Alaska to Argentina – de arriba abajo

What’s the story with the dog?

He followed us from the village at the edge of the salar to the hotel 10km in then he peeled off to get pets from tourists on Jeep tours.

It’s happened a bunch of times now, the longest we had a canine riding pal was in Mexico, 2 days and he slept next to the tent overnight. I think they know where they want to go and just want a run about.

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We spent the night in an abandoned rail station next to a remote military base.

I have a feeling this was in one of Iohan's videos. He was certainly on some salt flats. RIP.

and that wet border crossing I'm sure I saw in, maybe, Martijn Doolaard's cycling video.

Wait, so I just have to watch other people ride and save myself a lot of time and money? Yippee! ;)

New desktop wallpaper just dropped.

Nice pics and write up.
Ballsy call to set up camp in the salar with anything buy clear sky.

Some pretty surreal landscapes await ahead, I was amazed to see how many features a "desert" landscape can actually have.

So incredible!

Were there many people?

Uyuni has always been a dream to visit one day, but a bit worried it might not be as empty as it looks in pictures.

bit worried it might not be as empty as it looks in pictures.

It's massive! You can find plenty of empty spots, just go by yourself or arrange for a driver and a private tour.

It’s very very big. There are loads of Jeep tours but they all follow a similar route so easy to get away from them.

It’s funny to have finally made it to the salar, such a famous milestone for tourers and a place I’ve been thinking about since before we left but the actual experience of being there is a little one dimensional. It’s obviously a totally unique landscape and very cool to visit but after the first half hour it’s basically on repeat.

I’m glad we’ve seen it but it’s also funny comparing the reality vs the expectation/reputation of the place.

“I spy something beginning with S”

Thanks both. Maybe one day.

I’m glad we’ve seen it but it’s also funny comparing the reality vs the expectation/reputation of the place.

Interesting, I felt the same about Machu Picchu.

I fell behind updates a bit but we’re still alive and still pedalling south. We’ve arrived in Patagonia 🙌 and are currently staying in Trevelin, Argentina.

After the salt flats and we made it across the lagunas route in Bolivia. The route has a fairly notorious for horrendous washboard, deep sand and huge headwinds combined with sparse resupply and limited shelters camping. We ended up getting lucky and managed more than our 45km per day estimates, dodged most of the bad headwinds and managed to sleep inside or tucked in behind a building every night. It’s definitely not a great bike ride but the landscapes were certainly worth the struggles.

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After a few days off in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile we headed into Argentina and started riding the Ruta 40. Our first 300km were on gravel and went through tiny villages before we hit the tarmac and had a gruelling 1000km or so of hot desert roads. Pan flat with arrow straight roads and terrible wind was pretty testing but there were just enough good moments to keep us trucking along.

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I love these updates!

Fucking hell, always a pleasure.

So many incredible photos! Thanks for sharing.

Incredible update. Bluest of blue skies.

Amazing

We took a week and a half off the bikes over Christmas we left Mendoza for another week of grinding through the arid desert until we finally hit Patagonia. Almost instantly the amount of greenery and water has gone from 0 to 100 and the landscapes are varied and interesting again. Amazing scenery combined with some slightly easier riding and resupply has made it feel like a holiday again. The weather has been warmer than normal and there have been countless opportunities to have a quick dip in one of the hundreds of crystal clear rivers. As we’re nearing the end of the trip and our energy levels are running low it’s been a very welcome change to have some easier days on the bike without having to worry about so much.

Next stop - the Carretera Austral!

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Nfffff. So good.

Fantastic updates and great progress! Love the pictures of the ruta de las lagunas!

The way those "1000km" were dismissed really speaks about the pain, well done powering through. Hopefully Patagonia will make that all worthwhile! Is the plan to go to Villa O'Higgins and then through the lake? Check the timings for when you expect to be there as I think the off season ferry only runs once a week.

This is a nice place to stay for a night in Villa Amengual

Woaaah incredible few updates!