Joy Ride: A Bike Odyssey from Alaska to Argentina - Paperback

by Kristen Jokinen (Author), Cheryl Strayed (Introduction by)

Two strangers who fell in love underwater bicycle 18,000 brutal miles from Alaska to Argentina, and discover that endurance will get you pretty far, but human kindness can carry you the rest of the way

Explorers Kristen and Ville Jokinen met and fell in love while scuba diving in Vietnam. Ville then left his native Finland to join Kristen in Oregon and together they embarked on a life-changing two-year cycling adventure covering 18,000 miles from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina.

Despite never having cycled further than around the block, they persevered unrelenting, punishing rain and wind, altitude sickness, dog attacks, bike accidents, and countless flat tires to cycle between the ends of the earth. Believing that kindness connects us to our shared humanity, they held babies, attended quinceañeras, drank pulque, played soccer, and visited schools. People in Mexico, Central America, and South America invited them into their hearts and homes, allowed them to camp in their fields and farms, and acted as personal tour guides. Kristen and Ville are love on wheels, and who doesn't need a little more love in their lives?