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

Missive #6, Fri, Mar 9th to Mon, Mar 19th, 2018

Day 41, Fri, Mar 9th

Hotel Crown Plaza, Santiago, 0 km

A slow day in Santiago working on the mail out of Missive #5 and going for a walkabout in this nice, large city of 7 mm plus. We met in the lounge at 7 pm to say goodbye to Debbie, Harrison and Bob, most unfortunate. Debbie it turns out has an upcoming gall bladder operation as a result of tests done here. Understandably she wants to have this done in Seattle so Harrison wants to go home with her. Bob has a continuing right eye sight problem. He burst a small blood vessel in the high altitude of Bolivia and without proper depth perception has been unable to ride for the past few weeks. As a result of a thorough check up with an ophthalmologist here in Santiago and in consultation with his specialist at home in Maryland he has decided to cut his trip short and head home too.

So we are down from on original 12 plus Helge to 9 and 7 bikes for the last third of the trip heading south through Patagonia to Tierra del Fuego.

I had the pleasant opportunity to have dinner with the brother of Jorge Letelier. Jorge is a Coca Cola employee from the 1980’s that I hired and he is still there at 62 years of age. His older brother Felipe lives in Santiago so he came to the hotel with one of his good pals and we had a nice visit speaking about all things Chilean.

Day 42 and 43, Sat/Sun, Mar 10th/11th

Hotel Crown Plaza, Santiago to Hotel Sheraton, Los Angeles, 518 km

 Hotel Sheraton, Los Angeles to Hotel Sonesta, Osorno, 418 km

Ho hum race down the autopisto for two days close to 1,000 klics. I was of a mixed mind, wanting more challenge in one way and glad to have some easy riding on the other. My GPS kept saying 'Autopisto del Mappo' as the miles clicked by. 

This gives me an opportunity to say a few things:

-I am somewhat concerned about this last stage. We are moving in to early winter the further south we go. It will be wet and cold with rain and possibly even some snow. On top of that, the 'Roaring 40's'  roar in from west to east potentially making riding hazardous. I have begun monitoring weather reports at some of our destinations to get a sense of things so hopefully we can skirt through. Unlike Namibia where we were thrown to the wolves early on with difficult riding in the desert, here we are all at the top of our riding skills, seasoned veterans of the road so to speak. We will deal with whatever comes and work very hard at riding safe.

-with all of the traffic my enjoyable habit of honking or waving at truck traffic is a thing of the past

-we are definitely back in civilization and modernization almost first world as compared to some of the country's to the north; the standard of living and general prosperity is far higher

-the gdp of Chile is about $16, 000 per person about $1,000 more than Argentina; the population is far lower at 18 mm compared to 45 mm and the country is about a quarter the size at 757, 000 sq km.

-the countryside south of Santiago so far is flat, rural farmland; lots of wine growing, close to sea level, actually quite pretty but not necessary to load up on photos as we can see this anywhere

-I am seeing a lot of big bikes going north and south, likely coming or going to one of the famous "ends of the world" so to speak

-sometime today we hit 10,000 klics on the odometer setting for this trip

-I would like to buy some long underwear but all the stores are closed this being Sunday in Chile and most of the towns going forward will be even more one horse than this one (Osorno).

There are a lot of toll booths down here! Stop, start, get your pesos out, quite an exercise when you are all bundled up. One today was really quite humorous, maybe you had to be there. The rain was coming down hard and it was cold so I was all trundled up with wet gear including my XXL fishing gloves. I get to this toll booth and try to explain my handicap, gesturing almost like a zombie. The gal still wants my 800 pesos. I gesture my problem and where my money is, vehicles behind me, etc. Out she comes, helps me pull down my waterproof pants, unzips my riding pants pocket, pulls out my bill fold and presto has my 800 pesos. We both had a bit of a laugh over that!

You can bypass this paragraph if you like but I can't. Since all my switches were changed in Santiago some funny things have been happening on my dash readout. I have been carefully protecting my overall milage indicator for this trip and it has zeroed out by itself. Then my fuel range indicator said 66 km remaining so I stopped and got what should have been close to 30 litres of fuel but only could fill 24 lites. This is a bit of a problem because when we are in remote southern areas with little fuel available I need to be on top of what I have consumed versus what is left to go. Normally I should get approx 600 klics per tank but this readout indicated range of only 450 km.  I will have to monitor this readouts going forward to get a better handle on this.

Franco has taken over Debbie and Harrison's room and Jairo our very nice Colombian sweeper has taken over Bob's room. One of the benefits is that I now get a room to myself! It is really cool to have extra towels on hand to wrap your washed, quick dry clothing in to wring out the extra dampness. You should see the place, stuff all over. I have been so tidy, respectful of my rooming companion and now I get to let my hair down, nice.

Day 44, Mon, Mar 12th

Hotel Sonesta, Osorno to Hotel Ayres del Nahuel, Bariloche, 246 km

Today we crossed the border back into Argentina for the second time and I am now in the famous town of Bariloche. It was a bit of a hazardous run due to cold, rain and wind, actually down to 2 degrees on my bike readout. In conditions like this, slow and cautious rules the day around turns because it can be a bit slippery. Glad I have new tires!

Some people have been inferring that I may not be having as much fun on this trip as the Africa one. First of all, in aggregate, that is true. Second, these trips are not all fun anyway; a lot of it is hard work slogging from one place to another, you never know what is around the next bend in the road, what might be getting served for breakfast, or not, what meal you will pick away at for dinner etc etc. Aside: my go to meal of choice is ‘truta’ or local trout, pretty hard to screw that up; I always ask for it to be lightly cooked but it always shows up well done. It is opened up and looks heart shaped often with the head on, it should be tender and appetizing but it is really just a way to get some protein with over cooked steamed vegetables on the side.

Then you get to the group dynamics itself. No matter how good the group is, towards the end most things that have been discussed and said have been time after time so that gets a bit boring too. For the most part except for one exception, I have enjoyed all of our group.

Then it's the actual ride itself, the history and culture of what you are seeing and experiencing. Here there is divergence too. South America is just not as dynamic for this traveller as the two previous trips. There are too many 'same, same' days, not enough variety, just different from what I expected on balance.

I judge a trip on fifths: 20% the joy of being on the motorcycle, navigating from A to B; 20% the scenery and viewpoints and activity on the road; 20% the group dynamics, 20% Helge's leadership and ability to add to the trip itself and 20% the people I meet along the way. This trip falls behind the other two in this comparison.

I am really glad to be here don't get me wrong! The very best way to see a continent, warts and all is on a motorcycle. As I have mentioned before, the sights, sounds, smells of the road are up front and personal in a visceral way that no other form of travel can provide. We have seen the best and the worst of South America just like Africa and the Silk Road.

Is it possible that the passage of time changes reflections on a trip like this? Do you naturally fade out the bad parts and focus on the good memories? I think so. There were lots of difficult days on the Silk Road and in Africa too.

I think the benefit of travelling the Silk Road was to see the sheer history of this ancient trading highway and it's complex ways to move people and goods thousands of miles before seafarers largely replaced it in the 1500’s. In Africa, the meagre lifestyles of many of the people's was more than made up by the dignity and cheeriness of the locals beavering away for the betterment of themselves and their families in the face of sometimes overwhelming odds, some surviving on $2 per day. Then there was the scenery and mystery of Africa to contemplate in all its unfathomable complexity. In South America, I am still searching for that tight little summary to put it all together and hope to do so before the end of the trip.

Bariloche was and is a haven for outdoor activity from climbing to skiing to enjoying the very large lake it resides beside; the climate is temperate and conducive to attract visitors in droves. Europeans especially Germans came early and never left. It is a town of 200, 000 and caters to tourists in a big way. It is said that it is resembles a little Switzerland (I do not see that personally) and it is full of chocolate shops.

We are due to be here 2 nights but I have run out of things to see and do so will leave early, get a rest from my gang and go down to Trevelin south of Esquel to see an old friend David Hyslop who has been wintering there for the last 10 years or so.

Day 45, Tue, Mar 13th

Hotel Ayres del Nahuel, Bariloche, 0 km

I got some money and enjoyed a McDonald’s breakfast before heading out. I have also purchased some extra clothing for warmth. At the Motoventura place in Osorno I bought some long underwear and glove liners both quite expensive as they are designed for bikers in this climate. In Bariloche I went on a hunt for some mittens as finger gloves eventually go cold on you even with heated grips. I looked absolutely everywhere with no luck. Eventually on the edge of town I found this ski shop that sold high alpine, waterproof mittens that slide over whatever you are wearing underneath. I am so happy to have these as they will be way better than the rubber fish cleaning ones that were too restrictive and hard to get on and off.

It was a nice ride down the rather decrepit highway to Esquel (40,000 population) looking at craggy mountain peaks, much like home- lots of pines, firs, cedars and various evergreens. It then became almost Cariboo like in terrain. It was windy but it was mostly on my rear quarter. No rain.

I had previously been in touch with Jeremy Wood who is a European living here. He is married to Christina and has a 7 year old son. He and David are great pals and he was able to update me on David’s various health problems. Together we bought dinner and wine and headed 28 km south to the little town of Trevelin population 12,000.


Coming into Esquel.                   Fisherman’s Winter, David’s home 

Dinner with David after Jeremy left was interesting to say the least. There is not much to elaborate on except that his physical health (diabetes etc.) has deteriorated a lot since I last saw him and he has lost a lot of weight. He was very glad to see me and I was very glad to provide some conversation at least for one night.

With regard to food issues, he agrees with me. He says that nothing gets hung long enough here, it gets slaughtered and eaten right away. He has an agreement with his butcher to do otherwise. Also, the meat does not have the same marbling as home so it is more chewy and less flavourful.

We also agree that the cost of living is very high here relative to wages. Inflation has been up to 40% and is now down to about 20. There have been so many generations of very poor and corrupt  government that it will take more generations of good government to fix it.

Day 46, Wed, Mar 14th

Hotel Ayres del Nahuel, Bariloche to Hosteria El Coiron, Esquel, 284 km

Spent the day chatting with David at his nice home in Trevelin and driving around the village doing a few errands. He is having trouble walking due to balance and lower leg issues. We are heading north back to Esquel this aft to dine with Jeremy and I will bunk back in with my guys at the local watering hole there. 

Update on dinner, just a splendid evening. Jeremy’s wife Christina is a member of a prominent farming family in this area and they own a ton of acreage. She is also a great cook. The slow cooked lamb I think was the best I have ever tasted, mind you I was sure due for a good meal.

Jeremy and Christina have this lovely 7 year old precocious son called Tommy. I could see he is a character but he was off in a jiff to stay with his grandparents. David and I were royally entertained and enjoyed some fine wines along with the dinner.


Jeremy, Christina and David

I love to get the local perspective on things. I think I have it right in saying that the previous husband/wife political team called the Kirchners basically robbed to country (once again) of nearly all its wealth, just terrible kleptomaniacs, billions and billions. How this can be allowed to happen in this day and age of enlightenment is beyond me, so sad for all of the taxpayers who eventually have to fund it. They do not like the centralized power of Buenos Aires, no surprise. The new president over the past 3 years or so is a breath of fresh air but has a long way to go.

All in all a very pleasant evening and David is lucky to have such caring friends.

Day 47, Thur, Mar 15th

Hosteria El Coiron, Esquel to Hosteria Alemana, Puero Puyuhuapi, 264 km

264 kilometres doesn’t seem like too bad of a day, that is if you don’t read Helge’s write up below: “take it easy on the upcoming narrow dirt roads, this is beautiful riding but quite unpredictable in places”. Well, that for sure is true, especially today. What we were supposed to see was mostly obscured due to the weather.

It started out on the Argentinian side quite complex. The gravel road to the border (our third crossing and likely three more) was loose and full of small stones and slushy stuff.   For about 50 km it was not much fun but had to be done.

I was on my own near the front and somewhere Franco was around too. We had a mishap yesterday afternoon. Helge’s side car which causes one helluva lot of stress on  all of the components of his machine resulted in the front end coming loose around the  front shock area. He was thrown from the bike at manageable speed and is none the worse for wear but was lucky. As a result, the repair job required some to stay behind to help out while the rest of us pressed on.

Crossing the border into Chile for the 3rd time.

Past the easy border check into Chile the roads became better. What was a 40-50 km road became a 60 km per hour road. I really enjoyed the back country vistas, observing the local farming community, seeing the guys wearing parkas to shield the rain on their horses riding with their sheep dogs running alongside to go and check their herds was a real treat. As the weather soured more and more I fortunately ignored it while I connected with what was around me.

I layered up with wet gear, stopped for a sandwich break and just pressed on. It was a 6.5 hour day to go a lousy few hundred klics (including breaks) but that’s the way it goes around here. At one point I was tired and sleepy so stopped in a little rain shelter for a 17 minute siz. Wish I had a picture of the little hole in the wall but it was raining so hard my camera would have got water logged just like me.

Refreshed I pressed on. It is easy to feel sorry for yourself until you see the pedal bikers doing their thing. It was just awesome! There they are in the middle of damn nowhere on a dirt road plodding along. I bet I saw at least 20 to 30 of them in various small groups and I honked at everyone; at one place they were fixing a flat tire in the pouring rain; one guy was literally in the bushes hiding under a tree holding his bike, a miserable wreck of a human being just trying to shield himself from the rain.

It was a bleak day, let’s face it but that is what you get in a foreign country in the middle of nowhere. Along the way I felt like I was eating grit. How in the heck could this stuff from the road get inside my helmet and visor and actually into my mouth? When I stopped for a pee break, the answer was obvious. There was grit everywhere, on my clothing, on my bike, wherever, partly the result of passing cars kicking it up and leaving it behind with me.

So here I am, fueled up and relatively comfortable in my little hotel room. Two of us have arrived and it is 3 pm, pretty late actually compared to a normal day.

Let me tell you, it is really, really owly out! When you are in it, there is no choice, when you are observing it behind a closed window, it is something else again. Think of the worst sou’easter of wind and rain anchored on the Sprite V at the bottom end of Dennison with no fishing even a possibility and you have some idea. I am sitting up close to a propane heater in my room drying out my supposedly waterproof gear and warming up at the same time. It is a very quaint little pension type character place and the only game in this small village.

Have some of you been to Zeballos on the Westcoast of Vancouver Island? It is a remote mining and resources town, pretty uninhabited now where it rains all the time, about 250” a year. Well, Puerta Puyuhuapi reminds me exactly of Zeballos, complete with the rain and the wind, very exposed to the elements. I am going to go out to my bike now and send a Delorme InReach message so people on that mail out can see exactly where this joint is.

I am actually happy to be here! It is miserable out and the nice lady in charge sold me a home made beer for too much money but I don’t care, they have to survive too. I am now warm and reasonably dry and do not yet wish to contemplate the rigours of tomorrow which will likely be more of the same!




Exhausted getting fuel; Puyuhuapi’s amazing graveyard

Day 48, Fri, Mar 16th

 Hosteria El Coiron, Puero Puyuhuapi to Hotel Dreams, Coyhaique, 234 km

We had one of the best meals of the trip last night, braved the weather (no choice, the only joint available) and hiked 200 metres in the downpour to this little place for an 8 pm opening- nothing opens before then in either of these countries. Most of us had salmon and it was delicious, cooked just right with mashed potatoes and copious amounts of beer and vino to celebrate our survival and newly grown web feet.

It rained like he'll hath no fury last night then around daylight it stopped, what a blessing! I actually got to go outside, remove my bike cover and get organized for the day's ride without getting drenched at the outset.

Not that I was totally absolved. It did rain, it rained a lot, but nothing like yesterday. There was a lot of road construction, waits for huge equipment to get out of the way and then slow forward movement through gravel road beds that were challenging; a few short years ago I would have filled my pants in panic but not now.

My new bag in Patagonia.

I have another revelation, not just the rain being more than the other two trips combined; the off road dirt and gravel has also been more than the other two trips as well. No problem, I actually enjoy the challenge. Fix your gaze on the horizon, stand up to lower your center of gravity (your weight is centered on the pedals not the seat, you get a much better viewpoint, kind of like a paddle board versus a kayak) and away you go.

I sense some apprehension in our group, deservedly so. Everyone is anticipating what is to come, therefore lots of discussion- more cold, more wet, snow possibilities, lots of wind etc. I think Helge likes it this way, keeps everyone on edge, planning for the unknown. He knows this stuff backwards and forwards. None of us would be remotely close to stuff like this if he wasn't the instigator and we hadn’t signed up.

It is invigorating as can be to be out here. You are in the middle of nowhere, somewhere on the far westcoast of South America on a dirt road full of potholes up to your rims and you keep wondering 'what in the good lords name do you think you are doing here'? Believe me, everyone else is too! That's part of the fun of it.

 

I left first because I wanted to get to Sam's fishing camp and meet Pancho and Phillip the proprietors. It was a bit hard to find but I made it after several enquiries. Both guys commiserated about the weather and were a bit awestruck about the trip in its totality. Apparently the rain around here is 3-3.5 metres (approx 100 to 150 inches)! I am not surprised.

Pancho at Los Torreones Lodge in Patagonia

A couple of quick observations and then I am done for the day:

-all the half decent hotels we stay at have noisy casinos attached to them, most with no one in them

-quite a few of the guys have very wet, leaking boots, riding suits etc.; my goretex Sidi boots are bullet proof, so glad I spent the extra money Jody Evans recommended and Helge has the same ones

-my BMW Motorrad bag crapped out after about 10 years of use, the diagonal zipper broke down; I bought a newer version in Santiago, expensive but way more efficient; with the water and grit all over the place, sure glad I did

-switches and buttons on handle bars: they all look great in the showroom, work great on sealed roads but let me tell you, off-road is a different story; my gps rotator wheel to zoom in and out the display on my screen hardly works it is so gummed up

-there are raging rivers all over the place, beautifuI to look at; have been half expecting to see washed out roads like further north but have been spared

-some Mercedes mini vans going by, tourists being escorted through this Patagonia region, glad my riding option is different

-I stopped to take a few pics but the ceiling levels and general viewpoints are not conducive for good photography and my camera face is usually fogged, blotched or both

-important distinction confirmed by Pancho and Phillip: unlike North America, South America has almost no natural wildlife of its own. Deer were introduced way back and a few other species but in general there is nothing like what we have at home, surprising and do not know the answer to this riddle.

Day 49, Sat, Mar 17th

Hotel Dreams, Coyhaique to Hotel Americano, Perito Moreno, 259 km

This was our 4th border crossing from Chile back into Argentina. These little out of the way places are much more friendly and less demanding.

Helge told us to expect rough gravel conditions for 100 km after the border and he was mostly right. It was rough but for 104 km! The good news was that we had lots of sunny fine weather with little wind to distract us. The gravel road build up was to be feared and I was on the pegs almost all the way to get a better viewpoint. I did my best to follow narrow road tracks that were more compacted but occasionally there were piles of stuff you had to wade through with the front tire wandering all over the place. I was glad to get back to the sealed road for sure.

Along the way a small fox ran beside me for about 200 metres which was cool. I saw more bird life and spotted two birds of prey likely hawks of some kind perched on power poles. 

Every morning when I make the same sandwich on stale hard bread I wonder whether I will be able to eat it later. It is always very delicious when the time comes. I got to the intersection of gravel and pavement first at slow speed and without stopping and almost dropped the bike I was so fatigued. The others arrived within a half hour and we had a pow wow before heading into our little town and little hotel in the middle of nowhere for the night.

Here is a perfect example how tough things must be in Argentina for the average person/family trying to make ends meet with aggressive inflation and likely meagre wages. Our hotel is fine but no dinner and I am unsure of breakfast in the morning. We walk to an okay place and have an okay meal (maybe). I think, what’s my back up? There is a grocery store across the street so over I go for some insurance. I buy one orange, one avocado, one small box of crackers and two apples. Total cost? $7.58 Canadian! Having a sweet tooth and finding no ice cream I then go on a walk about and find this confectionary store full of too much alcohol for sale. I buy a nice drumstick ice cream, total cost $3.75. Not affordable, even for me!

Day 50, Sun, Mar 18th

Hotel Americano, Perito Moreno to Estancia La Angustura, La Angustura, 319 km

How do we confront fear? In our fortunate circumstances where we live and exist, fear is not somethingthat we have to think often about from day to day. In many parts of the world where I have travelled by motorcycle, fear is an everyday occurrence. What about me then? Lying awake last night listening to the wind literally whistling past my window I had to put my ear plugs in for the first time since I have been rooming alone. It was disconcerting. What would the ride be like tomorrow, how would the wind affect the outcome?

It did not take long to find out. I got my breakfast out of the way and was on the road first by 8:30 as it takes longer to get light in these southern areas. The morning was magnificent, the road was perfect and although it was cold I was in a pleasant heaven with very light traffic and all by myself.

For a change there was some road kill to contemplate although nothing to take advantage of it. The scenery was splendid and I watched lots of Guanaco (deer like creatures, furry, much smarter) and Piche (like a small osterich) close to the road. 

The only challenge was we had been advised that the last 40 km to get to our isolated lodgings would be challenging. For sure it was. It was a step above yesterday with the advantage being that it was a lot less mileage. The wind was blowing hard, the gravel build up was significant and it took all my skills to manage the challenge as I could not stand up to look ahead; the sail affect blowing me around was too difficult. It all worked out as I literally talked out loud to myself the whole way. My word of choice when my front wheel veers into the heavy gravel is “woops And I must have said that 100 times along the route.

We arrived at this 102 year old working farm in the middle of  nowhere. It is famous for South American off road riders to come to and is pretty much fully booked. Because we are so isolated we filled up with local farm gas to tide us over to civilization tomorrow.

The very best thing about this place? No internet! We actually had to speak to each other! Not that we don’t but you get my drift. It is just like home, we are all anchored to our cell phones. So one guy, not to be named is in between relationships and has been for a long time. He is looking to get reconnected. How? Big challenge. Not easy. You have to look into yourself and get real honest and understand your own issues before you can be of any use to someone else. So, over about 4 hours, with his enthusiastic encouragement, five of us waded in. It was an amazing interchange, one that he is very grateful for but so are we for being able to offer free advice (as my Dad used to say, ‘it is worth what you paid for it Nick’!). Still it was therapeutic for the recipient and a wonderful way for us all to communicate.

I think this afternoon’s discussion may turn out to be one of the highlights of our trip; a bunch of guys bonding in a common cause to assist one of our group.

Day 51, Mon, Mar 19th

Estancia la Angostura, La Angostura to Chaltens Suits Hotel, El Chalten, 327 km

Today’s two wheel ride was short and sweet, the four wheel ride less so.

We awoke to a sprinkling of snow on the ground and more coming down. It was cold but no wind, cloud cover on the deck. What to do? The proprietors are very familiar with the area of course and they told us that our intended direction of travel west was a ‘no-go’ pretty much, period. It would be 110 km of increasingly more difficult gravel in winter conditions.

Helge made the decision to re-route east instead of west. That would mean traversing back the 42 km we had been on yesterday, not pretty but still a lot more preferable than the alternative.

Out we went in the slop after wiping the snow off our bikes as best we could. It was manageable but not exactly pleasant. Everyone was in good spirits nonetheless. 

It was just the luck of the draw for me. It could have happened to any of us and in fact it did. Spike and Paul were ahead of us. I was the lead bike for the second group of five. I was doing just fine, following the track in the snow of the guys ahead of us. Suddenly there was this mess of brown mud in the snow about 100 feet in front of me where Spike had had a spill. I was in second gear doing about 20 mph. There was zero time to react and I was in the same mud bath a little short of where the other guys were. Down went the bike and me too!

The front windshield was damaged and a few other bits and pieces but the bike was okay and so was I. We were both covered in sticky mud. I waited for help, we assessed things and decided to load  the bike on the trailer and fix things later.

It was an unfortunate occurrence because it turned out to be the only real muddy bit of the road. I think that whoever was in the lead would have likely gone down too. The area required a dog paddle approach at ultra low speed to get through it. The wet mud was hidden under the snow cover and completely indiscernible until you were in it and it was too late. The bike just took on a life of its own, the tires filled with the goo and it was like being on black ice.

So I am in the back of the truck still covered in now drying mud licking my wounds and wondering whether to be embarrassed or not! I put it down to a chance occurrence. Only the best of our riders would have been able to recover.

To close this off we got to Puerto Santa Cruz on the east coast and stopped for lunch and fuel. We will now head 250 km south in some wind but clear skies to Rio Gallegos where we will find some rooms and overnight. Tomorrow, with good weather forecast we will head northwest 425 km to our original destination El Calafate. Just another day of excitement on the road!

Time to get this on the wire at our next half decent internet connection. Hope I can include some pics of the evidence!