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Alaska to Argentina by bike, with family
Nancy Sathre-Vogel
Shoot for the moon. If, for some reason, you should fail - you'll simply land among the stars!
Nancy Sathre-Vogel and her family - husband John and ten year old twins Daryl and Davy - describe themselves on their website as a normal, everyday family. If this is the case then they are a normal family doing an extraordinary thing - riding their bikes from Alaska to Argentina.
John, Nancy, Daryl and Davy left from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in June 2008 on a tandem and two single bikes. They plan to arrive in Ushuaia, Argentina at the end of 2010, two and a half years later. At the time or writing the family are enjoying the Mayan ruins in Mexico - you can follow along their progress on their blog. After thirty months on the road, Daryl and Davy will become joint Guinness World Record holders as the youngest people to cycle the Pan-America Highway. Nancy and John are both teachers with 21 and 20 years experience respectively, so Daryl and Davy will be getting more than just the geography lessons along the way! Nancy and John are also volunteer travelling educators for Reach the World throughout their trip.
Nancy got her first bicycle in high school and was immediately hooked on the sport. She rode her bike to school every day despite the fact that her house was full of cars and motorbikes! When Nancy was in her twenties she had a friend who rode her bike around the USA, sending her letters along the way. At the same time she read “Miles From Nowhere” by Barbara Savage, which is an account of Barbara’s two years biking around the world with her husband, and made the discovery that the world is a fascinating place and that international travel didn’t have to be scary. Since then there’s been no stopping her - Nancy has cycle toured all over the world.Nancy says that in her experience there are more male cycle tourists than female, and that most of the females out touring are doing so with a male companion. Even though she fits that profile now, Nancy has toured solo - in fact, that’s where she met her husband, John!
On their website, the Vogel family say they have learned the value of time and that time is the greatest gift they can give their children. Nancy and John say that touring by bicycle is an amazing way to get to know a country and the people who live there, and a fantastic way to get to know yourself. They also recommend cycling with children, saying it’s even more rewarding because you see the world through their eyes and kids have a way of worming their way in to the hearts of others.
Nancy aims to help other women see that they can get out and live their dreams, even if they have a family. She’s a fantastic ambassador for all those mums and dads out there who want to undertake an amazing journey and provide their children with the experience of a lifetime. She’s living proof that having kids doesn’t have to take away the lifestyle of active, adventurous parents. Just take the kids along with you!
For more information about the Alaska to Argentina bike trip, go to the Family on Bikes website.
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