Distance to Date: 4692 km, 2909 miles

On the last day of our ride across the US back in 2009, we thought, "If there was a road that continued, we'd keep on going!" That was after about 3200 miles and 10 weeks. Well, we've covered almost that distance, though taking much more time, and now ...there IS a road that continues further!

Since leaving Mendoza two weeks ago, we have been riding through the desert landscape in the north of Argentina towards the Bolivian border. At the moment, we are in Monteros, a small city some 60 km south of Tucuman, which is probably about 500 km south of Bolivia. It's raining outside and so a break is a good thing.

There have been so many good ...no, GREAT encounters with people along our journey. Since leaving Ushuaia five months ago, the list of good people continues to increase. In the past two weeks, the list has grown exponentially. For example, when we pulled into a small bike shop in a small town a couple of days ago to get new inner tubes, after chatting with a local man and sharing our project and story, he insisted on paying for the tubes. Yes, insisted! The word regalo for "gift" is frequently used with us. Even a simple regalo from an old man at a local market for a eggplant! People are good -- simple as that.

But these great encounters have to be experienced personally; sharing them through stories aren't the same. So we encourage you to go out and see for yourself.

Once the rain passes, we'll be back on the road to head up north for Salta. There's a school for the blind there that we want to visit. Then it's Bolivia! The altiplano! Amazing landscape and freezing cold nights!

Below are photos for past two weeks.

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Back in Lujan at the Piola's, we work on the computer to prepare for more school visits in the north. Tauru uses a headlamp to find the numbers on the keyboard. In town, the mayor of Lujan et al present us with a gift -- a flag of Mendoza and a bottle of wine from a local vineyard. And who are the Piola's? A wonderful family! One of their sons lives in the US and heard about our ride. He contacted us and offered us a place to stay when we are in Mendoza. At the Piola's, there's a bakery that churns out heaven every day all day long! Here, Brother Piola, Mama Piola and Papa Piola. Wonderful folks! They thought about taking the tandem to Alaska, but the bakery needs Mama Piola. Perhaps another time. We get an escort by the police to and through Mendoza. Tauru shares with them our project to raise awareness. Thank goodness they helped us! Getting through Mendoza would have taken hours! We definitely would have gotten lost! Thanks, Mendoza Police! North of Mendoza, we camp and enjoy the wine bottles given to us as gift from Gonzalo in Santiago. Gonzalo is planning to do a similar trip but in a car in 6 months. The camenere and cabernet sauvignon bottles have blurred our senses with joy. Thanks, Gonzalo! Mid-day break and a stretch. The ride north continues. Grocery shopping on the road. Time to weigh the goodies and start din-din. Further north, and east of Caucete, we find a really nice bike path that allows us to relax a little. We're always concerned about not seeing cars or trucks. But the goodness only lasts a couple of kilometers. Desert equals thorns equals flats. With time running out, after fixing the flat, we find camp in the desert for the night. The following day, on the way to Difunto Correo, we stop at his strange looking altar/shrine. A lion guards this place. It must be in memory of a crash that had happened here. Cookies and candles are offered. We continue on. Tauru gets tired and hungry and wonders why. That's why. 20 km of slight uphill before this one. We're low on food and the only edible thing is this 1 kg tub of dulce de leche. Over the hill and... ...relief. We coast into Difunto Correo and hit up a restaurant. This hamburguese is super yummy! Tired and getting late, we do some grocery shopping to make sure we have adequate food for the following days and then head out of town to camp in the desert. On the way to La Rioja, it's cold and empty. Nothing to do except ride and ride and ride. Page 1 Page 2