[Above: Nancy Olson in the middle of a call to a radio show in Chicago, from the side of the road in Chilean Patagonia.]

Journal by Nancy Olson

Well, I have a lot of writing to do, so I need to try to keep this short. We have been driving south from Pucon for several days now, and we are happy to be traveling with an authentic Chilean, a friend of Todd’s named Sebastian Belmar, 24, of Santiago. He’s riding with us in D3, so we get to fire questions at him all day long about the sites we are seeing and the animals we encounter. He’s a biologist, and he has a real passion for wildlife. That’s something we have in common. We have seen nandus (Chilean emus), guanacos (wild critters that look like a cross between a llama and a deer), condors (world’s biggest bird), black-necked geese (endangered species), dolphins, and sheep, and I even caught a young armadillo.

We’ve been camping a lot during this leg of our journey, and we’re all pretty happy about that. With an extra passenger in D3 who needs a place to sleep, I have volunteered to sleep on the ground in my sleeping bag and bivy sack. It’s amazing to sleep under the stars, and you can’t find a better landscape in which to camp than we find here in Patagonia. We’re traveling along the Carretera Austral, which just happens to be the world’s most beautiful highway. We drive until we don’t feel like driving anymore, and then we pull over and set up our tents. Last night, we were on the banks of a raging, salmon-filled river. Soon, I’m going to buy some better lures so I can catch a fish! As we travel, we are treated to spectacular views of towering snow-capped peaks, brilliant blue lakes, crystal-clear rivers, and green-and-yellow fields. It’s a feast for the eyes, and it makes us all very happy.

I know today is Thursday, but I want to tell you about Saturday…two days from now. I will use the past tense, since I am a week late with this journal…

I met radio-show host Paul Bryan, 1983 Texas Chili Cook-Off champion and the voice behind a live program called “Drive Chicago”, last year during my stint with the 2003 Land Rover G4 Challenge. After the national selections for that, I was invited to call into his show for the first time, and we have had a wonderful friendship ever since. I saw Paul again in Colorado in July, at a media event for Land Rover’s TreK competition. It was then that I told him about my upcoming participation in Drive Around the World, and he invited me to call into his show every few weeks to give his listeners updates from the road.

I have called Paul, via Iridium satellite phone, from Costa Rica, Peru, the top of Vulcan Villarrica in Pucon, and, most recently, from 46 degrees south latitude in Patagonia. I have to share a piece of that experience, because I think a few young readers might get a kick out of it. (Also, I don’t think I’ve told my mom or any of my friends or family any of this. Two birds, one stone, you know.)

The way these calls work is, I call the studio, and they put me on hold to see if Paul is in a position to take the call right away. Then, either they come back on the phone, or I hear Paul introduce me before putting me on the speaker with him. He always has a very clever, very fluid and flattering way of making the introduction.

This time, I called during his special 3-hour (usually he has the hour between 9 and 10 a.m. CST) broadcast from the Chicago Auto Show. I was a little early, so I was on hold while he introduced and interviewed the guest ahead of me. I was tickled to hear him introduce tire-empire heir and star of The Bachelor, Andrew Firestone. Apparently, the hot young Firestone is single again, as things in the world of reality television hadn’t gone the way they “were supposed to.” (I am truly, truly sorry to hear that, Andrew. Is there anything I can do to help?) Andrew was on the air to invite people to stop by the Bridgestone booth, where he would be signing autographs and visiting with auto-show goers.

When Andrew hung up, Paul introduced me by saying that, if Firestone had any sense at all, he would hop on a plane down to, “Paraguay, or Uruguay, or wherever the heck Nancy Olson is right now, instead of flying out to Chicago.” Hahaha! Thanks, Paul. That’s cute, and I truly appreciate your kindness and our friendship. I love calling in to “Drive Chicago”; it’s good for my ego. (I’m sorry I didn’t mention on the air that, while we think Andrew is cute, the team is proud to be driving with confidence on our super-sweet BFGoodrich mud terrains.)

Participating in Paul Bryan’s program not only gives me an opportunity to talk to a friend back in the States, but it also allows me to reach out to his audience and invite them to visit www.drivearoundtheworld.com to read about our expedition, participate in our free online education program, and contribute to Parkinson’s Disease research by entering to win a 2003, Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discovery expedition vehicle, fully kitted-out with more than $15 K in expedition accessories, for a donation of only $10 (100% of which goes directly to the Parkinson’s Institute). We are struggling to get the word out about our expedition, so it’s a huge deal to get to talk to a wide listening audience on Paul Bryan’s “Drive Chicago.”

So, anyway, I just wanted to share that little morsel with you, and I hope you aren’t bored to tears. We’re still truckin’, and the next time you hear from me, I should be writing from the Ushuaia, the world’s southernmost city, at the very end of the world. El fin del mundo. Tierra del Fuego.

Take it easy, ya’ll.

Nancy
nancy@drivearoundtheworld.com

Logbook for February 5th, Day 97
Start: South of Lago Yelcho, Chile
Time: 7:00 a.m.
S: 43* 31.471
W: 72* 20.571
Finish: Lago Elizalda, Chile
Time: 10:00 p.m.
S: 45*46.296
W: 72*43.079
Mileage: 250
Notes: We're driving along the world's most beautiful and most dangerous (debatable) highway, the Carretera Austral. Just picture mountains, fields, streams, and lakes, with zero polution, and a smorgasborg of wildlife. We're in Heaven, and we love camping whenever we can. Can't beat the scenery. (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.