Distance to Date: 4692 km, 2909 miles

Monteros is a small city of about 70,000 people some 56 km south of San Miguel de Tucuman. Its primary industry is sugar production. The surrounding area is filled with sugar cane fields, and trucks run up and down the highway during this tine of the year because it's production season.

Christi's back is getting better. Since her lower back pains started in Santiago, we have been able to ride a little over a 1000 km (620 miles, about the distance from Phoenix to LA and back). There's still a long way to go to Alaska, so we have to make sure her back recovers.

We've been in Monteros for over a week and have been taken care of by a handful of amazing people. In particular, Miguel and Lucian see us every day and make sure we have everything we need. And Enrique and Andrea, chiropractors, take care of Christi's back in addition to making sure we're well fed. Such generosity and solidarity in the human experience enlighten our perspective of life and the world.

Help us spread the word by sharing our project. Thanks!

Lucian, Miguel and Tauru at a cafe near the plaza. Lucian is in his last year in high school and like mathematics. Miguel is 26 and used to play soccer all over the country and also in Spain and Italy. Christi back in the room. We're put up in the municipalidad, an accomodation for visiting sports teams. She rests with a hot water bladder under her lower back. Her "prison walk." She strolls around the "compound" to stretch her back. The room is basic, but adequate. It's kind of dark, but spacious, which allows Tauru to move around comfortably. The bed frame didn't work out, so we use it to hang clothes and food. We're the only ones here at the moment, so we have the place all to ourselves. Tauru does the prison walk. Psst, psst... the gate's open! Enrique and Andrea invite us over for an asado. Check out the grill on the right. The Lopez-Clemente family: Valentina, Mariano, Andrea, Enrique and Coco. Miguel's family also invite us over for an Argentine meal with homemade empanadas and pizzas. Miguel's mom makes empanadas all by hand. Miguel's dad, niece and sister. Tauru waits for the empanadas to pop out of the oven. We share our project with the family. In the video "Through Tauru's Eyes" (see Archives > Videos), Tauru shows how he sees as he pilots the tandem down the road for ultimately 16,000 miles. Christi explains how she provides peripheral cues to help Tauru see the "complete" picture. For internet, we "borrow" a nearby cafe's wi-fi. For those who have been to Argentina, you'll recognize "Grido" (blue sign on the left) with a smile. Ice cream. Yummmm. Miguel at the chiropractor office. He poses with Christi's headlamp. Christi with Andrea before a back-breaking session. Time to tenderize the back with heating pads. Miguel checks... Tauru checks... It's dinner time, so Tauru is a little hungry. Stretching before the cracking. Feeling good after the cracking. Christi with Mariano and Enrique -- really nice family!