R.I.P. The Craggin’ Wagon, A.K.A. Bertha, 1988-2015

Dominique and Anne didn’t even make it 300 kilometers before they lost control of the van on a dirt road and rolled it. Luckily for them they were both okay and sustained no major injuries. Bertha on the other hand, well, she’s done. Completely totaled. After everything we had been through in the Craggin’ Wagon, it was pretty shocking and sad to see her like that. While happy to have sold her and moved on, this is not what we had in mind. I saw a long life of adventurous owners, spanish mechanics, and confused border officials for Bertha. (more…)

Read More

21,863 Miles Later

After a quick drive where we nearly ran out of gas thanks to limits on how much fuel you can buy per day at gas stations, we arrived in El Calafate and wasted no time driving straight out to the Perito Moreno glacier. It was astounding. When we drove around the corner and saw it for the first time I was absolutely astonished by its size and how close we were to it! (more…)

Read More

Juggernauts Claim The End Of The World Is Imminent

I can’t really think of a better word to describe our trip south from Mendoza. A force, a campaign, a giant van, and momentum. Unstoppable movement. We hit the road with our freshly repaired van as well as something very unfamiliar to us thus far: a deadline! We would have a lot to do and see before meeting the buyers of the Craggin’ Wagon in Ushuaia: thousands and thousands of kilometers to drive, multiple rock climbing destinations, insanely beautiful national parks, massive glaciers… it’s a long list. So we went bombing down the famous Route 40 towards Patagonia with a tail wind so strong I wondered if we were using any gas at all. Patagonian winds are wonderful… when they’re behind you!

(more…)

Read More

All Things Fixable

The meat sweats. A joyous, sometimes unintentional consequence of awesomeness? A higher state of protein infused enlightenment? A rare and prestigious achievement of compulsive hyper consumption? In my eyes the meat sweats encompass all of that and more. One thing is for certain, the meat sweats have been a plentiful occurrence in Mendoza. But first, just how did we get to Argentina – this wine soaked mystical steak heaven? Well, it’s an oil burning, wallet busting story, but it’s a story worth telling nonetheless. I mean, how often does one get to drive a campfire van named Bertha over the Chilean Andes?!

(more…)

Read More

Shake, Rattle, and Roll – Adventure Driving in Bolivia

Remember that time we drove through a crazy remote border from Ecuador into Peru and thought it was pretty wild… well… ummm… meet Bolivia. Hundreds and hundreds of miles of horrible, corrugated, dirt tracks at ridiculously high elevations with no services, gas, or help in any direction for days and days… sounds like the perfect adventure for the Craggin’ Wagon! What could go wrong?

(more…)

Read More