we stole the farmer!

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.