Ushuaia

Oh, Ushuaia. Paradise. How can you not love a place with mountains, penguins and tango?! This amazing southern city is a close tie with Whitehorse for my favorite place ever. I'll be back....

Christine

Let's Dance!

Yesterday we rested up our tired feet and legs, and after a delicous BBQ buffet we were ready for some TANGO lessons. Yes, Tango! For a low price of 10$ we got a beer and about 3 hours of great coaching. We started by learning simple steps individually and by the end of the night were combining the steps and dancing with partners. As much as she would argue otherwise, Christine proved that she is indeed a great dancer - she was even used to demonstrate new moves to her not so graceful friend...
I had trouble not laughing at the move where I had to rub our foot along my partners shin, making me feel like a cat rubbing up against a random leg... but all in all it was a great time! It was definitely a little more challenging than two steppin at Looney Toons, but well worth the effort!
The evening wrapped up with two of the instructors dancing to one of their favorites just as they would in competition. They flowed together perfectly - it was incredible!

Jodie

canadian beavers doing us proud

Tierra del Fuego is full of Canadian Beavers. Seriously. Apparently they were introduced here a while ago and have really been thriving. We were told by some locals as we headed out on our hike that we would definitely see the 'destruction' they have caused in the Fuegan mountains.

So we knew we might see some beaver dams. But we had no idea that we would find them way above the treeline surrounded by rugged snowy mountains. And that some of their dams would be over 10 feet high and that others would be over 100 feet long.

It seems that Canadian beavers are doing even better at the tip of the world than they are at home!

Christine

Hiking the Fuegan Andes

"We're hiking in the Fuegan Andes, guys! I can't believe we're hiking in the Fuegan Andes!"

(This actually sounds really funny when you say it out loud [Fuegan is pronounced fweg-in])

Even though the forecast was for 3 days of rain with only one morning of potential sun, we were determined to start hiking and we set of for the Valdivieso Circuit as waterproofed as we could make ourselves.

Thankfully, the weather held out and we enjoyed dry weather and great visibility for most of the hike.

The 'trail' was actually more of a rough route, but for the most part we were above the treeline and could easily see where we wanted to go. The first day took us up over the Beban pass, which offered incredible views of the jagged and snow-covered peaks that surrounded us. We took advantage of the long summer day (2 days after summer solstice) and hiked until 9pm and cooked dinner as we watched the sun cast its last light on the impressive rock faces that surrounded our campsite.

The next day, we climbed up over two passes (Mariposa and Valdivieso), which both overlooked beautiful alpine lakes surrounded by incredible peaks and beautiful snowfields. This was Christmas eve and we camped near a small waterfall and celebrated with hot mulled wine as our bed-time drink.

Christmas morning, we awoke to pouring rain but it had more or less cleared by the time we we ready to head out. The final day of the hike took us down a long valley that was mostly skeg and Jodie and I laughed at the fact that we were tromping through ankle deep moss for fun when we get paid for it all summer.

We made it back to the road and hitched a ride back to our hostel with enough time to make our Christmas phone calls and cook up a makeshift Christmas dinner. All in all, it was a beautiful hike and definitely got us excited for more!

Christine

Feliz Navidad

from the bottom of the world: Tierra del Fuego!

More on the past few days' adventuring tomorrow morning...tonight its dinner, wine and lots of sleep in a warm comfy bed!

Merry Christmas,

Christine, Jodie and Anthony

Whirlwind

Ouff! 4 days after leaving La Paz and 2 flights and many hours on the bus later, we're at the end of the world in Ushuaia, Argentina. The trip has been quite an adventure in itself and I'm not convinced that biking here wouldn't have been more relaxing!

We left La Paz afer a fun night of partying with some cyclists that we met from Vancouver that involved a midnight dip in the ocean in downtown La Paz and a lot of hair gelling with the 1L of gel that Jodie and I found for a dollar!

Needless to say, we weren't in the best shape ever when we got on the overnight flight to Chile the next morning. Or the overnight flight the next night to Punta Arenas. By yesterday morning, we were running on 10 hours of terrible airplane sleep in three days.

We were exhausted, but not too exhausted to go check out Punta Arena's most interesting attraction, the Penguins on Magdallena Island. WOW! There were over 100,000 of them all over this little island and you could get up pretty close for pictures. Such funny little creatures!

A 12 hour bus ride brought us all the way to Ushuaia, on the island of Tierra del Fuego and we're ready to stop moving and do some exploring.

EXCEPT, somewhere between La Paz and Ushuaia, I managed to lose a pair of jeans, a tanktop, my binoculars, $80 cash, my passport (luckily I got this one back), and possibly my mp3 player (it might be with my bike). At least my backpack is a little lighter, I guess.

WEEEeeeeeeEEEEEeeeeeeEEEee!

Christine

touchdown

We made it to Chile safe and sound and have met up with Anthony, who we'll be travelling and hiking with for the next 3 weeks. We're running on 5 hours of poor sleep in 2 days, and have another night flight tonight to get us to the bottom of the world for Christmas.

More later, when we've woken up from this travelling haze :)

Christine

¡adios mexico!

Well, we've seen the Baja - the good, the bad and the ugly of it. There are things we'll miss and things we'll try to forget....and here they are, in no particular order:

We'll miss...fresh fruit shakes for breakfast...hot dog stands...churros...loud mexican music...sandy beaches...clear blue water...pinata stores...margaritas...1 dollar beers...chihuahuas...creative gel hair styles...

We'll try to forget...creepy mexican men whistling and catcalling...hairy man-eating tarantulas...angry guard dogs that aren't kept tied up...cactus thorns that puncture our tires....

It's been great, but we're looking forward to the new adventures (and foods!) waiting for us in South America. We fly to Chile tomorrow (!!) to start round two so stay tuned.

Christine

For all the fun in La Paz

You were the perfect host! Thanks for the welcome ballenas, balandra beach, the local eats and guiding us to (and most of all, home from) the casa de villa. Sorry for keeping you out so late ;)

The Myers hit Mexico!

...and Gary, Marcy, Jane, Brandy and Julie! We just had a great week-long vacation with a good FSJ crowd- here are some highlights:
*Dad braved the elments and traded in the Wranglers and the long johns for shorts, earning the affectionate nickname ¨wittle white woper¨from Jullio.
*Jane gave him (Dad) a good run for his money with the ´fish-belly-white´ skin in the early phases, but definitely was the tanned one by the end.
*Marcy provided some incredible dance lessons which made good use of the piñata stick and 80´s hits.
*Mom oooed, awwwed and took pictures of the flowers, ocean, birds, fish, us, and well, pretty much everything...¨Pretty Darn Nice eh?¨
*Chef Boy-ar-Doyle once again showed his talents as he worked his magic in the kitchen to impress Brandÿ. He also kindly sacrificed his kayak when she was getting attacked by the shark- what a nice boy...
*Gary lost count of the Gin and Tonics as his glass overflowed with the limes that were supposed to be used for keeping track of how many he´d had...
*Chris and Jullio harmanized nicely to ¨Punta Pascadero La La La La La¨ and ¨Ole Ole, Ole Ole Ole!!!
There was plenty of swimming, singing, dancing, tequilla and beer drinking, exploring, and tons of laughing - it was a great way to wrap up our US/Mexico journey! Thanks guys!

-Jodie

SHOUT OUT TO JOE!!!

...it could never be as good as the SF Bitter End party! But, yes it was good fun! We are landing in Santiago on the morning of December 20th - see ya there!?!?
If not, send us an email myers_jodie@hotmail.com & likethepear_9@hotmail.com

¡Baila! ¡Baila!

We´ve been saving up for a good night of partying for quite a while now - our last one was in San Fransisco over a month ago...

So we put on our best get-up last night (which looks quite a lot like what we wear every day!) and headed out for a night on the town with Gerald, our host here in La Paz (and our boss`s father!). He took us on a tour of the best watering holes early in the evening, including one that was decorated with dead pufferfish lit up by colored lights inside of them. Then it was to the rooftop bar on the waterfront where the real fun began. Before long, then entire place was packed and we were sitting front row for the best entertainment in the house: a cheesy mexican guy hitting on (maybe a bit of an understatement) a girl with all the classic moves - leg up on the stool, arm sway, flexing, unbuttoning his shirt and dancing disco-style to very not disco music. We decided that rather than just sit there and stare at them, we might as well make some friends, so we ordered up a round of drinks and started dancing. Three more gringos showed up after a while and joined our little gang and we tore up the dance floor (Gerald, too!) all night long.

We were having such an awesome time that we didn´t even realize that bars here don´t close at two and when we finally stumbled out of there, we were shocked to see that it was 4 in the morning!

Arriba!

Christine

We made it!

La Paz! Our destination, 4100 kms later. It´s a little overwhelming to be here and be done the first part of our trip. A big part of me just wants to hop right back on my bike tomorrow and keep on pedalling. But other parts (particularly my thighs and stomach) are desperate for a week or so of lying in the sun.

So, I´m off to grab a cerveza and then take a siesta...this is the time to relax!

Christine

Dear Creepy Mexican Guy,

You know who you are.

When we bike by, please, wave and say hello. Honk your horn. Cheer us on. Smile.

Please don´t stare at us without smiling. Please don´t whistle, or make that silly little siren you have in your car do a cat call. Please don´t yell hey gringa or mamacita or make strange purring sounds (especially if you work for the military, are dressed in camo and carrying a semi-automatic).

Sincerely,

Christine and Jodie (not Yodie - Jodie, with a J)

security code red

The security alert has been increased to red as of yesterday due to the sighting of 5 (yes, 5!) TARANTULAS on the highway.

Under code red, tent doors must remain sealed at all times, and may only be opened by authorized personnel for appropriate reasons and only under the strictest supervision.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Security Coordinator, Christine

ride ride ride, hitchin a ride

Well, the wind didn't want to let up in San Ignacio but in order to make our date with Jodie's parents in a week, we had to move on regardless. So we packed our bags and battled the gale for 2 long kilometers to the gas station, where we befriended the attendant and what seemed like half the town's men who were loitering around. It was a good strategy, though, since we had them all working to find us a ride out to the coast, where we hoped the wind would be at our backs rather than in our faces.

It didn't take long for them to find Teodoro, a local school teacher with a pick-up truck, who was willing to take us along. Teodoro turned out to be not only a good driver, negotiating fallen rocks and transport trucks on the steepest grades on Mex 1, but also a great tour guide, pointing out places of interest along the way.

He told us about the geo-thermal plant beside the volcano that supplies electricity to several towns in the area, and pointed out a mule caravan taking supplies to a hunting camp where they hunt desert bighorn. He even stopped for us to take a picture of a huge rock shaped like a chicken (which we were too polite to say that we couldn't actually see!).

So finally we're back on the road, with the sea on our left now and the winds pushing us south to La Paz....

Christine

Well, blow me down!

I was up all night listening to the wind through the thin walls of our tent. In the morning, we (and all of our stuff) was covered in sand from being continuously pelted by it all night long. Dates and leaves were falling from the palm tress that surrounded us and a few times, I worried that a whole tree might come tumbling down.

With such an intense wind storm blowing through, we're forced to spend another day in San Ignacio. The owner of the campground where we're staying swears that it isn't going to rain. "puro aire, puro aire," he says. Just air. Well, sir, methinks all this air might blow that thatch roof off your restaurant! But when we offer to help him pin stuff down, he just says, "oh, no problema" and laughs as chairs from his patio go whizzing away.

So we're spending the day in search of walls to sit between and watching the sand blow by, dressed in all the warm stuff we've got. Just another beautiful day in Mexico!

Christine

the oasis

140 kms later, we were supposed to already be in San Ignacio by our figuring. But as we crested yet another hill, there wasn`t a town to be seen and we could see for miles and miles, all the way to the base of the mountains further east. The landscape was beautiful, red rocky hills dotted with green cactus but it wasn`t what we were looking for.

We continued on a little further, wondering how we had managed to get lost in a land with only one road, and then we saw it. Not buildings or cars...palm trees. Millions of them, filling an entire valley and hiding the small oasis town of San Ignacio. As we approached, we could feel the air become more still and thick and you could smell the vegetation. The road made a final dip and suddenly we were under a palms and surrounded by lush green - the oasis!

We spent the evening exploring the 18th century mission and sampling the tacos on offer around the main square. And we like it so well, we`re going to spend the day here tomorrow. Quite a refreshing change after 600kms of cactus!

Christine

been through the desert on a bike with no name

Well, contrary to my prior belief, the Baja is not just a 1500km long beach. Unless, of course, water isn´t essential to your definition of beach. Because there is certainly a lot of sand. And cacti.

We were a little nervous setting off into the desert with 4 days worth of food and a day and a half´s worth of water. Not least because the day before (sit down, moms), we were pulled over by a very concerned mexican cop who told us that women can´t survive in the desert. Women specifically, since he was responding to my argument that loads of people bike the baja each year.

When our heart rates had finally settled back to normal (it´s quite a rush to be pulled over by mexican federalis with flashing lights and a loudspeaker blaring at you from the roof of their car), we started the long, twisty road up onto the desert plateau. And up and up and up it went, and even though it was our biggest elevation gain so far, it was also our longest distance day since we were pushing for a tiny little dot on the map where we knew we could find a place to camp and fill our water jugs.

The desert landscape was fascinating, especially once we got up on top of the plateau. You could see for miles in all directions, nothing but sand and cactus split by a narrow ribbon of pavement that seemed so out of place in a land where it really seemed like no one should ever have cause to go. Every time we went up over a little knoll into another valley, we were amazed to see another 20 or so kilometers of nothingness. Wow. But in a very beautiful and not at all boring way.

And all the vast nothingness brought with it some practical problems. Like where to use the bathroom, for example. Obviously there were no toilets or outhouses. There were also no trees or bushes or anything, really, to hide behind. So relieving ourselves was really a matter of just hanging it out there and crossing our fingers that a caravan wouldn´t come along. Weee!

Christine

There´s always something going on in the desert...

-just like the Snoopy comic said! We took a day off in Cataviña, expecting that it would be really quiet and we would be forced to relax... the morning was just that. We slept in, read our books and did our laundry in stuff sacs.

At lunch we walked down to the little convience store for some snacks and were greeted by the crazy Korean, Henrey. He and his buddies had been down in the Baja for a boys trip and were on their way home to California. When he heard that we were cycling and how far we´d travelled, he insisted that we take a bag of chocolate bars and candy. mmm!! He then cooked us a korean meal while we sat in their camp chairs and drank beer. They also gave us several packages of noodles and offered us their microwave before they headed on down the road. :P

We were later out on a photo safari and attempting to find a phone when we met the ¨dirt bike guys¨from northern california. These guys are on an annual dirt bike trip that takes them all over the backroads/trails of the Baja. They claimed that we looked clean, but were incredibly generous and offered their hotel room showers to us. Alright!!

On our walk back to our campsite to get our shower stuff we met Elvis, yup this man has an incredible life story! He is actually not sure of his real name, but he did invent the hoolahoop, frisbee, mars bar, and training wheels; and all before he was ten years old! He owns over 20mil in strawberry fields down here but just has to find it... as we walked away from this man Christine confessed that this is the closest she´s ever been to calling Bullshit on a complete stranger!

... the showers were SO nice! We then hung out with the guys for a couple of beers and they treated us to a delicous dinner at the hotel (instead of whatever one pot wonder we were going to attempt back at camp). We had a wonderful time sharing stories and laughs - Thanks guys!

So all in all, our rest day in the desert turned into yet another adventure. You never know who you´ll meet or what you might learn...

-Jodie

Adieu of the third amiga

Well girls, I'm listening to Carsie Blanton at my home computer, slow connection as it is. I will validate that there is snow up here, and tomorrow's temp with wind chill is -39C. Brrrr. I guess I'll take my run indoors:) I am proud to say that I covered 1300 km in two days- not bad hey? My bum is sore in different ways now. I think it will take more than a drive up the province to digest the last forty days. It is made up of highs and lows, irrational hours and mutually enjoyed meals/ bike interludes. I will miss taking in the sights with you*. Here's some sights I will share with you. Of driving east through the Chilliwack valley, the sun bursting out of darkly layered cumulous clouds and touching snowy peaks over Hope. A low sun, in San Diego it'd be a half hour before dark, but in Ashcroft the sun will hang for three more hours in its slow westward course; painting the fallow hills in a pale yellow light as we wind into Clinton. Street lights of Prince George piercing the sky vertically, reflecting off snow crystals in the air. Snow rounded and pillowy, untracked along the Pine Pass summit...This one will get you Jodie:) So I bid you enjoy the journey, the constant nourishment, the friends along the way, fun camping and best breakfasts ever, the sunshine on your legs, the dear calls home, and each other. love Wendy

Mucho Frio!!!

This is what our new friend Hilda told us last night would be like if we slept in our tent outside... so she invited us back to stay at her father´s house in the spare rooms that he normally rents out. Hilda works in a taco stand beside the free RV site that we were planning to stay at. She was very curious when the two ´white girls´rode in, so she quickly came over for a little chat. She waited for us to have a delicous dinner and then led us along a few sandy streets to the house.
We were greeted by her sister, father, and two children when we arrived. Christine carried the conversation and answered all of their questions in Spanish while I did my best to figure out what they were talking about. I found myself making faces and laughing with the kids because they seemed to be easier to understand. I ended up asking to take pictures with them and we had so much fun!! They loved the digital camera and were so excited to pose and act infront of it! We got their address so we will hopefully send them some of the photos when we get home.
Our rooms were simple and tidy and we even had our own toilet! The sleep was indeed warmer than outside would have been and we were very grateful for the hospitality!
Jodie

A whole new world

As soon as we crossed the border, we were amazing by how things can change so much in just a few kilometers. Everything just seems slightly chaotic in Mexico and our senses are constantly overloaded with new images, smells and sounds. Result being that after our first day of riding south of the border, we were more mentally exhausted than physically.

The main differences?

Well, the roads are every bit as narrow and shoulderless and we´ve been warned about. But don´t worry, Moms - the drivers have been very courteous so far and give us space when they pass. Not a ton of space, but enough, and we know that they are more accustomed to these narrow roads than we are. In the busiest places, we have found shoulders, but they´re about 4 inches lower than the main road, which makes for some exciting hops up and down as we dodge obstacles.

The main obstacles we dodge, aside from potholes big enough to swallow us whole, are dead dogs. There are hundreds of them and in the dry heat, they smell terrible and the smell lingers for several hundred meters.

People´s responses to us are very different here, too. We get honks/waves/yells from over half of the people who see us. The majority are fun, with only a few creepy catcalls per day. The truckers and bus drivers are especially exuberant, and they like to honk little tunes or use their alarms to make fun whistle noises at us.

All in all, our first few days in Mexico have been an exciting change from riding through the US and we´re looking forward to moving even further south, sampling tacos and ice cream bars along the entire length of the baja!

-Christine

I do.....NOT!

Two days and two marriage proposals! This bike trip must be doing more for me that I thought :)

The first was from a german staying at our hostel in San Diego who sat down to dinner with us on our first night in town. He was asking all about Canadian cities and trying to compare them to US cities when we discovered our shared love of sidewalk hot dog vendors. He was so pumped to find a girl that could happily live on all-beefs that he wanted to marry me! Tee Hee!

The second was from a Mexican restaurant host who I think found me freakishly tall, but couldn't believe that a woman existed who wouldn't jump at the offer of a free margarita. "What? You no like margaritas? You must be my wife!" And both other times that we passed him that day, he'd run over calling, "Oh, my fiance! my fiance!" Jodie was kind enough to insist on taking my picture with my newest beau. Tee Hee again!

With all of the attention that we seem to attract from mexican men, I figure we need to start a tally of how many marriage proposals we rack up over the next few weeks. The three pasty white girls seemed quite popular in Tijuana the other day, getting cat calls and pick-up lines from all sides. Some of our favorites:

"Hey! Charlie's Angels!"
"Are you from Baywatch?" (I think they were talking to Jodie)
"Hey! The three musketeers!" (slightly less flattering)
"I've got a big enchilada!" (and suddenly i'm not hungry anymore)

And that's all on day one!

~Christine

Mexican Zebras

Dad, you're not going to believe this!! There are zebras all over the streets in Tijuana... or so we thought until we looked a little closer. :) They have painted, yes painted, donkeys with black stripes and have them hitched to wagons for photos. You can borrow sombreros and sit in the wagon with the poor donkey standing patiently in the street. We didn't get any pictures of them because it would have cost at least five bucks, but we definitely got a good laugh out of the sight!
~Jodie

MEXICO!

2,667 kms later, we made it to Mexico! We did our final sprint to the border yesterday morning from downtown San Diego to celebrate in Tijuana with margaritas and tacos. Yippee!

Enter San Diego

Wow, what a difference a day or two can make on biking energy. We were all sitting high in the seat yesterday as we tackled the 67 miles from San Clemente to San Diego. This was my most enjoyable bike day yet, yes, even better than the rainy day to Fairfax. The road lay out flat before us, our route led us down freeway frontage roads and bike trails wide and untravelled. Twice our bike path opened out wide enough to be an easy runway for the Twin Otter. We cycled through Camp Pembleton military training site, with excercises in progress and everywhere, cammouflage. Then by the beach towns of San Diego county. Seven hours of carefree riding with nice visiting between traffic makes for a bright day. -Wendy

Hollywood!

Hype schmipe, I say! I'm not about to leave LA without a little taste of Hollywood. So, Jodie and I headed to Universal Studios for our day of not-so-rest. We mingled with stars (donkey and sponge-bob), acted for the camera-man (we weren't actually scared on the roller-coaster, just acting!), and dined in style (with our all-you-can-eat hot dog and pizza bracelets)! And when the day was over and they finally kicked us off the roller coaster (after 5 rides), we headed to the 'real' hollywood for a walk among the bright city lights. All in all, an action-packed day, though we may actually be more tired now than before our rest day!

~Christine

Malibu has Lac la Hache beat for the longest city, stretching its ginormous houses along 25 miles of coast and highway. Welcome to southern California, where a modest beach front house is selling for 3 million. I've been stared out of clothing stores on Santa Monica Main street, and through Starbucks line-ups in Malibu. I'm a different breed, and looking forward to being among my own herd *sigh*. I shopped REI instead of crossing the threshhold of Universal Studios and all the hype it represents. Speaking of hype, two hyper girls left for Hollywood streets this morning. Wonder Who they saw. I worked on the back of my legs tan, which is severely paler than the front. The beach, two blocks from the motel, stretches to the smoggy horizon both ways. Reporting from Santa Monica, Wendy

Big Sur and the happiest day ever!

From the minute we left Carmel and started to wind our way upwards along the coast and into the region known as big sur, I had a huge grin on my face that didn't fade until we cruised back down towards flat land 75 miles later.

I had heard of the Big Sur before and knew that it was beautiful and a must-see along the California coast. We'd also heard that the road was narrow, steep, windy and without shoulders - exactly my kind of ride! But no one who described it prepared me for it. Maybe that's because it just defies description.

For 75 miles, the road is etched into mountainsides overlooking the most intensley colorful sea waters that you could image that smash violently against the craggy shoreline.

Even though it was the hilliest and windiest road we've seen yet, the entire thing felt easy. It must have been the magic of the big sur.

~Christine

bienvenido a Mexico!

Ok, we're not really there yet, but we got our first taste of the road to come this afternoon in Guadalupe. This little town of 6,000 is overwhelmingly mexican. All of the stores and restaurants have signs only in Spanish and they serve up a mean (and authentic) burrito. Jodie and Wendy even got a chance to practice some of the spanish that they've been learning on the road with the very friendly owners who only spoke a bit of english. I also had a good chat with them about our trip and their hometown in Mexico and it was the first spanish I've spoken in a while. After lunch, we explored a few of the small groceries in town that serve up a whole bunch of mexican treats and we all rode out of town feeling quite giddy about being so close to the border and the next stage of our trip. Hasta Mexico!!

~Christine

jodie and the yellow-light curse

Riding through the urban areas of California is very frustrating. Bikes aren't allowed on the freeways and alternate routes are long, confusing and poorly marked. But that's not the only frustration for Jodie, who seems to have put under the yellow-light curse. At every intersection, Wendy and I sqeak through while the light is still green and Jodie (right behind us), powers through somewhere between yellow and red, afraid of being left behind if she stops. Of the 20 or so stop lights we crossed today, this must have happened at at least 15 of them!

~Christine

Sharing a joke with a stranger

Had my laugh of the day between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. I was just making a point about how surfer guys gain some attraction points by just being surfers. To illustrate my point I jovially enacted how I would greet the next Californian guy, "Hellooo, do you surf?", all this half yelling as we girls rode rode side by side on the shoulder. Just then a biker passes us on the left, perhaps biking from that last surfing pullout 2 miles back, and gives us this knowing grin. He totally heard me- how far back he'd been in on my argument I don't know. I dropped my head in shame as he cruised on to SC as the girls hooted at my timing. Wish I could've caught up to him...-Wendy

i left my heart in san fransisco

What an amazing city! And what a perfect 48ish hours we have spent here!

Riding into the city, after crossing the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge (quite a milestone on our little adventure), I was instantly impressed by the architecture. Every house (mostly 3-story row houses) was colorful and unique and yet they all complimented each other perfectly. The way they rise up on the steep hillsides in layers is so impressive that I can't imagine a more beautiful city.

We settled into our hostel, got ourselves fed and washed and set out to explore. We hit a few of the essential areas on our first night and the next morning - little Italy, North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf.

They were interesting, but the real fun began on Saturday afternoon when we hooked up with Annie and Nick. We headed to Haight and Ashbury, the heart of San Fransisco in the 60s and 70s, and still the funkiest part of town. We spent the afternoon eating crepes, shopping in crazy thrift shops, browsing bookshops, and getting Annie's nose peirced (yay!). We ate Burmese for dinner - an amazing feast! - and then met up with Kitty, Joe and Justin and headed to the pub, where things got even more interesting. Like good canadians, we kept the beer flowing all night long until all 7 of us were sitting under our table (try it sometime - it's an interesting perspective), sharing jokes and stories like we were all old friends.

Nick drove us home at 2:30, via the word's crookedest street (Weeeeeee!) and his apartment where we climbed up to the roof for an awesome view of the city and the full moon.

Our whole gang of San Fran friends were just amazing people - the kind you feel like you've known forever when you've only just met them - and they made our time in the city a thousand times more exciting than it could have been with out them. Hats off to all you backroaders - you rock!

Today, Jodie and I woke up early (despite our late night) and tackled the city one last time. We were on a mission - taking in the famer's market, shopping for funky jewelry and clothes on Haight, and watching Chicago (the musical). We're exhausted tonight, but it was well worth it. We'll ride out of the city tomorrow, but we won't be saying goodbye for ever. This place is definitely worth another trip!

~Christine

never trust a drunken sailor

We went out for drinks at an Irish pub on our first night in San Fran (not exactly a cultural experience, I know, but it was near our hostel and the beer was cold!). By chance, a sailor from the HMCS Vancouver learned that we were canadians, and sat down to chat with his fellow countrymen. It was an interesting converstation with a very drunken sailor, that ended with promises of a tour of the ship the next morning if we showed up at 11:30 with our passports.

Not ones to pass up on interesting opportunities, we were pier 23 on time (myself feeling slightly silly and wondering if there an equivalent word to hockey pucks or tire biters for girls that chase sailors and whether we would be seen as such), hoping our drunken sailor wasn't too drunk to remember us.

But alas, it was not to be. The working day was dragging on for the sailors, the ship wasn't secure and there was no sign of our sailor.

~Christine

We left disappointed, but laughing at thought that we're likely not the first women in San Fransisco to have our hearts broken by a drunken sailor.

If you can't beat it, join it

Our first day of biking through the rain was Thursday. We were well warned by local forcasters of the coming rain, but decided to push on to San Francisco out from the cover of Bodega Harbor Inn. With my rain coat hood up under my helmet I led out and very soon became one with the rain. Surprisingly I had one of my best bike days yet. As long as we were moving I was warm and well-happy, even. Noticing rivulets streaming down the bark of Arbutus trees, racing herds of scared cattle in adjacent fields, adjusting the temperature control pit-zips on my raincoat, singing rain songs. I laughed aloud at the absurdity as water gushed off my front tire, especially on the downhills, into my face. The fertalizer runnoff from this long awaited rain completed the missing nutrients in my recently organic diet. Despite the turnaround of a day that began with damp misery I'm hoping it doesn't rain in southern Cali.

blame it on bob

I know we're following the coast and that there aren't exactly any major mountain ranges to climb, but man is it hilly around here! Up and down, up and down ALL day, with not a single straight stretch to just cruise along. They call the section of road that we pedalled the other day Dramamine Drive. Sure, I can see how it might be exciting in a car and even cause some motion sickness with all its twists and turns and ups and downs, but on a bike, it just felt like plain old work.

And when the going gets tough, it's never because we're tired or sore or had too many beers the night before. Nope, it's always bob's fault. It's great to have someone along to blame the tough stuff on.

For instance, sometimes bob gains weight and has trouble getting over the steep hills. That's ususally right after a visit to one of California's amazing health food stores, where he can't seem to resist over-eating! And sometimes, on even steeper or longer hills, bob decides that he's had enough and he wants to head north again - quite a problem when he's attached to the rear end of your bike and you're trying to haul him south.

But things aren't all bad with bob. Once in a while, on sunny days with amazing ocean views, bob is fully cooperative and seems to really pull his own weight. Then, bob can be your best friend :)

~Christine

Cool California Locals

I believe that yesterday could have been one of our most trying days yet, but it actually turned into one of our very best.

We woke up to pouring rain in Bodega Bay. The first 40km of our ride went by nice and fast as we were powered by leftover Halloween candy… We stopped for a quick lunch in Marshall. As we sat there shivering we were greeted by Rich who was also taking his lunch break; he told us about the upcoming roads, where to go for fewer hills, some cool sites, where he has cycled and of course the painted bridge. It was great to hear his enthusiasm and to have someone to distract us from our cold. Rich gave us one of his local maps and we were on the road again...

We reached our planned campsite early in the afternoon and decided that we would much rather stay on our bikes and push another 45km for San Francisco than spend the rest of the afternoon in a soggy crowded tent.

Ok, so almost to Fairfax we pulled over to the side of the road for a snack and a chat when Annie and Juliana pulled up. They were just making sure that we were ok. Annie is a super cool girl that has done tons of traveling and has guided bicycle tours all over the world. She gave us a few tips for the roads ahead and we were just leaving when Chris looks back at me and says, “That girl has jumped out of her car and is chasing us!” I guess Annie had decided that we didn’t look too threatening and generously invited us to her house for showers and a dry place to sleep and also out to live music with her and her friends that night in Fairfax. We decided not to climb the HUGE hill up to Annie’s, but that we would meet her later on.

A couple of minutes after talking to Annie, Rich honked as he was driving by on his way into town and stopped to see how we were doing. He told us that we were doing a great pace and wished us well on the rest of our journey. Somehow it almost seemed like we were beginning to be locals along this California highway…

We were completely soaked when we got into the cool little hippy town of Fairfax. We took over the laundry mat as our base to dry gear (and oursleves). After exploring some cute shops and eating a delicious burger, we met Annie at the Book Beat for some super fun music by locals Liam & Ronnie and then by Carsie Blanton from Philadelphia. It was a wonderful evening that was followed by an after party at The Scoop, the homemade ice cream shop in Fairfax. Oh, and courtesy of Liam, we are now known as “The Canadian Biker Chix” by the Fairfax locals.

~Jodie

Hippy Halloween!

Everyone in northern California got together and decided to dress as hippies for halloween. And they must have been planning it for a while, because they had long beards and even smelled like real hippies!

Just Kidding.

Even though we didn't end up going out for halloween, we didn't let the holiday go to waste. The night before, Jodie and Wendy bought a pumpkin and carved a cute little jack-o-lantern named Pablo that Jodie hauled along on top of her bob all day.

We were late in getting the idea to dress up on our bikes (the dates sort of mush together when you don't have a tight schedule), and when we got to Medocino on the morning of the 31, there were no costumes to be had. But there were big orage garbage bags with jack-o-lantern faces on them. So we bought 2, tied them around our necks and set off flapping down the highway.

It certainly got us a lot of attention, in the form of honks and waves from passers-by but the flapping got to be too much by mid-afternoon and we had to take them off. We decorated our campsite with them that night, and trick or treated at the only other occupied hiker-biker site in the campground, where we sat with our little pumpkin and a warm campfire and shared stories with Mary and Brent from Vancouver who are biking the same route as we are.

T'was a very hippy halloween!

~Christine

Nine mile mountain

She was peering at us sideways when she prepped (threatened?) us about the hilly section just south of Crescent City. That "you'll see" glint was in her eyes and she dismissed us as crazies who would attempt such a ride. The hotel manager was far from my mind as I approached the first of the hills, gung ho for the climb. And it went well, despite a couple losses. I lost my water bottle on the down side of the mountain-busting out of the bungie-front bike rack holster I had contrived. And I lost my wallet, on the summit of the same mountain. I guess on one of my picture taking stops I had set my wallet down on top of the pannier instead of inside and disregarded the jangling noise of the coins being strewn all over the black-top. Fortunately Chris noticed the black leather shape and forced herself to turn around to ensure it wasn't a wallet. My thanks to you Chris for saving me from a ride up the back side of the nine mile hill. In the Giesbrecht lineage of wallet displacers- Wendy

Our new friend Roach

Yes he' s a real guy and no that's not his real name. But he met us at a Groundations concert downtown Arcata. Bright eyed, bobble-headed, beanie wearing Roach was the first to get us on the dance floor. Dancing hippi style to Raggae is hand waving shoulder swagging action. When the music slowed down, which inevitably it did, the dance became more of a sway. I got a kick out of the go-go girls, giving support vocals to the lead turbanned rapper; and a trombone duo on the other side -anything goes in Arcata. When we couldn't see for the smoke, we returned to our free back yard abode, living as the hippies do. Peace, love, and happiness: Wendy

The Road Less Travelled

Getting off the highway is one of the greatest joys of cycling. Cruising down a quite rural route, whether it's snaking along the ocean's shore or winding through giant redwood forests, is infinitely more enjoyable than choking on smog and watching gigantic trucks full of gigantic logs racing towards the mill (though we do love all the flattering and encouraging honks we get on the highways).

Luckily, the pacific coast bike route is well marked and often leads us down less busy roads. And even when it doesn't, we ask locals if there's any way to stay off the freeway.

Coming into Arcata a few days ago, this led us down a few very interesting paths....

First, we wound back and forth, up and down on a roller-coaster of a road the hugged a steep hillside and overlooked the ocean. Eventually, we came to a "road closed ahead" sign, but we were told by locals that we could probably make it through. We came to the baracade a few miles further on and wheeled our bikes around it....to find that the road had sunk down about 8 feet in a landslide, leaving a series of huge steps in the pavement. It was awkward to manoeuver bikes and bobs through the obstacle course, but we had some good laughs doing it and taking pictures of one another.

Back on smoother pavement, we started to follow bike route signs again, and as the road became more and more narrow and more and more encrusted with dried manure, we started looking around and laughing, wondering if we'd gotten ourselves lost in farm land. Cows lines both sides of the road that was barely wide enough for a single car and we choked on the smell of fresh manure. And just when we thought that we must have gotten ourselves off track, another bike route sign appeared and ushered us into Aracata (the craziest hippy town you could imagine, but more on that from one of the other girls!).

As we look down the map to southern California and see our small coastal roads turning into huge double-lane highways, we're keeping our fingers crossed that there will be more little roads like this where we can dodge washouts and cow patties :)

~ Christine

my sanity is somewhere back in redwood national forest

We were cruising among the tallest trees in the world, dwarfed by their enormous trunks and nearly falling off our bikes when we tried to crane our necks far enough to see their very tops. It was amazing, albeit a little chilly in the shade, and we coasted slowly down the hill (we'd just laboured to the top of our biggest hill yet), stopping once in a while to take pictures of trees that were especially impressive.

We took a break near one giant that had been completely burned out in the middle and I had the brilliant idea of wheeling my bike right into it and parking it there for a picture. Easy enough. Unfortunately, getting the bike and bob back out of the tree wasn't quite as easy as getting it in and in the process (more of a brute force manoeuver than a process, actually), bent my derailleur hanger. Of course, I didn't know that that was the problem until I rode the screaming beast 20 miles to the next town with a bike shop after being unable to adjust it properly myself.

And boy did it scream. Even in my quiet gear, I was embarassed to be making so much noise when we would pass pedestrians or even cars with their window's open. Jodie and Wendy tried hard to keep their distance while I gritted my teeth and cursed under my breath the whole way to town. By the time we got here, I was at my nerve's end.

Thankfully a delicious bowl of ice cream and a local hero (Justin from Revolution Bicycle Repairs) were enough to save my sanity and me and my bike are both happy again. And I've promised not to force bob into any more awkward positions like that ever again.

~Christine

Revolution Bicycle Repair / Campsite of choice in Arcata...

Chris' bike has been screaming quite loudly for the last 20 miles, my rear derailleur was unhappy, and Wendy's rear tire have been giving in regularly to the little pieces of metal along the highway... We had heard good things about the quirky little town of Arcata and decided that it would be a good place to take a break and get our bikes looked at. We made it to the plaza, the heart of downtown Arcata, just to find out that the nearest camping or hotels were a good 7km back from where we'd just came from. Ahhhh!!!
After a 30min timeout period to find food and plan our next steps, we decided that we would find a bike shop first and then make the trek back to find a motel. Justin at Revolution solved all of our problems; he first fixed both of our bikes, found a tire for Wendy, and then graciously offered the business's backyard for a campsite. We are glad to say we have happy bikes, a great camping spot (downtown), and free tickets to live music tonight all for the low, low price of 5$ US.
Thanks Justin!
~Jodie

Random Thoughts

We rode a stiff tail wind along some of the best coast line so far. My favorite part is the lazy uphills and stack rocks jutting just off the beach, breaking up the surf. Since 10am Chris had us dreaming of fish and chips in Gold Beach, which we sufficiently indulged in, malt vinegar and all. A gold rush occured up the Rogue River a decade pre-Klondike, FYI. These are my disconnected thoughts. Celebrating our last night in Oregon here in Gold Beach with sugar cookies and a cottage all to our own:) from Wendy

heads or tails?

It probably would surprise you if I said that the weather was the biggest factor in determining whether it is to be a good day, a so-so day or a not-so-good day on the bike. Anything is more enjoyable in the sunshine and cycling is no exception.

But even more important to the level of fun on a bike (and the bikers' sanity) is the wind. The good 'ole lick your finger and stick it in the air trick is honest and truely the most reliable way to predict whether the riding will be good or bad on any given day.

A headwind? Ugg.
No wind? Well, I'll take it, since it's sunny.
A tailwind like the one we've had for the past 4 days? Yes, please!

Even though it's too gusty to be comfortably warm when you're not moving (sweaters on at lunch time), once you're going the same speed as the wind, it feels like a beautiful summer day and you cruise along at 30kph in a tank top, loving life! Add incredible ocean views, relatively few hills, and good cycling partners and I just can't imagine anything nicer!

~Christine

Pickled Asparagus and Yurts

The yurt really is a wonderful thing. It is heated, has electricity, costs only 30$/night, keeps us away from raccoons, and even motivates us to stay up past 9pm on rainy nights! We were tired, soggy, and very grateful when we found our yurt on Wednesday evening… Now you can’t stay inside all day when you’re hungry, so brave Wendy went out in search of food. She came back with a huge can of chili and an even bigger jar of pickled asparagus – this was our feast for lunch yesterday. After a lot of grunting and groaning to get the lid off (and splashing a fair bit of juice all over the yurt) we discovered yet another delicacy that we have learned to appreciate on our journey along the west coast... although I'm still not sure that Christine is agrees on this one.
~Jodie

Trip stats so far

flats Christine has had = 2
times Jodie's fallen off her bike = 2
times Wendy has dropped her bike = 5(+/-)
stormed-in days = 3
times we've lost food to scrounging animals = 3
jars of goober consumed = 2
sore butts = 3

snoopy sums it up perfectly

we found this comic stip in a newspaper and it sums up bicycle touring quite nicely. we've tried to take pictures of it on order to post it, but it doesn't work out very well, so i've tried to recreate it here:



Dear Brother Snoopy:
Life here in the desert sure is exciting. Last night the sun went down and this morning the sun camp up. There's always something going on.

It's 2am and over the lull of the ocean, a rap

against the tent door. The second slap jolts me awake and induces a yell. Too light to be a bear but too testy to be a branch, I suspect the nasty, crafty racoon. An initial head lamp sweep while half inside the vestibule reveals nothing, but a further inspection shows we've been stormed, unawares. The vermin have eaten my food stores completely, easily prying off the tupperware lid of my "kitchen". They've danced all over the picnic table with yogurty paws and peered inside my panniers for more easy treats. We see three or four sets of eyes in the bush, asking who dares impinge on their midnight ball. I lie awake later, listening to the ongoing cluster cleaning up on crumbs. Learning (again) how to leave a clean camp each evening, and looking for a slingshot on my travels. -Wendy

crazy cold-weather canucks!

It was too rainy and windy to ride yesterday so we huddled in our yurt, reading books, doing crossword puzzles and writing postcards. In the mid-afternoon, still lazing around in her PJ's, Jodie had a flash of motivation and suggested that we get ourselves outside and go do something. And what better to do on the cold, rainy Oregon coast than play in the ocean?! So that's what we did. While the very few others braving the bad weather were bundled in winter jackets and ponchos, we were running around foolishly in our bikinis with tiny travel towels that didn't really make us any more modest. The water felt great, though and the adrenaline definitely warmed us up for a while :)

~ Christine

sea lions or tired bikers?

We stopped in Astoria to watch some sea lions lazing on a dock in the harbour. Their sloth-ful ways reminded us (Jodie especially!) of how we feel most mornings when we try to drag ourselves out of bed. We joked that we are still in the stage of being overly couteous to one another and that soon, manners in our tent would be reduced to those of the sea lions on the dock as they barked angrily at one another and flopped around awkwardly on their flippers (picture us with arms trapped in our sleeping bags) trying to boost others out of their way in order to win more space for themselves. I can't wait until we reach that level of comfort with one another :-S

~ Christine

Sunset Beach RV/Mobile Home Park

We definitely had some entertainment at our latest campsite! Camp manager Sue's husband, Dennis, is an ex-stagecoach driver from Tombstone, Az so he has no problem entertaining a campfire of guests; begginning with a racey joke about football and heading into endless "didjaknow" facts about the area, he kept us laughing for quite sometime. Norm (another tenant) brought home a HUGE bag of crab that him and his buddies caught yesterday and gave us all a treat. Dwayne was quite happy to sit around the fire and give us lessons on how to get every sliver of meat out of the shell... We even got Christine in on the goodness! We finally went to bed when one of them was walking around with a laundry basket on his head and the rest singing and laughing along.
A cultural experiance indeed!
~Jodie

raindrops are falling on my.....everything

Well, what we thought was supposed to be a 40% chance of showers turned into about 40cm of rain and we're currently storm-bound in Seaside, Oregon.

We woke up to the sound of rain pounding on our tent this morning and after a long breakfast in the laundry room (a very warm place to hang out!), we accepted the inevitable, packed up our soggy stuff and headed off into the downpour.

An interesting fact about the US west coast: when the weather is good, the wind blows from the north. When it's bad, it blows from the south. On a bike, that means that your bad days are REALLY bad because on top of the cold and rain, you're also battling a stiff headwind. In this case, a near impossible one. When a gust would come up, we'd almost grind to a halt and when the wind shifted, we'd be tossed sideways, either into the dirt, or into traffic.

So, when we made it to Seaside, we decided to find a cheap and warm place to wait out the bad weather. To keep ourselves busy? Lots of book reading and movie watching (we've cranked the heat in our room as high as it'll go), lots of fish and chips eating, and maybe even a swim in the ocean tomorrow (in wetsuits and with surfboards, that is)!

~ Christine

the greatest challenge

i started out strong. i was feeling great and didn't think that it would be any problem to finish. near the halfway point, i had to stop for a break. i thought a bit of water would help see me through to the end. i tried to remember why i was doing this and thought about the promise i had made to myself when i started. it still felt like too much. jodie and wendy started to cheer me on, sensing that i was near my limits. i dug down deep, very deep.....

......and finished the last bite of my HUGE oreo and hot fudge sunday at Dennies!

did i have you going? believe me, eating that thing hurt more than biking ever could!

~Christine

On the Road!

Well, after a summer of dreaming and planning, we are actually on the road! So far the scenery has been amazing and the weather even better. Mice, crows, and raccoons have all sampled our food - but we are quick learners! We are also bonding with our bikes, trailers, and panniers - all of which have been affectionately named... I have yet to really get along with my clipless pedals (they have already resulted in some of my blood being left on highway 101) but it will happen soon enough. We are having lots of laughs and are looking forward to the roads ahead!
~Jodie :)

From Aberdeen, Wa. not so much a tourist stop but a recovery day after three strong days in the saddle. I grimace every time I sit down, but this too will pass. Daily we wake up to frosty fingers and numb toes, which only the first 25 km thaw out-bring on California warmth! Granola, cheese and laughs sustain us from check point to check point. Plus I look forward to the espresso signs at every roadside gas station. Life is not so hard on a bike with a warm drink in your hand. -Wendy

yup, i'm a gonna bike to mexico

It's crazy how much attention you get on a bike. Just about everyone we meet has something to say to us; whether it's a word of caution or encouragement, advice about routes or the weather or just wondering where we're from and where we're headed. It's even funnier to answer their questions so early in our trip. I sort of feel like an imposter when people ohh and ahh about how far we're going when the truth is we've only been on the road for 3 days and hardly feel like hard-core long-distance cyclists yet. But still, it's so fun to see people's reactions when we tell them we're on our way to the Baja!

~Christine

We're off!

We've been dreaming about this trip all summer - an adventure by bicycle through the US, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. And, although the 'plan' (if you can even call it that) has changed a million times, the goal is the same: to ride our bikes through 5 countries in order to experience them at a pace that will let us learn as much as possible about the cultures and landscapes we're visiting as well as about ourselves.

So, here's to sore butts, sunburns, cervezas and sunsets over the pacific - let the journey begin!

We'll each be posting our own stories on this site over the next 5-6 months. Check in often to keep up to date on our adventures. We'll also upload our favorite pictures as we go - see the sidebar for the link to our picture site, as well as our intended route maps.

~Christine