Argentina

Buenos Aires
February 2012
Our first stop in South American was Buenos Aires.  Friends, bike assembling, errands and doctors visits while still having access to big city amenities.  Visiting Emmy, a friend Matt met on the road in Thailand and getting  to see his band Falsa Cubana play.  Also a visit to new friends Erica and Jamey and their two sweet girls where exchanges about international teaching, pizza  folding, choripán and Argentine culture were made.  
El Calafate
March 2012
After deciding we wanted to bike the Carretera Austral Ruta 7 in Chile and be amongst mountains, glaciers and plentiful water rather than the pampas of ruta 40 in Argentina we put a pause on our biking and took a bus to El Calafate in order to catch the last ferry of the year to Villa O'Higgins.  Jennifer visited Perito Moreno Glacier and finally after seven years of fantasizing about it, trekked in and out of its crevices and valleys for a day.  
El Chaltén
March 2012
The town was founded in 1985 to secure a disputed border with Chile. Starting in the late 90's the government sold land  to locals for dirt cheap to promote the towns growth in order to support tourism.  We arrived in the dark of night and following a recommendation we landed upon the house of the resurrected Argentine Jesus.  At Jesus' casa we found a relaxed spot in our hearts and the camaraderie of others, including a number of cyclists and hitchhikers also heading north toward ruta 7. 
Crossing the Border 
March 2012
Heave-ho! Windy conditions spun Jennifer 180 degrees on the rough road and eventually led her to walk her bike at times.  The park rangers referred to Matt as the "loco novio" (crazy boyfriend) for traversing a cattle  trail around the lake on his mountain bike against others' suggestions.  We then pushed our bikes and bags up and down hills and over streams until we reached the Chilean border, where we ran into sandy, loose gravel road and were able to ride to our destination to catch the ferry.  
Lake District
June 2012
From the rainy Chilean lake district and Park Puyehue we headed back into Argentina for colder but dryer weather and blue sunny skies!  In Villa La Angostura Jennifer rested, Matt hiked and we both enjoyed our share of chocolate.  The wonderful company of our hostel owners Silvia, Caesar and Juan, diverse food choices, great dark beer and a relaxed atmosphere kept us in Bariloche longer then we planned before heading off for a quick walk around San Martin de Los Andes.  A touristy area, but beautiful lakes and mountain scenery abound.