Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Rides and Touring => Topic started by: Feanor on 13 January, 2023, 08:29:03 pm
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For the last 3 months in 2022, I've been riding down the length of South America, from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia to the very tip of Tierra del Fuego.
This is a supported ride, the South American Epic, by TDA Global cycling (https://tdaglobalcycling.com).
The support provides a pre-planned route, a bus to transport camping kit, and a camp cook to provide dinner at remote campsites.
You still have to turn the pedals yourself.
We will ride around 5200Km over the next 12 weeks.
This is a copy-paste of stuff I've written elsewhere. Several of you will recognise this as re-cycled guff, sorry.
It will run to about 10 bite-sized posts here over the next few days, so sorry about that.
These posts are basically a stage summary, each covering perhaps 10 days, and are quite terse. There's a more detailed day-by-day write up in the linked Strava posts.
Prelude
It was an overnight flight, and the sunrise is red over the horizon as we approach Buenos Aires. Below, the grid pattern of the streets is painted out in an illuminated patchwork. Our transfer driver regards the bike boxes and luggage with a shake of the head. We're gonna need a bigger boat. Several phone calls later, a second car is procured and we head into town.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52625155096_34a1034f30_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obiFbh)
Bigger boat (https://flic.kr/p/2obiFbh) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
We are in the Hotel Tango de Mayo, which turns out to be the former Singer sewing machine factory, built in the Art Nouveau style in 1913. The city is a curious mix of magnificent tall old buildings which have been restored, crumbling formerly magnificent buildings, and a mix of modern buildings, some gleaming yet others of distinctly indifferent architecture. These all jostle alongside each other, lining streets which alternate between broad avenues and narrow urban canyons. We are on the fourth floor, and overlook the rooftops of some rather dilapidated buildings opposite. I am in a scene from Bladerunner.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52625154891_b219db6118_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obiF7K)
20220927_190120 (https://flic.kr/p/2obiF7K) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
Over the next few days we get the bikes assembled, and set about exploring the city. The docks area has recently been re-developed, the former warehouses now agreeable restaurants and bars. There is a large protest march ongoing. Cost of living and wages, we are told. It seems to be passing off peacefully enough.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52625612970_46f1e035b5_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obm2hE)
20220929_195827 (https://flic.kr/p/2obm2hE) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
There is an ferry crossing across the Rio de Plata to Colonia Del Sacramento in Uruguay, which is only an hour in duration. This makes for a pleasant day trip, to visit the old port town. The locals all carry the parephenalia to brew up the 'mate' tea like infusion when travelling. This is an ornate bowl, traditionally a calabash gourd, and a metal straw called a bombilla, along with a flask of hot water. From Colonia, the tops of the skyscrapers of Bueno Aires remain visible above the horizon, and on the return, the city slowly emerges from the waves like a reverse Atlantis.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52624665782_02e9f189ef_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obgaHQ)
20220929_155715 (https://flic.kr/p/2obgaHQ) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52624666157_008fcaa25a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obgaQi)
20220929_161637 (https://flic.kr/p/2obgaQi) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
On the final day, we are summoned to a rider briefing and make our final preparations. Tomorrow we leave.
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Impressed already! Looking forward to the next instalment.
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Blimey. Something to look forward to :thumbsup:
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How cool! :thumbsup:
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We had a Traction Avant as our wedding car 35 years ago.
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Buenos Aires to Cordoba
I am sitting by the poolside in a hotel in Cordoba. It has taken us eight days to cycle here from Buenos Aires. This is a rest day, and the morning was spent on the various chores and re-stocking required for the next stages. I am typing on a tablet, so this will be the most brief of accounts, you will be glad to hear!
This trip was originally planned to enter Argentina from Bolivia to the North, but Covid restrictions mean starting in Buenos Aires, with a long north-west dogleg through the pan flat Pampas to re-join the original route.
The first few days are mostly about getting out of the city, and are mostly on fairly busy highways. On the first day, one of our number crashes badly, hitting a vicious rumble strip on the hard shoulder. He escapes with cuts and bruises, and a broken helmet.
The landscape is pan flat, the highways are long and straight, and the trees are sparse, offering little shelter from the ever present wind. The trees are host to the large communal nests of Green Parakeets, and garrulous flocks of these speed back and forth, each carrying a fresh twig to add to the nest. Electricity poles are home to Oven Birds, so-called because their nests are like clay ovens, about the size of a large coconut laying on it's side.
The general form of the day is well regimented: tents down and bags packed for packing in the van by 06:15, camp breakfast et 06:30, wheels rolling at 7. Lunch van will be set up some halfway along. Arrive at campsite, set up tents, rider briefing for the following day at 17:45, camp dinner at 18:00. Bedtime at sunset, around 20:00 at the moment. There will be 3 or 4 nights camping followed by a rest day in a city hotel.
The campsites all have a few dogs, and on one occasion one thought it would be a good game to steal a glove. The more it was chased, the more fun it was!
At one point, the bridge is out and a local boatman is engaged to ferry us in ones and twos across the river.
There are small red shrines dotted around along the road; these are to 'local' saint Gaucho Gil, not officially recognised by the Church.
As the days pass, the distances ramp up and the gravel gets longer, rougher, and steeper. This is a prelude to the next stage where where we need to cross a local mountain range, losing all the height we must gain. Beyond that, the mountains we will see before us will be the Andes, which we must cross to enter Chile.
There's tracklogs, photos, and more detailed day-by-day write-ups on Strava:
Day 1: Getting out of Buenos Aires (https://www.strava.com/activities/7901636748)
Day 2: Capilla to Baradero (https://www.strava.com/activities/7905360097)
Day 3: Baradero to San Nicholas (https://www.strava.com/activities/7911689456)
Day 4: San Nicholas to Rosario (https://www.strava.com/activities/7915435156)
Day 5: Rosario to Las Rosario (https://www.strava.com/activities/7926893442)
Day 6: Las Rosas to Villa Maria (https://www.strava.com/activities/7932256636)
Day 7: Vila Maria to Villa Ascasubi (https://www.strava.com/activities/7937915382)
Day 8: Villa Ascasubi to Cordoba (https://www.strava.com/activities/7942719471)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52627126416_a841885eb4_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obtMby)
20221002_071159 (https://flic.kr/p/2obtMby) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52627269909_0356e92a33_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obuvQz)
20221002_162043 (https://flic.kr/p/2obuvQz) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52626505902_6a722031ca_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obqAJ3)
20221003_105522 (https://flic.kr/p/2obqAJ3) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52627269144_7039336167_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obuvBo)
20221003_110236 (https://flic.kr/p/2obuvBo) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52627496093_7ee09a5ebd_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obvF5i)
20221003_900001 (https://flic.kr/p/2obvF5i) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52626505232_532275f4da_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obqAwu)
20221003_113353 (https://flic.kr/p/2obqAwu) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52626504892_eb79e4a08c_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obqAqC)
20221005_091717 (https://flic.kr/p/2obqAqC) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52627497843_12daf13049_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obvFAt)
20221007_094458 (https://flic.kr/p/2obvFAt) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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Excellent. I spent 4.5 months travelling in South America in 2000/2001 and know the landscapes well. Though I was using the local buses to get around, not cycling.
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I am sitting by the poolside in a hotel in Cordoba.
Bastard.
It's 8⁰ , grey and drizzly here. Putting you on ignore.
(just kidding. Love it. Keep it coming :thumbsup:)
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I am sitting by the poolside in a hotel in Cordoba.
Bastard.
It's 8⁰ , grey and drizzly here. Putting you on ignore.
(just kidding. Love it. Keep it coming :thumbsup:)
Believe the tour was Oct, Nov, Dec last year and Feanor is now safely back in the UK and enjoying our fine winter weather.
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Cordoba to Mendoza
I am at breakfast in a hotel in Mendoza, the heart of Malbec wine country. Outside the window, there is a shanty town of grubby tents airing and drying in the early morning sun by the poolside. It has taken seven days riding to reach here from Cordoba.
Leaving Cordoba, the terrain takes a dramatic change. We leave the flat featureless Pampas, heading into the hills. There is a local range of hills to be crossed between here and Mendoza. We clinb steadily up the gorge of the Rio Primero, crossing over the dam at Embudo Dique San Roque, and then around the lake above the dam. The tarmac runs out at the village of Tanti. Here we begin the gravel climbs. This is a nature reserve for the White Condor, and one duly puts in an appearance before too long.
This range comprises three main North-South spines, with high level valleys between them before dramatically dropping back down to the flat plains below. Our overnight stop was at Los Gigantes, in the first high valley, the Vallee de Punilla. Beyond here, we climb the second ridge followed by a tricky descent into the second valley, down heavily corrugated roads with patches of deep sand. This second valley, the Pampa de Pocho, is home to the pygmy 'Carandi' palms which grow here in pairs. The volcanic geological landscape provides a dramatic backdrop to small forests of these.
I was quite unprepared for what came next. The now paved road climbs to cross the final ridge of the 'West Hills'. Upon cresting the ridge, the mountains drop off dramatically to the vast plain, the Valle de Traslasiera, some hundereds of meters below. The road clings dramatically to the steep mountain side, twisting and turning in loops as far as the eye can see. We descend at speed, pausing occasionally to look down upon the huge Condors soaring high above the plain below, viewing them from above. A Condor's eye view of Condors! The road reaches a series of six short tunnels, and then the tarmac ends abruptly. The road continues it's airy and exposed descent as a rough unpaved road, the plain below seemingly no closer! After what seems an eternity, we emerge from the foot of the mountains onto the plain. Looking back, the course of the road cannot be guessed.
We continue Westwards, and cross into San Juan province, the start of wine country. The first of the vineyards appear, and the first of the agri checkpoints, where all out fresh fruit is impounded, to protect the vines against some weevil or other. The town of Bermejo is celebrating it's 137th aniversary. There is a stage, with singers, dancing, and dozens of stalls lining the street. Oh, and ice cream!
Finally, we cross into Mendoza province, and as we head towards the town of Mendoza, the clouds in the distance part enough to give a tantalising glimpse of a mighty snow-capped peak in the distance: our first glimpse of the Andes! From time to time, we get further glimpses of this massive range which dominates the skyline ahead. Amongst them is Aconcagua, which at 6961m is the highest mountain in the Americas, the highest in the Southern Hemisphere, and the highest outside of Asia.
Our route is heading inexorably in that direction. The foothills now clearly dominate the immediate skyline as we roll into Mendoza in the early afternoon. Tomorrow, we begin the climb to cross this mighty range. Today we rest and prepare.
There's tracklogs, photos, and more detailed day-by-day write-ups on Strava:
Day 9: Cordoba to Alto de los Gigantes (https://www.strava.com/activities/7953480176)
Day 10: Alto de los Gigantes to Reserva Chancani (https://www.strava.com/activities/7958541713)
Day 11: Reserva Chancani to Chepes (https://www.strava.com/activities/7962826587)
Day 12: Chepes to Bermejo (https://www.strava.com/activities/7967813778)
Day 13: Bermejo to San Juan (https://www.strava.com/activities/7973412743)
Day 14: San Juan to Telteca (https://www.strava.com/activities/7988977334)
Day 15: Telteca to Mendoza (https://www.strava.com/activities/7988977676)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52628753793_52a8eaf437_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obC7WM)
20221012_115855 (https://flic.kr/p/2obC7WM) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52628711520_a99d5f59a9_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obBUnW)
20221012_132234 (https://flic.kr/p/2obBUnW) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52627757747_92d7444f00_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obx1Rz)
20221012_191906 (https://flic.kr/p/2obx1Rz) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52627758647_c9b68a5631_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obx286)
20221013_121209 (https://flic.kr/p/2obx286) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52627759987_d079303f78_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obx2wc)
20221013_150325 (https://flic.kr/p/2obx2wc) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52628526729_51c26326f0_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obAXrT)
20221014_075555 (https://flic.kr/p/2obAXrT) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52628280726_fd1ba85d1f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obzGjs)
20221018_135923 (https://flic.kr/p/2obzGjs) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52628531769_4808dd00ed_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obAYWM)
20221019_123404 (https://flic.kr/p/2obAYWM) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52628531954_cf234683e7_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obAYZY)
20221019_211138 (https://flic.kr/p/2obAYZY) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52628532984_9f6a6222c5_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obAZiJ)
20221020_105853 (https://flic.kr/p/2obAZiJ) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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Mendoza to Santiago - The one where we cross the Andes
I am in a room on the 15th floor of a hotel in Santiago, with the city laid out before me in the late afternoon sun. From my eyrie here on the 15th floor, I begin to get a sense of the scale of this city.
It has taken four days to reach here from Mendoza, crossing the Andes and the Chilean border along the way.
Out of Mendoza, we begin out climb over the Andes via Villaviacencio. Afther some 50k, the tarmac runs out and the majority of the 2500m of climb kicks off. 25k of steep gravel climbs with countless switchbacks has us reach the col of Cruz de Paramillo, where we are rewarded with a stunning view of the distant snow-capped peaks which we must cross tomorrow. On the way up, I get my first glimpse of Vicuña, a wild relative of the llama. There follows a short but wrist-shattering descent to our high-level campsite at Uspallata.
The morning brings sub-zero temperatures, and the news that the local police are insisting on us being escorted to the border, as this is a busy main road and a main trucking route between Argentina and Chile. And so it is that we set off in a tight group, with escorts and motorcycle outriders. It is like a royal funeral cortege, only slower. The road climbs ever higher all day, and we come to a viewpoint where we get a view of Acancagua itself. Then shortly before the end of the day, some of our number crash in a 40m long dark tunnel. No serious damage, but we manage to close the international border for 15 minutes! We overnight at a refuge in Las Cuevas, where the refuge provides warmth, food, drink and a refuge cat.
Another cold start. We are only a couple of k from the Chilean border, which is actually midway through the 2km long Tunel del Cristo Redentor. The border post is a further few km beyond the tunnel, inside Chile. The news is that the local police will not permit our group to cycle through the tunnel. The alternative high pass via Christ the Redeemer statue is impassible. We are obliged to get in the bus to the far end of the tunnel. From here, we ride down to the border post to complete formalities. Now officially in Chile, we begin the massive descent. This famous descent has over 30 steep tight switchbacks called Los Caracoles ('snails'), and is one of the most exhilarating descents anywhere.
The Western side of the Andes, much like Scotland, is wetter and the land rather more lush. The villages also seem rather more prosperous. We stop for coffee at a roadside cafe, where llamas graze on the lawn.
The final ride into Santiago is a bit of a mixed bag, starting on busy main roads. We then turn off onto a quiet road, climbing a series of switchbacks to reach the summit of Cuesta Chacabuco, where the viewpoint by the giant cross provides a panorama of mountains and hills in every direction. The final stretch into Santiago is a busy straight main road through a seemingly endless industrial belt. The city centre provides some relief in the form of a crazy maze of bike paths, which for some reason are always on the wrong side of a five lane highway.
The city of Santiago really deserves an entire article of it's own, but during our two day stop here, we visit the park in the centre of the city which has a ski-lift style cable car to a viewpoint at the top of a hill. From this viewpoint, you can see the city sprawl in every direction as far as the eye can see, constrained only by the ring of hills circling it a great distance out. It is almost like the city had been a liquid, poured into the flat plain and filling it to the edges of the great bowl. We pause to rest and re-stock for the journey South towards Patagonia.
There's tracklogs, photos, and more detailed day-by-day write-ups on Strava:
Day 16: Mendoza to Uspallata via Villavicencio (https://www.strava.com/activities/7998058050)
Day 17: Uspallata to Las Cuevas (https://www.strava.com/activities/8003700897)
Day 18: Las Cuevas to Los Andes (https://www.strava.com/activities/8008392639)
Day 19: Los Andes to Santiago (https://www.strava.com/activities/8013412520)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52633687809_69da25fc4a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oc4pE2)
20221021_110132 (https://flic.kr/p/2oc4pE2) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52633688229_d2655fa586_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oc4pMg)
20221021_130959 (https://flic.kr/p/2oc4pMg) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52633873290_33aaf200b5_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oc5mMY)
20221022_065406 (https://flic.kr/p/2oc5mMY) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52633431751_7f6e1866a9_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oc36xe)
20221022_145848 (https://flic.kr/p/2oc36xe) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52633690589_9403f52dcd_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oc4qtX)
20221023_080728 (https://flic.kr/p/2oc4qtX) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52632922142_e55dd15703_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2obZu3S)
20221023_081507 (https://flic.kr/p/2obZu3S) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52633921413_9c88bd6902_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oc5B6F)
20221023_094029 (https://flic.kr/p/2oc5B6F) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52633877220_77e607fd72_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2oc5nXJ)
20221026_104724 (https://flic.kr/p/2oc5nXJ) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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Santiago to Concepción - Crossing Continents
I am in a café in the port city of Concepción, on the Pacific coast. It has taken 25 days of cycling to reach here from Buenos Aires on the Atlantic coast. We crossed the continental divide in the Andes a week ago, reaching the Pacific coast at La Pesca some three days ago. Our route scribes an elegant arc across a narrow part of this skinny waif of a continent.
Some 30k out from the coast the wind freshens, becoming cooler and damper with what I imagine to be a hint of saltiness in the air. The clouds are becoming lower and more dense, enshrouding the low hills ahead of us. The air has taken on a distinctly maritime feel. Approaching the coast we are in pan flat fenlands when I catch a first glimpse of white crested breakers hitting the shoreline in the distance. The Pacific Ocean at last, a major milestone on this journey.
On the sandbar a short distance beyond the black sandy shore, a flock of pellicans stand alongside vultures, the vultures with their wings spread wide to catch the sun. The vultures will be our companions as we follow the coast South.
Our route turns South here, hugging the coast tightly. As always with coastal roads, it descends steeply into picturesque villages with fishing boats and fishmarkets, or to isolated black sandy coves, only then to kick up steeply to gain a promotory overlooking the next bay.
Some days, the tarmac just runs out, leaving a gravel road following the same profile. These are tough cycling days with some long sustained gravel climbs. This is not easy cycling. This leg is six cycling days between rest days, one of the longest on the trip, and it is with some relief that we approach Concepción.
As we approach the city, we come across an area of traffic congestion: there are many pop-up stalls selling freshly cut flowers, and the roadside is a blaze of brightly coloured windmills. This is the local cemetery: today is the 1st of November, the Day of the Dead, a day of remembrance for family and friends.
The city itself seems to be made entirely from hills, and our route through it seems determined to showcase all of them. We reach our hotel which will be home for a couple of nights, before we continue Southwards towards Patagonia and it's infamous tent-shattering winds.
There's tracklogs, photos, and more detailed day-by-day write-ups on Strava:
Day 20: Santiago to Lo Miranda (https://www.strava.com/activities/8028491111)
Day 21: Lo Miranda to Santa Cruz (https://www.strava.com/activities/8033103817)
Day 22: Santa Cruz to La Pesca - reaching the Pacific (https://www.strava.com/activities/8038681870)
Day 23: La Pesca to Chanco (https://www.strava.com/activities/8044498773)
Day 24: Chanco to Trehuaco (https://www.strava.com/activities/8049273162)
Day 25: Trehuaco to Concepción (https://www.strava.com/activities/8053534351)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52642278142_6068e6fdab_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ocPrgd)
20221029_150646 (https://flic.kr/p/2ocPrgd) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52642278892_fc64afb1b9_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ocPru9)
20221029_181532 (https://flic.kr/p/2ocPru9) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52643260578_b14ea19a0e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ocUtiL)
20221031_084827 (https://flic.kr/p/2ocUtiL) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52643261218_903a4e5495_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ocUtuN)
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20221031_900005 (https://flic.kr/p/2ocUxPE) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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Little moments of nostalgia here & there . . . . I went the other way through San Juan, Mendoza & Santiago, by bus, & in the 1980s.
I'm looking forward to the rest.
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Just spotted this. Will read later.
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Concepción to Puerto Montt - Into Patagonia
I am hiding from the lashing rain in a hotel room in Puerto Montt, looking out through the rain splattered window down upon the rather dismal bus station. It has taken a week of riding to get here from Concepción.
This trip is eating an elephant. But you can't expect prime elephant rump every day; there's going to be some rubbery trunk to deal with too. And the first few days out of Concepción had a fair helping of rubbery trunk.There is around 3 days of fairly meritless main road flogging, doing battle with endless convoys of logging trucks which have no regard for anyone else. In time, we cross the Rio Biobio which marks the Northern extent of Patagonia: a defensive line held against the Spanish for hundreds of years.
I see smoke rising ahead in the cleared forest land. It is an excavator on fire. And another two on the other side of the road. The army is here too. This is part of a long-running dispute between the native Mapuche population who claim ownership and custodianship of these lands and forests, and the logging companies who they consider to be exploiting it.
We have entered the Chilean Lakes District, and the weather is beginning to turn. We head towards Villarrica, passing several lakes on the way. I pick up a familiar scent.. oil seed rape. This could almost be like cycling in Scotland: rolling hills, woodlands, yellow fields and a heavy grey sky.
As we approach the small lakeside town of Villarrica, through a gap in the trees we catch a glimpse of it: the Volcán Villarrica. A huge snow-capped conical volcano which can be seen for miles around. It is a volcano like a child might draw: perfectly conical with a truncated top, with snow covered flanks. Almost a cartoon volcano.
We continue through the Lakes, passing Calafquén and Panguipulli, and crossing the Rio San Pedro over an elegant new bridge alongside the remains of the old suspension bridge. The weather becomes ever more threatning, but it is a couple more days before it breaks. And then it does. We reach camp at Puerto Octay, and an hour later the rain starts. Proper biblical rain. We shelter under what cover we can find, but the cook has to continue working under the bus awning. This will become the way of things for the next few weeks.
Finally we arrive in Puerto Montt, which is a large port town with a slightly run down air about it. A plaque on the ground marks the site of what was once the site of the most Southerly railway station in the world. This town is also the jumping-off point, the Northern end of the great Southern Highway, the Carrerera Astral. The gateway to the heart of Patagonia, and our road for the next few weeks. We spend a day here preparing the bikes for this: they must wear stouter boots from here on.
There's tracklogs, photos, and more detailed day-by-day write-ups on Strava:
Day 26: Concepción to Renaico (https://www.strava.com/activities/8063424440)
Day 27: Renaico to Cholchol (https://www.strava.com/activities/8068356491)
Day 28: Cholchol to Pucón (https://www.strava.com/activities/8073950947)
Day 29: Pucón to Los Lagos (https://www.strava.com/activities/8087748089)
Day 30: Los Lagos to Lago Ranco (https://www.strava.com/activities/8087747875)
Day 31: Lago Ranco to Puerto Octay (https://www.strava.com/activities/8093314064)
Day 32: Puerto Octay to Puerto Montt (https://www.strava.com/activities/8097540724)
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Puerto Montt to O'Higgins - The Carretera Austral
This section from my ride report was written after the fact, because it was not possible to write this up on-the-road. It’s a bit long because it covers 11 days of interesting and sometimes difficult riding, and a little disjointed. This is an abridged version! It is in need of some more serious editing. Same goes for the photos, there's rather too many, sorry about that.
The Carretera Austral is the name of the great Southern Highway which runs from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins in Chile. Originally a difficult unpaved road, through remote mountainous terrain often clinging to precarious hillsides and following the courses of the many rivers that flow here, it is now paved in places. But it remains an iconic and difficult route to traverse, particularly by bicycle. The further you get from Puerto Montt, the more like the original road it becomes. It will take us 10 days to reach O'Higgins, and we can expect all the weather Patagonia has to throw at us.
Setting off from Puerto Montt on paved roads, we are treated to our first taste of Patagonian weather: lashing rain which dies back after the first few steep climbs. It is to be a waterproofs on-and-off kind of a day. This is a theme which will become familiar. At La Arena, the highlight of the first day: a ferry! We take the half hour sailing to Caleta Pelche, and are treated to a pod of dolphins playing a short distance from the boat. On our arrival at Hornopiren, we discover the planned campsite has closed down, and we take up every available cabaña in town! An improvement on a wet night under canvas. The unfortunate cook still has to make dinner under the bus canopy in a downpour!
This is where we begin to realise that the best laid plans etc etc... A last minute change of plan for tomorrow. Strike action has closed our planned campsite, so we will make an impromptu camp at a road construction crew's work camp at Santa Bárbara.
There is another 5 hour ferry crossing in the morning, followed by some 50k of gravel roads. This is our first gravel section on the Carratera Austral. After some initial deep sand and deep mud in some roadworks, the gravel is kind to us and we make good progress through terrain that is best described as rainforest. We ride through an area of new growth coming up through a huge area of older dead trees. This is the aftermath of volcanic eruption back in 2008, which destroyed much of this area. The volcano to our left continues to belch forth great plumes of steam and fumes.
The impromptu camp has many of us crushed together into a small cabin, and we leave as soon as possible in the morning. Due to yesterday's re-routing, today was a half day which was no bad thing considering it was to be one of the wettest rides I've ever done. We set off in heavy rain, and it does not let up all day. It is not cold, at around 14 degrees, which is something. The road follows a flat route around the feet of the mountains. To my left, it is pan flat for a hundred meters or so, then it hits a near vertical wall of the mountains. The dense trees of the rainforest somehow manage to get a hold on this steep rockface. The canopy of trees continues up as far as I can see until it vanishes into dense swirling cloud, which occasionally parts enough to reveal high upland valleys, with great snow-capped peaks towering beyond. Into this steep hillside there are countless great clefts and gullies, with the tendrils of long narrow waterfalls cascading down from these unseen valleys. After some hours, we arrive at Yelcho, a lakeside campsite where a large function room has been made available. A fire has been lit, and the great drying out begins. The campsite is in the grounds of an upmarket fishing resort, with a nice lodge. We are tolerated in the lodge to a point, and then shood out to the small building we are assigned. We can buy drinks in the lodge, but must take them outside.
I return the empties to the lodge
I hope my presence is not too
Unsatisfactorily untidy
From Yelcho Lake, I set out of camp mostly dry, but into heavy rain. It is to be another difficult wet day.
The West side of the Andes has one of the highest rainfalls anywhere. This landscape is entirely defined by water, and lots of it. The road climbs steeply into a pass where it has been cut into the steep hillside. The cutting is ambitious, with near vertical walls to my right which are quite unstable. Landslips and rockfalls litter the road ahead.
The river is full and fast flowing, a tumultuous white and turquoise torrent on my left. The steep hillsides on each side have countless waterfalls tumbling down, barely touching the rock on the way down. By lunchtime the downpour has eased to just rain, and continues to improve through the afternoon.
The campsite is a remote farm at El Silencio, which does a sideline as a campsite in the fields. There is a large indoor barn area with two fires burning: one as a room heater; the other as a cooking fire. The farmer is cooking for us tonight: there are several fresh sheep cooking around this open fire, parrilla style. After dinner we clear the tables away and set out our sleeping mats on the floor, under cover and warm.
By morning, a change in the weather has us setting off in the dry for a change! The morning gravel sections are difficult with deep loose stones, like riding on a dried up stream bed.
Later in the afternoon we reach the headline climb of the day: a steep gravel climb with countless switchbacks. Heavy trucks have us pushed into the verge on several occasions. There follows an equally long descent, but this has been recently been paved making for a fast easy descent. A short distance down, a narrow steep valley opens up on my right and I catch a glimpse all the way up to the headwall which is crowned with a massive grey-blue glacier.
The campsite tonight is another remote site, little more than a field by the river with a toilet block. It does, however, have a small coffee and cake shop!
The final day of this long 6 day stage is wet once again. We have 150k to go, relentless steep undulations followed by a big climb at the end. This section is all paved which makes things easier! The Carretera Austral continues South through this temperate rainforest of rural Patagonia, following narrow valleys between steep tree covered hills rising to either side. As always, we are following the course of a river, with countless waterfalls cascading down each side to meet the river.
The final 20k has a long steep climb up to a tunnel, and then continues to climb some more before finally descending to the regional capital of Coyhaique, where we will have a rest day.
The town is small and quickly explored. We are in a small Cabanas hotel which gives space to dry wet kit whilst we re-stock bikes and trucks. I have the first paid-for haircut in around 20 years!
Leaving Coyhaique we head into the Cerro Castillo National Park, and the landscape becomes rather more dramatic. We get hints of the dramatic mountain range shortly after setting out, but it is not till after a long climb we get sight of the massive serrated form of Cerro Castillo itself: the Castle Mountain. This massive basalt mountain is topped with an imposing ridge of intricate castellations and airy spires, with glaciers in the high corries clearly visible from the road. A viewpoint by the side of the road provides photo opportunities not just of the mountains, but also of the descent the road takes ahead of us: an elegant series of tight switchbacks stretching far into the distance. At our campsite at Los Nires some distance beyond the small town of Villa Cerro Castillo, a Condor soars overhead.
‘Fin Pavimento 200m’ said the sign. This was to be the last we would see of paved roads until we cross back into Argentina, on the other side of O’Higgins, several days ahead of us. This is the Carretera Austral in the raw, a gravel road following rivers and lakes, up and down steep gorges and over high plateaus. We follow the line of the Rio Murta river Southwards, crossing both it and the Rio Engano near to where it enters the Lago General Carrera, the largest lake in Chile. Along the lakeside, there are extravagant displays of wild Lupins, carpets of purples, pinks and whites on either side of the road. The road becomes exposed to the long fetch of open water of the lake, and there is a strong wind to contend with as we reach the lakeside campsite at Puerto Rio Tranquilo. There is some debate between some of us concerning the more sheltered camping spots, but open hostility is narrowly avoided.
From Rio Tranquilo, the Carretera Austral crosses the Puente General Carrera, one of several orange-painted suspension bridges, where Lago Bertrand meets Lago General Carrera. The road’s path continues to be defined by water, as are all roads through this remote and mountainous part of Patagonia. The road is extremely rough and washed out in places, and is often badly corrugated. We follow the course of the Rio Baker, which has an almost iridescent turquoise blue colour to it, quite unlike any other river I’ve seen. The river flows in a deep canyon in places, the gravel road climbing steeply alongside the canyon wall, overlooking confluences with other rivers feeding into it: the Rio Neff, and the Chackabuco. We reach the small town of Cochrane; our campsite is in the Reserva National Tamango, on the shores of Lago Cochrane. It is here that we begin to make preparations for the support vehicles to leave us and take the long way round to El Chalten. They cannot take our route for much further, we will be on small boats and some singletrack. The logistics are about to become a bit tricky.
From Cochrane, we head for Puerto Yungay, where the road ends and we will take a ferry onwards. The gravel road continues to follow the lines defined by water; we pass Lagos Esmerelda, Juncal and Chacabuco. The road is rough and corrugated, and we reach a steep technical descent which is challenging. The lush vegetation is tall either side of the road, almost claustrophobic in places. When it opens out, I can see vast green forest stretching away from me, with low clouds hanging in it; this could be a set from Jurassic Park. Unseen rivers tumble in deep gorges below the road. A sting in the tail: a big climb before the end, and then we descend into Puerto Yungay.
There is nothing at Puerto Yungay. There is a ferry terminal, which somewhat surprisingly has a café which might be open in the morning, when we come to board the ferry. The planned camping was to be on the beach, but the tide and other factors made this impossible. So we find ourselves in the pouring rain, in a series of semi-derelict cabanas and outhouses which have not seen use in many years. The derelict buildings provide at least some semblance of shelter, being watertight for the time being at least. The accommodation is sufficiently off-putting for several people to choose to put their tents up in the foul weather rather than bunk down with whatever nocturnal wildlife may infest these places. The shelter from the rain sways me, and I brave the floor of a cabana.
We set out on the first ferry out of Yungay into a cold wet morning. After only a few minutes the slipway had vanished behind us into sheets of rain on a cold grey sea. The ferry has no inside accommodation, so we huddle under such shelter as we can find for the 30 minute crossing.
And so we set off cycling in the late morning already cold and damp. It is to be another all gravel day. After 20k we hit a series of brutal gravel climbs with steep switchbacks which lead to a high plateau. The road as always follows the line of a river. We are soon high above the river which flows far down in a precipitous gorge to our left. Occasionally the edge of the road has crumbled into the gorge and the river can be seen a hundred or more metres below, down a vertigo inducing drop, which I ride well away from!
The weather turns foul on the climb, with many riders becoming borderline hypothermic by the top, battling into lashing rain, an air temperature of around 3 degrees and a vicious wind chill. The summit plateau is a series of steep upsy-downsies following a lakeside till we reach the lunch van on a bleak spot some 50k in, where it is only possible to pause for the briefest of moments before chilling down.
The remaining 50k in the afternoon is a flatter affair on reasonable gravel, and I roll into O'Higgins in the late afternoon. And so we reach the end of the Carretera Austral the same as we began: in the lashing rain.
O'Higgins is very much a frontier town: there is very little here, yet there is what we need. Accommodation in a well-appointed warm hostel, a well stocked small supermarket and a couple of reasonable restaurants, one of which has a micro brewery. The plan is to spend one day here, to re-stock and maintain the bikes which have taken a hammering on the Carrererra before taking an early ferry across the border into Argentina. However, At the time of writing, we are still holed up in O'Higgins, stormbound. The ferries have not been sailing for almost a week due to high winds. As things stand, we hope to be able to sail tomorrow, one day late. There is no alternative; the road route back and around is 800km. So we wait.
There's tracklogs, photos, and more detailed day-by-day write-ups on Strava:
Day 33: Puerto Octay to Hornopiren (https://www.strava.com/activities/8107882184)
Day 34: Hornopiren to Santa Bárbara (https://www.strava.com/activities/8114291831)
Day 35: Caleta Gonzalo to Yelcho Lake (https://www.strava.com/activities/8117244365)
Day 36: Yelcho Lake to El Silencio (https://www.strava.com/activities/8127795384)
Day 37: El Silencio to Villa Amengual (https://www.strava.com/activities/8132088062)
Day 38: Villa Amengual to Coyhaique (https://www.strava.com/activities/8132088597)
Day 39: Coyhaique to Villa Cerro Castillo (https://www.strava.com/activities/8152138057)
Day 40: Villa Cerra Castillo to Puerto Rio Tranquilo (https://www.strava.com/activities/8154881763)
Day 41: Rio Tranquilo to Cochrane (https://www.strava.com/activities/8154884496)
Day 42: Cochrane to Yungay (https://www.strava.com/activities/8154928554)
Day 43: Yungay to Villa O'Higgins (https://www.strava.com/activities/8164304213)
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20221123_183508 (https://flic.kr/p/2ofdepC) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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This brings back memories. I rode the carretera austral from puerto montt to O'Higgins in January/February 2015. Was also storm bound in the small ferry port, bought the last tin of fish in the shop in the café. The army let us sleep in one of those derelict houses. I returned from O'Higgins in a vehicle then rode back. Great people, great trip. I was alone: there's a lot to be said for paying someone else to shoulder all the problems. Very interesting, this.
At one point where they were building the road the sentries let me through, otherwise I'd have made little distance and spent the night in the middle of nowhere with no food. I could hear the explosions as they dynamited the rocks.
I decided to turn back at O'Higgins because of the stories from cyclists who'd come north from Argentina with tales of the wind, the interminable flat plains with nothing for miles and miles and miles. Met some very resilient cyclists. I heard of one English bloke who'd ridden all day against a terrible wind and decided to stop and shelter in one of the big drains that go under the road. When he went underneath he found two blokes from Sheffield who'd been living there for two days. They set off the next day peloton style and took turns on the front against the wind, and made it to a shop for food. Great adventures. Not for the faint hearted though.
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Proper adventure , and I assume you had the Patagonia winds as well, keep it coming.
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Thanks for sharing, we did The Carretera Austral the other way back in 2012. I see more tarmac is on the ground compared to back then else it is the same - wind, rain, great views, ripio :)
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Absolutely stunning.
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O'Higgins to Puerto Natales - Crossing Borders
After four days holed up in O'Higgins, we are finally on the move. Our route takes us back and forth, crossing between Chile and Argentina multiple times.
The first day is a tricksy border crossing into Argentina over a remote and isolated pass. This was always going to be a logistically challenging crossing. From O'Higgins, it is a two or four hour ferry, then 20k offroad riding between the remote border posts of Candelario Mancilla and Dos Lagunas where we get a second 30 minute ferry, then 40k of gravel road to El Chaltén.
There are additional complications. Our large group of 40 riders has to be split across 3 small ferries, so we are spread out in start times. The faster riders are in the last ferry. The remote Chilean exit post is just after the ferry landing. This is where the wheels started falling off! When we arrived, the first groups were still being processed. There is one man at a desk, taking 15 minutes per person. We are delayed by around three hours, with a deadline for the second ferry looking increasingly out of reach.
We then set off up a steep gravel road with switchbacks of deep loose gravel. This required walking on some of the steepest sections where the rear wheel could find no grip. After some 10k, the steep climbing into the forest eased off to become a well compacted forest road, not unlike a forestry commission road back home. Earlier riders got a view of Mount Fitz Roy, but the cloud had descended by the time I passed. This road reaches a clearing at 15k, where a sign marks the actual border.
Beyond this clearing, the track ends and becomes a deep woodland singletrack path, which became steep and tree-rooty with several stream crossings and bogs to negotiate. The path became braided and tricky to follow in places, with fallen trees to negotiate. This stretches my offroad skillz rather beyond their elastic limit, and there was more hiking than biking. After some 6k of this, a technical descent brings us down to the Argentinian border post at the second ferry.
We had long missed the last ferry, and a special charter had been arranged to get us across the water. We were so late that we were not able to ride remaining 40k of gravel into town, a bus had been sent and we arrived in El Chaltén well after 10pm.
We took a couple of days off the tour here to visit the glacier. We re-join the tour a few days later, some 10k from the border crossing back into Chile.
The first proper tent I ever bought was an original Wild Country Quasar, which was billed as being built to withstand the 'tent-shattering winds of Patagonia'. I had no real sense of what that meant before today.
We have a short day, only 25k. 16k to the Argentinian exit post, then a further 7k or so through no-mans-land to the Chilean entry post, much of it on gravel.
I set out from the bus at the start into a powerful wind, but it is not till I round the first corner that I am hit by the full force of it. A powerful quartering headwind, with gusts half as strong again. It is the strongest wind I have ever ridden in by some margin. I am riding with the bike leaning at a crazy angle, and am frequently blown clean across the road. When broadside to it, I am flattened to the road. Within the first k, there is a trail of riders heading back to the start, defeated. This is the strongest wind I have ever experienced, like the worst I have seen on the summit of Cairngorm and then some.
Most riders are then bussed to the border, but have to ride / walk the best they can to the further border post some 7k away. It looks like a line of refugees fleeing a war zone. Bikes are torn from hands. As far as I know, only 2 riders actually rode the whole way. It was madness.
Pitching tents in the campsite at Cerro Castillo is a bit of a circus, but the new Hilleberg proves equal to task and withstood the storm with no problem.
By morning, the storm has passed and the wind has blown itself out, and we have an easy 60k into Puerto Natales, where we will spend a couple of days before embarking on the final stage to Ushuaia.
There's tracklogs, photos, and more detailed day-by-day write-ups on Strava:
Day 44: O'Higgins to El Chaltén (https://www.strava.com/activities/8178329843)
Day 47: Border to Cerro Castillo (https://www.strava.com/activities/8193358525)
Day 48: Cerro Castillo to Puerto Natales (https://www.strava.com/activities/8193358734)
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20221127_100834 (https://flic.kr/p/2ofAuzx) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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20221127_130043 (https://flic.kr/p/2ofBzxf) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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20221127_161904 (https://flic.kr/p/2ofwtyv) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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20221127_164101 (https://flic.kr/p/2ofBzWb) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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20221127_164129 (https://flic.kr/p/2ofz2go) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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20221127_164313 (https://flic.kr/p/2ofBA7X) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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20221127_900000 (https://flic.kr/p/2ofBAPJ) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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20221127_900001 (https://flic.kr/p/2ofBhP2) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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20221201_072108 (https://flic.kr/p/2ofBCst) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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20221130_900000 (https://flic.kr/p/2ofBJbH) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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Side Tour - Perito Moreno Glacier
Eleven of us have taken a couple of days out of the tour to visit the Perito Moreno glacier.
You get the first glimpse of it as the bus from El Calafate rounds a bend in the road. It looks impressive from here, but you have no sense of the sheer scale of it yet. A boat trip takes you up close to the ice face where it meets Lago Argentino. Once you see the size of the boats against the calving face, the scale becomes apparent. At it's highest, the face is some 80m high, and it descends some 120m below the surface, reaching the lakebed.
A hike along the trail on the Peninsula Magallanes overlooking the glacier gives a view up the valley, and you then get a sense of the vast areal extent of this thing. It is some 5km wide here at the face, and extends 20km up into the mountains behind. Ice takes around 400 years to make the journey from mountain to lake. Here, we can hear the creaks and groans of this vast moving creature, and the occasional loud bang as a section of ice calves off creating a huge wake in the lake below.
The glacier is composed of an endless jumble of towering ice spires, with bottomless crevasses between them. The sunlight refracts through the compacted ice giving a range of colour from white to deep blue. This ice terrain looks utterly un-traversable to me.
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20221128_900000 (https://flic.kr/p/2og7C4j) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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20221128_144114 (https://flic.kr/p/2og2rR4) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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20221128_144321 (https://flic.kr/p/2og53Yd) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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!!!
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You can’t see it clearly in the picture, but to give a sense of scale; the main rock face of Fitzroy above the glacier is around 5,000 feet. El Cap in California is only around 3,000 feet. There’s a climbers camp / hut just below the glacier.
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Good stuff. It brings back memories
I visited Perito Moreno in 2008 as an add-on to a walking tour of the Torres del Paine national park, and shelled out for the boat trip. It didn't look much different back then
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When I was the the glacier was connected to the land (the land opposite the face) by a narrow bit of glacier which separated the two bits of Lago Agentina. Periodically the water on one side breaks through to form a bridge, which then collapses in a spectacular fashion, then the cycle starts all over again. I wonder what the state of it is now.
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The best $145 I ever paid was for a morning fully cramponed and roped up on Glaciar Grey.
Ice takes around 400 years to make the journey from mountain to lake.
The refugio on the shores of Lago Grey has small icebergs floating past, and that's where they get the ice to go in your pisco sour - advertising it as 1000-year-old ice-cubes.
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Side Tour - Torres Del Paine
'Paine' is 'blue' in the native language, so Blue Towers: one of the iconic landmarks of Patagonia.
A day off the bike, so a group of ten of us hire some cars for the two hour drive from Puerto Natales, and we arrive at the National Park gates at 8.
It is an easy hike in: 10k along a wide, well maintained and waymarked path. We reach the refuge at Chileno after 6k. Beyond the refuge it becomes slightly steeper as it follows a newly constructed path up the side of a steep moraine field, but the path is well constructed with boulders arranged into a series of steps.
The towers are not visible along the approach path. Beyond the refuge, we get the briefest of glimpses of the very tops on a couple of occasions. It is not till you get up into the corrie itself that they are revealed to you. Across the corrie lochan, the headwall rises as a single sheer cliff of massive proportion, leading up to the base of the towers themselves. These three mighty spires reach up hundreds of metres, looking for all the world impregnable. Snow clings to the towers, and fingers of ice reach down the vertical gullies between them.
We spend some 45 minutes marvelling at the view. A group of our riders came here yesterday, but the cloud was down and they got no view. We were lucky. The weather changes quickly here: we got caught in a snow flurry on the descent!
https://www.strava.com/activities/8203684619
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Torres del Paine (https://flic.kr/p/2ohkHfM) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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We tend to call it Torres del PAIN. It was there we got "kicked" of our bikes in the very strong winds, broke my front fork, prolly a rib or two, going by the pain I had for a long while after. Peli recorded 15mph going uphill, fully loaded, while applying the brakes, before she dropped.
Looks so much greener, we visited only weeks after the big fire in 2011/2012 and all was black and ashy.
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In Patagonia, "el viento manda"!
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Tierra del Fuego - Fin del Mundo
So we have reached journey's end here in Ushuaia.
The final stage saw us camp in another rodeo arena, with the cook setting up camp kitchen in a hastily mucked-out horse stall. In the morning we set off for Punta Arenas, a flat but windy 100k all on road. It is 3 degrees when we set out. It is like an African plain, and we are on a morning game drive. The flat scrubby plain has watering holes and dried up pans. In one watering hole, a flock of pink flamingos stands, close to the road. There are guanacos dotted around, one lies lazily in a ditch by the road, it's long neck and head keeping a watch on the road like a periscope. There are Rheas in small groups of ones and twos, one has a brood of a dozen or so large chicks chasing it.
I come across a minefield, a reminder of the historic tensions between Chile and Argentina around this border. In time, I see a line of radar domes on the skyline. Cresting the rise, the sea is before me: the Strait of Magellan, which separates mainland South America from Tierra del Fuego, which is visible beyond.
The town of Punta Arenas is a busy port town, serving the southern part of this country. Tomorrow, we cross the Straits for the final push down through Tierra del Fuego.
We catch the first ferry out of Punto Arenas, crossing the Magellan Straits to land on Tierra del Fuego, the land of fire. The name derives from early European explorers who saw fires on the far shores and were afraid to cross the straits. I'm less sure about the name; I saw no fire, but the other elements seemed over-represented: gravel, wind and rain.
There was 100k of gravel road before camp, following a wild coastline of headlands and shingle bays, the sea crashing against the shoreline driven by the endless wind. Wind-blasted trees show the direction of the prevailing wind! On this occasion, the wind was on our backs, pushing us towards our camp, which was a wild bush camp with no facilities. Shovels were deployed!
It has been cold overnight, there is a layer of ice covering the washing-up basins. We waste no time, and set off with the wind still on our backs. I see a herd of guanacos on a hillside: two are stood one in front of the other, facing in opposite directions. From my point of view, they seem to be a single creature: a pushme-pullyou!
We come to the final border crossing of the trip, a land border back into Argentina. At the Chilean exit post, I cause a minor diplomatic incident. I do not have the carnet I was given when I imported my bicycle. The border post has a resident cat, and sensing some irregularity it comes to inspect me. I scratch it's head behind the ears, and it pushes back against me, purring gently. I am let off with a roll of the eyes, and the diplomatic incident is averted. Trial by cat.
The road from the border climbs slightly, gaining a low headland. Then I see it: the sea. This is the Atlantic Ocean, which I last saw in Buenos Aires, some 5000km ago. We have re-crossed the continent. The Atlantic seems a different colour to the Pacific. Greys and blues replace the greens of the Pacific.
We reach camp at the town of Rio Grande, a large town, in the early afternoon. It claims the title of International Capital of Trout. And why not, I guess somewhere needs to be. The campsite cats are over-familiar, taking up residence in any tent left open!
The next town of Tolhuin is home to the wonderful La Unión bakery, where we all stop for excellent coffee and pastries before continuing to the campsite a short distance away. The campsite is best described as 'quirky', with scrap metal arranged here and there, some welded into makeshift sculptures. It reminds me very much of a place called Roys Rest Camp near Grootfontein in rural Namibia.
This is our final camp dinner, and Mark the cook has pulled out all the stops, producing a magnificent feast, and there is even an indoor dining room with tables and chairs!
And so we come to our final day of riding. It has rained on and off all night, and we pack up wet tents for the final 100k to Ushuaia. The route takes us along the lakeside, but ahead of us lies one final range of hills before we reach Ushuaia. The road has been cut into a steep hillside to gain the Paso Garibaldi, overlooking the lake far below. The road feels precarious, a vertical wall to my left and a precipitous drop to my right. It gives me the heebie jeebies just to be within a metre of the edge.
We ride on and over a low headland, and there before us is the sea: the Beagle Channel, leading to the Southern Ocean. Ahead of us the town of Ushuaia, built on the side of a steep hill overlooking the harbour. This busy tourist town is the port which serves the Antarctic cruises. Here, a sign marks the End of the World, and it is the end of our journey too.
And so here on the shores of the Southern Ocean, our adventure comes to an end as all adventures must. We have riden over 5200km, crossed the Andes and crossed the continent twice. We have visited the Perito Moreno Glacier and Torres del Paine. We have stayed in hotels, hostels and cabañas, and campsites that ranged from resorts to municipal rubbish dumps. Some even had functioning toilets.
Our attention must now turn to the mundane: bikes and kit to be packed, taxis ordered and airports negotiated. All being well, we will be home for Christmas.
There's tracklogs, photos, and more detailed day-by-day write-ups on Strava:
Day 50: Villa Tehuelches to Punta Arenas (https://www.strava.com/activities/8210730764)
Day 51: Punta Arenas to Tierra del Fuego bush camp (https://www.strava.com/activities/8228699241)
Day 52: Tierra del Fuego bush camp to Rio Grande (https://www.strava.com/activities/8228699659)
Day 53: Rio Grande to Lake Fagnano (https://www.strava.com/activities/8228700759)
Day 54: Lake Fagnano to Ushuaia (https://www.strava.com/activities/8228701271)
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(https://flic.kr/p/2ohv2p7)20221206_090452 (https://flic.kr/p/2ohv2p7) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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(https://flic.kr/p/2ohv2tW)20221206_123444 (https://flic.kr/p/2ohv2tW) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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(https://flic.kr/p/2ohsw1e)20221206_123456 (https://flic.kr/p/2ohsw1e) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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(https://flic.kr/p/2ohtSJE)20221206_162908 (https://flic.kr/p/2ohtSJE) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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(https://flic.kr/p/2ohv2XS)20221208_103630 (https://flic.kr/p/2ohv2XS) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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(https://flic.kr/p/2ohtTjx)20221208_160242 (https://flic.kr/p/2ohtTjx) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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(https://flic.kr/p/2ohuDJL)20221209_113429 (https://flic.kr/p/2ohuDJL) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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(https://flic.kr/p/2ohsxnT)20221209_142622 (https://flic.kr/p/2ohsxnT) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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(https://flic.kr/p/2ohpTWW)20221210_110211 (https://flic.kr/p/2ohpTWW) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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(https://flic.kr/p/2ohv4tC)20221210_105403 (https://flic.kr/p/2ohv4tC) by Ron Lowe (https://www.flickr.com/photos/62966413@N04/), on Flickr
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Brilliant and inspiring! Thanks!
(But I'm not going to go...)
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Wow, I've just found this, I have some catch up reading, epic!
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Have really enjoyed reading this, thanks Feanor.