Joy Ride: A Bike Odyssey from Alaska to Argentina (Paperback)
Staff Reviews
A longhaul bikepacking adventure that WAS an absolute joy to read. Kristen’s narration of her and Ville’s adventures is the perfect balance of unfiltered challenges and descriptions that make you tempted to follow in their footsteps for brief moments…Until you realize that the armchair version is probably for the best! What makes this a stand out from some other adventure stories is her ability to give space to the history of the countries they travel through and the people they met along the way.
— Cori
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. Kristen and Ville believe that kindness connects us to our shared humanity. They held babies, attended quincea eras, 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?