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.