Ridin' in the USA

Our week long whirlwind of travel included ferries, cabs, subway, planes, people movers, and of course Jojo to carry us through 3 countries and two of the largest cities in the world. Through it all, we continued to have amazing encounters with people and said a bitter-sweet adios to South America......for now. At the same time flying into the NYC area, cycling in the WTC area, seeing the Statue of Liberty, and American flags on nearly every house we passed pedaling up the Hudson, our patriotic levels are overflowing. We love this country! Conserving body heat. We spent quite a few cold nights in Argentina and Uruguay. The heat was more important than the fact that Christie hadn't showered in several days. The Rio Plata is known for its sunsets. We caught a few beauties on our ride South in Uruguay.Andres is an Ecuadorian we met up with in Uruguay. We enjoyed the riding company as we cycled together for a few days. He had been on the road solo for 8 months, going through Colombia, Venezuala, Brazil (including the Amazon), Paraguay, and Argentina. Every little town in Uruguay has a radio station.....cycling in we were the hottest show in town. More days than not we made it on the radio. We were greeted by cheers from several people in their fields who had heard our interviews. Loading the ferry from Uruguay to Argentina. A place to crash in BA. Claire hosted us for a few nights as we packed up and got ready to fly. Here we crossed paths with a French cyclist nearing the end of his round the world tour. The original Buenos Aires subway. Manual open doors and wooden seats. We met Emanuel at a small town a few weeks earlier when he was home on school break. He met us for a tour of the city where he goes to University. Overlooking BA. A huge green zone and wildlife area sits between the river and the city. Hope it all fits. There was as much weight in plastic wrap as components......... but in 4.5 hours, Jojo went back together just fine. We made a bit of a scene as the reassembly took place next to the luggage carousel in Newark airport, NJ. Eric always wanted to fly in to a major airport and bike out of it. His thirst for that adventure has been quenched! Few airports are designed with cyclists in mind. Newark-Liberty is no different. We got some local help from a pilot and a commuter and made it through. Dennis and Heike hosted us near the Newark airport. A huge thanks as we needed the rest and local cycling advice! Bridges have not treated us kindly over the last few weeks. On the bridge from Argentina to Uruguay, the border police said it was unsafe to cycle and we would need to hitch a ride across....the problem, there was no traffic (either to hitch a ride or make it unsafe). After 20 minutes, we took off with the senior officer running after us, shaking his finger and whistling. Who knew our year of training was simply to race across the border! Getting into Manhattan from southern Newark proved to be a similar challenge. We shared the road to Jersey City (above) with a little truck traffic. Honk - honk! Finally through the traffic, downtown NYC was only a ferry ride away. We got some great looks at Miss Liberty, an exciting experience and a symbol of the freedom that allows us the opportunity to realize dreams. The green spaces, cycling lanes and loads of people using them on a warm NYC day was well worthwhile. This cycle commuter paused on his way to work to swap stories. He has lost 50 lbs after 1 year of commuting to work 15 miles a day! Down the Hudson overlooking Jersey City. A more peaceful crossing back into New Jersey....this bridge had a functioning pedestrian walkway, allowing us to stop and take in the river (NYC on the left, Jersey City on the right. The kindness continues. Ray saw us resting on the banks of the Hudson. He and his wife, Linda, opened their house to us for the night as we swapped traveling tales. In the morning he rode with us a few miles down the road (his is the bike with the basket- he was slightly ashamed to admit!). An old friend. Our route crossed the AT at Bear Mt. State Park. For the mile and a half that our routes overlapped we relived that foggy, rainy day from our younger hiking years. Let the reunions begin. A highlight of the trip is meeting up with old friends. Bob was in Peace Corps with us (and he's a Metallurgist!) and our route allowed us to spend a few days and meet his fiancee, Jess. We are celebrating our return to the US....enjoying the beauty of this country, speaking in English (although all that wants to come out is Hola, Como esta?) and being more comfortable with our surroundings. Our ride home will contain more reunions, realities and re-adjustment to normal life.

A change in........U?

Over the last few months we´ve noticed a slow change in our trip. Still pedaling, meeting people and moving forward, but our focus has shifted. The shift occurred as the destination took a higher priority than the journey. We found ourselves placing a greater emphasis on mileage and details of timing rather than the everyday occurrences and interactions. So this shift, Argentina´s worst winter in 40 years and the passing our 1 year anniversary on the bike have helped us figure out it is a time for a change in U.

Instead of heading towards the city of Ushuaia, we are swinging through the country of Uruguay before we fly out of Buenos Aires, Argentina and in to New York City. A highlight of our trip was leaving from our hometown, riding down the Red Jacket trail. We look forward to riding back towards and to our hometown as we wrap up this trip.
Taking full advantage of the siesta time. Nearly everything shuts down from midday until 4 or 5 pm. We´ve had to learn new shopping habits to re-supply.

Trucks, wind and long flat stretches. While we´ve met some amazing people in Argentina, there is a definite shift when they get behind the wheel. No shoulder and heavy traffic have resulted in hitting the grass and gravel shoulder on several occasions.

A bright spot in the day. The sun has been very welcomed as we awake each morning to freezing temperatures.

The view from the captain´s chair. Dealing with the conditions has meant keeping my head down and grinding into the wind.

Only takes a year in the saddle to get calves like that!

Tunnel trouble. As usual we rode through the pay station on the road. At this one, we set off alarms and had several people waving for us to come back. Ahead was a non-bikable tunnel. The manager got the work truck and drove us a mile to the other side.

How can you not smile at this picture? Oscar helped us figure out what to do at the tunnel, escorted us through a few intersections and said we should stop by his house, 40 miles down the road.

Bikes just aren´t made for one person.

These kids got such a kick out of our 2-seater, they needed to make a quad. Th boys in back lifted their knees like they were pedaling as the girls rode on.

A warm welcome. Jojo came through again in landing us a place to stay. This family noticed our bike, ran outside and offered their extra apartment to stay in for the night.

Mate with Oscar´s family. We enjoyed several rounds of the tea like drink as we shared stories. As a symbol of unity and community, Mate is one cup passed around the group. In true Argentine style, the night ended with dinner around 11 pm.

We weren´t the only ones sleeping in the ditch. We´ve seen several shelters where people sell everything from charcoal and wood to carvings and cacti.

Sharing the road. Horse and buggies are still common sites, especially in the rural areas.

We are excited to return to the ¨Motherland¨ and cycle through areas where we know how to buy food, have a better understanding of language and culture, and have the opportunity to see some old friends along the way!