From Anchorage to Ushuaia by Bike

We in Terra del Fuego now. The last push until the end. We took a 2 hour ferry ride from Punta Arenas to Porvenir, leaving behind the South American continent for the island Terra del Fuego. In 1520, when Magellan sailed through the straits that now bear his name, the island was lit up by the  fires of the native inhabitants. They wore barely any clothes and so always had fires close by to keep warm, which is how the island got its name: Land of Fire.

We crossed through the northern part of the island which looks much like the continent: flat pampa, constantly swept over by the glacial winds. As we biked through the monotonous landscape, we had a lot of time to think, and we reflected a little nostalgically on all the good times over the past 20 months. There are so many memories that they pile up, one on top of the other, in our minds. And of course we are also excited about arriving in Ushuaia and then returning to Europe.

Two nights ago, the icy wind prompted us to ask again at an estancia if we could camp behind one of their buildings. This time Marcelo greeted us warmly and was more than happy to have us stay for the night. He works as a gaucho, and he gave us a guided tour of the estancia. We now know all the details of raising and tending to a herd of 4500 sheep.

We crossed the last border of our trip, between Chile and Argentina, and we also got back onto the pavement. We camped by the side of the road, between two natural gas extractions – one called “La Sara,” and the other “San Sébastien!”

In Rio Grande, Anibal and his family received us like royalty.  We are staying with him for a few nights. He invited us through Sylvain and Elodie, two French cyclo-tourists we met on Chiloé Island and who had told him about us. They had stayed with him in December. As he put it: “friends of my friends are also my friends!” Thank you Anibal, for your generosity! You are the epitome of everyone who has helped us during our trip.

Sébastien