On October 20, 2009, 20 months, 18 border crossings and 45,946 km later we arrived in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego without a single flat tire.
Marlin, our little red battler, survived temperatures ranging from -40 to +40ºC, painfully huge speedbumps, numerous river crossings and some of the craziest roads to bring us to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.
The end of the road actually lies within Tierra del Fuego’s Parque Nacional – a packed, dirt road winds through thick forest taking you to the end of Ruta Tres. And from, there, well you are going to have to walk if you want to get any further.
We enjoyed a picnic at the end of the road with good friends and fellow roadtrippers, Kristin and Chris. Wine (from the end of the world of course), some nibblies and lots of laughter capped off our trip.
It is hard to believe that after all our saving, talking, planning and, of course, driving we are suddenly here. It is quite surreal and at this moment I think we are still a bit stunned that we made it. A few nights before we arrived I lay awake pondering our travels over the past 20 months. With the Pan American Highway now behind us, I tossed and turned disbelieving that our driving adventure was coming to a close (at least for now). So we find ourselves at the end (literally and figuratively) with our trusty little Volkswagen Golf thinking of the generosity of those we met along the way, the countries we have seen, the moments of frustration, the laughter, the learning and the knowledge that a small car and a couple of regular people can sometimes do something just a little bit out of the ordinary.
Tags: driving in south america, Driving the pan american, driving to the end of the world, no flat tire, road trip, tierra del fuego, ushuaia, Volkswagen Golf
-
Wow guys, we can hardly believe this is it. We couldn’t even imagine that this day would ever come. Congratulations on completing the adventure of a lifetime! You guys are the best – wanna come back to Guate and hang for a bit? Your travels make us want to pack up Dewey and head further south…..who know what the future will hold. Thanks for inspiring us to dream big and have our own mini-adventure. Long live Marlin!
-
I admire you so much for undertaking this journey. It must be surreal and sad to be at the end. Hope you enjoyed every second.
-
Hey guys, congratulations on reaching the end of the road… so to speak. I’ve enjoyed travelling vicariously via your blog, it sounds like it’s been an awesome road trip and a load of fun. I guess you’ll be sorry to say goodbye to Marlin along with the all to familiar feel and smell of a car that’s been well used and woven into so many memories.
Enjoy the rest of your time in South America… catch up with you soon.
-
Glad to hear that you guys made it! No flats!…. i get at least one on a 15km bike ride, probably on the same sort of terrain that Marlin’s been on. That is one badass car!
So now Argentina, work, ??
Let me know the next time you guys have a good internet connection and i’ll try out this Skype that all the kids are talking about
-
Maybe I’m a cheesy, sappy saussy sis—but this entry made me tear up a lil bit. I’m soooo very proud and happy for you two—I knew you’d make it. The last sentence is the best—totally warms my heart and made me smile.
Love u both and miss you mucho
-
Pingback from Visiting Buenos Aires | JoyDrive on December 3, 2009 at 2:14 pm
10 comments
Comments feed for this article
Trackback link: http://joydrive.ca/2009/10/30/the-end-of-the-road/trackback/