[Above: Drive Around the World vehicles stopped at an Argentine radio station at the southernmost tip of South America, where the road ends.]

Journal by Colin McAuliffe

Tierra Del fuego, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the non-profit organization Drive Around the World… Their mission; To boldly go where no expedition based on raising money for Parkinson’s Disease has gone before. Blah blah blah…you get my drift.

So we’ve done it. We’ve reached the end of the road. We are now at the southern point of South America, two hours outside of Ushaia, where the road abruptly ends. And where does it end you ask? Because, if I was you, I would ask that too, and figuring on you (the reader of this here publication) being an astute individual I am going to assume that you (the astute individual) will in fact be asking that question of which I mentioned previously. The answer is not glorious or triumphant, but it is pleasing, at least to me, and also in some ways not really surprising.

At the end of the road lies a smallish white structure with a blue roof situated along a cliff overlooking the Beagle Channel (named for Charles Darwin‘s exploratory naval vessel which passed this way in the 1830's). The blue and white flag, flying on a pole behind the structure matches the building‘s color scheme, because it is the flag of Argentina and the structure is owned by the government of Argentina. A small wooden sign, on two wooden posts, sits in front of the structure, and reads “Perfectura Naval DTO Moat”

The structure is in fact a naval watch station, where Argentinean naval personnel can monitor the sea-going traffic traveling through the channel. A few Argentine navy men man the station in the remote spot and rotate monthly between their home and their workplace. Their boss, an amicable individual invited us in, gave us a tour and let us brew some coffee to boost our spirits. In response we gifted a can of Land Rover coffee, A Drive Around the World T-shirt and some Red Bull for him to enjoy. He is a HAM radio enthusiast and was excited when Nick divulged that he too was a fan of the HAM. Call numbers were exchanged along with pleasantries.

Across the way from the station lies Picton Island, the ownership of which, in the seventies, nearly sparked a war between Argentina and Chile, however the Pope came down here and set the matter straight by telling Chile they could have the island, so that’s that. I don’t think the Argentineans really liked the decision, but they can’t really argue with the ambassador of God.

Today in fact, marks two momentous occasions, not only Drive Around the World reaching the end of the road, but also a beloved team member leaving. Rolf Justin Potts, travel writer by trade and party animal by night, will be taking his leave of us tomorrow, moving towards Rio, where he has yet another writing assignment. Such is the life of a professional traveler. We will miss him and his sense of humor, which I heartily enjoyed. At some point in the future I plan on hunting him down and sleeping on his couch until he gets sick of me and kicks me out; such is the life of an amateur freeloader.

So there you have it, yet another deposition from yours truly. Rest assured that there will be many more, however none will be the same as this one, because today I am in a rare literary mood.

Rock on,

Sir Colin
colin@drivearoundtheworld.com

Logbook for February 13th, Day 105
Start: Ushuaia, Argentina
Time: 11:30 a.m.
S: 54*48.861
W: 68*20.494
Finish: End of the Road, Beagle Canal, Moat, Argentina
Time: 7:30 p.m.
S: 54*48.399
W: 68*18.337
Mileage: 159
Notes: We drove to the end of the road at the end of the world. Have you ever read Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends?" It pretty much looks like the cover art for that, only different. There's a naval radio station there, where we made two new friends, drank coffee, ate bread and jam, took sponsorship photos, enjoyed some Red Bull, used our Iridium and Telenor sat-phone to call sponsors, and then turned back around to return to Ushuaia. We were home by 6:30 p.m., and we moved right in to our new rented home. Later, we all met at an all-you-can eat (tenedor libre, in Espanol) steak house for Rolf's going-away dinner. We had grand plans for a party afterward, but Nick, after checking his e-mail, discovered that our shipping date has been moved up by three days. We have to start driving in the morning. No time for parties or for exploring the unexplored city of Ushuaia. We're in for a marathon drive. (N.O.)

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.