This here website chronicles a pedal bike journey starting at the mouth of the Mackenzie river in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada and directing itself towards Ushuaia, the southern most city on Tierra del Fuego, an island on the southern tip of Argentina. We expect the trip to last around 18 months, from June 2010 until January 2012. On the most direct route that follows the Panamerican highway, it’s about 17,000 miles to get down to Ushuaia. We’ll probably wander and stay off of the most direct route, so figure roughly 20,000 miles.
****Update****We are raising money for the Nature Conservancy, with a goal of $1 per mile, or $20,000. If you enjoy this blog or appreciate the need to balance production and conservation priorities on this planet, please do check out our personal fund page!
So, at first a trip like this sounds insane, but in actuality, lots of people do it. Lots of people are
Getting there
We are driving le ’91 Volvo Wagon up to Inuvik to save on the cost of flights. A friend gave the car to us (thanks Kate!), so we’ll just hand the keys off to someone else when we get where we’re going. She’s a beaut.
Z auto
Who we are:
Erin Syth, 32, lover of all things sheep. Hopes to devise a way to knit on the back of the tandem.
erin also loves pie
Alan Turnquist, 32, lover of owls. hopes sincerely that if reincarnation happens, it’s not as a rodent.
owly dude
We’ve both done a lot of biking and a few tours, but this is trip is going to be a new challenge for us, because of the length, the difficulty of the terrain, and the fact that we’ll be in developing countries for a year. We are super appreciative of the opportunity to do this.
Roughish Route:
We’ve thought through general stuff on route, but are doing it by feel. Not many choices in the far north, so we’ll just head south on the intriguing Dempster Highway to Dawson City, and continue on through Whitehorse and stay west through BC, maybe even getting over to vancouver Island. We’ll see what happens after that. Here’s a super rough map.
View Bike trip Arctic to Tierra del Fuego in a larger map
We’ve been on the Dempster and the Cassiar. Of course our mode of transportation was a 91 Toyota Warrior RV. We loved the terriortial and provincial campgrounds. Clean and spacious. Our favorite was Boya Lake on the Cassiar but Mexiadin Lake came in a lose second also on the Cassiar. The route you are taking in Canada is filled with wonderful scenery, wildlife and great people. Have fun, stay safe and enjoy.
thanks, kathy. I’ve actually been to boya lake. stayed so long that I ran out of food and had to pedal 100 miles on a bag of tortilla chips. looking forward to seeing it again. but with more vittles.
What will the plan of action be if the Volvo does not make the trip?
hi there! it looks like a great trip! i’m a friend of eleanor jensen. last winter my girlfriend lisa and i spent a month trainning our dogs a for a winter trip in the inuvik area. i have some contacts of some great people if you’d like them. just e-mail me!
good luck!
chris
Godspeed from the Williams Family, including your former Blackhawk pupils, Natalie and Meta!
Hope all’s well – from your state ski meet roomies…and internatl cyclists too. We made it. If your mom needs a contact, let me know.
Erin and Alan,
Nice meeting you today. So glad you asked me for directions here in Portland. I wish you all the best. If you ever need a place to stay in Portland . . .
We loved meeting you two tandemers….you inspire us by showing us that we are not THAT crazy! Just joking, you guys are amazing and I cant wait to follow your journey. You are way ahead of us by now I’m sure, but perhaps our paths will cross again. You can follow us at livesintandem.blogspot.com
Keep pedaling…best wishes,
Kati and Pete
I hope we can keep crossing paths. You always have a place to stay in So. Cal. All the best. Matt
felicidades, hoy tuve le gran placer de conocerles, y les deseo lo mejor en su aventura. que todo su alrededor sea bueno y les lleve bien a su meta.
ray cervantes, durango, dgo. mexico.
Hello E&A,
It was so nice to meet you at the shoppingcenter in Paitilla, Panama. I wish you are doing well. i was waiting your call but then I got to tracvel and my schedule is tight, so I missed to touch base sooner. Anyway, it was very nice to see you in this adventure only few will endeavor. You got my number while in Panama, and if already in Colombia and need something ahead of time let me know.
Have a safe and happy journey!
Armand
A couple of good friends did the same trip on a tandem, you may like to read what they have to say about it since they are back home by now: http://www.cyclingwithsally.com/