Fin del Mundo... Fin del Viaje/ End of the world...End of the trip
Date
Distance
Altitude Gain
Place
22.09.'06
072 km
0310 m
Kimiri Aike - Primavera (Chile)
23.09.'06
099 km
0515 m
Primavera - San Sebastian (Chile)
24.09.'06
103 km
0235 m
San Sebastian - Rio Grande (Arg)
25.09.'06
---
---
Rio Grande (rest day)
26.09.'06
083 km
0305 m
Rio Grande - Crucero Santa Ana (Arg)
27.09.'06
113 km
1205 m
Crucero Santa Ana - Cerro Castor (Arg)
28.09.'06
076 km
0790 m
Cerro Castor - Baja Lapataia - Ushuaia
29.09.'06
056 km
0525 m
Ushuaia - Beagle Canal - Nat. Park (Arg)
30.09.'06
---
---
Ushuaia - END OF THE WORLD (Arg)
01.10.'06
013 km
0320 m
Ushuaia - ascent of Co. Roy (Arg)
left: At Punta Delgado (mainland South America), the road comes to an end...on the other side of the water is the beginning of the end, "Tierra del Fuego" (The land of fire). Hundreds of years ago when the first sailors passed by, they saw many fires all over the island. The Selk`nam (native people) inhabited the island. The people never wore much clothing in this cold region and so fires were of utmost importance. Yes, even in their fishing boats!. This is where the name 'Tierra del Fuego' comes from (The land of fire).
We reached this mass of water separating mainland South America from 'Tierra del Fuego' on the 22.09.'06. It is no other than the strait of Magallan.
The northern and eastern part of 'Tierra del Fuego' is mostly like the rest of the Patagonian pampas... flat grassland and lots of sheep on the huge 'estancias' (farms).
26.09.'06: After a rainy rest day in Rio Grande (a port which was used back in the early 80's to try and regain the 'Islas Malvinas' or better known as Falkland islands), we moved on south. The weather cleared up and the beautiful sunset cast beautiful shadows across the countryside. Riding along a sandbank, it felt like trying to catch one's own shadow!
Gabriel just could not catch his shadow...after all that riding for months, he is still not fast enough!!! (I better watch out what I say... he beat me in every long distance race that we used to have regularly along the way).
28.09.'06: After cycling over the last pass, we cycled through Ushuaia (the southernmost city in the world), we only stopped to purchase a bottle of champagne and then continued on to the end of the road, 25km down a muddy dirtroad. This is where every cyclist stops...looks out over the fjorded landscape, thinks of his journey and has to turn his bike 180 degrees! It is the place where one has to turn back! It is a weird feeling standing at the 'end of the world', at the end of one's long 27000km journey. Somewhat sad and depressing but also of great enjoyment!
Yes, it was on the 28.09.'06 at 14:55 that we made it! The end of the road through both America's! Mixed feelings but wonderful!
We popped the cork off the champagne bottle and sprayed our 2 'babies' (our bikes). They did a wonderful job of getting us to the 'End of the world'!
The ride back to Ushuaia was somewhat weird. Gabriel and I did not talk much. We were riding up a road that we had come down. We were both in deep thoughts about the trip that had come to an end. The view out into the Beagle Canal just made us think... what next! The world is just so beautiful!
Well, we got to Ushuaia and we first enjoyed a huge beer! Then a meal and more beer... then went to sleep. The following day was a beautiful clear day (not always the case in this part of the world). Without thinking much we got into our cycling gear, not wanting to accept the fact that the trip had come to an end and went for a days ride along the Beagle canal! The views were amazing..
... and no trip comes to the end without 'the end of the world' swim in the cold antarctic waters of the Beagle Canal! It was very refreshing!!!
'Cabonga', my bicycle, overlooking the Beagle Canal... I bought the bike 'second hand', 3 years ago! Just the most loyal 'babe' I have ever had!
..."the end of the world" swim was one thing, it was not enough for Gabriel and I, we had to officially end the trip by climbing one of the high glaciated summits of the "end of the world"... 2 days later we did it! Picture: The high glaciated summits around Ushuaia`s harbour.
On the 01.10.'06 at 16:15 we reached the summit of 'Cerro Roy'. It was our official end to our trip through South America and the end of the whole trip! The South America section of the trip started over 7 Months ago by climbing the beautiful 5893m high Cotopaxi and ended here on the summit of 'Cerro Roy' at the "End of the World". However every mountaineer knows that a mountain top is half way. We still had to get down late in the day, this is when the trip nearly ended in a tragedy. We decided to descend a 400 metre high ice and snow colour (gully). Gabriel slipped and shot past me (falling and sliding) in one hell of a speed (we were not roped up). The look in his face as he shot past me told me everything: SHOCK and HORROR. Luckily the descent line of the gully was straight and had no rocks, so Gabriel came to a standstill (liestill) at the bottom of the gully. Amazingly he got up only with a few scratches...shooooooooooo, very lucky!! 2 hours later we were back in the hostel laughing about it in front of 2 big beers!!
The view from the summit reminded me of the place where my trip started about 500 days ago, on the otherside of the world, Seward, Alaska! I had travelled from the Arctic sea to the Antarctic Sea! A wonderful trip has come to an end!
left: At Punta Delgado (mainland South America), the road comes to an end...on the other side of the water is the beginning of the end, "Tierra del Fuego" (The land of fire). Hundreds of years ago when the first sailors passed by, they saw many fires all over the island. The Selk`nam (native people) inhabited the island. The people never wore much clothing in this cold region and so fires were of utmost importance. Yes, even in their fishing boats!. This is where the name 'Tierra del Fuego' comes from (The land of fire). 
We reached this mass of water separating mainland South America from 'Tierra del Fuego' on the 22.09.'06. It is no other than the strait of Magallan. 
The northern and eastern part of 'Tierra del Fuego' is mostly like the rest of the Patagonian pampas... flat grassland and lots of sheep on the huge 'estancias' (farms).
26.09.'06: After a rainy rest day in Rio Grande (a port which was used back in the early 80's to try and regain the 'Islas Malvinas' or better known as Falkland islands), we moved on south. The weather cleared up and the beautiful sunset cast beautiful shadows across the countryside. Riding along a sandbank, it felt like trying to catch one's own shadow!
Gabriel just could not catch his shadow...after all that riding for months, he is still not fast enough!!! (I better watch out what I say... he beat me in every long distance race that we used to have regularly along the way).
28.09.'06: After cycling over the last pass, we cycled through Ushuaia (the southernmost city in the world), we only stopped to purchase a bottle of champagne and then continued on to the end of the road, 25km down a muddy dirtroad. This is where every cyclist stops...looks out over the fjorded landscape, thinks of his journey and has to turn his bike 180 degrees! It is the place where one has to turn back! It is a weird feeling standing at the 'end of the world', at the end of one's long 27000km journey. Somewhat sad and depressing but also of great enjoyment!
Yes, it was on the 28.09.'06 at 14:55 that we made it! The end of the road through both America's! Mixed feelings but wonderful! 
We popped the cork off the champagne bottle and sprayed our 2 'babies' (our bikes). They did a wonderful job of getting us to the 'End of the world'!
The ride back to Ushuaia was somewhat weird. Gabriel and I did not talk much. We were riding up a road that we had come down. We were both in deep thoughts about the trip that had come to an end. The view out into the Beagle Canal just made us think... what next! The world is just so beautiful!
Well, we got to Ushuaia and we first enjoyed a huge beer! Then a meal and more beer... then went to sleep. The following day was a beautiful clear day (not always the case in this part of the world). Without thinking much we got into our cycling gear, not wanting to accept the fact that the trip had come to an end and went for a days ride along the Beagle canal! The views were amazing..
... and no trip comes to the end without 'the end of the world' swim in the cold antarctic waters of the Beagle Canal! It was very refreshing!!!
'Cabonga', my bicycle, overlooking the Beagle Canal... I bought the bike 'second hand', 3 years ago! Just the most loyal 'babe' I have ever had!
..."the end of the world" swim was one thing, it was not enough for Gabriel and I, we had to officially end the trip by climbing one of the high glaciated summits of the "end of the world"... 2 days later we did it! Picture: The high glaciated summits around Ushuaia`s harbour.
On the 01.10.'06 at 16:15 we reached the summit of 'Cerro Roy'. It was our official end to our trip through South America and the end of the whole trip! The South America section of the trip started over 7 Months ago by climbing the beautiful 5893m high Cotopaxi and ended here on the summit of 'Cerro Roy' at the "End of the World". However every mountaineer knows that a mountain top is half way. We still had to get down late in the day, this is when the trip nearly ended in a tragedy. We decided to descend a 400 metre high ice and snow colour (gully). Gabriel slipped and shot past me (falling and sliding) in one hell of a speed (we were not roped up). The look in his face as he shot past me told me everything: SHOCK and HORROR. Luckily the descent line of the gully was straight and had no rocks, so Gabriel came to a standstill (liestill) at the bottom of the gully. Amazingly he got up only with a few scratches...shooooooooooo, very lucky!! 2 hours later we were back in the hostel laughing about it in front of 2 big beers!!
The view from the summit reminded me of the place where my trip started about 500 days ago, on the otherside of the world, Seward, Alaska! I had travelled from the Arctic sea to the Antarctic Sea! A wonderful trip has come to an end!