Autopsis

02/08/2008 02:10:34 GMT

We are 6,186 miles / 9,955 km from the center of the culinary universe, the Maid-Rite in Newton, Iowa.

But we are only 697 miles / 1,122 km from the Jumbo parking lot in Viña del Mar, Chile, where we started our South American journey.

When we pulled out, our mission was to make a direct dash, as quickly as possible, 1,512 miles / 2,433 km to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southern most city on the planet. Of course, the Chileans dispute this claim, pointing out that the town of Puerto Williams, Chile, lies on the South side of the Beagle Channel while Ushuaia lies on the North, but we chalk this up to the ongoing, endless, generally good natured rivalry between the two countries.

But, back to our quest. Our job was to get to Ushuaia as quickly as possible because the seasons are changing, winter is rapidly approaching, and if we wanted to see all the remarkable things in the southern reaches of Patagonia, we needed to get a move on. We’ve been out here two weeks and have made a miserable 697 miles / 1,122 km.

We are not Making Good Time, which is the only travel measure of merit among American males. Today was a great example, a mirror of yesterday. We met some amazing people and spent the day talking to them, learning from them and having meaningful conversations. Making Good Time is tough when you like to meet interesting people in remote places. Throw in some incredible natural beauty nestled in the Andes and some days I’d swear we were moving backwards.

So, let it be written – we are not Making Good Time.

But, I think we are making good use of our time. And I think Ushuaia will still be there when we get there.

Posted via SkyMate