Wilkins Mk IV & Wilkins Mk V

After my epic journey to Antartica it was time to move north. I hadn't seen the bike in a few days and when i did there was another pool of oil from the front Damper. The good news - it meant that it had some oil still in it, the bad news there probably wasn't much left!

I had to move on & there was no one in Punta Arenas to help me with the bike. It was a shortish ride up to El Calafate but on one of the iconic routes in South America - Ruta 40. This passes Torres del Paine a beautiful section of mountains with glaciers. I am afraid my camera skills are not up to the task

I was bumping in to my brother "Wilks". He is doing a 3 month tour of South America (not by bike) having had enough of the Print Industry for the time being.

The bike went pretty well, even over the short sections of gravel at the border of Chile & Argentina. I didn't time the borders too well. There were several buses of German OAP's trying to get through which slowed the process considerably.

At a fuel stop this lovely old bus turned up driven by the old boy (who loved the bike) with a some bohemian looking characters.

Wilks was already at the hotel on the lakeside of El Calafate. It is a lovely town in a lovely spot but for obvious reasons driven by tourism. The view from the hotel lounge (which is very new) was across the lake

We hired a car for two days. Day one was a trip el Chalten and the Viedma glacier (Argentinas answer to Chiles Del Paines).

The roads are full of Trekkers (not the Captain spock variety) but those with all the right equipment for taking on Everest. They were all in town drinking coffee or trying to hitch hike out of town.

As you can see it is very beautiful. Between us we took a lot of pictures but this is a very good summary (obvioulsy Wilks).

It was about a 3 hour drive each way but was certainly worth the effort, which being in a car wasn't much. For dinner we threw ourselves in to the tourist area and enjoyed a Lamb Asado (BBQ lamb over an open fire) Very nice but very expensive. Neither of us enjoy the tourist trail but in these towns it is hard to avoid entirely.

I knew that my contribution to the research of Antartica had created a stir in such circles but Wilks & I were surprised to see it recognised so quickly:

 It may be that Sir Hubert Wilkins was more deserving of the accolade than I.

Day 2 of car hire was to find a bar in town showing the Rugby. We sat down and were soon joined by a bearded Brit. Bob was travelling, having just left Chaucer (a Lloyd's Agency)! It just goes to prove you can't go anywhere without bumping into someone from Lloyd's.

We watched a very good peformance by England end in an undeserved loss to the Gales. It didnt seem the best use of the Car so, although we had booked a days hike on the ice for the morrow, we drove up to the Pertio Moreno Glacier anyway- one of the highlights of Argentina. Was a bit slower return journey as we were running in to the red on the fuel gauge!

The next blog will have all the picutres and highlights of the hike across the ice - a great experience and great fun.
Got to go as Wilks has to get up at 2 am to catch his coach to Ushuaia. He has a few days down there before heading back up North on the Ferry service that I am taking tomorrow, to Puerto Montt

Hasta luego

Cleggy - no I didn't leave the Gas on.

Fire guts Brazil's Antarctic research station

 

The Brazilian navy said the fire had destroyed the entire station

The blast was caused by a fire in a machine room at the Comandante Ferraz base, on King George Island, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.
More than 30 people were evacuated to a Chilean research station nearby.



An investigation is under way to establish the cause of the blaze.

This is awfully sad, if there is any good news - better it happened now than in the depth of winter. Knowing the way the community pulls together down there I am sure they will get all the help they need.

Delbert of Antartica Day 2

And this pathetic attempt at a Korean snow Angel - compliments of Corey! Not only am I not very good at Snow Angels - i need a haircut. ZZ Top eat your heart out! and to work out how to get the image up the right way.

A couple more shots from Day 1

After breakfast, Alejo had arranged for a German Biologist stationed at the Russian camp to take us for a walk to Elephant Bay.

Mikael is studying Squar's (a type of Bird) for his Masters. He is working with a professor who had been studying these big brown, aggressive, Penguin egg eating beasts for years. Last year they monitored 350 nests on George Is. This year only 30! They think there is a krill shortage as the whales didn't come into the bay in the numbers that would normally appear.

He took us down to Elephant Bay asking us to avoid treading on the mosses and lichens as it takes years to repair the damage in this climate. It is so named because of the number of Elephant seals that come here each season. A few weeks ago there were circa 200.

As I have mentioned earlier, everything is leaving for warmer climes. There were still a few grumpy Fur seals and some of the Big Buggers. At first you ask "is that a this or that"? Then you see a male Elephant seal and you see the difference! They are huge with bloody great noses! no jokes at my expense thank you.

There weren't many still here sunbathing or swimming but, like Penguins they produce the most awful fish smell! I cant imagine what it would have smelled like a  few weeks ago!

He was hoping to point out the Giant Petrol (another bird) but he said they are in very small numbers and very timid. There used to be a big community where the Chinese have built their station - they moved out.
We didn't see one.

Every now and again he would scrape some soil, put it in to bags & take the location with a GPS monitor for other scientists (studying fungae).
He is a really nice guy and the sort that really cares what is happening to the planet. He was even honest enough to say, when asked
"Was there a lot of competiton for this posting"?
"Yes, but I got it because the others were vegetarians. The time they had a Veggie in the Russian camp, he suffered from malnutrition & was sent home"!

I like him even more when he gave me a sticker from his project - that will go on the panniers with the others!

We said our goodbyes and boarded the plane. Alejo was coming back with us as he had things to do in Punta Arenas. He was sat in his seat talking to the Air Traffic controller (the guy that sees 1 or 2 flights in a blue moon) on his mobile. All smiles, he shouted to the pilot & with a thumbs up that we can do IT!.

IT became apparent quite quickly that Alejo had got permisson for an Air Display!

We hared down the runway and took off to (what felt like) about 10 feet. We continued low and accelerating across the island and then banked steeply over the bay and back for a fast fly past the "airport" Most of the time, water was the only visible feature to be seen through the windows! One more circuit and we were on our way back North. For all we knew we could have been trailing red white & blue smoke trails for the audience below.

I am not a nervous flier but he certainly got us gripping the armrests - it was the perfect way, even, the only way to leave after such a great two days.

Once we were cruising we all caught up on our sleep and were soon back in Punta Arenas.

It was something really special to have been shown this part of the world by Alejo and his friends, in such sublime weather. Tommy & Corey were very good company and  I cant think of a better way to spend the kids inheritance!

Delbert of Antartica Day 1 (now with photos)

This may get long and boring so the short version is "It was an incdredible trip"!


Plane was a King Air 300 operated by DAP airlines as opposed to the K'neeeooowwww 300 operated by Boro' Pat.

Flight time was 2.5 hours above the clouds and smooth. We were heading for Antartica generally but the South Shetland lsland of King George Is specifically. Named by a British sailor blown south from the Cape, I can't remember the year but it was in George V reign. There are a lot of English inspired names down here; Mount Livingston, Drakes Passage, Nelson Island to name but three.

As we approached the clouds cleared and we had a fantastic view of the white domes of the glaciers, rock outcrops and iceburgs.

George Island is the last stop before the South Pole and is home to 8 scientific stations from; Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Poland, China, Korea and Russia. All conditions are striclty observed by the Antartic treaty (42 members at the last count).

Just after we had arrived at the gravel airstrip (maintained by the Chilean Air force) a Hecules transport plane arrived.

The Hercules was bringing in supplies but was taking a lot of people off the island (they looked pretty happy to be going). As it is the end of their summer, each Station reduces to a skeleton staff to maintain these outposts - roughly dropping to 18 people from 60-80 at each station.The balance seems to be about 1/3 scientists and 2/3 maintenance and support staff.

We were met by THE eminent specialist of Antartica Alejo Contreras Staeding. He has spent over 30 years on and off Antartica, including skiing to the South pole and climbing just about every mountain on the continent. He has played host to a huge number of the great and good including Prince of Monaco, Bill Gates, Paul Allan (who came down on his Yacht Octopus) and Abramovic on one of his monster yachts.

I arrived in my Motorbike gear (it was all i had that was remotely appropriate to the weather) and was feeling rather conspicuous. Alejo took one look "ah a motorbiker & a proper bike too (seeing the BMW badges). He loves bikes, has a BMW 1150 and has raced them in the past. He intends to come and watch the Isle of Man TT one of these days. His love of bikes started from about 6 when his Grandmother used to take him for ice cream on the back of her Harley Davidson (the only one in Santiago at the time)!.  

So that was my street cred sorted!

The plane wasn't going back until we left the next day, i dont know where the pilots went as never saw them until we got back on the plane.

We were taken to the Russian Station, named after the 80km glacier Bellingshausen. DAP have an arrangement to use some of their factilities in exchange for bringing scientists in on their planes. This includes the Summer Staff accommodation block (which had just been vacated).

The Russian station is the oldest having been built in the 1960's - in part due to the Cold War. Each Station uses about 300 cubic meters of Diesel each year. The Russians built tanks to hold 10 times this amount - to fuel the submarines and ships! Not quite in the spirit of the Antartic treaty.

These big old tanks are now waiting to be deconstructed and removed. Everything has to be taken away, per the treaty so an Icebreaker comes and takes away tons of old equipment as it is not allowed to rust in situ.

It is also celebrating its anniversary today, so we are just missing a great party by a day, a shame as apparently it will be a very boozy affair with lots of Vodka.

Alejo introduced us to Jose, his wife Gloria and our orange Immersion suits. We were heading straight out on a Zodiak (a rubber boat with an Aluminium floor) to see the Glaciers.

The weather was unbelievable with clear blue skies and only a light wind. The Koreans had just arrived in their own boat so Alejo asked if we could visit their station later (it was near the glaciers). They are situated across the bay from the Airport and Alejo had only been able to visit it once in the last 4 years because of bad weather!

Scott & Shakleton talking about the good old days before eco tourists!.

So that was pretty good eh! Hopefully this video clip works.

We shot off and in about an hour we over by the towering walls of white & irridescent blue ice. The water was clear and blue too. Alejo had not seen weather this good for a long long time so even he was taking pictures.

.
He took the boat right up to the ice walls and then he took us into the ice flows! This got our attention, even more so when he turned the engine off!

 This is Tommy, a plaintiff attorney but doesnt make him ALL bad

 This Corey (yet another Aussie, although he does live in the USA), Alejo found us this Iceburg all Correy said was he wanted some ice for his scotch.

He wanted us to hear the ice. The ice & the iceburgs make a sound not unlike Rice Crispies - popping and crackling away. I am not sure if the video will give you the sense of it but i wil try to upload it when i get a better connection.

To be out in a boat next to these huge glaciers falling in to the sea and hearing it too was the best experience ever! I wont go on about it but will just put a few more photos.

We then headed over to the Korean base named King Sejong after a scientifically minded king from the 14th Century. Newer and smarter than the older Chlean and Russian posts, where we got a very warm welcome - with a cold Korean Ice cream, very nice it was too.

 Everything really is upside down

The head of the station then handed us over to the winter site manager who gave us a tour of their site;
oil tanks, generator shed - 5 massive Catapillar generators each producing 275 Kw - 3 running, two on standby. Their equipment sheds with lots of great toys for the snow! They also have a building for growing fresh vegetables under UV throughout the winter.

Their two accommodation blocks - one purely as an emergency should the main one catch fire (it happens apparently). A Chilean building burnt down last year and the debris is waiting to be removed

We were shown the science blocks from the outside. There is a fair bit of competition amongst the nations (if not the scientists themselves) with regard to data so they didn't let us look at that bit. i wouldn't have understood it anyway!

Last but by no means least their entertainment centre with Golf! Yes, i can now say I have played golf in Antartica, IF ONLY i had kept the brogues!!! Alright it was a computer screen version but it was a proper club & ball. Corey took a picture so if i get a copy i will post it to prove it!

One sad part, at the entrance is a statue of a student who was killed in a boating accident. One of their boats got in to trouble, they sent a rescue boat out and this poor lad, who volunteered to help, fell in the water and was killed. The water is only 3 degrees so, even in an immersion suit you only have 30 mins.

They really were very nice people and to cap it all gave us some stickers & a sew on badge! I told you your priorities change on a trip like this - they dont weigh anything and they are a record of where you have been!

We headed towards a beach full of penguins but the wind & tide had made it impossible to get to shore for all the ice in the water.

We returned to Russia for some lunch and a walk up the hill to their Orthodox church. It was built in 2008 and they even have a priest on site (he does a full time job on camp). Seems rather bizarre to build this when the basic needs of life are so hard to get here. Beautifully built and maintained too, lovely smell of cedar wood inside.

The picture may give a false impression of size - i should think 10 could squeeze in (but i bet they never have). Apparently Russian Orthodox churches have no seating, so you stand for the service! I didn't put it to the test.

After lunch we visited the Post Office at the Chilean post. A lady scientist runs it voluntarily. We had been pre-warned to buy and write cards before we got here as they only have stamps! I can tell you it was quick and pleasant unlike my previous experience in Argentina.

You also get a stamp for your passport!

We got back in to our Teletubby suits and went back to the Penguin beach. We managed a landing through the ice and wandered down the pebbly beach.

I was hoping to see "Ricky the Rock Hopper's" cousins but no luck, these are Gentoo and Chin Strap versions.

As with the people the wildlife is already leaving for the winter. There were still plenty of Penguins but at the peak there were 8,000 nests = about 20,000 penguins

The first thing you notice (and David Attenborough doesn't tell you this) is the smell! 20,000 penguins produce a lot of fishy smellng poo!

Once you get over this Alejo tells you to lay down and wait. The penguins are curious and come up to you, they are very inquisitive and not at all bothered by your presence.

The Fur seals are a different matter! They are grumpy, growly buggers and can "run" as fast as dogs so you are warned to give them a wide berth!

There are a few late hatchers still with their fluffy plummage, still pestering their hard working parents for regurgitated krill. They will struggle to be ready to head north in time.

Makes you wonder why we find Penguins so attractive when they throw up and poo everywhere!

Back to base camp. Alejo wants to show us the Uruguayan post by car, which is few kms away. We got half way there before the track became impassable and had to turn around. And this is the summer!

He then took us to the Chinese camp called "Great Wall" a few kms the other way. This is rather smart, new construction (akin to the Korean post). Not a soul is about so we look around the outside and headed back to watch the sunset.

I am not sure if you can tell in this picture but this is the dome of the glacier - not cloud.

Dinner was another "packed" meal microwaved to perfection. They had been kind enough to provide a few bottles of Chileans finest so we were happy.

The rooms were "utilitarian" to say the least & no showers in the block. If it was a prison in the UK there would be riots but it was good enough for us.........curtains would have been a nice touch as the sun set after 10 pm and was back up at 5 am.

Amazing experience and even more so considering we were the only 3 tourists, everyone else works here!

They are hurling things at me now!

Punta Arenas - what a lovely city. It has a population of 200,000 but feels smaller than that.
You can see the varying degrees of prosperity during its history from the achitecture.

There were clearly some very good times at several intervals. The current prosperitiy is borne out of a Tax Free zone. Industries setting up in the "fenced off Zona Franka" pay no tax (Rio Grande have a similar deal with the Tax authorities), just trying to promote & maintain employment in this part of the world.

Having been "put up" at the Savoy last night I had to move back to my original venue. The man with the lilac shirt was still on reception but I am delighted to tell you he had a different shirt on today.

I  got settled and then went for a walk. I really like PA, it is obviously a port town but has so much more to it than that. There are some beautiful buildings here, hidden amongst some horrors. The current economy has spawned several high rise glass buildings - quite nice as a contrast to the rest.

On Sunday there was not a soul about on the streets until early evening, when everyone seemed to go to the Supermarkets.

I was walking along a road and heard an almighty clattering behind me. An Isuzu Trooper shed a rear wheel & hub, missing me by about 10 feet. The hub came to rest just in front of me whilst the wheel bounded on down the road for another 100 yds. The Trooper came to a grinding halt on its disc brake (well what remained of it). The driver seemed pretty relaxed but I felt a need to help after all the assistance i had received recently. So I went and got his wheel. It was pretty much undamaged which makes me think someone had pinched his wheel nuts as there was no sign of breakage! Clearly wasn't using the Balls Torque wrench technique!
You can get a very fine period house next to a burnt out remains or a beautifully tended rose garden next to an industrial unit.

As mentioned, there have been several period of prosperity, there was obviously a purple patch in the 1920's as there are a lot of Art Deco buildings, reminiscent of some on the front at Brighton.

Magallane gets pride of place in the centre of town, which is fair enough but I can't help feeling it should have been an Englishman (i typed the last bit as a whisper). 

One thing about all towns in Argentina and apparently Chile is that a few heroes got all the streets named after them; Peron obviously but San Martin, Belgrano, Hipoliti Yrigoyen (no i can't spell or pronounce it either), Belgrano, Fangona and a few others including O'Higgins. He was a Royal Marine who was a bit of a hero in the bid for independence from Spain.
From what I can ascertain from the little history I know - not many stand up to too much interrogation as an "heroic figure" in modern parlance!

A surprising feature of Chile is the amount of Croation influence. Apparently it has the 2nd biggest population of Croatians outside of Croatia. You wouldn't know any of this tosh if it wasnt for me! Just think how good you will be in the Pub Quiz after this nonsense.

Having had no success yesterday (Sunday) in finding some technical help for the bike, I padded around Pt As again, with no success. I even got a blister on the bottom of my foot! I did find a shop that sold the correct brake fluid so needing a sense of achievement I bought a bottle. See how one's priorities change on such a trip?
I also found a few Chilean / Patagonian stickers for the bike. I will have to find my sewing kit as I also have some patches to sew on to my riding suit; Argentinian and Chilean flags plus Che! I am thinking of saving that one for my race suit & Le Mans.

The wifi internet is leaving something to be desired down here, not sure why but it is less reliable than elsewhere.
My next road trip is on paved road to Pt Natales and onwards to El Calafate - possibly seeing Wilks. I will see how the bike handles but it should be ok if i take it steady. Given that Pt As is a city of 200,000 people I don't think i will get anything sorted until Santiago.


Just seen a note from Ils, a couple riding down here too, they are in Ushuaia - in snow! I am very glad I got out in time as i was tempted to give it another day or two but a pressing engagement was calling.............................. I have managed to get myself on a flight to Antartica!


It isn't cheap, so i can only apologise to Tom, Millie & Rosie! Hopefully MA is being more frugal with their inheritance than i am..


Had a pre-departure briefing this evening to tell me what i needed to know; basically a King Air 6 seater plane with 3 of us on it. 2.5 hour flight, we are allowed 5 kgs of luggage - ie a small back pack. No change of clothes, wet wipes strongly suggested. You are then told to read the Antartic Treaty which says things like, have a Dump before you leave or take a plastic bag with you!

Neither do i have any appropriate clothing - i wonder if i will be the first person there in a Bike outfit (including the boots)? I will be about as much out of place as I was at the Rodeo, there again i never was much of a fashion guru..
Got to go as having dinner with the other two on the plane and an early start. Hopefully i will tell you all about it with more stunning Wildlife photography when i return.
I hope he has enough fuel on board, I dont think there will be many places to stop en route!

One for Pat

Pat
I see you have had a look at this Blog & have a fantastic trip lined up.I tried to send you a note to your blog but failed miserably. So here it is on mine:
Forgive me if you know all this alreay - BUT I think you will be doing well to get to TDF in a week from BsAs in April. I also have it on good authority (Sandra at Dakar motos) that Ruta 3 is best avoided until past Bahia Blanca (the big trucks have made the road a mess). Even from Comodoro Rividavia it is pretty poor (from experience).
You may know this too, but do not try to divide the miles by an an average speed - it will take you longer than you think (I was doing 90 mph wherever possible), especially where Ferries & border crossings are concerned.
TDF is already at freezing point in the mornings and it is still "summer" here so be careful.
One last tip - be careful of fuel stops the further South you get!

Any questions I will be happy to offer what I know from the last month. If you really are going at the pace you hope for then we may well meet in the northern part of Sud America.

Bueno Suerte
Delbert

Why are these people so nice?

I was really organised as i knew i had to make a smart getaway to meet Ferries, after a decent gravel road run, to get to Punta Arenas. Putting me back on the mainland but the Chilean side of the continent
.
I went to pack the bike and there was a puddle of oil just behind the front wheel. A quick look showed it was the front Damper weeping oil. I made a few compressions on the front forks and it flowed as freely as lemon cello in Imola.

This was depressing, a heavy 6-9 hour riding day ahead and then this!

If it was paved roads i would have risked it but I had to cover a 150 kms + on gravel roads & they are not kind to the bike. There is virtually no traffic either so if it went wrong I could be in trouble.

I sent an email to the Guru of all things mechanical - Steve Richards to see what he thought, Texts are not an exact science where time is concerned.
I noticed I had lost some bolts from the windscreen. not critical but symptomatic of the vibration going thru the bike.Some say i have had a screw loose for some time.
 Rio Grande doesn't have anything to offer in the way of a Moto Mechanic so if i didnt make my way to Punta Arenas I was stuffed for some days. The staff at the hotel were nothing short of brilliant. They saw the mess and got on to the phone. Cecilia phoned everyone she knew to see what could be done. She found a guy Dardo who promptly arrived at the hotel to see what the problem was.
He said he was prepared to take me & the bike in his Aldridge wagon! This is a minimum 6 hour & probably much more journey - each way!!! We agreed a price that was nothing other than very reasonable and he said he would be back in 2 hours (it was 10 am by now - when i had hoped to be thru the border!).

There was nothing to be done for 2 hours so i wandered up to town & got some cash & a baby grow. Cecilia the receptionist, on duty who had done so much for me, is 5 months pregnant so i popped in to an Argentinian version of Mothercare and got her an outfit for the baby. She was so pleased she did the woman's thing of waving an imaginary fan in front of her face! Sweet.

I then received a reply from Steve - he felt it would be ok but would ride like a "Bucking Broncho! I was committed to Dardo & didn't fancy the rough road with this problem anyway. Again it comes back to the point of being very exposed if things go wrong in the hinterland.

Dordo arrived and with an improvised ramp we got the bike on the back of his HiLux pickup (made in Argentina).

It was a perfect day for a ride, fresh but sunny & little wind. The Pick up was rather hot in comparison to being on the bike.
Dardo worked in the oil business and travelled to Punta Arenas 4-6 times a week. Again this is a minimum 6 hour journey! We managed to cobble together a conversation for a while but it wasn't easy.

We arrived at San Sebastian Argentinian border post. He was on first name terms with anyone in a uniform and miraculously we jumped the queue and were dealt with in 10 minutes. The stamps were going down on my documents quicker than was visible to the naked eye.
Then we drove on to the Chilean border (you will remember this from my earlier note).Well the queue was 50 yards long outside the building! This was about 2 hours waiting Minimum.

He asked for my passport & the bit of paper you get given by the previous boarder guards, and wandered off.
Whilst he was away, the bike had attracted the usual attention but for the wrong reasons this time. Tyler, an American riding an Uber cool Ural combination came back down the line to see what the problem was...... we had a chat and he was genuinely upset that i had got to Rio Grande and broken down without making Ushuaia. I was able to tell him that it went bang on the way back so he was relieved.
Funny that as a fellow biker he wanted me to have made my goal.
He must have gone back and talked to another rider Mary, a diminutive American lady with a bike loaded with twice as much as i am carrying!
She came and had a chat and looked in here little black book. She must be an engineer or architect - her book was immaculate with numbers and contacts - she gave me the details of a guy in Punta Arenas who had sorted out here front forks (no tittering at the back).
I love he camaraderie that you get with bikers - it is sincere and given freely.

Thereafter Dordo came back with some official papers "this way" - we marched past the 50 yard queue and the queue inside and went to the Customs - he had another amigo there! What would have taken over 2 hours took 10 minutes.
I dont think it was lost on the rest of the queue what had happened. It probably didnt help that i had a silly smirk on my face!
We drove off leaving the queue in our dust.

When we got to the Ferry we were not so lucky. The low tide had halted the crossings so there was quite a queue here too & even Dordo couldn't swing this one. No matter it was a lovely summers day.

My reputation with the wildlife is so great around here that this fly landed on the lense to get his picture taken by the "great" Delberto!

We got on the 4th ferry and sailed back to the mainland. I saw a dolphin within the first minute but none thereafter so no better pictures of these great creatures. I did manage to hold on to my hot dog this time.

Tyler (a Californian living in Oz) had managed to catch the same Ferry so we had a chat. He was riding a Bolivian plated Ural combination which he hoped to sell in Rio to fund his plane ticket to Australia. Everyone loved his bike, me included. Steve - this has your name all over it. I can just see you riding around S America on it!

After we got off the Ferry we were soon into Punta Arenas. I asked him where he was staying but he said he would go home to Rio Grande! it had taken 7 hours and he was going to turn around and go back! What a guy. That is roughly the same as me driving to Cornwall, home and then back again in a day!!!

When we got in to town & Punta Arenas is a nice, big town. It gives the impression of being a University town judging by the number of young people sitting in the sun chatting (in anoraks admittedly).
He knew my hotel and pulled up outside. I went in to confirm my room & find out where i could park the bike. Yes i had a reservation but no room - the hotel and the receptionist was from the 1950's. He wasn't very complimentary about the Internet for booking rooms!
His matching lilac shirt & purple tie were obviously a Christmas present from the 1970's.

He did get on the phone & after several calls he got me in to the Savoy. I had no option but i was a bit concerned at the sort of bill i was going to run up.I needn't have worried. they will not be holding any "cat swinging competitons in this my room - you can't actually open the door fully as it hits the wardrobe.

Dordo saw me safely down with the bike and made sure i had a room before we said goodbye. I really do appreciate the kindness shown to me this whole trip but today they went beyond the call of duty.
Thank you to him & Cecilia (I wonder if she will call the baby Delberto).
This too is a 1950's hotel - charming but not "new". The waiters in the restaurant all wear white, high collar, jackets with black buttons and black trousers.
 
It comes as a bit of a shock to see your starter costs Pesos 3,000. In Argentina you get 6.5 pesos to the £.
in Chile it is 750. This is going to be one hell of a bill.

I dont think they took kindly to me opening up my laptop on their white linen table cloth, which is perfectly reasonable. They mellowed a bit when i ordered beer, red wine and food!

Then from out of the blue, the Harry Lime Theme came over the restaurant music system & i got the giggles. It will only make sense to those of you that remember the version where the guy was laughing over the music.....
I doubt iTunes has even got it!

Run Forest Run!

For pre-dinner drink I had a another bottle of their beer Cape good Hope - brewed right here in Ushuaia. Very yeasty but very nice - one for Henry to try (but no i cant put a case on the bike!). I had lovely warm smoked salmon last night overlooking the view in the pictures you have already seen. Shame that bloody Casino has flashing purple and blue lights - where do town planners come from?
The Salmon was good but would have tasted better had i caught it.

Once again the hotel was staffed with very pleasant people, although the poor girls serving dinner were rather new to the job - my salmon starter  arrived with my Steak main course. They were very nice & pretty so they still got a tip (plant your cabbages in May).
The red wine from Mendoza is really rather nice and i am getting a taste for it.

I was intending to spend most of the day in Ushuaia but it was cold and wet when i woke. I looked at the weather forecast and it didn't look too good. I checked the bike temp gauge, it was reading 3 degrees, and the mountains were covered in cloud. That worried me as I had to climb back up the mountain pass to get out of this most southerly part of TDF. i had no idea how cold it was up in the mountains but did not fancy an icy ride back, especially on a new tyre which needed scrubbing in (new tyres have a slippery solution on them to get them out of the mould & needs to be worn off before it handles properly).
 I packed and decided to leave early to give myself time if it was horrible.
It was wet going up the mountain and the temp gauge dropped to 2.5 degrees at one point. I was in no hurry and took it very easy around the "Sinuoso" road. Then as if by magic you turn one more bend (just after the highest point) and hey presto is is sunny & dry!
I don't know if this is coincidence or that this is normal weather patterns for the area. It was a pleasant, if cold, run down the other side. It got up to a balmy 7 degrees.

The entertainment going back North was the traffic coming the other way. One thing I have seen on the way down has been several cyclists in ones & twos. They appear to have more baggage than i do (I mean physical baggage not mental) and are weighed down over their front & rear wheels. I can only assume that they have done the long haul from many places way up North.
They are mad, knowing the mileage they can do & the weather conditions - they have my respect! I give them a wave every time and they still have the energy to wave back so I guess they are pretty fit!.

In the first picture you can see a column of smoke from a fish smoker i assume - well this is the place down in the valley

I also saw the Pole to Pole Camper trundling down. Last time I said they only had a few hundred kilometres to go, well now they only had about 100 kms. I would like to know whether they are happy or sad to be at the end of their adventure.

But i have left the best until last. When driving down two days ago I saw a guy running, in normal running gear, no pack. As it was near a town I had assumed he was just a local out for a jog.

Nope! Here he came running at a good pace. Still no pack but two days away from where i saw him. His legs were the colour of mahogany and looked liked they had been carved from the same wood. His face was under a hat & buried beneath a balaclava and sunglasses.
I was tempted to stop and get his story but I also thought he probably doesn't need the interruption so i slowed right down, waved & touched my forelock in salute. He waved back and continued on at the same pace. He must have a back up car ahead or behind him as he had nothing with him & there is no way he can cover enough distance to find accommodation every evening. but what a journey - i have no doubt he will have come down the length of Argentina and maybe further.

So for any that thought I was mad, trust me, I am not in these guys league!

I got back to the hotel the earliest I have been. so I wandered around Rio Grande and, after my succes in Rio Galleghos Tourist office, I visited theirs. I am glad to say that, judging from their brouchures i had seen most of what Rio G had to offer but once again they are very nice & helpful.

It is a tricky day tomorrow, trying to get to Punta Arenas so I have spent a lot of time trying to get facts and figures. The choice is a difficult journey and try to make the direct ferry (6 hours min of which 4 on gravel) or 9 hours (the shuttle ferry i came down on) and about 2 hours of gravel.

I will start my journey and make my decision when the road splits after the border control (oh yeah, I get to play bingo again).

Been in touch with Wilks by email today. We may actually be in the same town at the same time next week - I bet he tries to get me to polish his shoes like the good old days!

Nowhere South of here

Woke to a lovely sunny, crisp day with a light breeze. A few Americans were in the lobby waiting to get a bus to the airport and flight home. They looked like they had a good time.

It is a short run to Ushuaia and all paved roads (well apart from the roadworks) and again, very little traffic. To put Argentina in to perspective; it is the 8th largest country in the world (slightly smaller than India) but only has 40m people!

What I had not expected was how dramatic the scenery would be along the way,. It far more like their Lake district than the adjacent barren scene of recent days.  This is another enormous lake ringed by tree covered mountains.

First, it is mountainous and second, heavily wooded. I haven't seen trees in any numbers since Bariloche and I was expecting the terrain to be much like the last 1,000 miles. The trees look like they take a beating in the wind and they are festooned with lichen/moss dripping from their limbs. One curious thing - the Argentinians use a picture of a windswept tree to show "windy areas" (the whole bloody place is windy) even in patagonia where there are no trees to mention. The Chileans use the traditional wind sock. I knew you would be fascinated!


The bored youth of today are the same the world over. They do like grafitti and even out here in the middle of nowhere some clown sprays the rocks. Still it doesnt take away from the ride, Matt Monroe would have fitted in perfectly as the road winds around the mountains, sometimes with precipitous drops.

The journey slows as you meet heavy trucks winding their way to Ushuaia and it can be an age before you can get by - even on a bike. It is not a chore to trundle through this scenery though.

There was a little rain, a few roadworks and some decent pot holes but no issues to report! It was getting cold though and 4 degrees was the lowest the bike recorded, I still haven't put my bike trouser lining in & was regretting that.

Eventually you drop down out of the mountains, round one last corner and see the city entrance - two large wooden "gate houses" with Ushuaia written on them top to bottom.

You pass through the port area first, a few large ships tied up, lots of containers stacked together and some industrial buildings with the centre further along the coast. More importantly you see the sea - in this case mirror calm. Surrounding you are high, snowed capped mountains.

 
It is not a large town so finding the hotel was pretty easy. This is the view from the reception area & my room shares the same view.

I would not describe the town as pretty, it is rather "thrown together" with necessity being the order of the day..It is a shame that the most prominent building in the centre of town & on the waterfront, is a Casino & an ugly one at that.

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The rear tyre is looking well used and with a fair bit of gravel riding to do to get back up country I decdied to put the new one on. There is meant to be a good guy down here called Pablo Motos but i couldn't find his shop. Driving around i saw a car repair workshop with a Bridgestone sign. I went in and they guy looked a bit concerned & no there didn't do "Motos" but he agreed, that if i took the wheel off and on he would do the tyre. He cleared me a space and i whipped the rear wheel off. It is a really clever design so it is only 5 bolts and it is off (shaft drive so no chains to work about). He got his man to do the tyre and that was that. He had gone for his siesta so i didn't get a chance to say "thank you" or offer him any money. I tipped the mechanic and went on my way.  

A few  people consider Ushuaia only being worthy of a visit as it is the "most southerly" town on Earth, but it is more than that & if i could take a decent picture you would see.

I am very glad to have come down here and it is more than I was expecting. I will not be hanging around as I would like to get a little futher north before the weather changes, I also have a couple of ferries to catch.

The only way is North from here!