day two was a day of epic riding. it was enough for all of us to consider why we were here in the first place. when they talk about the wind in argentina, it´s not a joke. so here we are, three chicas on this two lane highway with no shoulder and i kid you not winds of at least 25mph. the wind was so strong that when a semi passed us on the opposite lane it was like running head on into a wall. our bikes tittered and so many times we nearly fell off of them. then there was the issue of the sun. you see, the sun stays up until about 1030pm and is hot from about 10am until 1030pm. exhausted we finally made it into cutral-co where we would later spend the night at a camp ground.

this next camping story makes us sort of laugh. it was last night and as we were sulking about the lame 35 miles we rode, we mean juan. he´s an old man who seems sort of, well, lonely. his house is in the same area as the campground so naturally we interact but with reservations on our part. so at an inspection center just a short walk away--a place where the police hang out and we had chatted with them earlier--we decide to go back and let them know we had found a camping spot. at about 11pm when the sun had finally set the police came to our site. well as it was we greeted them and then they stayed with us until about 2am drinking matte and chatting. they even went twice to the store to buy us cookies, crakers, and more matte for our trip. and, throughout the night they made their rounds through the little campground which i should tell you was also an abandoned air port and park. it really was a funny story because all of us were sort of curious as to how this situation would pan out and in the end, it was more than we could have hoped for. as you might have gathered, cutral-co isn´t a noteworthy city, in fact it sort of feels abandoned in some way or another even though many people live there. ahh yes, desolate is the word.

well on to day three. today. we continue our journey on our two lane road with no shoulder but slightly less traffic. we´re up even before the sun rises and on our bikes as the sun is riding behind us. in fact the shadows haven´t even left their hibernation in the rock formations as we begin our riding. what i haven´t mentioned is that we´ve been in the desert this entire time. flat as a pancake and dry as a bone desert. we can see for miles and miles. on a day like our windy day, it eludes us and we can´t tell if it´s a mirage or if we really see a few trees ahead marking a city or a small bit of shade to find reprieve from the sun. the scenery is beautiful, however. birds that look like parrots fly in flocks and rock formations as beautiful as those in the badlands of the united states make the riding well worth every pedal stroke. and today we get some nice long hills making it more interesting for us. today we´re also laughing as we ride our bikes and not trying to simply stay on our bikes. and as a little side note, today we were fortunate to have the wind on our backs something that apparently is very rare as it almost always comes from the west this time of year in this region.

i know this update is sloppy. so much has happened. so much i am fascinated by. the people here have taken such good care of us sending us on our way with various food for the open road. i think every time it happens we are filled with such gratitude.

well, i wish i could say more but we plan on putting some more miles in today since the wind is at our backs. i don´t know the next time i´ll write. we´re heading into the northern reaches of patagonia and it could be a few days before we reach a town.

que le vaya bien.
jude.

ps. we have a lot of fun with the vast amounts of curious people asking us about our journeys. sometimes we ask them if we´re headed in the right direction for peru or if we´re only a few days from the tip of south america...

A Few Requests

2008-01-15T13:50:00.000-08:00

friends of the blog....this SOPA needs a few things. Number one: your camping recipies--preferably those that you thought were somewhat outstanding. Assume everything is available. number two: does anyone know what the score card for the dice game ¨u blew it¨ is? ta ta for now.

Nunca Te Ratidos--Never Give Up!

2008-01-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

Oddly as it is, we entered Neuquen today somewhat bleary eyed from a long bus ride and this was the quote I read on the filing cabinet of the hostel we finally found a room at. The funny part about it was that the picture above it was colored in by a child and it was of a frog inside a pelican´s mouth. So, we assumed that the frog was then trying to choke the pelican to free itself. Approximately 17hours on the bus has left us more anxious to begin. we have a direction picked out and some possible turnoffs. for as ¨unplanny¨as i like to be, i did take a few moments to talk with some guys at a tire store (i was looking for an atlas that firestone makes for argentina) about how often we´ll come across towns and what the camping situation looks like between here and the andes. what i did discover is that after about a day of riding we will be riding up up up! the good news is that what goes up will hopefully meander down! our first few days look like delicious paved albeit slightly busier roads and then the roads turn to gravel as we start going through some of the back roads. Miguel, the man i spoke to at the tire store said that the water, once we hit the lake region, is drinkable directly from the lakes. until then, we´ll be packing an extra 10 liters of water as sources are harder to come by and it´s really really hot outside.

we leave tomorrow morning. finally. or so we think. we had to negotiate a different way for our bikes to leave buenos aires as they couldn´t come with us on the bus. 3 chicas and 3 bikes are not easily transported. let´s hope leah and i understand where to pick the bikes up tomorrow morning and lets hope that they meant this wednesday and not next wednesday and lets hope we don´t have to make phone calls trying to locate three bikes because we may not get further than ¨hola...tienes 3 bicicletas?¨

on a positive note my new friend, margo the puppet, has already proved her ¨weight¨in gold. she has blissfully entertained children and adults alike showing off her ability to eat cookies. as silly as it sounds, it gives us a means to connect with people and has made the time inbetween worthwhile.

In terms of things and scenery, i think argentina really is a gem. even though everyone says that this sort of desert kaliedescope is dreadful and uninteresting, i find plenty of things to amuse my senses. it also makes me even more excited for the ¨beautiful¨ parts of the region.

it may be a few days before an internet portal is available so until then--
jude.

ps. capitolizing in my writing has never been my thing and while i´ve given it my best effort to remember i hope that you´ll allow me to peacefully continue writing without taking the time to capitolize...

Just a few more...

2008-01-14T05:40:00.000-08:00

2008-01-14T05:16:00.000-08:00

Well...here is one vertical photo...When the blogger website isn´t tired of me trying to upload photos I´ll add more.

Peace.

PICTURES!!

2008-01-14T05:02:00.000-08:00

Here are some basic images from Buenos Aires. I have to admit that my technological mind has its limitations and as I take several vertical pictures, I somehow cannot rotate them and then upload them so I have only included the few horizontal ones. The first is of our bikes outside a cafe before going to the fair. The second is of a row of advertisements that are caged in.

It´s amazing how sleepy the city seems on the weekend in comparisson to this Monday morning when my senses are seemingly over stimulated.

Until later...

2008-01-14T04:27:00.001-08:00

We found fuel!!

Our new found friends, Brook and Ethan, who will be starting their ride in Mendoza the same day we´ll start ours just a bit east and a bit south...

Tales from a Noteworthy City...

2008-01-13T12:57:00.000-08:00

Perhaps my friend Seth was correct in saying I would find a special place in my heart for Buenos Aires. It is a city where smiles come in epic proportions, waiters have subtle wit, and though many of the buildings are some variaton of white, the flowers that grow in the cranies, drape down from balconies, and garnish even the drabist streets can make the hustle and bustle of a city seem as calm as a walk in the woods. Indeed, the only other place I have found this to be remotely true in is Hanoi, Vietnam.

As it is, we have spent the majority of these last few days in search of something to prepare for our departure date. Working at a camping store, I have sold innumberable camping stoves always recommending some sort of international stove to people travelnig abroad as fuel would be easier to find. My friends, I can say that canister fuel is readily available in Buenos Aires and that propane, white gas, and kerosene are much more difficlut to come by. As we were soon settling on unleaded gas, we gave one last store a cynnical try. We nearly kissed the man when he plain as day said he had the fuel we needed. Whether it was a blunder on our part asking for the wrong type of fuel or a true miscommunication in the handfuls of hardware, plumbing, and camping stores we tried, it will remain a mystery.

For those interested in hearing about Buenos Aires, I will share the bits I have experienced. Today we woke up late...either we have slight jet lag or we have in some way become Argentine over night in that we can miraculously stay awake until 4am and sleep until 1pm. Post the experience of sleep we staggered out of the hostel with bikes in hand ready to explore the famous antique market and for me, take and opportunity to see the city through my camera lens. The antique fair was suprisingly a real afternoon amusement. Imagine colorful street artists performing and handicrafts of all sorts lined on the streets for as far as the eye can see on a bright cloudless day whilest women selling mate from little thermoses in carts bounce along the cobblestone streets. It seems like a typical street faire but I have to say, I don´t think I´ve ever been to a faire where everyone seems to be enjoying themselves to this extent. I did however purchase a puppet to add to the traveling clown act. His name is Margo. We can now say the adventures of ¨jude, Margo and (whatever my bikes name is)¨.

Ridng through Bueons Aires has offered a different perspective. I find myself feeling a part of the city rather than an observer. I have to communicate with the bus drivers, taxi cab drivers and pedestrians to maneuver. It also makes the city seem somehow familar. This afternoon I casually raced a few cars between stop lights just to share a laugh. It is Sunday, however, and that does mean less traffic. Can´t wait until tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I shall post pictures.

In closing, I have to admit that I find it difficult to write a blog. I´ve discovered that traveling has come to mean something different over the years. Where as once I was amused by even the fact that a gum wrapper was different I can´t say I think the same. I am still amused by these differences though it only lasts a fleeting moment. So, that leaves the question as to why I travel or why I make the extra effort to see something new and here is the only answer I think will do for today...it´s simply because. While this trip in my mind started out as a way to overcome a difficult year it is certainly something different. And to be honest, for me it is the best reason to be here. It´s a story for the sake of a story...nothing profound or attempting to be profound, it just is.

Enjoy your daily adventures my friends and when I can think of something of interest to write about, I will.

jude.

ps. for those of you traveling with friends and in need of a practical joke, you may try convincing your travel partner that the word IBO means ¨I purchase¨and then by further telling them it makes them sound more intelligent. I promise you at least ten full minutes of laughter when they practice their new found word.

Where the Journey really is...

2008-01-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

Hello. Where to begin today. Believe it or not we have not left Buenos Aires. On a regular SOPA (seat of pants adventure) things change almost instantaneously. We finally found a map which also forced a difficult route change...difficult in that my expectations of this journey needed to change. And this my friends is the most difficult adventure for me--acquiring flexiblity with grace and wit while releasing expectations. So, get out your maps, this is the new ¨plan¨: start in neuquen and ride directly west to the andes. ride along the andes through the lake region making our way to el bolson where we hope to work on this organic farm for a few weeks. post that experience, ride south.

yesterday we experienced riding our bikes through buenos aires. it felt great. there is absolutely nothing that compares to riding a bike...i think i wear the biggest smile on my bike. we´ll get into what my tires actually ride over as we get going a little more...

and on a final note before we have to figure out how we´re going to get to neuquen, we met some other kids doing a bike tour as well. their names: brook and ethan. we met them on the street while trying to find maps. they´ll start in mendoza and ride south so it is likely we´ll see them along the way...and it´s a good thing, they have their own floor pump! hee hee.

until later...

jude.

Mom, Don´t Read This...

2008-01-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

In bits and pieces we made it into Buenos Aires and surprsingly, despite all the plane delays, with our bikes and trailers. While waiting for Cari to come in, Leah and I practiced making balloon animals for a little boy. Thus far, the poodle has been mastered. However, the joyful reunion of the chicas did not at all happen until about 930pm and immediately afterwards we took a shuttle into the city as only highways run to the airport. At the end of the shuttle line we realized there was no taxi willing to take 3 chicas with 3 bikes and luggage. So, at 11pm we find ourselves at a bus station putting together our bikes and at 1130pm we find ourselves gleefully navigating Buenos Aires in search of a bed for the night...

Well, we made it, found an all night pizza place and toasted our journey (sadly not with Jubleale...Rachel good luck with that!) but with the national beer of Argentina, which in a taste test could be confused with PBR.

And so now as not to bore you with our mundane details of planning which direction to leave Buenos Aires, I shall go...but, wow is it hot here...HELLO SUMMER!

peace.
jude.

On the night before...

2008-01-08T20:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I have to admit I am new to the world of blogging. It seems sort of strange writing things that will float freely in the intangible world of cyber communication. Well, in preparation for the actual story I'll fill this space first with the boring details or with the preface, if you will.

Tomorrow we leave. Finally Cari and Leah have come to my parent's house here in Chicago and we've tested tents, stoves, and various other small things to make sure we have everything. The reality, however, is that in the days before we knew and understood bikes, travel, and touring, we never worried. Well, now that we know about what could happen, we've decided to take a few things along. In the end, it's all just stuff and we can find whatever we need along the way yet it comes down to timing--having the right things at the right time and since much of our journey will take place in the back country we again decided it would be best to take along a few necessary items. So, on the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me one BOB trailer full of:

1. marmot never summer sleeping bag
2. dragonfly stove (from my friend Matt who took it twice across the US) and fuel can
3. folding knobby mountain tires
4. six spare tubes
5. ti spork
6. canon rebel xti camera and a small pocket one (i travel light!)
7. first aid kit
8. frisbee
9. chain
10. topeak road morph pump
10a. nightstand*
11. balloons (to make animals for when i meet kids)
12. clown nose (for days when we need laughter)
13. harmonica
14. penny whistle
15. 3 pair bike shorts
16. long underwear
17. skirt
16. two shirts
17. two collared shirts
18. pants
19. shorts
20. two pair socks, underwear, etc.
21. sunglasses (which with no hair i look like a rock star!)
22. my lucky shirt
22a. typewriter*
23. sleeping pad
24. tools--spare chain, SOG multi knife, patch kit, spare bolts, pink zip ties, spoke wrench, super glue, band clamps (to make a cup holder), duct tape, pro link, crank puller, cassette remover (fits in the dropout so i don't need my whip), allen wrenches, tire levers, chain tool, adjustable wrench
25. tent (rei cirque 3 tent)...i'm carrying the poles and foot print, and stakes and the rest is being carried by the rest of the crew
26. water bottle (2)
27. 10L water reservoir
27a. gumball machine*
28. aqua mira
29. a frying pan (we have a pot that someone is carrying)
30. an extra pop can stove
31. compass--suunto ranger
32. orikaso folding bowl
33. crocs
34. shimano shoes
35. toothbrush
36. tikka plus headlamp
37. pack towel
38. novara stratos rain pants
39. OR enigma rain coat
40. tent repair kit, stove repair kit, two extra stakes and some parachute cord
41. glasses
42. contact solution
43. cookies
44. spare bungee cords
45. buff
46. OR rain mitts
47. BD jet stream gloves
47a. easel for drawing like they do on pbs with 47 different colored paints*
48. wool arm warmers
49. peace cranes
50. space pen
51. journal
52. books (2)
53. magnifying glass
54. wool shirt
55. a hat
56. a thermos mug
57. spare BOB skewer (one between the two of us)
58. spare BOB tire (one between the two of us)
59. spare spokes (8)
60. spare batteries
61. plug adapter
62. Patagonia R3pursuit fleece

*the author reserves the right to add things to the list that aren't really in her bag but that make her laugh as she's writing her long list.

total weight including trailer but NOT bike: 50lbs. The trailer itself weighs about 15lbs. Not sure on the weight of the bike but approximately 31lbs.

Don't worry, we'll get food, matches, and fuel when we get there...we haven't forgotten. I also have a handle bar bag and a seat bag that I'll distribute some of these things about...

And, I'm sure you want to know how we met. The short of it is that Leah (the redhead in the photo) and I met in Guatemala working at a small grass roots organization called Maya Pedal. Cari met Leah in Madison Wisconsin and poof! here we are. I bet you want to hear the long story, huh? Maybe on a night when I've run out of things to say I'll reinvent the story for you...

And now, another list. My beloved bike which i am still vacillating on a name...in the running is "el Jefe" ("the boss"), "Tina", "Lolita", "Loca Lola". Suggestions?
This bike is truly my work of art. So, without further adieu, my bike:

frame: trek 930 single track...lugged and fuchsia
brakes: suntour xc pro
brake levers: tektro aero levers
shifters: dura ace bar con shifters
bars: ritchy comp bars
bar tape: pink
stem: quill...though because I found it in the basement of a bike shop and without it's label I can't quite identify it.
headset: shimano stx threaded
fork: Trek cruise control 3
crank: Sugino XD 170mm triple,aluminum with a steel low chain ring. (46x36x24)
bottom bracket: Truvativ square taper 113x68
cassette: Sram 8sp. 11-32
chain: Shimano 105 8sp. hyperglide
derailleur rear: sachs centera 8sp
derailleur front: shimano alivio 8sp (the only piece I kept original on the bike)
brake pads: Kool Stop salmon pads
wheels: of course, handbuilt by me. rims: Suntour cr-18; spokes: DT Swiss Champion double butted; hubs: shimano LX; tires: Schwalbe Marathon Cross
pedals: shimano m340

miscellaneous bike items: Rivendell spring bell, cateye front bike light, blackburn rear light

And here ends the preface and the story can now begin...

Yes. Over the Andes.

2007-12-20T11:36:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it's so close but in a couple of weeks we'll begin our ride across Argentina. We are roughly planning on riding from Buenos Aires to Tierra del Fuego which takes us up and over the Andes. The anticipation is palpable but there is still so much to do! Plans are not set in stone so we need to be prepared for everything and nothing. Even the starting point is still up in the air. We may start closer to Patagonia, however, to have more time riding through the wilderness but we aren't one hundred percent sure. That's the beauty of this ride; It's a fly by the seat of my pants adventure. We want it all and would like to ride through the populated parts of Argentina as well as well as the rain forest. Stay tuned routes may and probably will vary.

I'm always asked why I'm doing this. It's part adventure, part self exploration and part product testing. People and culture are equally as stunning as the most pristine mountain lake and a field of wild flowers. To ride through a country and be immersed in it's culture is really people watching at its best. Moreover, I have learned so much about myself and have discovered the beauty of having five fabulous senses biking through towns and simply experiencing. Well, perhaps this is an obvious comment but, when i think of traveling, i think of simply being.

I'm still building the bike that will carry me over the 3000 miles and 3 months of riding and I'm eager to put the wheels I'm building for this journey to the test. As a high end wheel builder I'm always looking for ways to improve and test my product. This is a sure way.

- Jude