After cycling the Carretera Austral, we chose to cross the Andes quickly, trading Chile’s rainforests for Argentina’s arid foothills. The Pan-American Highway took us along the edge of one of Chile’s largest lakes, with towering volcanos in the distance. The volcanos’ destructive power was evident as we cycled over a mountain pass lined with ghostly dead trees. We then traveled along the Seven Lakes Route, part of Route 40 - one of most fabled and scenic roads in Argentina.

Our cycling journey on the Carretera Austral ended where most people begin, in northern Patagonia. Riding among the glacier-topped mountains and tranquil river valleys, we were reminded of the landscape’s darker side - natural disasters that recently wreaked havoc on isolated towns. We enjoyed cozy cabins that offered refuge between rainforest camps within pristine national parks. While ferries helped us continue our journey whenever the road ended at the edge of a deep river or fjord. And along the way we crossed paths with other cyclists from around the world, gaining inspiration from their stories and dreams of future adventures.