February 24, 2026 – Keep Calm and Pedal On

Riding Stats (link to Tom’s Strava)

Accommodations (daily mileage, elevation, etc.)

Route Tracker (track our southbound ride on a Google Map)

Our extra day was spent in Cochrane buying food and fuel for the last stretch. We also did laundry for the first time – and for the first time ever, PAID someone to do it. That’s what is done here if you need cloths cleaned quickly.

Southbound from Cochrane, cell, WiFi, electricity and supplies are sketchy. We are ready for the final push!

Today was nothing but pure Patagonia with majestic mountains, big water, blue sky and clear air. It might have been the loveliest weather day we have experienced since we started riding almost three weeks ago.

We are in Patagonia, and in a place after which the familiar clothing company was founded and named in 1973 by American climber Yvon Chouinard.

I remember reading in “A Wild Idea” that Doug Tompkins and Chouinard and a hand full of other guys who named their group the “Fun Hogs” set out to climb Mount Fitz Roy (located in southern Patagonia near the Argentina/Chilean border) and one of the most difficult granite peaks in the world. The successful climb of Fitz Roy and the hardships endured profoundly impacted Chouinard. It’s an unforgettable story – pretty sure there was a movie made as well.

For him Patagonia was wild and mysterious. It represented adventure, exploration and unspoiled nature soooo why not name a company in the spirit of a place?

As an aside, Chouinard and Tompkins were lifelong friends and in fact, Chouinard was with the group of kayakers on Lake Chelenko when Tompkins had his fatal kayak accident.

We have shortened our riding mileage to accommodate the rough riding surfaces – lots of washboarding and rocky gravel. Good thing is… there is less traffic so we are liking that.

We were having a bit of a time finding a place to camp this evening. Our first choice looked a bit sketch so we peddled on. Our second choice was a wild camping spot by the river (good water source) but it was too close to the road for comfort.

On iOverlander Tom discovered another camping spot up the road and we snagged it.

It’s a husband and wife operation and if only we could communicate with them in Spanish beyond simple phrases. Their lifestyle here looks so different from ours and I have so many questions. They warmly welcomed us and explained everything we needed to know in Spanish.

Being the rule followers we are we want to be sure we don’t offend or disregard their instructions or customs. Their smile says it all tho. I think we are “doing things right”