Patagonia

From our small coastal hide-away we ride the best parts of Carretera Austral around bays and inlets climbing and descending the twists and turns of this gravel road. It is a challenging ride but the views are reward enough. The day ends in another remote hotel with cabins alongside the Rio Simpson. The early evening is spent next to the roaring fire in the lounge chatting with a glass of Chilean Vino Tinto and comparing photos from the day.

More time on Carretera Austral the following day takes in vistas of incredulously blue lakes and for contrast the Laguna Verde, the greenest of green lagoons. The road continues to challenge and reward as we head further south. Our destination for the night is more cabins but this time on the lake shore of Lago Buenos Aires. The white capped waves roll in with the snow-capped mountains providing the backdrop behind them. As the evening dusk draws in the wind subsides and the waves ebb into gentle swells.

The next day provides a change from the dirt roads as we ride through the mountains on pristine tarmac, with the snow lying on either side, and occasionally actually on the road. We are treated to some great twisties and a fantastic set of hairpins to descend to a small town for coffee.

After crossing back in Argentina we are heading for Ruta 40. This iconic road stretches the almost the length of the southern continent but this Argentinian dirt section is perhaps the most famous. We will probably be the last Trans Americas group to enjoy it as a dirt road. There is much more tarmac than previously and there are large sections being worked on. What hasn’t come with improved roads is improved fuel supply.

Argentina seems to have sporadic problems getting fuel distributed and we are about to experience the problems this brings. We all fuel at mile 65 in Chile and the next station is at mile 108 in Argentina. It has no fuel and none due today. We ride for the next station at mile 171 in strong head and side winds. When we arrive they have no fuel and have had none for 5 days and will not get a delivery for another 10 days. Our stop for the night is another 130 miles and we ride on. We are staying on a working Patagonian Estancia and in the evening we are eating fresh lamb cooked over an open wood fire. We purchase all the fuel they can spare which is 10 litres for most of the bikes, as we have another 95 miles to go tomorrow before the next station. Back onto the gravel of Ruta 40 and we arrive 95 miles later to find…… no fuel and none due for 20 days. This is now a problem! We check out the local town 3 kilometres away and are told there is no fuel to be had there either.

We plan out which bikes could make it into El Calafate 100 miles further on, where we are promised there are supplies. We then distribute the emergency fuel from the support vehicle to maximise the number of riders who can make it in. However this means leaving 5 bikes at the fuel station while we ride for El Calafate at 55mph to ensure maximum economy, to re-stock the support vehicle and return.

One rider runs out en route but we have a last 1.5 litres emergency stock and this gets them into town. In El Calafate we find queues at the stations and only one with diesel which the support vehicle is now also desperate for. We re-fuel the 70 litres of containers in the van, and the van itself, and are quickly on the return journey out of town. However 30 miles out of town we meet the remaining riders heading in. Bill a retired Canadian Policeman had gone into the local town again and at the police station called in a few professional favours and secured 30 litres of fuel between the bikes. This had been done by syphoning it from the towns fire engine! We just hope there is not a fire in town in the next 20 days or we are going to feel really guilty!

When the riders meet the support vehilce at 30 miles out, three are running on fumes having had the fuel gauges reading zero for over 20 miles each. Re-fuelled from the support vehicle they ride the last stretch with the comfort of knowing they would make it in. As we say – It’s not a holiday, It’s an Adventure!

We have two nights in El Calafate to visit the Perrito Moreno glacier, one of the largest and most impressive remaining in South America. You can get to it by bike or boat or both and all agree it is very much worth the journey out. The ride moves on again on Ruta 40 south to the Chilean border where we cross back once again to take us to the edge of the Torres Del Paine National Park. The park is home to over 100 bird species as well as Puma, Guanaco and Black Widow Spiders!

The next day will take us across the Straits of Magellan and onto the Land of Fire, Tierra Del Fuego. From there we are just two days from Ushuaia and our furthest destination south. Having been heading south since the 9th August we will have to stop. If not we will be in the ocean.