Gravel, Dirt, Mud and Bullets

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OK No Bullets...

From Fuetaleufu we ride straight back onto the dirt and ride some tough but lovely tracks to the start of the Carretera Austral. This is a largely dirt (They are trying to tarmac it slowly) road connecting the top of Chile to the bottom built by Augusto Pinochet's Chilean Army in the 70's and 80's. It was originally only there for the army but opened to the public in the late 1980's. It varies from deep sand and gravel, hard compacted surface two lanes wide, to rocky narrow twisty hairpins. Two stretches of newly graded sand catch at least three riders out as they are soft with no tracks to follow.

The scenery is magnificent once again, but I spend most of the day staring intently at the road. Puyuhuapi is on a sea inlet and is a small fishing town with little reason for existence other than it is on the road. We stay at the delightful Casa Ludwig. Lots of German families and influence here and this town is no exception. It is a four storey wooden Bavarian style house with a shallow roof. Everything is wood, floors ceilings, walls, stairs, wood burning stove. It is very welcoming and friendly, with a small black cat tucked up behind the wood burning stove, who if picked up will make a brief appearance before returning to the best seat in the house. We eat at Café Rosenbach, yes German run, and are joined by a German tour party. I promise no-one re-enacted Fawlty Tours “Don't mention the war” episode. Not at all, not even once. “You started it” “ No we didn't” “Yes you did, you invaded Poland”

The next day is more gravel initially very narrow, wet with rain and winding around the inlet. In the rain this is challenging and slow as there is always the promise of oncoming trucks and buses It then improves for a stretch before narrowing once again to climb up through rocky hairpin corners into the low cloud. After a while the dirt is replaced by perfect tarmac, and the road wends it way through beautiful autumnal red foliage and trees despite this not being autumn. The coarse grassed fields and pastures are all littered with dead grey timber lying haphazardly in huge numbers. It is quite striking and forms a lovely backdrop to smooth swooping roads.

Chris has a bad day when he locks the front brake on a switch from tarmac to gravel and goes down at 60mph+ He is remarkably fine, once again we avoid serious injury, but the front of his bike is missing. With no instruments, ignition lock mechanism trashed, no brake or clutch master cylinders or levers, and us in the midst of rural Patagonia, the bike is unrepairable. This despite Jeff;s best efforts, over two nights and calls to BMW in the UK. The upside is Chris's swinging arm is fine and he generously tells Jeff to strip it off his bike and fit it to Andy's so they have at least one functioning bike.

Tonight is spent in cabanas outside a small town next to the river all eating here and sitting chatting around the log fire, being fed lovely pre dinner snacks by the equally lovely Maria Jose, who Jeff takes a shine to.

Off again and the scenery of yesterday afternoon continues as we get back on the dirt after 40 miles and travel down a valley with snow capped mountains framing the ride. Stopped and had Papa Reinas for lunch, which are stuffed baked potatoes with meat and veg filling. A cross between shepherds pie and a Cornish pasty. On to a lake side lodge where the three couples are in a separate lodge. The “unmarried quarters” as we dub them have a lounge with a log burning stove and another in the bedroom downstairs which we bag as first arrivals. The six of us sit with beer and wine watching the sun set of the now calm and rain free lake and are joined by Kevin and Julia. Very relaxing, homely and warm.

Another all gravel day with a border crossing. One of the trickiest sections is the half mile out of the cabanas upto the gravel road. This deeply rutted and sandy track and needs to be taken with aggression but smoothly. The other guys make their pillions walk up but not us. However half way up we meet a jeep coming down who stops and waves us around him. This would involve leaving the rut we are in crossing the grassy centre mound and getting in the right hand track. Then crossing out of this into the slightly wider field entrance next to which he has stopped, all in the wet and up a steep hill. Despite not wanting to stop, we did and with waves I suggested he, in his 4 wheel drive jeep, might move over for us. He is not keen and it takes a minute until he realises we are not doing it so he has to, and off we trog to the top. The rest of the day is spent circumnavigating the deep blue lake largely on or directly above the shore line. We arrive at the Chilean border post which is a shed by the side of the road and complete the normal formalities. Ride on and they are building a cathedral of a border crossing, which is only months from completion. Why on this no traffic gravel road? When we get to the Argentinian side we realise why. On May 21st they opened their new border crossing point. Much nicer than the shed but now shortly to be outdone by the Chilean Cathedral. Oh and they have tarmac on their side as well - so there!

Small town with nice hotel again lake front with short taxi ride into town to go to the only restaurant open. Pool table, Table Tennis and Beavers in the lake provide afternoon entertainment. From here after a stretch of tarmac we are heading back to the famous Ruta 40. Another top to bottom road it stretches the length of Argentina, we hit the gravel and climb as the terrain fades to scrubby wind blown plains. And it is wind blown. The gravel is deep and you have to keep to the tracks cleared by previous vehicles but as you are riding leant into the wind when it gusts you can be moved left or right involuntarily and into the deep gravel. This has no grip and it is a challenge to keep to the road and negotiate your way back to a track. Imagine walking down a deep pebbly beach, but now imagine it on a 240lb motorbike. The road is straight. Straight for 50 miles at a time. Straight with few land marks and a narrow clear track to concentrate on. Possibly the most tiring riding of the trip so far. We stop for fuel and a sandwich at, well, the only place just off the road that sells fuels and coffee and makes sandwiches. However the man making the coffee also serves the fuel so don't be in a hurry for either. Fortunately his daughter makes the sandwiches.

On for another 120 miles of the same broken only by a 30 miles tarmac stretch. We then turn down and even smaller rutted track for 3 miles to our destination for the night. We are staying in bunk rooms on a working estancia (farm). We arrive to flasks of tea and coffee and the most incredible location. Built in a natural bowl there is no wind and the coarse grass land on which they raise sheep is littered with their horses and the farm sheep dogs. Tonight I am sharing with Max and Ed and Karen is in the giggly girls room (Karen, Christine, Lorraine and Julia). After Lamb from the Parillia (BBQ) and great salad and potatoes we retire to the main room and read, play a Finnish card game courtesy of Perti, play jenga, and Max picks up a guitar and serenades us with some excellent Spanish guitar. A really nice and homely evening is spent.

This is however after I have replaced the screen bracket on Heffy which has fractured in two places due to vibration causing the screen to move around upto 2 inches. Jeff has fortunately kept the bent one from Nigel's previously crashed and repaired bike and using the farm workshop, a vice and a big bar, bends it back into a semblance of straight.

The following day starts with another 105 miles of Ruta 40 gravel. Pebbly and round it is getting tougher and there are less tracks to follow, with at times none at all. A previous traveller has texted Kevin to say if it rains overnight then we will be in big trouble. He doesn't tell us and fortunately it doesn't rain. One faller on this section though who survives with a bruised shoulder and pride. The road then starts to wind down from the plain and slowly becomes less scrub and more green. Having previously seen Armadillo (smaller than I thought, like a big hedgehog), Rhea and Guanicoe they are more prevalent and we get some great wildlife shots.

This takes us to El Calafate the entrance to the Argentinian Glaciers National Park. We are here for two days two visit the park and the Glaciers before the final weeks ride down to Ushuaia. A boat trip out to the Perito Moreno Glacier yesterday was fascinating and has a symmetry for us as we did a similar trip from Anchorage before the official start of the trip.

How we can be only 7 days from the end of the world? Still more Ruta 40 dirt to contend with along with Patagonian winds and a crossing of the Magellan Straits Anchorage is still such a clear and striking memory that it does not seem like 18 weeks ago. So many memories are still so clear and those that are not can be resurrected with a comment or photo instantly. Still its not over until the fat lady sings, or for us until the thin lady tango's in the Argentine Tango bar in Buenos Aires, the now traditional last night out!

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Photos

Us on Ruta 40
Leaning into the wind and following the track...

Remains of R1200GS
How not to modify your bike...

Estancia
View from the Estancia

Comments

[Gerson]

Ruta 40
The van went through the same sections without problems?