Pedal The Unknown: Media

The whole trip, I had never washed and meticulously cleaned my bike, until now. Even took apart the brakes, cleaned and regreased. Tossed the stretched chain, cleaned all the gears, and with a fresh chain, rides like new.

I really enjoyed Iquique. The FIRST place in ALL of Latin America, where I saw drivers stopping for pedestrians and cyclists at crosswalks and intersections - blew me away. There's even a great wave on reef out front to surf. After not having surfed for probably... about 7 months, I was frothing for a few.

Stopped by local "surf hostal" and after a bit of negotiating, the owner let me rent a board and suit for half price. Muchas gracias a "Uma Jaqi Surf Hostal"!

After a great week off, back on the road

Such terrible headwinds, everyday!

Mining for salt and copper is HUGE industry in the northern part of Chile

Dirt golf course. Haven't seen one of these since Slab City in California

Notice the heavy wave breaking on very shallow reef = unsurfable. The start of a stretch with so many surf spots.

After going to bed in my tent, I heard my bike fall over. It NEVER falls over. I didn't realize until the morning that I was missing my bag of extra parts, tools, cold weather gear. Fortunately, the moment I walked a few meters away, I spotted the remains of the bag. Seems like a dog must have yanked my bag from the trailer (bike falling over). Bag had no food, or traces of, strange the dog would still tear into it. Glad I found everything though.

This was a really tough day, seeing spot after spot with empty, perfect, surf, with nobody around on any of the waves. This is much bigger than it appears.

Sometimes it's a process to get to, or leave, where I've camped. Here it was real rocky.

Here it wasn't...

Early day getting to camp, using the abundant sun to charge electronics. What a good feeling to travel by bike, and even charge using renewable energy.

More amazing waves. Wishing I still had my surfboard, many times...

Sometimes crowds of women accost me.

Antofagasta, Chile

Poor wages at Ripley stores, people protesting boldly

The last hot day I've seen

Sunrise, time to get on the road

After a long stretch without seeing plants nor animals, finally seeing life (apart from in the cities).

Lots of snow as I approached the cordillera

Salt in the Valley of the Moon. San Pedro de Atacama

Valley of the Moon, looking out over the Salar de Atacama

Not pictured are the hoards of tourists that suddenly appeared from buses, after I made camp. Really took away the beautiful view.

Group of young Americans that helped me pay for my entrance fee to Argentina online since I don't carry a credit card. Thanks!

The start of the wait in town. Lots of trucks waiting as well. Beyond centered above, is the the pass leading up to paso Jama.

A met a group of really nice Chilean truckers. I camped near their trailers.

Cooking trucker style

More snow on the pass, every couple days.

I even met a couple other American traveling cyclists in town. They were stuck on the other side of Paso Jama, and took a ride around another pass.

Every one was anxious for the pass to open, all the trucks lined up waiting.

Almost everyday we'd hear "mañana", and of course it wouldn't open. Cooking lunch on the highway, and warming up in the sun.

Truckers know how to eat

The first (and hopefully only) time having to put the steed up for a ride

Finally opening the pass, all the hundreds of trucks waiting frantically left (especially with a bigger storm coming in couple days).

With a ~45km hill out of San Pedro, this is about where I was planning on camping at the first night.

Only cleared one side of the highway in most parts

This would have been interesting to pass on my bike, with trucks blasting past as well

We made good progress but then stopped. The smoke you see is from the trucks, it's so cold the diesel isn't combusting properly in a lot of the trucks.

As the sun dropped, so did the temperature. I started feeling terrible with altitude sickness - strong headache and almost bit of nausea (not accustomed to ascending so rapidly)

Trying to stay warm, waiting with Victor. Too cold to heat up water outside, we cracked the windows and boiled water in the truck. Victor and his brother were kind so kind to carry me and my equipment to Paso Jama. ¡Gracias amigos!

Most of the Paraguayan truckers I met were rude, disrespectful, and here one of them was stupidly trying to pass another truck on an icy part of the hill and plowed into the snow bank - blocking the road so none of us could pass, and had to sleep over night in the trucks, while trying to stay warm.

Finally yanking the truck out of the way in the morning

Definitely the least exciting border arrival I've ever had. Just not the same not arriving by bike...

Back riding and with crazy tailwinds. The strongest tailwinds I've ever had. The next day I had some sections that I was going 40 km/h on flat parts

Really cold still, frozen ponds.

So picture ~ 40 km/h tailwinds, except when stopped they aren't tailwinds, wind that strong with temperatures like this. Leaving camp in the morning I was scrambling to get to the road as my body temperature plummeted and feet and hands starting to freeze... literally.

The winds were much stronger on higher altitude part. Found a nook in a small valley but still the winds were strong, and REALLY cold.

Frozen solid. Threw rocks in and wouldn't break the ice...

I've never had wind chill this strong before. Lots of times I've woken up in the morning to find my water bottles frozen from the night, only to melt as I ride. This day (and a few others since), my bottles were freezing AS I was riding.

As the water froze and expanded out of my bottles, it would run down my frame and freeze in contact with the air. The first time I've ever had an icicle form on my frame before.

Rare vicuña, braving the cold with me

Susques, Argentina

Hadn't seen saguaros since Baja. Makes sense, basically exactly opposite latitude

Found an abandoned house for a night, trying to get out of the wind

Pleasant surprise next to the road, Salar de Salinas Grande, Argentina

It was this moment that I looked back, and could see clouds forming over the mountains (Paso Jama) where I just came from. I instantly felt better about having made the decision to take a ride, because it was then I realized the storm had arrived and was snowing again.

Everyday from Paso Jama, has been cold, even in the lower altitudes.

Vicuñas are beautiful

As usual it seems like, had a pass to get up just to get out of the mountains.

Frozen solid

The coldest downhill I have ever done. BY FAR.

This temperature, and into the clouds you can see above. Any time there are cold temps, and you throw in wind and moisture, it feels MUCH colder

After having the kind of pain in my hands in feet, that I've had several times on the trip from cold (only other times in my life were snowboarding), near the bottom of the hill I found a fancy hotel to warm up in. As I stumbled trying to park my bike outside with painful hands and feet, just trying to get inside to warm up, a fellow approached me and asked if I had just come from the pass near the salar. After I told him yes, he had a look of pain in face just imagining what I had just experienced with the cold and muttered, "mierda..."

Road blocks unhappy locals with unfair wages, blocking traffic for hours with rocks and standing in the road. Was interesting that the police were there even, but didn't try to move anyone. I happily past all the cars with a huge smile on my face and squeezed between the rocks and people to get by, "permiso... permiso..."

Then the next day it was raining with temps like this. Are you getting the idea how cold it's been? These are the coldest riding temps I've seen on my ENTIRE trip!

Jujuy, Argentina

The winds have been much better on the Argentina side. Although really cold, been enjoying some flatter ground again with little wind.

Salta, Argentina

Camping at the municipal campground in time. Really great spot, cheap, secure, hot showers... and next to the biggest empty swimming pool I've ever seen. Sunrise and cooking breakfast.

A liter of tasty stout for a buck. I really liked Salta.

Met a French couple traveling (left) and Uruguayan couple (right), at the campground

Where the famous Argentine meat comes from

Argentina and Chile may not have food like Mexico, but they've got some great emapanadas

Wine country in Cafayate...

... and spine country

It may look like a pleasant camp spot, but loads of ticks and spines.

Just from walking around camp. As careful as I was to pat down where I put my air mattress, I still ended up with about 8 holes in it. Resulted in 2-3 nights of bad sleep because my air bed lost air, and was sleeping on hard ground.

I stopped at a bike shop in one of the small towns to find and plug the leaks. I used my bike tube patches (had worked on another hole previously) but quickly realized that the holes were still leaking air.

Flashbacks to Panama when I fell in the tar in the rain. At least here it wasn't raining and was clearly obvious the road had just been tarred.

Puppy #2 on the trip, that I ALMOST took with me. I almost started asking where the local vet is to give it shots and take with me. The intelligent part of my brain started plugging away, and I knew it would only lead to heartbreak down the road when I wouldn't be able to enter one of the other countries with the dog and other realistic problems. Another municipal campground I stayed at. Has a butcher's block in the back, so at least this (and two other puppies) are well fed.

Couple friendly local kids that help bring the cattle to the butcher. I was looking for firewood, they stayed for about an hour helping me gather firewood, without me asking.

Real pleasant evening, complete with a fire to cook and warm up with

Cows enter from the gate on the right, throat is slit and blood runs in the channel in the middle, then the cows are held up by the crane to finish draining the blood

SO many parrots, all over the Argentine side (as well as Santiago and Mendoza)

Real nice parts of the road where I wouldn't see a car for hours.

Great tailwinds again...

But then arriving on this for ~40km

I took a ~ 4 km detour to get to some "hot springs" I heard about. Turned out just to be some hot showers, and sleeping here, the wind was violent and blew dust into my tent and on everything. I woke up several times in the night when silt blasted into the tent and hit me in the face. I barely was able to cook in the morning and packed as fast as I could to get out of there.

Always such a pleasant sight

They really love mate in Argentina. Here are some antique gourds with bombillas

I, like most I'm sure, had always heard about the meat in Argentina. Arriving in Belen at a restaurant to use the internet, I chatted a bit with the woman there. I mentioned the meat, and when I came back later on she treated me to a steak dinner. Complete with salad, bread, and a tall glass of tasty Argentine wine to wash it all down.

Muchas Gracias!!!

Jeremia's in Belen, Argentina, if you are ever in Belen, eat here!

Nice couple I stayed with in Belen

Older French couple I also met at the municpal campground in Salta. After about 5 minutes of acquiring the rented car you see, in Salta, they were stopped by police and bribed. This same day, before I saw them here, I was at a intersection in the middle of the desert before getting to San Blas, with no one around. Wanting to make sure I was going the correct direction, I saw a passing small truck that was green that said "Gendarmeria". When I flagged them and just pointed and yelled the next town, hoping they would just say yes or no... They stopped, with 5 of them, started interrogating me, searching through my bags. They motioned and asked me "cocaina... marijuana...". They even made me take my guitar out of the bag. In the middle of the desert, with no one and nobody around. Seriously? After about 45 min, and me obviously beginning to feel perturbed, they offered me some water and let me go. What am I a drug trafficker? Obviously looking to bribe me as well.

Jorge and his wife in Chilecito. The kind of people that make my trip special, as well as warmshowers. From the moment I arrived, to when I left, they made me feel welcome in the house, like a long lost friend that had finally arrived again.

Jorge is an avid cyclist, and has hosted ~30 traveling cyclists over the years.

Another trip, down the road...

Climb up from Chilecito, with stretch of construction

8,000km since changing my batteries in Medellin, Colombia

Winter time, far in the southern hemisphere, shadow is way out in front traveling South.

Lots of washes in some areas. Good thing wasn't the rainy season, dangerous area to camp in, but worth it to avoid spines.

The strong cold days continue

Possibly because of such cold temperatures riding, I broke a spoke again. I had just finished taking a break, and on smooth pavement standing getting back to speed, heard a soft "PING". Sure enough had broken another one in the front.

Most days on the Argentine side, I rode looking forward to the evening sitting down to some hot mate and cooking dinner next to the fire.

The remaining few days leading up to Mendoza, the winds flipped on me and came out of the south (fortunately at least day I rode to Mendoza were from the North). Bitter cold again, when I got to San Juan I found a panaderia open, to warm up in. (the only thing open I saw afterward, the 'siesta' in Argentina is ridiculous, everything is closed from about 2 - 6pm, the longest out of the other countries). My camera was taking blurry pictures for a bit because of the cold.

Cold, strong, South wind. Booo

Late in the day, trying to do as many kms as I could with the reamaining light (miscalculated distance between San Juan and Mendoza), finally as it got dark and out of exhaustion, I saw a family in their front yard off the road. They offered me to camp in the blue bus you see. The kids brought me firewood to cook and warm up with. As I sipped on my nightly ritual mate next to the fire, the kids were curious and commented that I didn't add any sugar. When I mentioned I was nearly out. One ran inside to tell his mother, and she insisted on giving me about a kilo of sugar. The mother was so impressed with the zip style plastic bags I had, saying she had only seen them on TV. I gave her all the ones I had.

Mendoza, Argentina

New friends in Mendoza, Romina and Javier

We went wine tasting

A lab I'd love to work in

The most impressive monument/statue I've ever seen, on the cerro in Mendoza.

Relaxing at the apartment

Bus ride to Santiago to visit my step brother

Ski area near the pass

Chile is probably the most thorough country I've seen, to enter. This time getting into Chile, took about 1.5 hours just at the border

Seeing my step bro Nate for first time in almost two years

Santiago, Chile

There's an excellent underground metro system set up in Santiago.

Santiago is huge, probably one of the biggest cities I've seen on my trip... so far.

Staying at the cozy house of the parents of Nate's friend Daniel. Longer than I thought after losing my passport and wallet, but enjoying the unexpected time to relax. ¡Muchas gracias!

O'car and his girlfriend. I don't have a picture of J, the other roommate, but they let me stay at their apartment for a few days as I waited to get my new passport. ¡Gracias weon!