Two bicycle safety instructors from Portland are touring the Andes by bicycle after deciding it was pointless to put off the trip any longer.
Andy McKerrow and Elicia Cardenas had individually wondered for years when they would be ready to bike tour in South America until they recognized they each had the same idea and there was nothing stopping them doing it.
They set off a few weeks ago, and now they're sharing their adventures on a blog at Wend Magazine entitled “Elicia and Andy's Ride through the Andes.”
Bike route
Their plan is to bike tour from Northern Patagonia to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, explore the high plains of the Altipano, then relax on the beach like all good bike tourists should do before returning to the United States.
Since they arrived, they've been camping next to rivers or lakes nearly every night. Andy tells about staying in one campground at Lago Traful where cows and horses wandered among the tents, and another at Lago Espejo where swimmers had to pass 10-foot tall reeds to get to open water.
They're also observing the local bike culture. Nearly everyone rides mountain bikes or balloon-tire cruisers, which is probably due to the gravelly road conditions. Even on paved roads, cyclists are expected to bail out onto the dirt shoulders when traffic passes.
Elicia says they're pedaling through areas where tourists are not likely to go. I bet their bike tour blog will help us understand those places in the weeks to come.
When they're not traveling to the Andes, Andy and Elicia are bicycle safety instructors, mountain bikers and bike advocates in Portland.
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