Day 1,000
Huacachina Oasis
Hard to believe but 1,000 days ago we popped the house keys through the door, said goodbye to family and friends and set off on a very big adventure. About 40 local friends cycled along with us. I just couldn't stop smiling and Tom couldn't string a sentence together. To be honest neither of us were really sure how it would work out, but we're still on the road 1,000 days later, so I guess we must be doing something right.
We miss our families and friends, but have had 2 trips home, one for our USA 6-month visa, and one for my eye operations last summer. We've ridden in 17 countries so far and over 20,000 miles. We've stopped counting punctures. Tom's on his second bike, I've got through about 6 pairs of cycling shorts. We've both lost weight, from ourselves and our panniers. Seriously, did I really set off with a 3lb bag of almonds?!
We've ridden in sunshine, thunderstorms, torrential rain, snow, sandstorms and ice. It’s been near freezing and in the mid-40s. We've shared the road with every type of vehicle, other cyclists, runners, bears, (both black and grizzly), buffalo, cows, pigs, countless chickens, have been chased by ferocious dogs, and even had vultures divebomb us. We've ridden up the equivalent of Everest many times, and back down again. Warmshowers hosts have provided us not just with a bed for many a night but friendship and advice. Endless random strangers have taken time to wave, stop and chat, give advice, ask advice, offer us a meal, treat us to a beer, a bed for the night, pay our campground fee, our hotel bill, give us lifts when we were we stuck, and got us to hospital in an emergency.
We have met many other tourers, either on the road or through Facebook and WhatsApp. We've helped some and others have helped us. We've had so many experiences it's hard and unfair to say what we remember the most. From Trevor, the cyclist we met on our first day, the old guy in Ireland, waving his walking stick at us whilst crying out, “you're winners”, Kate in Canada inviting us to pop by, we did, the Pams, Jayce sharing her music with us, our beloved Carla, our adopted cycling ‘kids’ Helene and Jeff, and so many more who we carry the memory of our meeting with us in our hearts.
We had a heat wave in Anglesey, snow in Spain, ridden for months without a raindrop and then had weeks of mud and misery. We've seen sights so awesome it was hard to believe our eyes at times. Stunning sunsets and sunrises, the wonder that is Yellowstone, the Rockies, we rode across Kansas, well someone had to, and today we went to the Huachachina Oasis. The only one in South America. It’s surrounded by sand dunes so high we struggled to climb to the top. The desert with more dunes stretched out as far as we could see in every direction. The water in the Lagoon is said to have healing properties, it provides a sanctuary for native birds and an adventure playground for those who fancy sandboarding down the dunes. It seemed a fitting place to celebrate our 1,000 days on the road. How many more days will this adventure offer us?
