From Anchorage to Ushuaia by Bike

Take 3 somewhat tired cyclists who decided that they're not going to make it to the next town to find four walls and a roof to sleep under. Well they had decided to camp that night anyway.

Fill their panniers with non perishable food like pasta and rice, and a decent ready-to-serve tomato sauce.

Have them bike all day.

When they start to get tired – but not too tired – have them look for a good place to camp. The ideal location: a little flat ground, sheltered from the road and from other people, close to water to wash, cook and filter, and with a nice view of a volcano, or perhaps a lush valley. The ideal weather: blue sky and a warm sun.

And then the camping begins: pitch the tent, arrange the panniers inside, filter water to drink and cook with, shower in the river before the sun goes down and the temperature plummets, cook dinner on the little camping stove, eat and then go to bed. There's lots to do, and you have to bear in mind that the earlier the cyclists can stop, the better the chance that they will be able to get it all done without getting annoyed, rushed, or cold.

Don't forget to add a pinch of joie de vivre, good spirits, some optimism, stories, and laughs, each carefully mixed in the right proportions.

We tried out this recipe on Friday, between Victoria and Villarica. [Trans. note: In order to improve a little on this recipe, Sara and Sébastien surprised Heather with a bottle of wine that they had secretly carried with them all day! Wine tends to make all recipes better, including this one, and especially considering not all the conditions were entirely ideal... warm temperatures have been a rarity.] Now we're about to cross over the Andes and head back into Argentina, land of good steak!

Sara