Missive #7, Tue, Mar 20 to Thur, Mar 29, 2018

Missive #7, Tue, Mar 20th to Thur, Mar 29th, 2018

Day 52, Tue, Mar 20th
Chalten Suites Hotel, El Chalten 0 km

We finished off yesterday detouring 580 long km to this not bad little town called Rio Gallegos on the Atlantic coast. Spike, none the worst for wear and Paul arrived well ahead of the gang and found a nice and functional hotel right downtown. They had to drive around a bit to find it. Linda and I who had spent all day in the truck comped Jairo his room. I think my single was 75 bucks. The facilities, food, bar, bank machine nearby and undercover parking was perfect for our group arriving unannounced. 

One of the funny idiosyncrasies around here is the key locks. Every hotel has the same damn clumsy system. The key looks like a flat anchor and you only have a fifty percent chance of putting it in right. Then you have to wiggle it around in its loose hole to try to engage the loose locking contraption inside. When you finally engage the device you then have to turn it at least three times in circles hoping that it accomplishes what you are hoping for, to either lock or unlock the goddamn door! Again you only have a fifty percent chance of achieving your goal which might mean six more turns going the other way. When you have a great huge pile of stuff in your arms, the light is poor, the hole itself is usually too low on the door and you are tired this is a bit of a trick believe me. Someone has made out like a bandit selling crummy locks to gullible hotel owners. I am finally getting used to working the system after about seven days of experimentation. Just one more of the frustrations of being on the road, not a big deal and patience is the ‘key’.

We had a nice dinner competing with a tour group that had also arrived. Although we got our orders in a bit quicker they got served first. These places all operate on a skeleton basis, one server and one cook or just about that bad. You would think they could gear up with extra staff to handle the overload. The wait times can be extraordinary. No choice as only game in town.

Helge helped me fix my somewhat broken front windshield attaching mechanism. I had some great huge zap straps available and we tied two together to clamp everything in place. We tightened down and adjusted the left hand mirror and raised the left hand clutching mechanism too. Previously I had scrubbed the bike down with a brush and soapy water at a gas stop. Vehicles get filthy, filthy dirty around here so they have buckets of stuff available to clean windows etc. My bike was full of dried mud clinging everywhere so it was a bit of a job.

Sitting in the back of the truck out of the wind and the cold was the perfect antidote for this rider. I was glad to be there and relax away from the elements and the reseponsibility of managing the bike. It was a good time to reflect as well. My earlier conclusions were correct. With our tires being non off roaders and heavy bikes there was little chance at my speed to recover once the slippy slidy stuff was encountered. It was what it was so to speak.

I got off at 8:15 before the tired group had shown up for breakfast. It was a bright sunny day but windy and cold. The procedure for dealing with the cold goes something like this: get out all the warm looking clothing you have in your bag, spread it out on the spare bed, put it on one layer at a time until you run out of the stuff, put on your riding suit over that, plug in your heated vest and hope sincerely for the best! I had on four layers on the bottom end and seven layers on the top end including my heated vest which is a must.

I get out on the road and it is absolutely a glorious morning, a teeny bit windy and cold at three degrees. I am just hoping that my layers can handle the wind chill effect. For the most part it does. I am never warm but never really cold either. Travelling down the straight and excellent Routa 40 I am ‘making hay while the sun shines’ because you never know what is around the corner and there is 450 km to go, about five to six hours with stops. A lot can change quickly around here.

Fortunately it got a bit warmer as the sun came up and the weather stayed onside. It was a perfect riding day. The countryside was yellowish and barren, mostly flat until the last quarter which became truly spectacular. One disconcerting sign and they are everywhere is the Argentinian way of indicating heavy wind conditions. It is a lonely black tree bent over sideways on a yellow highway sign, truly frightening especially for someone on two wheels getting blown around in the gusts. Very fortunately that was not to be today.



What was supposed to be a 327 km part dirt road day turned in to a 1030 km overnight detour and a good thing too.

On and on I went clocking off the thankfully boring miles! I stopped at a really cool well over hundred year old joint by a fast flowing river to warm up and enjoy some hot, thick  pumpkin soup with my sandwich. Many famous people have been through, notable mountain climbers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid spent a month here in 1905 hiding out from the law, Francis Ford Coppola, lots of others noted on the walls.





The Patagonian ice fields have to be seen to be believed. They are near the Chilian side of things. It is kind of like looking at the Olympic mountains on a beautiful blue sky day as you come over the rise in the Pat Bay highway coming in to Victoria. Just think an order of magnitude or two of that. Great jagged mountain tops over 10,000 feet high, too many to count, white on top, green on bottom, absolutely majestic. Photographs can only do partial justice.



I got to look at these things, stopping often just to gaze for well over an hour as I got closer and closer to El Chalten. Most people do not get this rare privilege because they are mostly covered up and hidden in the weather down here. I felt we were deserving of this rare opportunity.



El Chalten is a small, touristy village full of young back backers and hikers, maybe a 1,000 residents year round. Think a smaller version of Banff. I unloaded the bike, checked in and proceeded to grab a needed nap and then do some laundry. My boots and riding gear needed a good clean up too. Later went for a hike in their national park and enjoyed a terrific hamburger, fries and a few beers at a local watering hole of which there are many.


View from hotel room window

Last thing: it is pretty hard to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific in one day and we almost did. Think Halifax to Kamloops.

Day 53, Wed, Mar 21st
Chalten Suites Hotel, El Chalten to Imago Hotel and Spa, El Calafate, 217 km

At breakfast today and sitting with Vince and Linda he said, thanks for being first in line the other day. For the record, we only got to stay at this very nice place one night instead of two because of our long and necessary detour.

It was a benign day on the road, short, pleasant and to be appreciated. There was no rush so my speed was around 100 klics. At one point there was this Piche like a small ostrich standing right beside the road, feet from me. I saw him at the last minute, no time to react. I can stop my bike in 50 feet at 50 mph but that is when I have actually stepped on the binders. The reaction time to actually get to that decision point is way longer. These animals  are pretty wary and smart, he didn’t move and in a moment I was past. There is lots of road kill here too but I think it must happen at night in the glare of headlights as I have yet to see anything scampering in front of me. Still, a chance occurrence, even a half decent sized bird can knock you off your bike.

Some thoughts and notes:

-when you see Guanacos nearby on both sides of the road it is a time to be extra cautious as you never know which side might like to join up
-Cecilia and Paulo who we met in Perito Moreno said that El Chalten was not all that impressive; they were there when the cloud cover obscured their view while we were treated to the local scenery in all its glory
-Monte Fitz Roy was first climbed in in 1952 by French climbers Lionel Terray and Guido Magnone; even though it is only 11,200 feet, it is considered one of the most technically difficult climbs in the world and listed in the ‘ultra’ category. After Patagonia clothing founder Yvon Chouinard climbed it in 1968 he used the peak of Monte Fitz Roy as his company logo when he founded his famous company


Franco at Mt. Fitz Roy, maybe “the” photograph of the whole trip!

-the returning ride followed the meandering Rio La Leona; the turquoise glacial water flowing from the Patagonian ice fields was a sight to see
-I truly admire the pluck and courage of the many bicycle riders on these long and lonely roadways especially when the weather gets inclement
-we are all praying for continued good weather; the wind will knock bikes over from both sides of the kick stand, rip car doors off their hinges; water on puddles look like big waves, not fun.

El Calafate at somewhere around 15,000 is a larger version of outdoorsy El Chalten and a hopping, touristy place. Tomorrow the ice fields of Perito Moreno.

Day 54, Thur, Mar 22nd
Imago Hotel and Spa, El Calafate to Perito Moreno Glacier, 146 km

This was quite likely the prettiest, most scenic day of the whole trip for this writer. Because the ride was short there was time to stop, take pics, contemplate the superlatives of what I was seeing, take your time in other words. On some days there is pressure to whizz from A to B and sure there is nice stuff to look at but there is also a responsibility to get the job done too. Today’s 73 km ride in and same ride out was anything but.

The Southern Patagonian Ice Field is the third largest in the world after Antarctica and Greenland. It is anchored by the magnificent Perito Moreno Glacier, pictures below. I did not know and it is interesting to comment that fresh water comprises only 3% of all the water on our planet with salt water being the other 97%. Of the 3%, liquid water comprises only 23% of this amount with ice being the other 77%.



I
Sometimes rear view mirror pics are just as good

The ride followed along Lago Argentina into the park and then along a windy motorcycle heaven road into the glacier itself. I got on a ferry boat with a whole bunch of elderly bus riding tourists and for an hour we got up close and personal to this monster. As you can see in the pics it looks to be very stressed. It is because we actually witnessed three, count them three, quite large calving occurrences. Our guide said this is very unusual and that we should all be very, very thankful for the lovely blue sky day. 

A few more comments:

-I have learned to like hot milk and sugar in my coffee; we are so used to great coffee choices at home it is impossible to drink the stuff down here black as I normally like to do
-most Argentinian flags are completely threadbare and badly faded; could this be that they just don’t last that long?
-I find that I am enjoying my own company quite a lot; not that I am reclusive, just that I am happy to see folks, or not!
-this last part of the trip contains a lot more downtime and extra days in one place, quite nice actually; could be due to the difficulty (or potential difficulty of the riding conditions)
-on return this afternoon I had a one hour booked massage at our very nice digs which we get to stay at for two nights.


Day 55, Fri, Mar 23rd
Imago Hotel and Spa, El Calafate to Hotel Tres Pesos, Torres del Paine, 238 km

It is all about the riding now. We are getting closer to the finish line. What will the driving conditions be like? It can be like heaven or hell around here. The last while has been pure heaven. Today we drove about 250 km by taking the longer route to miss the rough off-road section. It was fast, it was easy and it was beautiful to experience. Patagonia can be a bit ho hum in the flat prairie like sections. The rest of it is magnificent. This real estate anywhere else in the world would fetch platinum prices. Where we are with the vagaries of the weather, it is pretty unpopulated.

A few comments:

-Helge seems to have had a lot of trouble with his bike; brakes, bearings, steering, other minor stuff; now the second side car driven by Mike and Aileene has come a cropper; Helge performed a quick fix so hopefully it can get to Ushuaia okay; I like two wheelers best
-most of the rest of the bikes have performed admirably
-at 5 litres per 100 km and 14,000 plus km I have used approx 700 litres of fuel or about $1,000 in cost for this trip, way cheaper than the Sprite V!
-gas station fill ups- we have strict orders to fill up at every location, even if only a few litres; due to the remoteness of this area and vast distances even a few litres can make a difference between stops especially if a location is closed or out of fuel
-there is little traffic around, I am back in the mode of considering signalling to other vehicles just to say a friendly hello as I pass or pass by; this will only get more prevalent as we get farther south
-riding a motorcycle is a bit like playing golf, you are responsible for your own game, you compete with yourself; when people pass me, good on them, I just ride at my own pace and do the best I can, no ego involved 
-ear plugs: with the wind around here helmet noise can be absolutely deafening, you must stick those things in as far a you can to survive the racket
-on the last Trip to Africa I lost a special and very dear friend during the time away; on this trip I have lost two very special and dear friends while away; makes it tough going for a few days
-we are about 100 miles from the Magellan Strait and will be crossing it by ferry soon, pretty cool especially for this mariner
-my map of Chile shows an amazing archipelago of islands and interesting nooks and crannies; in Puerto Natales where I stopped in at yesterday there were a lot of fishing boats around most on dry land and zero pleasure boats; the weather on this west cost would not be kind to most things floating
-I am thinking a bit about my farewell speech, how to phrase it in such a way that it says what I want it to say because you only have one shot at it.

Last night just before dark and after dinner I went for a walk in the cold crisp air. Our little hotel is quaint and perfectly charming, out in the country all by itself. There is a crackling fire, the food is terrific and the service makes you feel like you are right at home. Wish they could all be like this but we get two nights here which is a plus. Oh yes, the walk with the sheep and the horses nearby and looking at the jagged ridge lines of the nearby hills was good preparation for an excellent sleep.



Day 56, Sat, Mar 24th
Hotel Tres Pesos, Torres del Paine, 199 km

I guess the best is saved for last, sort of the last bite of a great dinner or the desert at the end. I must say, I have enjoyed this last week or so very much. First off our group size is much more manageable. Eight riders, ten people including the two ladies makes for a less wieldly group and people seem to mix better. Second, the weather has been terrific so the worry about wind and rain has mitigated somewhat which is great.

It was cold this morning, frost on the bikes, 1.5 degrees for the first hour or so enroute the Torres del Paine National Park; full clothing gear required.

Having the template of the Perito Moreno ride day before yesterday set me up for the ride today. Helge said it would be splendid. It was. Pictures cannot tell the story it was that good. The difference today is that we were in the ‘Torres del Paine’ mountain range which is separate and distinct from the Andes. It is worth a trip down here just to experience this magnificence. It was a 200 plus km day back and forth on good dirt roads with lots of tourist buses big and small doing the same as us. There was no rush. We stopped often. It was almost like we were all at a loss for words it was that moving to be here. The nearby mountains felt like you could reach out and touch them. At one point there was a great roaring, thunderous crash and we witnessed a good sized avalanche in the distance.



I got a little busy with the camera and took 196 pics, deleted 72 and will double that when I get home.

Helge kindly got out his super duper camera lens’s, lay down on the road at a strategic spot and got some great shots of us coming and going with a national geographic back drop. If I ever get around to making up a coffee table book of these trips that will be the cover page.

L


I do not want to go on further and bore myself or anyone else with superlatives. It was kind of like driving West from Calgary and approaching the Rockies from a distance. You get nearer and nearer and are inspired by the beauty and majesty of nature. Times about Five.

Day 57, Sun, Mar 25th
Hotel Tres Pesos, Torres del Paine to Hosteria Tunkelen, Cerro Sombrero, 391 km

I awoke early, couldn’t sleep so decided to do a bit of writing and then get a few more winks. It was quiet as a church mouse. Suddenly out of nowhere the wind hit our house/hotel like it thundering locomotive. The very foundations were struggling, my window felt like it was going to blow in. I wondered whether the bikes were going to be okay and hoped that everyone had tied down their covers properly. It was a bit of a wake up call that things can change in a hurry around here and I was glad to be cosy and warm. 

At 7:15 am Ron knocks on my door “Nick, your bike tipped over in that windstorm, come on, I’ll help you pick it up!”



Ron underway on a back country road

So started the day, much warmer than yesterday, a bit windy but manageable. At a rest stop this nice man in a van came to say ‘Hola’. We communicated in a limited way until he started to express himself vigorously about the potential wind conditions around here. I acknowledged this, placed my hands together in a prayer position and looked to the heavens. He laughed loudly nodding his head in agreement.

.

When driving in wind you move your bike as far over in your lane on the wind side as you can then you tilt your bike and yourself as much into it as you also can. In this manner when there is a gust, you can alleviate the situation without being hurled off the road. When a truck rolls by you hold on for dear life until the turbulence subsides. I am actually exaggerating a bit here because it was not that bad today. Still, on a very windy day if you stopped perpendicular to the wind you would both be knocked over. Luis and Moris from Bogotá, Colombia had to park their bikes somewhere north and rent a car to get to Ushuaia last year it was so bad.


Paul and Spike, the “Bobsey twins”, which one is superman?


Although we have one day to go, I feel like we have lucked out on this last part with the weather. Not only have we had clear sky great sight seeing days, the riding conditions have been way better than could be expected. This partially makes up for a lot of crappy stuff already discussed before and after Santiago.

A few points:

-the road kill is mostly rabbits and skunks killed in the glare of headlights at night
-I have seen 3-4 species of bird life living well off the entrails- mostly a hawk like scavenger bird called a Caracara
-the famed Condor bird has been nowhere to be seen
-the signs going by all say ‘Ruta Fin de Mundo’, route to the end of the world, a great marketing phrase to bring people here

Very first sighting of Strait of Magellan, kind of wavy!

-I couldn’t help but stop at my first sighting of the famous ‘Strait of Magellan; more on that later but at 600 km long, what a fascinating passage
-Tierra del Fuego where I am now stems from all the bonfires the natives  built when Magellan arrived; Fuego means fire in Spanish
-this place really is the end of the earth; Ushuaia is at 55 degrees latitude far further south than the Cape of Good Hope and Capetown both at 34 degrees; - I am told from people who know that you have to really watch yourself from the 50 degree mark south
- there are gargantuan tides down here with swings up to 28 feet (8th most in world with our Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia being number one at 38’)
-pushing my last DeLorme InReach button location indicator tomorrow will be a moment of pure pleasure!

Day 58, Mon, Mar 26th
Hosteria Tunkelen, Cerro Sombrero to Hotel Beagle, Ushuaia, 426 km

Last ride! After a skimpy breakfast off everyone went to our sixth (all remote except one) and last border crossing back into Argentina. There was no drama and the day was pleasant with dry, good roads and reasonable conditions. Here are a few pics of roadway issues that can let you know that things can get nasty around here:


Nearly every sand bagged highway sign had been blown over




As I closed in to Ushuaia it was with mixed emotions. It has been an intense and sometimes arduous trip both on and off the bike. I certainly felt a sense of accomplishment. This trip has been longer than either of the other two in terms of distance, 14,200 km versus 13,000 for the other two. The riding conditions have been more challenging too with extreme elevation changes, inclement weather and rough roads to deal with. There is definite satisfaction in seeing all of us arrive safely because this was not a walk in the park ride to the bottom of the world.  The euphoric feelings after completing the Africa journey were just not as evident though. The majesty of Africa, its wildlife, its scenery and its origination for all of us held me in its thrall in ways that South America could not.




I do not want to get into comparables because that would not be fair. Both trips have been terrific in different ways as was the Silk Road back in 2011 which is becoming more of a good memory. South America is an awesome continent, it is just that there is so much potential here that has not been realized. I think it comes down to two main things with lots of subsets: education and governance. While Argentina and Chile are by far the most progressive of the 6 countries visited, all of them need to educate, educate, educate their young people to prepare them for a better life. That along with better and less corrupt government which I do not have time or competence to elaborate on would go a long way to improving life on this amazing continent.

Here are a few random thoughts:

-there are no wind turbines here I guess because there is not enough population to support the investment, would be a ready form of available energy
-everyone had mishaps with bikes falling nearly all in manoevering situations; I counted mine for awhile and then decided to forget the exercise; my one face plant and camera strap getting tangled up were more memorable
-wish I could better communicate what I have seen on this trip as pictures only tell a very partial story; my Canon SX60HS has taken a real beating but has performed admirably
-I really love to engage locals, to talk to them about stuff whenever the opportunity arises, it really makes for a more interesting experience
-Wikipedia has been an excellent primer for what I have seen on this trip and a perfect way to get a little local knowedge about things
-after all the excitement and routine of the trip it might seem a little boring for awhile when I get home; there will be an adjustment but I think I will like boring just fine!

Ushuaia means “deep bay” in local native language of the time. It is a small place of 60,000 famous for being the southern most city in the world. In 1833 a British Captain,  Robert Fitz Roy first set up a settlement here. Ushuaia is noted for fishing, oil and gas, sheep farming and quite a lot of tourism.


Day 59, Tue, Mar 27th
Hotel Beagle, Ushuaia, 48 km

This was a short nostalgic ride to the very end of the road where tourists come in droves to wander around and take pictures. As I drove here I was thinking a lot about Ferdinand Magellan all those years ago and what it must have been like for him. It was exactly 500 years ago (less two) that he was credited with the first circumnavigation of the globe. He was an accomplished Portuguese ships captain who had fallen out of favour with his king. He was finally able to wrangle a commission from the Spanish king and off he went with a complement of 242 men on 5 small ships. Down here he was waylaid and had to quell a mutiny of three of his captains. He wound up getting killed in a skirmish with natives in the Philippines in 1521 at the age of 41. Wikipedia has a good write up about him.

After our pics and hoorahs we headed back to town to get our filthy bikes washed and begin the paperwork and packing process to containerize bikes and gear to ship home.



O

Last order of battle today was a nostalgic good bye and celebration dinner for Jairo who is heading home to Cartagena, Colombia via Buenos Aires to pick up his son for a week’s ride then meet his wife in Santiago. Thanks for all, Jairo!





Day 60/61, Wed/Thur, Mar 28th/29th
Hotel Beagle, Ushuaia, 0 km

This morning we headed out on a 4 hour excursion on a nifty catamaran that speeds to 18 knots. It was a beautiful flat calm morning that blustered up enroute and there is a wind warning for this afternoon. Sylvia, our very knowledgeable guide said that we often get four seasons in one day here. She provided lots of info on the area and it’s wildlife. We saw two species of penguins (fascinatingly complex colonies called Antartica and Magellan) two species of cormorants, sea lions and fur seals in abundance (no Orcas but Humbacks inhabit the area). There has to be a ton of feed under the water to support these numbers. Apparently the cormorants and penguins can dive to depths of 50 metres. I did not see one sea gull.

We are getting very close to the end game, tonight is our farewell dinner. Tomorrow I head to Buenos Aires for a short visit and then home Air Canada via Santiago and Toronto. It has been quite an adventure for this soon to be septuagenarian rider! I have been in touch with my mortality a few times! It has been a very worthwhile life experience. I always learn something about myself.

In conclusion, I have been riding with some very experienced motorcycle buffs. They all own multiple machines and know as much about motorcycles and riding as I know about boats. I have felt fortunate to have kept up, more or less! Helge has done his usual superlative job of managing any and all issues from breakdowns to flat tires to detours on the road to keep us all on the straight and narrow so to speak. No one can do it any better as commented on by my Brazilian friend Gustavo Bertici (mentioned in Day 37 on our washout day) who sent me a message recently that said in part:

Wow, wow, wow !!! Nick, I was reading your blog and ... Are you a friend of the legendary Helge Pedersen ?! Wow!!!
Certainly he is one of three people (living or dead) with whom I would like to talk about life (the other two are: Leonard Cohen and Aristotle).
If possible, tell him that his book ("10 Years on 2 Wheels", which unfortunately is sold out in Brazil - what I read was borrowed from a friend), as well as his blog, influenced me a lot in trying to become a " Long-Distance Motorcyclist "- which I'm still far from, but I try to improve every year.
And here's a funny fact: When I read that the great Helge Pedersen also does not use and does not like the "tank bags", I felt happy and relieved, because everyone here uses this equipment that I also hate! ... Hahahahahaha ...
Again, I reinforce the idea of staying in touch and thank you for the beautiful words dedicated to me on your blog.
I will continue to read your blog and follow up frequently.
A big hug! Gustavo Bertuci

Sebastian Colombres my excellent and very helpful BMW connection in Santiago (mentioned in Day 40) also sent me this email that I think really captures the essence of what this trip is all about:

You`ve had quite an adventure, and those are the things we remember, we can always look back at nice portrait pictures, clouds, mountains, lakes, etc...but the feeling of overcoming and having succesfully navigated a hard day, thats the pay off...you are coming near to the end of one of your trips again, tired, with thousands of miles on your back, lots of new people and experiences, this is the final stretch to the finish line (your home), enjoy the ride!

Little did he know that there was much more to follow, some of the most challenging parts of the journey! Thanks for these words of wisdom Sebastian, they really stuck with me.

That is all for now from this writer. Thanks for following along and I really appreciated your messages of support most of which I was unable to reply to for various reasons. Over and out, Nick G.

Adventure definition- an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity. Synonyms: exploit, escapade, deed, feat, experience.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Photos Now Included- Missive #6, Fri, Mar 9th to Mon, Mar 19th

Missive #1- January 23, 2018