Wednesday, March 26, 2008

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

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.

Monday, March 24, 2008

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."
punta arenas, chile.


punta arenas, chile.


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


more of that there directional post.


the cemetary i was fumbling to describe the other day...

outside tulhuin, argentina (tierra del fuego).

of flowers and friends.

a lone tree.
leaving rio grande...aren´t the clouds dreamy.


helping our friends from spain at the start of their journey.


our friends from spain...paco and jose.


and leaving rio grande again...! i can´t figure out how to remove the duplicate copy!!

"frenchy" and cari on the ferry to ushuaia.


on the island of tierra del fuego (the chilean side)


porvenier, chile.


the family we stayed with in rio grande. the tall blonde fella´s name is chris and he´s the one who brought us into their home!

some photos.

the sign on the outside of my bob bag.


on the shores of ushuaia.


even margo has had too much wind and adventure!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

tierra del fuego....

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.

Monday, March 17, 2008

punta arenas...

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!