Saturday June 8, 2013 Tangle Creek, AK

I’m a slacker.  There – I’ve said it.  I’m a slacker.  We have a major problem on this adventure trip in that it’s really being disguised as a vacation for some of us (me).  On a vacation, you go about having a good time doing whatever it is the vacation is supposed to be designed to do, and at the end of the day you sit around drinking and eating and having fun with your friends talking about how Jimmy got stuck on the elevator or Sally tried eating the umbrella in her drink.  There are no elevators or umbrella drinks here, but there is eating and drinking and talking about the days adventures.  The problem is that I should have jotted down some notes about what happened during the day, rather than having a good time at the end of it.

The trip out of Chatanika was uneventful and even, dare I say it, warm.  (well – comparatively speaking)  We passed the outskirts of Fairbanks and stopped at one of everybody’s favorite places, The North Pole.  (yes, it really does exist)  Santa was off on his lunch break.  He does, after all, have to keep up his image.  We all browsed through the place, took some pictures and said hi to Rudolph.  I had to buy a Christmas tree ornament – I mean, come on – it’s the North Pole!  We continued south on the Richardson Highway till we reached Delta Junction to fuel ourselves and the bikes.  It was here I realized just how prevalent engine block heaters are in this part of the country.  Oh – I’ve seen the plugs hanging out of the front of most all the cars, and have even used them in my truck driving day’s decades ago, but even in this little backwoods, out in the middle of nowhere Alaska, they have outlets to plug in your vehicle while you have it parked for as long as you’re in there.

We continued heading toward the Paxson area along some of the most beautiful scenery of lakes, streams and mountains I’ve ever encountered, and had finally had enough of the “race”.  It seemed like everyone was in a hurry to keep up with the leader for fear of getting lost.  Why?  There are no other roads to turn off to, and we have a support vehicle running behind us.  Even though we’ve been encouraged verbally to stop and take pictures when we want to, it just didn’t seem like you were really supposed to do that.  Well – I had finally had enough.  It’s not like this is a cheap trip, and I want some pictures along the road.  It looked like I started something as everyone seemed to do the same thing.  Meanwhile, miles up the road, our leader realized there was nobody following so he decided to pull off to the side and wait.  It was about this time one of our riders had a flat tire, so a mandatory break was in order.  While everyone was milling around while changing the bike, I was off taking pictures, and it produced one of my favorites.

 

We left the Richardson and turned on to the Denali Highway on our way to the Tangle River Inn for the night.  Little did I know what would await me the next day.  Our rooms were spacious, and the food was so good and plentiful that we didn’t even ask, or care, what the exorbitant price would be for this out of the way place, because here in Alaska, everything is expensive.  The Tangle River Inn is a home base for mining operations miles away and a helicopter is stationed here to fly supplies into the field when needed.  They also have permanent tents set up behind the cabins for mineral testing and lodging.   The night was filled with potato launching and fireworks, the latter of which I just couldn’t stay up for.  (these young kids are killing me)

http://youtu.be/zFpAWrkXB8U

Friday June 7, 2013 Chatanika, AK

I know the sign says "Welcome", but we're actually leaving.

 

This is our last day on the Dalton Highway and I have to comment on the people that man the outposts along the way.  There are only 3 places to fuel the body and the vehicle along the way, the Yukon River Outpost, Coldfoot and Deadhorse.  In these places, the people were friendly and accommodating, and even anxious to see a band of motorcycle crazies try to conquer what has to amount to the toughest road in the US   The days have been hard and tiresome for us, but everyone that we came in contact with was always smiling and eager to help in any way they could.  Maybe it’s just because the long hard winter is over – but maybe it’s not.  Jim said we should consider ourselves lucky, because very few have had the chance to attempt this trip in such difficult conditions.  Even the workers at Deadhorse said they never see ice this late in the season.

The exit from Coldfoot was uneventful.  We returned to the Arctic Circle sign for one more photo and a last lunch at the Yukon.  From there, it was all magic.  Do you ever get in a “zone” when everything seems to be “just right”?   That’s where I was.  There was a group in front of, and behind me, but I saw neither.  There was pavement, or hard pack gravel, or loose stone.  It didn’t matter because it was like I became one with my surroundings.  There was a rhythm to the road, to the landscape – to the bike.  The engine was purring and the miles were just melting away without even realizing it.  All of a sudden – I’m gassing up in Fairbanks and thinking I missed some of the best parts of the trip, when in reality; it may have been one of the best parts of the trip.

Chatanika Lodge was our home for the evening, and the owner was in the process of getting out the tables and chairs and firing up the charcoal grill for our steaks for the evening.  This seems to be a regular stop on this MotoQuest tour, and I think the owner of the lodge looks forward to it as much as the travelers.  Chatanika used to be an old gold mining town, and across the street from the lodge sits an abandoned old dredge that spent over 30 years pulling out more than 70 million dollars of gold. 

While I’m not a big fan of shared bathroom facilities, this lodge seemed to fit the atmosphere of an old camp, while remaining clean and comfortable.   Ron, the owner, is almost worth the price of admission by himself as he shows off his old Harley, classic cars and videos of the area, and a personality to match his bravado.

 

Thursday June 6, 2013 Coldfoot AK

We began the day with a tour of the oil fields.  After all, the only reason for Deadhorse to be in existence is oil.  Everybody who is somebody in the oil business is here, along with some of the nobodies including  drillers, service providers, and oil firms.  The employees make good money, but work 12 hrs shifts for 2 weeks.  Then they get 2 weeks off and are flown to either Fairbanks or Anchorage – free!  …and they are returned – free!  While here, room is provided along with meals, entertainment and exercise facilities.  They work hard, but are well rewarded. 
The last part of the tour is when we have the chance to put our toes in the frozen Beaufort Sea.  One of our Canadian friends, Glenn, is apparently used to cold weather.   He came out in shorts and sandals and went straight to the water.  (those crazy Canadians)  Our last stop was the general store.  I asked if we might be able to purchase some insulated clothing before we left.  I was NOT prepared for this kind of cold.  Even the locals said that most all the ice is melted by now, and yet, all we saw was ice – EVERYWHERE!  It was a good stop and everyone was able to buy some “stuff” whether they needed it or not.

We gassed up and headed south toward (hopefully) warmer temps.  It started out at 28 degrees and eventually worked its way up to 31 for the 1 ½ hrs until we stopped for our packed lunches.  As we approached Atigun Pass, in all its snow covered and cloud enshrouded mystery, we topped off our tanks from the support truck, and began our next drama.  We had no idea what lies ahead, but there was no choice as to whether we proceed or not.  It turned out to be a non issue.  The valley before the pass was dry and 40 degrees and didn’t even get damp until near the top where the temp bottomed out at 32.  It was slippery coming down so speeds were lowered to a tolerable crawl until we reached the bottom.  YAY!  Here we go – 60 mph and a temp to match.  We’re on roll with dry, sometimes dusty, roads and having a good time.  Even the moose acknowledged our return as one startled adult tried running from us as we traveled the Dalton and the moose ran along the edge of a lake next to us eventually darting into the woods.  We found out later that another adult and calf did the same thing with our riders in the back of the pack. 

We made a few stops to stretch our legs and take some pictures, but all we really wanted to do was get back to Coldfoot and have a beer to celebrate our victory over the arctic.
  Jim said we should all feel lucky, as very few people get to experience this kind of tour.  Lucky?  I would say memorable.  This is one of those trips you will always remember regardless of the cold and the wind because – well, because it’s Alaska!  But this is a trip that is made even more memorable because of the weather, not in spite of it.  Very definitely memorable.  Lucky?  I think Jim needs to get back on his meds.

Wednesday June 5, 2013 Deadhorse, AK

We left Coldfoot and hung a right heading north to our ultimate destination along the Dalton.  It’s really surprising that some of the road looks like it was paved within the last couple years, although most of it looks like the original dirt road has just been maintained and “improved” since its construction in 1974.    The helmet camera I’m wearing is doing a pitiful job of showing what the conditions and the landscape are really like on a video, so I’ll switch over to camera mode and hope the results improve. 

This video was recorded by Greg Hassler using his GoPro and was altered for time constraints.  I was 2 riders behind him.

Everything was going along quite well for the first couple hours.  While the temps had fallen into the low 40’s, the hard packed gravel road made for some relatively easy riding – until we stopped.  Our fearless leader, Jim, said it might get kind of cold and windy, so we had better put on any extra layers of clothing we brought.  (gulp)  I’m wearing everything I brought, but since I had been rather comfortable during the ride, I figured I’d just honker down and endure.  That didn’t work out to well.  I was prepared (I thought) for freezing weather, but I didn’t take into consideration that I was prepared for it while riding a bike with a monster fairing and windshield like my bike back home.  This wasn’t a fun ride.  Enter Atigun Pass.  Those of you that have ever watched the History Channels “Ice Road Trucker” can appreciate what this 4700 ft mountain can be like to travel for a truck, let alone a motorcycle.  As we began our ascent, the temps immediately dropped to mid 20’s and the rain had changed to snow.  The equipment maintaining the road had changed it from a hard pack gravel, to loose, muddy, slippery, and rocky.  Temps dropped to the low 20’s and the snow came down harder as the wind picked up.  Snow soon covered my faceshield but as I attempted to wipe it away, it quickly became an “ice” shield and I was left with a small patch of viewable road as I evaded the road grader trying to keep the pass navigable.  As the temp dropped to 18 degrees, I’m trying to scrape off muddy ice from my shield while maintaining control of the bike.  This continued for the next 20 miles or so, and as we descended about 1500 ft, the snow lessened and the temp climbed up to 22 degrees for our planned picnic lunch stop.  Picnic lunch - Really - At 22 degrees?  Isn’t this fun!?   The next 100+ miles were relatively uneventful.  The road went back to a hard pack gravel that is very easy to travel, snow was minimal, speeds were maintained at about 60 mph, and the temperature stayed at 28 for virtually the entire rest of the trip to Deadhorse.  The scenery was everything I had imagined for this northern tundra.  We passed hundreds of nesting birds, and as we got close to Deadhorse, off in the distance we could see musk ox.

Tomorrow is a tour of the oil fields and a visit to the Bay.  If so inclined, we’re invited to take off our shoes and stroll through the waters.  I think I’ll pass.  Now all we have to do is reverse course, and head back to warmer climates.

Tuesday, June 4,2013 Coldfoot, AK

In a category that didn’t even exist until this trip, Coldfoot has won the title, for:  Best Shipping Container I’ve ever slept in!  You have to understand that this is the nearest town to Prudhoe Bay that isn’t dry.  The next closest is about 200 miles further south.  Whatever they put there to sleep in, will wind up being occupied.  It’s muddy and cold and the “motel” is not in great shape, but the food is pretty good, and the beer is cold.

We left Fairbanks in the morning and traveled about 80 miles to the Dalton Highway (The Haul Road) and stopped to have our obligatory group picture taken in front of the sign.  After about a 20 mile drive, we came across our first construction stop.  There is always construction going on at the Dalton, and sometimes it’s a 10 mile affair so you have to wait for a “pilot truck” to escort you through the construction zones.  This road repair was so drastic that as we went up the grade, a tractor/trailer was actually stuck in the middle of the road, and as we went by we saw a large front end loader on its way to pull him out.  Between wet roads, and construction zones, the Dalton can make for exasperating driving conditions.

At mile marker 115 was one of our destination photo ops – The Arctic Circle!  While we were there we met a fellow motorcyclist from Colorado, driving by himself, who is also attempting to drive to Deadhorse, but he’s on a Honda road bike, with road tires!  And he’ll also be 70 tomorrow.  I don’t know if he’ll make it because I’m not sure what to expect myself, but I wish him luck – he’ll need it!  Today was about 100 miles shorter than yesterday, but the time was about the same because of construction and road conditions.  I’m afraid that even as the miles per day get shorter, the time may even increase because of the road.  I hope I’m wrong.  We aren’t traveling long miles, but they’re hard miles, and we’re all pretty much wore out by the time the day is over.

Monday June 3,2013 Fairbanks, AK

Sheesh!  Long day in the saddle!  The miles just don’t melt away on the road like they used to.  Maybe it’s just the bike I’m riding.  It’s not exactly a luxo-barge like my Wing.  …or maybe I’m getting to old to be racking up hundreds of miles a day on a bike.  Doesn’t matter – I’m here, and the only way I’m going to get somewhere else is riding.  The only down side to this bike is the windshield on it is worthless.  All the wind is hitting me directly on the chest, and there is no adjustment.  It appears as though I’ll have to add more wind blocking layers.

Most of the day was spent northbound on Rt 1 zigzagging the Nanana River with mountains on either side.  We really didn’t run into any snow or ice still left on the sides of the road till we got to Talkeetna, but by the time we passed Denali Park, it warmed up nicely.  It was only the last hour or so that the trip actually became entertaining.  While most of it was spent going in a straight line, we finally got some big sweeping curves with clean pavement.  At 75 mph, the trip finally was starting to come together! 

Detached cabins for the night next to a large hotel.  Bunking with Larry (not the cable guy) for the night, but when we first walked into the room, we looked at each other in disgust.  One king size bed?!  Well – that’s NOT gonna work!!  We got that straightened away REAL quick!!  Now we have 2 king size beds.  Whew!

We meandered off to the detached restaurant/bar and enjoyed our first (of many) beers along the Chena River while we waited for the rest of the group for dinner.  Things seem to be going into later in the day than my previous motorcycle trips, and I can only hope that it slows down a bit so I can properly look back on things to document what transpired.  As it is right now, it’s late and I’m tired, but this is the first, and longest day (in terms of miles) that we have planned, so I can hope things slow down a bit.   Tomorrow, we travel to the Dalton Highway, the Arctic Circle, and on to Coldfoot.

Sunday June 2, 2013 Anchorage, AK

The end justifies the means, right?  Doesn’t it?  That’s what I was always told.   The alternative is to drive up here and not have to put up with the nightmare that is air travel.  I understand the business logistics to having one fly to Houston from Cleveland to eventually wind up in Anchorage.  I get it.  Funnel everyone you can to one location to fill up a profitable long distance run to Alaska.  What I don’t get is why load everyone on the plane when your pilot and crew are still in the air from another city?  We sat on board for over 1 ½  hrs without a pilot to get us going.  …and then they had the gall to try and charge us for snacks.  GRRRRRRR!   This was supposed to be a new plane, and carpeting was coming up at the seams, and the “new” seats are hard as a rock.  Either that or my butt has gone from blubber to boney, so the cushion effect is nonexistent.  The attendants didn’t seem too pleased to be there either, judging from the way questions were (or weren’t) answered.

OH WELL – I’m here.  So far the lone employee I’ve had contact with from MotoQuest (Alex) has been nothing but accommodating.  The hotel is clean, and it looks like I have a room to myself for the first night.  I’m getting picked up for dinner in a few minutes and have a chance to meet the rest of the team and participants.  Looking forward to a beer and a good nights sleep.

I can tell you they know how to make beer in Alaska!!  GOOD BEER!!  The filet mignon was just melting in my mouth, and all the while I’m feeling guilty for ordering a piece of meat that is about the same as the entire weekly budget for groceries.  ….and then I had DESERT!!  I guess I wasn’t feeling all that guilty.  You learn to take advantage of free meals – it’s the only freebie on the trip.

We must have looked like a motley group as we unloaded from the vans and into one of Anchorages finer restaurants.  We’re all in boots, jeans and sweatshirts while the guests are mostly slacks and polos – I guess that’s why they put us in the back room.  …and shut the door!

We seem to have a good group of guys that meshed well with each other, and the leaders from MotoQuest were very adept at making sure there were plenty of stories to tell and keep us entertained.  We get picked up at 8 in the morning to get the bikes, and since I’m working on about 4 hrs of sleep since Saturday morning, (and a few beers) and think it’s time to say “nightnight”.  Hope there’s more good stuff to come.

Saturday December 4,2010 Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

I guess you have to watch the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwHMRMwG__k

The thought of watching the semi-finals of the Argentine Open in Palermo, The Cathedral of Polo, just a 10 minute taxi ride from downtown, made my mind not want to work in a logical manner. We had walked the whole block the day before and while Campo Argentina de Polo made sense to me with the huge grandstands on the side where the sun would be to your back, and since we had seats in the Dorrego grandstands next to Dorrego Ave., I understood where our seats would be. Behind the main grandstands, and perpendicular to them, was another field that looked like it could also play to some of the best polo in the world. But on the map, it went by the name of Campo Hipico Militar, and all around it was – well, it was the military. I guess maybe I thought that the two should be mutually exclusive. It didn’t work that way, but I didn’t figure it out till later. I guess I thought that both games would be on the same main field – field #1. We walked around the whole complex, and saw some players warming up on #2, but just didn’t put it together. As two o’clock got closer, we started walking to our assigned grandstand and waited. And we waited a little longer. …and longer. By 2:00, we had seen 2 strings of ponies come to the corner of the field, and that was it! No players, no umps, no fans – nothing! I think I just figured it out – back to field #2. The first chukker was already over, the score was 1-0, and there was a delay of some kind, which we never figured out. We would have asked somebody - if they could understand us. It looked like general admission bleacher seating, so we took a seat. Bleacher seats for a 35 goal team vs. a 30 goal team?! Is this heaven? To paraphrase Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams – “NO – it’s Buenos Aires”. By the end of 6 chukkers, the score was tied. The second game was set to start at 4:00 and that’s in 10 minutes. People are walking away from a tied game with 2 periods yet to play, and I have to follow. We have no idea what security is like, and our seats are on the other side of the field. We arrive in plenty of time and are shown our seats, where we wait – and wait some more – and some more. Our transfer to the airport is scheduled to meet us at 6:30, and here we are at 4:30, and the players are just now meeting at the center field. At this point I’m thinking we have another 15 minutes worth of player introductions, national anthem (which is supposed to be long), and recognition of former players and VIP’s. All of sudden, they toss in ball and play begins – just like that! I’m thinking this must be Christmas because here I am watching a 39 goal team vs. 33 goals. Exciting, fast, spectacular, and clearly lopsided. At the half the score was 13-5, and that’s the only thing that could console me as we forced ourselves from our seats, and found a taxi to head back to reality.

Next time I’ll know. Sure – the flights are expensive, but this can be done for a week-end to week-end if you want to watch the best there is. All we have to do is brush up on our Spanish. Maybe we shouldn’t get rid of that Rosetta Stone, huh?

So it’s over. Transfer to the airport, check your bags, and show your passport. Get rid of your pesos, show your passport. To the gates – show your boarding pass and your passport. Scan your carryon luggage, show your passport. This is all the easy stuff! It got worse when we arrived in Dallas! It took all of the 1hr & 45min that we had between flights to go through customs. It’s enough to make you want to not fly internationally any more.

Saturday we’re in 85 degrees watching the best polo in the world. Two days later, it’s mid 20’s with snow. This sucks! I’m off to buy some lottery tickets. Hope you enjoyed our trip. I know we did!!!!

Fin Del Mundo (End of the World) November 29, 2010 Argentina

when you've gone as far as you can on the Argentine mainland and look south - this is what you see.

The last day of riding started out with a cruise on the Beagle Channel.  I know – it’s a touristy kind of thing to do, but it was part of the package, so you take advantage of it. Had it not been for the 60 or so 100 year old Italian women who kept getting in your way, and talked to you like they KNEW you understood them, it probably would have been more enjoyable.  I could have taken or left it because I was kind of tired, but we got to see some things you don’t EVER get to see in Mentor, Ohio.  The seals were kind of entertaining with all their barking and yelping, and of course, when will I get a chance to see a cormorant again?  After we were done, we wandered around a bit.  We tried to exchange our Chilean pesos for Argentine pesos, but didn’t have our passports with us, so we had some lunch and headed back for our last ride.

The end of the road is about 25km on mostly gravel, so it’s not anything we aren’t used to.  While the final pictures were fun and certainly something to remember, I guess I was expecting something more – I don’t know – exciting, climactic, exhausting?  Maybe it was just the journey that overshadowed the ending, but I was thinking –    … I don’t know.  When I figure it out, I’ll tell you.

I was certainly expecting a great trip, but never could I have imagined something as much fun as this was.  In the end, while the roads, and the scenery, and all the experiences are combined, it really comes down to the people you get to spend so much time with.  Leo, our ride leader, along with Tavo and Andrew who drove the support vehicle and kept Weez safe and entertained, are 3 of the hardest working people you’ll ever come across, and truly seem to enjoy making sure we all had a great time.  Mike and Kim from New Hampshire were our gravel road experts and all you had to do was watch them to learn a trick or three.  Paul was our always talkative and smiling Irish Australian who always had a story to tell to keep us entertained, and of course, Bjorn was our “quiet” man from Norway who had a marvelous story about his ride in India to the highest navigable road on earth.  Louise and I enjoyed every one of them, and if we’re REAL lucky, may someday meet up with them again.  Mike claims he makes the world’s best margarita, so a trip to New Hampshire may be in the offing some day.

The only down side to the whole trip was the final tally.  The riders are, of course, responsible for riding in a safe and responsible manner, and are on the hook for any damage relating to accidents or abuse.  My front tire was damaged along the “ripio” from one of the hundreds of millions of rocks and stones that make up a gravel road.  Compass Expeditions evidently feels that, even though they were the ones that chose this route, I should be the one to pay for “road hazards”.  If it had been real bad damage, it wouldn’t have continued to hold air, or should have been replaced with a spare for safety concerns.  I get real riled up –to the tune of $800- for a new wheel, and it’s the only thing that really made me mad on this whole trip.  It’s a shame that it was the last official thing on the last day of the trip.   Prior to that, I was thinking a trip to Machu Pichu with these people would be hoot.  I’ll have to re-think that.  But before that incident – would I do it again?  In a heartbeat!

Adventure Motorcycling!  Sort of makes me want to go out and buy a dirt bike.  Hope you enjoyed riding with me & Weez.  I know sometimes I got behind in this blog, but hey – I was out having fun!!

We leave for Buenos Aires and plan on catching the first game of the semi-finals for the Argentine Open Polo Tournament on Saturday the 4^th, and leave from there right to the airport for home.  Hope I can post good stuff BA also.

Adios!

Me & Weez

Saturday & Sunday November 27 & 28, 2010 Cerro Sombrero, Chile & Ushuaia, Argentina

 

 

 

 

 

The only reason for Cerro Sombrero to be there is because there is nothing else between Torres and Ushuaia.  Let’s face it – you have to have someplace to fuel up.  It was actually one of the better stops.  To get there means exiting Torres Del Paine via the always fun and entertaining “ripio” for about 80km and then a brief stop after a short distance on pavement to Puerto Natales for a quick lunch and our last stop at an ATM for a few Chilean pesos.  While there, we had our picture taken for the local newspaper, and Tavo, our Columbian guide gave a quick interview.  I guess when you have six motorcycles coming into a one horse town – it’s news.  The ride to Cerro Sombrero is almost another 400km away interrupted only by a short ferry crossing over the Straights of Magellan before arriving at our hotel.  The reason this is so memorable is because I sooooo didn’t feel like showering the morning of our departure (cramped, shared showering and cold tile floor) that I felt like – well – I felt like I needed a shower.  Ohhhhhhhhh – it felt so good.  Plenty of hot water, warm floors, plenty of room to dry off and then a great, hot meal with fun company.   It was almost as good as the barbeque 2 nights ago.  So that was our last stop in Chile – long boring, flat, straight-aways with a landscape that would be good for putting in the world’s longest runway with the least amount of work.

Our first stop the next morning, after over 100km of gravel road, was our last border crossing.  All things considered, it went reasonably well, but the Argies don’t quite get the jist of this international travel thing – at least for a group of motorcycles.  We are now in Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) and are traveling to our last stop on good paved roads.  We’re also traveling in the coldest temps (got down to 4 degrees) and the only significant rain we had the entire trip.  Oh, I was miserable!  The entire trip I kept telling Louise how happy I was with the gear that I was wearing and how it kept me warm and dry and abrasion free.  Well – I’m still abrasion free!  The only thing that kept me going was a stop in Rio Grande for some empanadas (jeez – I’m gonna miss those things) and a fuel stop to get the cold out of my system.  It was almost the entire ride that I felt my left shoulder and chest were getting cold and wet, but I checked them at the fuel stop and the inside of my gear was dry.  I don’t know what it was, but I just kept telling myself “2 more hours”, then “1 more hour”, and then just before Ushuaia, the rain stopped, the roads dried up, and I wish I could tell you it got warm – but, no –  I can’t.  But we made it to the end, so it felt like it warmed up.  Pictures and high fives of congratulations abounded, and then off to the hotel to clean up and have our last dinner together on Compass Expeditions.  It’s been a memorable ride with just a short distance tomorrow to put the finishing touches on the trip of a lifetime.

Thursday & Friday November 25 & 26, 2010 Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile

 

…so after I closed things on my last post, we eventually got around to dinner.  It’s cook-out time – Patagonia style.  This is not your typical grill on the propane tank in the back yard and cook some veggies in the kitchen kind of thing.  Leo and Andrew drove into Puerto Natales the night before (a huge undertaking in itself considering the time we got in and the road conditions, not to mention the distance) and picked up beef, sausage, potatoes, corn, onions, pumpkin – geez, there was enough to feed a small army, and began the fire about 2 hours before I thought we were supposed to eat.  Well – that’s the idea.  I don’t have that patience, but a small fire and slow cooking produced the best food, and great conversation while waiting, that I had the entire trip.  The onions, potatoes and pumpkin were wrapped in foil and put directly on the fire.  It may well have been the highlight of the trip – gastronomically speaking.  There was even enough left over for sandwiches for our hikes the next day.

Speaking of the next day, we began with a short hike to the hotel past our campsite that we hadn’t seen yet.  There was a waterfall that Louise wanted to see.  It was an easy walk along the gravel road as long as busses weren’t blazing by you making you eat their dust.  A walkway down to the lake and we came across a couple that were stopped, filming a deer lying down on the side of a hill.  The lady had walked to within about ten yards with her tri-pod set up and the deer just didn’t pay any attention.  I thought she was a bit close, so when she started to move, I thought I would take her place, but she just moved even closer!  Well – she did eventually get the shot she wanted, so then I took her place.  Got some good pics and video.  Good video for me anyway.  It was just a deer looking at me looking at it – but I thought it was kind of cool.  And it was all so quiet as I was doing the video.  A short walk later and we’re at the waterfall where it was cold and windy and noisy.  I didn’t realize the difference till I watched the different clips.  The hotel that was next to the waterfall looked like it was designed by an architect that had never seen a tree before, let alone a waterfall.  It reminded me of a trailer park that had gotten out of hand so they decided to attach all the trailers together with vinyl siding – pretty ugly.

The afternoon walk was the toughest of our stay at Torres.  We decided on doing the condor viewing site.  The sign indicated it was 2km up the mountain, but I think that was from point A to point B, and didn’t include the zig-zag to get there.  Back and forth, back and forth we went until we got past the tree line.  At that point, the fear of heights that Louise suffers from took over.   Fortunately, it was a very scenic overlook, and she was content to stay there and wait for Paul and me to return.  I’m glad we met a couple from Colorado that were on the way back down.  I asked them to tell the lady in the green jacket (Louise) that I hadn’t fallen of the side of a cliff, because it was taking a little while longer than I thought it would.  We finally got to the top - cold, windy, beautiful, but no condors (#%*#!*) – turned around and came back.  Louise was still there waiting for us.

This was our longest stay in one place, and deservedly so.  That being said, two full days is not enough time to see a park like this.  It’s like staying 2 days at Yellowstone – it’s beautiful, but too much to see.  I’m sure I took enough pictures to last weeks – but many of them are of the same thing. The sleeping domes were very comfortable, but I’ll be glad to get back to a heated bathroom that doesn’t have cold tiles to step out to after a shower, and you don’t have to share with the rest of the campground.

Tomorrow morning, it’s up and at ‘em early for our trip out of the park, and on our way to Cerro Sombrero.  We’re getting close to the end.  What a trip!!

Wednesday and Thursday November 24 & 25, 2010 Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile

 

Wow!   Twice now I’ve missed a day.  This vacation stuff is rough business.  Leaving El Calafate was a breeze – literally.  The roads were sweeping and clean but windy till we got to the turn off point to the park.  This was another gravel road that was very typical of all the previous “ripio” we’ve been on before.  What wasn’t typical was the wind.  My gosh – how do these people even walk in a straight line?  I’ve never been in winds like this before, and to make matters worse – I’m on a motorcycle!  There were occasions that I thought I was really gonna get blown right off the road.  One time I did go down after taking a picture of some gauchos herding cattle across the road.  What was I thinking!?  It was tough enough keeping the bike from blowing over even when I had the kickstand down, but as soon as I righted the bike to take off – the wind just kept blowing me over.  At least I can say that with all the motorcycle gear I had on, nothing got hurt other than my ego.  Fortunately, the support vehicle was right behind to help me right it, cause the two guys that were next to me couldn’t help for fear the same thing would happen to them.  Crossing the border was just short of comical.  We got caught behind a tour bus that had about 30 people on board and all the passports had to be checked.  Fortunately, we were ahead of about 3 other tour busses.  At the Argentine border we were told that the Chile border guards were on strike and would be there for another 20 minutes, so we all took off like a bat out of hell, but it turns out they were on strike and would be back in about 20 minutes.  These guys obviously weren’t organized by the UAW cause their idea of a strike and my idea of a strike are 2 different strikes.  Anyway, the Chilean border was inundated with about 6 tour busses, a dozen or so cars, and our bikes along with a couple others that showed up.  It was a rather long ordeal but it all got handled eventually.  The rest of the trip consisted of numerous herds of guanacos and various mountains vistas that we just HAD to stop to take pictures of.  The rest of the road was the worst washboard effect I’ve had since riding in the back of my dad’s pickup 4o+ years ago on Sperry Rd.  Some of it was annoying and some of it I took as a challenge going up and down hills and around sharp curves.  In the end, I was glad we finally reached our camp.  Once we parked the bikes and had a chance to see the twin spires that everyone comes here for – it was like the first time I saw the Grand Canyon.  All you can do is gasp in disbelief over something this magnificent.  You could even hear the clicks of the cameras going on around you over the noise of the wind.

Our tents are geodesic in shape on hard wood floors with carpeting and nice soft beds – so we aren’t exactly roughing it, but it is camping and there is no heat.  Lucky for us that it never got down to much below 40ish.  When we woke up this morning it sounded a lot worse than it was.  The wind always adds some drama to whatever it is you’re doing I guess and when I woke up about 5:30 to snap some pictures, it was actually quite pleasant – maybe as warm as mid 40’s. Weez and I got up and took a quick walk before everyone else woke, and then came back and went back to sleep for ½ hour or so. 

Breakfast, shower, another hike and lunch. 

Another nap – another hike, and here I am trying to finish this before my battery dies.  I still can’t post for a few days, but this is done – for now.

 

Monday & Tuesday November 22 & 23, 2010 El Calafate, Argentina

 

 

 

I know, I know.  I missed a day.  Sorry ‘bout that.  We were too busy having fun.  When we left El  Chalten, the question of the day was if we were going to get wet from rain or snow.  It was rain, but not a lot of it, and only for about 10km.  The wind wasn’t much to talk about until we got back on Ruta 40 heading into El Calafate, and then it got to the point of being brutal.  Not only because it was stronger than anything we experienced before, but also cause the wind was coming across Lake Argentino which is fed by a glacier.  BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.  I have a video somewhere that I haven’t even looked at yet, but it’s got to be funny with guys jumping into the wind and being blown backward.  I’ll see if I can post it here – if it’s worth it.

Calafate is another tourist destination for backpackers.  Everywhere you look, there are hostels and cabanas gearing to the hiker, and there must be hundreds of them here now and it’s only the very beginning of the season.  We had a day off from traveling today, but still needed the motorcycles for getting to Merino Glacier.  Compass Expeditions picked up the tab for our boat ride to the side of the glacier and our lunch.  I must have a good hour of video showing the glacier doing absolutely nothing other than being big and cold.  The best footage I have is of a fox running along the shore, but I can’t even load it to the computer cause I brought the wrong cord, but the pictures turned out great.  After we took a shuttle bus to the top of the visitor center, it was about 1500km back to where we had parked the bikes, so we sort of got our exercise in for the day.  The ride back from the glacier made Louise appreciate the ride in the Toyota Land Cruiser she’s been getting for the last week.  It was windier than anything she had experienced before.  She asked me about it after we got back to the hotel, and it really was quite mild in relation to what we’ve been going through, but she’s now happy that she has the job of co-navigator in the “Troopie”

I spent the afternoon catching up on this stuff, but didn’t get caught up till now.  It’s 11:00 and just getting back from dinner.  TYPICAL!  These late nights are killing me, but I’m lovin’ it.  The next 3 days we’ll be out of touch camping in what is supposed to be the most beautiful place on earth – Torres Del Paine.  I can’t wait – but we have to cross the border to get there.  Hope for no problems.  I’m beat.

Sunday November 21, 2010 El Chalten

 

This was a day of rest.  I guess it’s appropriate since it’s Sunday.  We woke up when we wanted to (8:00) and walked up for a relaxing breakfast of what seems to be typical of Argentina – toast, cold cereal, and bad coffee.  By 11:00 we were showered up and ready for a short hike into the Fitzroy hills.  Noticed I said hills, and not mountains.  That’s because it was a really short hike – more like a walk, but some it was quite vertical.  I keep talking about this, but I just keep thinking that someone from the old B&W western TV shows is going to come from around one of the bends is the hills.  Oh well – it didn’t happen.  We did come across a group of young teen age girls that were out for a school field trip.  (I know – on a Sunday!)  We gave them some space to pass us on a steep hill while they were singing away, and we just looked at them like stupid Americanos that didn’t understand a word of Spanish. (imagine that)  Somehow or other, they realized this, and we told them we were from USA.  Well – now they all had to show off their English.  One girl said she had an uncle in Kansas.  Before you knew it, we had a dialogue going on, and before you could say “habla usted English”, we were taking pictures of each other.  I have one great pic of Weez with a number of the kids.  If it’s not here, we’ll have it on Kodak Gallery. 

We got back to the hotel, dropped our gear and headed out to lunch – the local micro-brewery.  They only had 2 choices of home brew.  A pilsner and a bock.  Since I don’t care for real dark beers, I chose the pilsner. It tasted like it had too much lemon in it.  Lemon!  Beers aren’t supposed to have fruits in them.  Oh well – the empanadas we had for lunch were quite tasty.  We wandered around town, bought some stuff to help the local economy (and get some Christmas shopping out of the way) and headed back.  My original intent was a quick nap, but I thought if I can get on the internet, I can get my stuff posted.  Not gonna happen.  Talk about frustrating!  I don’t have a problem if you tell me there’s no internet service, but when you tell me there is, and it takes 2 hours just to get to the Facebook home page – well – I gave up and went back and took a nap.

That’s about it.  Weez and I walked to the front of town so I could take her picture with the Rockwell sign in front of the El Chalten welcome sign. 

So this is done for the day.  I now have about 4 days worth of blogging sitting in queue on MS Word to post,  and hopefully, El Calafate – tomorrows destination, will have better internet service than here.

We’re off to dinner with the group in about 20 minutes – always a good time.

Buenos noches!

Saturday November 20, 2010 El Chalten, Argentina

outside our hotel room

 

OK – enough of the ripio already!!  As we left the estancia for El Chalten this morning, I thought of the ripio as my friend.  150 km later, I’m cursing it.  The majority of it was quite ho-hum with occasional sightings of cattle, horses, and as we get further south, the ever present guanaco.  (kind of like a llama)  The gravel road wasn’t really much of a problem, but as they continue to pave these roads, they make detours off to the side.  These detours are made of sand, gravel, mud, sticks – and boulders.  The big rocks are packed down really well, but they stick up to the point of making motorcycle travel more like motocross travel.  It would have been fun had it not been for the detours – of which there were plenty.  We all continue to have fun stopping and taking pictures of each other as we go zooming by, but my back is screaming “no mas”, and I’m glad that we have a day off tomorrow, and the next destination is all paved highway.

As we headed into El Chalten on Ruta 40 & 23, the ever present Patagonian winds seemed to double their effort.  I’ve been in winds before, but it was usually gusts from one side and then the other.  This was continual winds in what most of us guessed to be in the 40mph range for the better part of 150km.  I’ve never had to lean into a wind to keep going straight for such a long period of time.  I tried getting video of it with my helmet cam while Bjorn was riding ahead of me, but you have to be really close to anything to pick up details, so it just looks like a guy on a bike going down the road.  It’s a good thing the roads were dry.  If we had a big rain storm, I would have been scared to death to try and negotiate these roads.  As I sit typing this, we are having almost blizzard conditions!  And when you have snow with this kind of wind – well, I’m just glad we have tomorrow off.  The closer we got to town, the bigger the Fitzroy mountain range became.  This is a photographers dream, and if the snow ever goes away, I hope to capture some of it.  We hope to take a short hike up to the mountains tomorrow, or maybe the Patagonian ice fields that rest behind them.  I hope the helmet cam videos show better on a TV.  While I’m sure a montage of clips will be satisfying, none of it is what I would call spectacular.  I am however; very pleased with most of the thousands of pictures Weez and I have taken.

More tomorrow – maybe.