pedalpanam

Two years ago today I woke up in the very southern city of Ushuaia. For the first time in nearly 21 months, I wouldn’t be making progress towards the goal I had set out to reach. I was underwhelmed upon completing the trip, if not somewhat despondent. Everything my life had revolved around the previous 17,500 miles – the comforting routines, the solitude, the company of other cyclists, the open sky – was all of a sudden over.

And so the past two years has been a new adventure in continuing down the path life. I’m grateful for the friends and family who have been supportive while I re-enter back into ‘real life’ (and I still feel I’m re-entering!). I am doing my best to approach and enjoy things one day at a time, something that was much easier to do on my bike trip.

A novel little bit of photographic evidence of my journey can be found on Google Streetview. While leaving Dawson City, Yukon with fellow cyclist Baptiste, passing defunct mining equipment and mounds of tailings, I saw the Google car with cameras mounted on top drive by. Of course I was surprised to see them in a rather remote part of the world, and wondered if they had recorded me. It wasn’t until a couple years later that I remembered to check and inch through the Streetview to find myself (due to the timing, I don’t think Baptiste was recorded, he was always a ways up the road). Though memories fade, pictures like this vividly bring back moments:

[Sadly, Google Streetview has removed that segment of the road. I'm keeping the link below in case they ever make it active again.]

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