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On The Road Again

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What have we talked ourselves into? Yikes…another six month bike trip! We leave October 30 on the long, 2 day flight to Ushuaia, Argentina, a town at the very southern-most tip of South America, truly the end of the road.  From there we plan on riding north, more or less following the spine of the Andes until Cartagena, Columbia…or at least that’s the plan.  We only have the first few days planned and then we figure things out as we go. Cartagena is +/- 11,000 kms distant so the six months we’ve allotted for the trip is probably unrealistically short.

Fooling around in Gwaii Hanaas on a wonderful kayak trip this past summer.

To be honest, we are both anxious about what lies ahead.  We are not getting any younger (Claire is 62 and I’m 63) and our persistent aches and pains have us worried.  My chronically bad back and Claire’s shoulder issues we hope we can manage but an acute knee pain caused by riding with new bike shoes had me quietly freaking out as our departure neared. Hopefully we’ve put that behind us and our health will not be an obstacle.

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Hiking our local mountains. This new area was an awesome find this past summer.

The last month has been focussed on getting ready.  Our trusty bikes, Surly ‘Long Haul Truckers’ are tough and outfitted to withstand long stretches of rough road. We’ve updated and carefully planned out our gear.  Our assorted technology is in place and working well.  All of the myriad details of our home, garden, tenants, banking, wills, insurance, business, etc., etc., are all in order.   Nina, our daughter, is manning the fort in our absence.  Claire has retired and is starting a new phase in her life.  I’ve shuttered my business temporarily and so, once again it is time to hit the road.

Friends wonder why we’re putting ourselves through the inevitable hardships our trip entails.  Others just don’t relate to the six month duration and still others think we’re putting ourselves needlessly into dangerous situations.  There are no easy answers to the above.  Crawling into our tent for the umpteenth time after a long ride in the rain sounds a bit grim but we now have our new light weight chairs so that, in theory, we can stretch out inside and read or write in relative comfort. Sounds almost luxurious, no? Our last, long bike trip from Istanbul to Lisbon (+/- 9,000 kms) took almost six months. Sure, we were anxious to get home by the end but we so enjoyed that trip it is the motive for this one. Moreover, to ride the length of the Andes, from as far south as one can go to the northern tip of the continent has a symmetry to it that just cries out to be done. And finally, the perceived dangers.  I guess it’s all relative.  We speak decent Spanish and are used to living, working and travelling in countries during difficult times (civil wars, terrorism, drought, famine, etc.) whereas our proposed route takes us through reasonably stable democracies on well travelled paths.  In my opinion, biking the Sea to Sky Highway or riding our local single track poses similar dangers.

Black Tusk, always a great hike.
The vue of Squamish and the Ocean from the top of the new Upper Mad Hatter trail.
The endless trails of Squamish
Lake Lovely Water with Omega and Niobe peaks

Most importantly, is that life on the road is so elegantly simple.  Our focus is on where we’ll sleep, where our next meal will be and which way to go at the fork in the road.  Each pedal stroke covers new ground and leads to new experiences.  Trump, pipelines, carbon tax, etc., will be distant memories.

Of course, we will miss home.  The clear sunny days of the last few weeks has reconfirmed what a stunningly beautiful area we live in. It is an inspirational place to call home and we will miss skiing, hiking, paddling and biking with friends and family.  We’ll forgo another winter season but the mountains, the ocean, rivers and forest aren’t going anywhere.

So wish us luck.  Write comments, ask questions, whatever….it will all help us feel in-touch and closer to home.

Hasta la vista

34 thoughts on “On The Road Again”

  1. wow what a beautiful description of your trip , i am so proud of you , you are really 2 wonderful persons who i do not see often enough but i admire you with all my heart, have a good safe trip and jim…bring back my claire safely ok see you daniel

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  2. Good for you two!!! I am a good friend of John Tisdale’s and he thought I might be interested in your trip, since we’ve been cycle touring for many years/trips. Will be checking out your blog as you go along. If you’d like to take a look at some of our trips, you can look up Harold Mayer on “Crazy Guy on a Bike” where our blogs are posted. Have a great adventure! Brenda Gill

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  4. Good luck you two. We will be thinking about you and will be excited to read your blog!!Take care looking forward to more adventures together!!

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  5. Just a guess here but I think that Surly must have sponsored you. Maybe not Claire, but definitely you. Also, did anyone else notice how Jim kept bending over in front of the camera and Claire didn’t? Quite disturbing and yet, for some reason, I’ll miss you guys. Have fun!

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  9. Well , number one, we hope you will be safe that’s for sure. But we hope you have a wonderful time too!
    Merry Christmas, and see you soon, Lots of love Dave and Char xxx

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  11. Hi folks, sent you a message last night ….hope you got it. Best of luck on another epic Tour; always a pleasure to follow you guys and looking forward to all the stories, lucky escapes, narrow escapes and most of all: the encounters with typical and funny people you seem to have a magnet for. Goede reis / Boa viagem!! Frances and Jan

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  12. Allo Claire, interessant et vous êtes inspirants. Foncez au pire vous reviendriez. C’est parti, j’ai bien hate de vous suivre.a bientot bon depart xx

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  13. Enjoy your trip and thank you for the blog. We look forward to going on this journey with you…from the comfort of our sofa. Have a great trip and lots of fun experiences with warmshowers, Kim&David

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  14. Dearest Jim & Claire, what can I say here, that I haven’t told you in person, or in past emails. For me, you Jim are a real life hero & someone I’m proud to know. You’re also too hard on yourself about facing uncertainty, I mean after all what can possibly be more dangerous than biking with the Hounds Of Dirt? Your collective sense of humour will get the two of you through any rough spot that you encounter- that, and the odd indigenous plant. So many people struggle through life with coulda, woulda, shoulda written all over their faces. Your smiles and zest for life tell all of us observing you (& yes, living vicariously through your adventures), that today your adventure is a “will”, but in 6 months (or so), we’ll all be saying “did” after your name’s. Bon chance, mes amis. MHS, Stevie Wonder

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    1. Hi Jim and Claire,
      Best of luck with your grand adventure. I just read your blog to 60+ grade 3 international students; they were wide-eyed and quite attentive throughout the reading. We did not have time for questions as it was the end of the day, but they were intrigued. To introduce you to the children, I recounted the fish hook story in Algonquin Park – they were impressed with your toughness, Jim. While for you, Claire, I briefly mentioned your international nursing experiences, which had all of the students convinced that both of you will meet the challenges that lie ahead.
      Cheers
      Dave H

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  16. Quelle belle aventure,!!!!!!J’ai bien hâte d”entendre toutes vos péripéties. Vos voyages, c’est comme regarder un film d’action, d’endurance, de comédie et de romance…. 🙂 J’espère que vous viendrez sur l’île pour faire une présentation…..il y a un ” warm shower et plus” qui vous attend…lol

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