Any brass monkeys riding with us today would have arrived looking highly embarrassed as the temperature on our route dropped to 4C. That particular low was after climbing into the hills above El Calafate where the temperature was 10C. Such was the cold that even our resident thermonuclear piles donned their thermal layers. Definitely not T-shirt and shorts weather.
With our early start, even the sun was struggling to get up as it hung low on the horizon and illuminated the powerlines making them look like dew covered spider webs. Once we'd finished climbing we were on a wide expansive plateau, and gradually the temperature rose a few degrees. This was Ruta 40. A road sign confirmed it and we stopped for pictures just to show that we had really been here.
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| The famous Argentine Ruta 40 |
With the Paparazzi chased away, we double backed a short distance to take a shortcut on a gravel road that probably saves 50km. Shortcuts are always fun, especially when they take you off the straight tarmac, but after 40km or so, the gravel fun was over and we re-emerged on Ruta 40 going south.
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| Refueling stop on Ruta 40 |
We refuelled at a petrol station where we met two French riders who had bought French registered bikes in French Guyana and had ridden down through Brazil and Argentina to Ushuaia and now were heading north to Santiago where they hoped to sell their bikes, but they were not optimistic as imports are illegal in Chile so were ready to write-off their purchases at rock bottom prices.. They could have purchased in Argentina, but at five times the price. I always admire self supported riders who tour like this, as they are genuine travellers not tourists or weekend warriors.
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| A French registered Honda -the bike of a proper adventurer |
Yet another border crossing later and we're in Chile again after a quick lunch beforehand to finish off our perishables; no fruit/veg is allowed to be transported into Chile and all the border crossings have sniffer dogs to detect 'contraband'.
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| Chilean Special Forces expect our arrival |
Into Chile and then entry to the Parque Nacional Torres del Paine a beautiful ancient volcanic landscape; rather like Dartmoor on steroids. Towering shear sided peaks characterise underground volcanic magma intrusions that have over the years been exposed by erosion (Mr Piercy taught me that). Unfortunately clouds obscured the views of the peaks. We stopped at the Salto Grande water falls to admire a powerful flow of water linking two lakes. Probably two leagues below Niagara, but still worth seeing. Shortly after I stop to take a picture and my bike is blown so hard by the wind that I cannot stop it falling over with me on it. I manage to control the fall, so no damage is done, but it really shows how windy it is here!
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| The waterfall at Salto Grande - ah', ah', ah', ahhh! |
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| One of the famous 'Torres' shrouded in cloud |
By now it was raining so we all had our wet weather gear on. The gravel roads felt more or less the same, and the GS scrabbled for grip in Enduro mode, traction control light flashing away coming out of corners. I followed AJ for a while until my road ran out on a corner. Fortunately, plenty of run-off into which my line could expand! AJ is obviously a very good rider on a well sorted bike and not an amateur on a oil tanker.
Rejoining the tarmac we traverse the last few kms into Puerto Natales and another refuel. The waterside town feels like I imagine one in Alaska, or a northern US or Canadian state, would be, like something out of hollywood movie. A raw frontier town, filled with tough outdoor types driving V8 pickups or petrol tankers and not afraid of hard work. I preferred it immediately to El Calafate, it didn't feel pretentious.
Tomorrow we cross the Magellan Straits, or the Estrecho de Magallanes as they are known here. That means we will be on the island of Tierra del Fuego and very close to the End of the World, our ultimate destination.
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Sent from the dusty road using my rusty BlackBerry
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