Day 27

Today was a pretty easy day. I made my way to General Conesa, which was only 60 miles away. The next town after that was 90 more miles, so it was go 60 or 150, which was not going to happen, even with the tail wind I had today. It was nice and sunny agains today. This is the 3rd day or great weather in a row. I ran into some more dogs today. One chased me for at least half a mile. It was flat and I managed to get up to 25 mph and out ran the dog. General Conesa is like a ghost town. Dirt roads, few people, everything is closed. I found a small lodge after about 20 minutes of searching. It was only $10 a night!

Day 26

It was really cold this morning as I left Sierra Grande, but later on it became another beautiful and sunny day. I head birds chirping everywhere. It got hot enough to take off my coat again. I saw a big horned sheep today and was able to get a picture. I also got chased by some dogs. I out ran them, nothing gets you going fast like sharp teeth nipping at your ankles.

The maps and road signs are driving me crazy. I went 136 km today, the map said it was 98, and the signs said it was 116 when I left Sierra grande. Everything seems to have a 10% margin of error.

Day 25

Today I made my way to Sierra Grande. The day started with a 30 minute climb from the coast. It was a really nice day, light breeze and lots of sun. It got so hot I took off one of my coats, which was really refreshing after 3 weeks with it on. I even got a little sunburned on my face, not too bad though. My hands have a very distinct tan line now where my gloves are. I found out that they don't call it Sierra Grande (Big Range) for nothing. There was a big climb at the end of the day and good size mountains all around. I found a nice little hostel and called it a day.

Day 24

Today I had a pretty easy day, only 70 km to a resort town called Puerto Madryn. It is know for whale watching but unfortunately it isn´t the right season now. It rained this morning and there was some fog on the road so I pulled out my head lamp and set it to strobe and put it on the back of my bike. There was a fairly strong head wind today but I was only on the road about 4 hours so it didn´t last too long. There was some contruction on the road today. They were were expanding the highway to 4 lanes from 2. They had just paved the 2 new lanes but aparently had not opened them to the public yet. I hopped a baracade and for about 15 miles had 2 full lanes of newly paved road all to myself. It was nice not having to worry about traffic. A trucker pulled over in front of me earlier in the day and offered to give me a ride. I kindly declined.

Day 23: Recovering in Trelew

Last night I woke up feeling very ill. Probably a combination of dehydration, electrolite imbalance, and some indigestion. I slept poorly and decided to take the day off and try to recover a little. I did 2 days worth of biking yesterday and it took its toll on me.

Day 22: 125 mile day, not by choice

Today was the longest day of my trip, but not exactly by choice. I left at sunrise with the goal of going 116 km to a small town that I was told had a hotel. When I got to the "city" all there was was a house, no gas station, no hotel. This has happened a few times. I went another 80km to the next town. I was exhausted when I arrived. There had not been too much wind and the terrain was mostly flat, but biking 125 miles is a full day by its self. I stopped at the first hotel I saw and collapsed on the bed.

Day 21: On the road again

Today I got back on the road after 3 days of rest. My cousin dropped me off at the edge of the city to start the day since the the roads out of the city were very busy and had no space for bikes. I started a little before sunrise. The wind was pretty strong, about 25 mph, and it was from the side. As usual in side winds I had a tough time staying on the road. About 50 km into my ride my left peddle broke. It still works but every time I turn the gears the peddle rotates in a really jerky way. I fiddled around with it but couldn't get it working again. It is probably a bearing or something. It isn't serious enough to stop my trip but I will definately need to get it replaced in the next town with a bike shop, which is 2 days away.

In the wild life department I saw some more guanaco and my first quail and armadillo. I tried to get a picture of the armadillo but it ran off before I could get my camera out.

I had a pretty long day at 7.5 hours. By the end I had salt all over my face. I must have looked pretty strange when I road into town at the end. I was expecting to find a small hotel but all there was was a gas station. I got some food and stayed there until it closed at midnight. I put on every piece of clothing that i had and set up my tent for the first time. There was a little rain but not enough to cause a problem.

I was warm and sleeping behind the gas station when I got the scare of my life. Someone was running by my tent and tripped over my tent and fell on top of me. I had my tent closed and thought I was being attacked and robbed. I started to scream as loud as I could while I struggled to find the zipped to open the tent. I heard a voice telling me to calm down and once I got out of my tent I realized what had happened. They were two workers at the gas station just horsing around. They invited to let me sleep inside with the other employees and I accepted. At least I was able to get out of the cold.

Days 18-20

I decided to stay in Comdoro Rivadavia for the weekend. I was at my cousin´s apartment and the cable TV, internet, hot shower, and warm bed were too much to resist. I mostly just slept in, surfed the internet, and rested my legs a little. On Sunday night I went with my cousin to an asado at the house of a famous Argentine surgeon. He was a friend of my cousin and knew each other from the flight club here. We had a nice night and great food. We argued politics throughout the night, which is pretty much a national pasttime down here right after soccer. It got pretty heated at times but was all in good fun. I didn´t get to bed that night until 1 am and had to get up at 7:30 the next morning to start my trip again.

Day 17: Rest day in Comodoro Rivadavia

Met up with my cousin here in the city. We didn´t have a whole lot of time together since he had work in the morning and was on his way out of town early in the afternoon. We chatted a little about my trip thus far and we planned my route for the next week. There are definately going to be a few tough parts. Not a whole lot of towns down here so don´t have many options. Tomorrow I go over 100 miles and start off the day with a big climb. I explored the city a little and was surprised by how expensive stuff was. Comodoro Rivadavia is a oil industry town so I guess I shouldn´t be too surprised.

Day 16: Biking along the ocean

It sprinkled this morning. I could see curtains of rain off in the distance. At the begining of the day it was more featureless planes filled with shrubs and the occasional sheep. There were a few nice downhill equal uphill as I made my way back to the coast. Seeing the ocean was a nice after 2 days of near desert conditions. The water was a beautiful blue and turqoise. I made it to Caleta Olivia by about 3:00. It was a nice city but was really dirty, trash everywhere on the side of the road. As I arrived I saw a rainbow over the ocean. I was still feeling strong and could see Comodoro Rivadavia down the coast so I decided to try and make it there by sundown. As I got closer the road started to be very crowded with trucks. The sun ended up going down before I arrived so I pulled out my head lamp and biked on the gravel shoulder of the road. I arrived around 7:00 and found a hostel to stay at. I was exhausted but I saved a day by pushing to the next city. It was another 100 mile day. I have another cousin that lives here and I will take a day off and meet up with him tomorrow morning.

Day 15: Biking over a moonscape

It was like biking over the moon today. I left Tres Cerros on my way to Fitz Roy. Very dry, just rocks and a little grass here and there. I saw some strange green rocks along the side of the road, probably copper deposits. The wind was not too bad today and the landscape was just a bunch of rolling hills. As I was biking along I saw a very stange sight, a couple of ducks just hanging out by the side of the road. There must have been a river or something somewhere that I could not see. The wind got a little worse as the day went on. It was a side wind and was blowing me off the road. There was some road construction going on and I had to take a slight detour on a dirt road for about 5 km, which was rough and dusty. I saw some gauchos hearding some sheep today along the side of the road. There are sheep ranches every 20 miles or so.

Day 14: First 100 mile day

Another storm today but I left anyway. The wind decreased a little throughout the day and at least it was sunny out. I was biking into the sun most of the time and it was a little hard to see. I was a little worried trucks coming by would have a hard time seeing me. By the end of the day I had a distinct tan line on my hands where I had my gloves on.

I officially hate the weather down here. I feel like I am constantly walking on a razors edge trying to get to my destination each day. The wind is so strong it can practically stop you in you tracks. Put on top of that there are only 8 or 9 hours of daylight each day, so if i don't leave at sunrise each day i am already behind schedule. On top of that the cities are so spread out, there are no back up places to stop at if I have any trouble. It is all very nerve racking and does not make for a very fun trip, at least when the wind isn't a tail wind. As I get further north the wind should start to die down, there should be more towns, and the days should get longer. Patagonia does have a lot of positives like the scenic landscape, the wildlife, and lack of constant cars going by. However traveling under your own power can make it a little stressful.

The landscape was very arid. I went through a few dry lake beds which had a very bad smell. The wind kicked up dust and salt and alkalines which made it hard to breath. My spedometer began to malfunction today. I fiddled around with it and got it to work but seemed to have reset it in the process, so I lost some of my trip information. I saw some more Rhea today and a ton of sheep. The sheep were all walking in a line several hundred sheep long which was strange to see. I assume there were following a trail or something. It was bright and windy and I ran out of water about 3/4 of the way to tres cerros. As soon as I arrived I went straight for the water and drank a liter in a minute. Today there were vast swaths of nothingness and a few mesas with colored rock layers. The highlight of the day was petting some guanaco. There were two baby guanaco that were not afraid of people and were looking for some food at tres cerros. I petted them and took a few pictures.

Day 13

This morning I woke up to the sound of howling wind. It was another hurricane outside, dust being kicked up in my eyes and trash flying by. It got worse as the day went on. It was so strong it was almost funny. I can just imagine trying to through this stuff. There was no way I could have made 100 miles in this weather before sundown. I tried once and barely made it half that distance and was ready to collapse by the end. I decided to stay in San Julian one more night in the hope that the weather would improve. Not a whole lot to do here. The only thing near my hotel is a gas station.

I am starting to see a change in my appearance now after almost 2 weeks on the road. My face has gotten tan and a little dry and weathered. Starting to notice a little weight loss too, though nothing substantial yet.

Day 12

I made my way to San Julian today. The weather reports said there would be rain but it turned out to be a nice sunny day with little wind. There was a nasty climb outside of town which really woke me up and got me back into the swing of things after my day off.

On my way I ran into the Romanian bikers that had spend a night with me at the boarder crossing in San Sebastian. We chatted for a little, took some photos, and then they were off on their way to Brazil. It is fun to run into people again...we are all adventures out here and I really feel a sense of commerodery with other bikers and motorcyclists I run into.

On the wildlife front I saw an antelope, which was a nice change from the guanacos I see everywhere I go. The road today took me by a huge valley and I stopped for a few pictures. The landscape is a series of mesas, and it is sometimes had to tell if I am on top of one. I will be biking along and then out of the blew there is a huge cliff. As I approached San Julian about 10 miles out I could smell the ocean in the breeze even before I could see it. Tomorrow is my longest day yet. I go to Tres Cerros, which is about 100 miles away. No other option as there are no towns between here and there.

Day 11

Today was a rest day in Piedras Buenas. Not a whole lot to report. I slept in, had a nice high carb lunch, and then went to a trout farm to pick out a fish for dinner. My cousin cooking it and it was amazing! The city is known for its river fish I aparently. Tomorrow I say goodbye to my family and head for San Julian.

Day 10: Finally a tail wind!!!

Today was so much fun! I had a tail wind almost the entire day. I made my 103 km ride today in less than 4 hours. For the last hour I averaged nearly 20 mph. There was also a long downhill portion that lasted about 15 minutes. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. I was cashing out all the climbing I had done the previous few days. Last night a guy at the hotel I was at warned me that protestors had blocked the road the day before over some sort of petroleum dispute. I did not run into any protestors today but figured they would let me pass in any event since I am not using any gas on this particular trip. The truckers seemed really interested in me today with about half waiving or flashing their lights at me. However, there was one jackass bus that came by me really slow and someone stuck their head out and yelled at me. I guess he does not want to share the road.

This morning I saw some white lumps on the side of the road. I could not figure out what they were until I stopped and realized it was snow from a storm the night before. I just hope I can get to a low enough latitude in time to avoid having to bike or camp in the snow. I arrived in town and called my cousin, but she was still at work since I had arrived so early. She came by eventually and took me to her house. I will stay here for the next 2 days.

Day 9

It rained today, but at least there was no wind. I set a new milage best for this trip at 88 miles. It was pretty flat except for a few valleys. The landscape has changed a little and now instead of just grass I am seeing mostly schrubs. I am finally starting to feel my biking legs come back to me now. I was holding 14 mph pretty steadilly the whole day. This morning I was a little worried because my right akelies tendon felt sore. I could feel a squeeking feeling when I extended my foot. I guess it is time for some WD40. After about an hour of biking the pain started to subside. The cold also seemed to help. My feet and ankles got numb from the cold and wetness, good for pain control, but bad or walking as I almost fell over a few times during rest stops. I could see my breath all day long today. I must have looked like a locomotive to the people driving by.

When I start peddling again after downhill portion I am getting a burning sensation in my legs, sort of feels good in a way. I got the same sensation on my other trips when I started to get back into shape.

By the end of the day I was feeling pretty cold, but it was only bad when I stopped biking. The hotel I was aiming for turned out to be about 10 km from where the signs said it would be, which got me worried that I had gone past it. That would have been a disaster as the next town was about 65 miles away. I stopped at a house which could have been the hotel, but I could not find anyone to ask. I walked around the property for about 15 minutes and started to get cold...and I was already soaked from the constat drizzle all day. I found the hotel a little further down the road. It was a nice place which appeared to cater to truckers. I stayed in a dormitory room with 10 bunk beds all to myself. I took an hour long shower to warm up...best feeling in the world :-) The electricity in this place seems to be a little screwy though. When I tried to turn on a TV, the power to the whole building went out for a few seconds. I think I will stay away from it in the future. Tomorrow I shoot for Piedras Buenas and will get to stay wit my cousin for a day or two. Really looking forward to seeing family again.

Day 8: more wind adventures

This morning I said goodbye to my new friends at the boarder and headed off to Rio Gallegos. It was really windy again, comparable to a few days ago with 90 kph winds. It was a nice clear day, not a cloud in the sky. However, the wind made for some scary moments. It was a side wind which pushed me all over the road. I normally stay to the side of the road on about a 1 foot strip, but I was having a tough time staying on the road. It would gust and push me off and I would end up off in the grass somewhere half the time. But when trucks came by that was the scariest. As I biked I would compensate for the wind by leaning into it...no other choice really. But then when a truck came by it would temporarilly block the wind and I would vear off into the road. Oncoming trucks were not bad, but with the wind I could barely hear trucks behind me until they were right on top of me. I had a few close calls.

Day 7: I´m on a boat!

I had a good day today but didn´t reach my goal of Rio Gallegos. I rant out of daylight but not energy, which seems to be a trend. I ended up about 50 km from Rio Gallegos at the Argentine boarder. There was a head wind and I would have needed 3-4 hours to reach my goal, but that wold have involved biking at dusk, not a smart move. It rains a little this morning, so I was cold and damp all day.

Today was a very interesting day in the wildlife department. I saw more guanaco and almost hit one when it ran across the road, startled by both me and a truck going to the opposite direction. I also saw a type of imue or ostrage looking bird for the first time today. Those suckers are fast! I was hurding one along the side of the road and hit 25 mph and it was still staying out in front of me. But the animal sighting that takes the cake today were flamingos. Of all the places in the world to find flamingos, I would not have expected Tierra del Fuego to be one of them. I was just biking along and then there they were standing in a small bond by the road...too wierd!

Ranking right up there with flamingos was my boat ride across the Magellan Straight. I stood on the deck and just looked out over the cold choppy water. It was nice going somewhere not under my own power for a change. I also got 2 free bottles of water from some new fans after I told them about my trip. It took 30 minutes to make the crossing and it was free of charge since I didn´t have a vehicle and they couldn´t decide what to charge me. When we landed I biked another 3 hours to the Argentine boarder. When I arrived at the boarder the officer in charge said I could stay in the soldiers mess hall for the night. He was really nice and said I could make myself at home. The building I am has both Chilean and Argentine soldiers, but he told me that the Chileans are colder and less hospitable than the Argentines. In my brief interactions with Chilean officials I would tend to agree. I am 2 for 2 in scoring places to sleep at the Argentine boarder. Then as I was getting settled in I started to hear Mama Mia by ABBA start blaring on the loud speakers downstairs. I was half ready for the boarder guards to break out in dance. I guess their work can get a little monotonous at times. I made friends with some of the boarder guards there. They were all young normal people. A couple of them came up the the mess hall to play some play station later in the night.

Day 6: Rally car race

This morning I found a ride for the upaved portion of my route. I tossed my bike in the back of a pick up truck and we were off. We crossed into Chile, which went smoothly. As we drove I saw a fox and a bunch of guanaco. These things are everywhere. It turns out I made a good choice on hitching a ride because the road conditions only got worse. Gravel, pot holes, and loose dirt everywhere. The guy who picked me up must have been in a hurry because he was driving like he was in a rally car race. We are talking 50 mph, sliding on shart turns, almost leaving the ground going over ridges. It was fun if a little scary. He let me off when we hit pavement again 60 miles down the road and I biked to the next town. I found a nice hotel and slept in my first bed in 2 days. I got settled and went out to explore for the late in the day. I found a small grocery store where I got resupplied. The town also had a movie theater and a gym, both of which were free for everyone to use. I love Chile so far! I decided to pass on the gym for obvious reasons. Unfortunately the theater was closed that night. Tomorrow is a big day. I will try to make it to Rio Gallegos about 90 miles and a boat ride away. This is my last night in Tierra del Fuego.

Day 5: Nick learns his bike is not made for off road travel

Today I tried to bike down the unpaved road, but the road´s condition is really bad. The gravel was realy lose and I kept sinking in and losing my balance. On top of that about a mile into my day I got a flat tire. My bike is not made for off road travel so instead of risking futher damage to my bike or getting stuck 30 miles from help I decided to play it safe and catch a ride to where the pavement begins again. I spent all day at the boarder asking every truck I saw for a ride, but I couldn´t find anyone who was going my way and could take me. It probably didn´t help that it was a Sunday. After a day of waiting at the boarder I am stuck here for another night in the waiting room. I am getting to know the boarder guards pretty well. They are all really helpful and we chat when there is no one crossing the boarder. One woman, Private Rojas, brought me some hot chocolate while I waited outside.

Day 4: Biking through a hurricane

I biked through a hurricae today. 90 kph head winds! It was so windy the boarder guards told me the Argentine flag had been ripped. I was on the road for 9 hours straight and averaged 6.5 mph. This was by far the most difficult day of this or any other trip I have done. I was in my 3rd gear out of 27 for nearly the entire time. The town I was planning to stay in turned out to be just a boarder crossing. There was also nothing to buy to eat, and after 9 hours of strenous exercise that was the first thing on my mind. I had a small supply of crackers, but that wasn´t enough to recharge my body. I asked a man living next to the boarder crossing if he could spare anything and he came back with a bowl of hearty tripe soup. Now I enjoy eating pig intestine soup as much as the next guy, but after 9 hours of biking I was ready to eat the bowl too. I stayed in a heated waiting area for travelers for the night. It was sort of like an enclosed bus stop. I put down my sleeping bag and made myself at home. Two motorcyclists from Romania shared the waiting room with me that night.

If it wasn´t for the wind, it would be a great and scenic trip. I didn´t see a single tree today, just rolling planes along the ocean. I ran into another biker at the end of the day too. He had started in Buenos Aires 4 months ago and was on his way to Ushuaia. The boarder guards told me a Japanese biker had passed by last week as well.

Day 3

Today was an easy day. I slept surprisingly well last night in the barn and was off at sunrise again. There was a lot of fog coming off the ocean but it burned off after about half an hour. I ran into Jerramiah today returning from Ushuaia by motorcycle. He pulled over and we chatted for about a minute or two and then we went our seperate ways. I arrived in Rio Grande and found bike shop to fix the spoke I broke the day before. I could do it myself, but I would rather spend the $7 and have an extra hour to write this blog :-)

Day 2: Tierra del Fuego, total misnomer!

Tierra del Fuego, what a total misnomer! It is really cold. All the weather reports say it is in the 40´s, but the frozen puddles I see on the side of the road tell a different story. I broke out my down jacket to stay warm and look like the michelen man. The wind is the worst though. Not only does it make it feel a whole lot colder, it also feels like I am constantly bike up hill. I was going as hard as I could and was only managing 9 mph. I admit I had a "What the hell am I doing here" moment. With only 9 hours of daylight and the wind acting as a perpetual break, I didn´t make it to my goal of Rio Grande that day. I found a sheep ranch and the owner was kind enough to let me sleep in the barn. I am serious, last night I slept in an unheated barn on a sheep ranch in the middle of Tierra del Fuego...very unique experience. My subzero sleeping bag came very handy. I had my first minor mechanical problem today when I broke a spoke. I have to tools to fix it, but it is hard to do with no light and cold hands. I decided to wait until I get to Rio Grande, about 30 miles from the ranch, to fix it.

Overall I am feeling alright and am in good spirits. On my other trips the second day was always the hardest, and this trip is proving to be no exception. On a positive note, I saw my first wild Guanaco today, which is similar to a llama. At the end of the day I went for a walk along the Atlantic Ocean to just take it all in. I am alone, in the middle of nowhere, in the freezing cold and wind, and the only way I can get around is under my own power...rock´n roll.

Day 1

Day 1: I arrived in Ushuaia Tuesday and found a hostel with a little help from the cab driver. I started to put my bike all together and was happy everything worked except for 1 screw which had been stripped. I met 2 motorcyclists, Marty and Jerramiah, who had some tools to fix it. They had just arrived from Canada and Nebraska respectively. We ended up having an asado at the hostel to celebrate the end of their journey and the start of mine. Ushuaia is an interesting place with people from all over the world. I shared a room with an Austrailian, a Mexican, and another American. Next door was the German contigent.

I left Ushuaia Wednesday at sunrise, which was at 9:00. Since I am so far South, there are only 9 hours of sun each day. The first day went well except for the 2000 ft. climb about 10 miles outside of town. I made it but it was a real gut check. The scenery is beautiful, sort of like New Hampshire or Vermont foliage but at the base of snow capped mountains. My first night I stayed in Tolhuin in a little cabin I rented. I had some trouble finding something to eat as the whole city seemed to be closed. I ended up picking up some sandwich materials from a minimart. I took a nice hot shower and fell right to sleep.

Chilling in BA and Chilly in Ushuaia

In Buenos Aires at the moment and fly down to Ushuaia tomorrow morning. I´ve been making my rounds visiting all my family before I leave and planning the details of my route. Tryng to enjoy family when I can see them as I´ll be pretty isolated for the next few months. First night I went to a birthday party with my cousin, but I cut out early as I didn´t sleep a whole lot on my flight the night before and was really tired. Last night I hung out with two more cousins making pizza and drinking home made beer. Good stuff! A relative of mine lives in Southern Argentina and is going to give me a list of all the people he knows along my route and places I can stay. Today is super busy. I have to pick up a new box for my bike, maps of Southern Argentina, and my cell phone. I will post the cell number for everyone as soon as I get it. Looking at the weather reports for the South I am getting a little worried. It is supposed to get below freezing on my first night.