today, let me tell you about ushi, the little sentra that could. for the sake of the story, ushi will be male….since ushi could either be a weathered, but handsome, renegade or a really ugly, battered woman. today, ushi completed the trek from san francisco to ushuaia, the southernmost city on earth….the end of the world….not really, but kinda. when ushi began the trip, people laughed and doubted he could even make it out of california; but today, this little car proved them all wrong. he’s traveled from the fog covered mountains of guatemala to the driest desert on earth; crossed the andes and the oceans; transported missionaries and devil worshippers (ironically, those were both the same person…an ex satanic worshipper, born-again who ushi took from belize to guatemala). but, instead of focusing on the 19,000 mile journey, let’s just talk about today.

this morning started off like any other, with ushi starving for fuel after a cold/wet rest in patagonia. knowing we had a long day in store, ushi first went looking for some cash in puerto san julian. but alas, both atm’s were not working (apparently power had been cut to both banks?). but hey, there will be other atm’s in other cities….and the gas station oughta accept credit cards, after all they did say so at the stations 100 and 200km further north. so, ushi went to fill up on fuel. the first gas station only took cash. the second one was out of fuel. the third, and final, one, only took cash and only had super. not wishing to delay anymore, ushi scraped together all of his remaining pesos and filled up on super. off to a weak start, but he would eat well today.

so ushi drove south through the barren landscape of patagonia. he saw sheep which looked like rocks from a distance. he saw flamingos. he even saw a few guanacos. ushi pushed on. hard. so fast, in fact, he burned through 10 gallons in just 240 miles. in rio gallego, ushi filled up again on super, grabbed some cash and raced on the strait of magellan. things were going well, but then he hit the chilean border. what should have taken 10 minutes, took about an hour…ushi had apparently been caught up in rush hour at the border. luckily, chile is an hour behind, so it was all a wash. ushi raced on, catching the ferry just in time, as the last truck was boarding.

tierra del fuego looked very similar to the rest of patagonia, maybe with a bit more tan than green….and a lot more guanacos. he also saw forests of green, healthy looking trees…until he realized that the trees were leafless, and instead covered in green moss. but ushi didn’t have time to look around, he wanted to reach ushuaia. the chilean road was good….but then turned to dirt and gravel, with huge pot holes that almost swallowed up ushi whole. it was here that ushi got a flat, on a tire that he had used almost non-stop since san francisco. not an ugly place to stop, though — and the other cars were nice enough to stop to ask if he needed any help. 10 minutes later, ushi was back on the road. 30 minutes later, he was back off, after his brakes were failing and the red warning light was blazing. some dot3 brake fluid, and ushi was back on the road….i know i can….i know i can.

30 minutes later, another truck launched a rock at ushi. his windshield now had yet another scar. but he persevered. what began as a leisurely trip, was becoming a mission. ushi was battling against the gods. they continued to shower him with strong rain and winds….but ushi just responded, ‘hey, i could use a wash’. another 45 minutes later and ushi was at argentinian customs, only to find yet another flat. and, on top of that, he had lost an hour with the time difference. ‘bring it on!’, he yelled. ushi was down to his last full-sized wheel. a wheel that was so barren of tread, it was better suited for drifting than going through rain and snow. but ushi pushed on. can i get an amen?

the argentinian road was good…a nice change, but the weather was still windy with patches of rain. wind so strong that the rain streaked horizontally across the road. ushi went through it all. then came the final test, the garibaldi pass: a snow-lined mountain road which he would have to cross in the rain…with the sun setting. but ushi didn’t stop once. nothing could get in between him and ushuaia. he passed cars, trucks and buses. he even passed an ambulance, with the lights on.

and then, with the darkness falling, ushi felt it. first, the radio reception came back. then some houses started peppering the countryside. then some lights on the highway. then, a sign saying ‘ushuaia’. then, the lights. then, at last, the city. the water. he had done it. ushi, the little sentra that DID.