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Published: December 10th 2009
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Come on Keith
The horse trying to get Keith interested We have successfully covered 10,817Km according to Zane's speedo, of our estimated 10,897 km of South America Patagonia, 80 Km out from our estimate, sorry about that.
The Chase truck however managed to clock up 12,649 Km in total, so its not just a Sunday ride around the park.
Bones and I are now in Punta Arenas, at Gerardo and Marisol's home, RESTING, after our 2.00am flight from Santiago.
We had a delay to lock the motos away in the container, and as we had to go back to Enzo and Martinas, we ran out of day.
We had the mini van pick up Mike and all the luggage and meet us at Placilla, where we said our goodbyes.
The main route back to Santiago and the Airport closed at 6.00 pm, as there was a Religious Festival, drawing thousands of pilgrims.
Consequently we had to take a two hour diversion, but we had plenty of time as we didn't have to check in until 1.30 AM.
The farewell dinner was attended by everyone, except Bones, as a dreaded lurgy kept her close to the loo for a couple of days, as you know these things have a
habit of moving around the place. Mike had been suffering for a couple of days prior, but made it for the dinner in his wheelchair.
It was good to hear all the Adventurers give their views on the highs and lows of their Patagonian experience, what they thought they might get and what they actually got
This Expedition sure took a toll on both bikes and riders as everyone was pretty much worn out by the end.
We rode with a terrific bunch of guys that looked after and took care of each other through some difficult times- but that is how it is on our Adventures.
Bones and I are about to board our small ice breaker and head down to the Antarctic, so take care, thanks for supporting the riders through the Comments section of the blog.
un abrazo, Rosco
Here's another blog from Bones -
Day 32 - Frutillar - Villarrica
It was decided rather early in the expedition that when the day sheet said “This is a good/easy day” then look out! Today was no exception! Frutillar to Los Lagos on Ruta 5, then we stopped for a lunch at Panguipulli. No cafes presented
themselves, so Rosco and I were despatched to the nearby supermarket to purchase lunch for 12 (bearing in mind requests for a “hot chick” (I think he - no names - meant “cooked chook”). Friends, please note that Rosco went willingly supermarket shopping!
Lunch by the lake was devoured, amongst lots of local interest, with the usual swapping of business cards and Kiwirider stickers. Some even worked on their tans!
And that was the easy part of the day!………..
We were in a lake district so the plan was to follow the road between two lakes to have the maximum ride and viewing of the Volcano Villarrica - simple, right? No! We were advised that the road would be closed between 2 - 6pm because of major road reconstruction (it was now 1.30pm), but we chose to take the challenge of getting through before the route was closed. Just squeaked in, well behind the boys, and ‘major reconstruction’ was a giant understatement! It was Big Boys Toys, explosive teams and huge rocks to negotiate around…………..slowed us up considerably for around 20 kilometres, and when we reached the other side, were confronted with the local constabulary wanting our papers…………..!
Great ride though, and then through more narrow, back country trails to our destination at Villarrica, for more very comfortable, chalet type accommodation, and a Rosco Rocky Road dinner.
PS I really enjoyed my chocolate beer - and yes, it smelt more like chocolate than beer, but still with the taste of beer. Go figure!
Day 33 - Villarrica - Talca
This was basically a ‘kill the kilometres’ day - up Ruta 5 with gas stops at Victoria and Chillan (haven’t we done this before?) and numerous toll booths to break the monotony.
Interesting ride through rush hour Talca to find the hotel - but Gerardo got us there!
(Found the reason for all the people on the streets later - Christmas Parade, which had closed the street we needed!)
(Rosco was awarded the medal for slightly bumping into Barry - should I mention that they were both on/in their vehicles at the time?)
Day 34 - Talca - Vina del Mar
A leisurely ride through the countryside heading towards the coast - a visit to the Viu Manent winery saw us swap motos for horsepower and a sedate trot around the grape vines, and
a pleasant wine tasting session.
By this time, border fever was setting in, and we headed for Vina del Mar.
It was good to get back to base, retrieve the gear left behind in storage, shower and change into clothes that had been forgotten……………
The next day was spent washing the motos and preparing them for shipping back to New Zealand. The Farewell Dinner was held that night, but unfortunately (or fortunately) I cannot comment on the last two days as I was laid low with a tummy bug, and missed all the postmortems of the past 35 days, and the fine details of the last minute happenings.
I surely appreciated being part of the Rocky Road Adventure, and look forward to the next reunion of the team!
Hasta Pronto!
Bones
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Tom
non-member comment
better than any dream
Hi guys, just a quick note to say that I am home safe and sound. A special thanks to Rosco and Gerardo for organizing a fantastic trip. Greetings to the whole team, which came together wonderfully, which helped to make the trip most enjoyable and easygoing. Hasta la bye bye, Tom (Comment typed by the secretary who says hi)