I MADE IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a feeling!!
The guy behind my bike rode from Alaska to Ushuaia, you are looking at the end of his six month journey!

The city of Ushuaia, Argentina....Next stop, Antarctica!

Sat. Jan. 31

I MADE IT TO USHUAIA !!! I am at the end of the world in Ushuaia, Argentina. (Latitude: 54°49'49.91"S Logitude: 68°33'46.69"W). The farthest place south on earth that you can drive to. Just want to let you all know that all has gone well so far. I am having problems uploading pictures at the moment and will have to wait until I can get a better connection. The last 50 miles of this adventure made it worth all the pain. Tierra Del Fuego starts out a bit bland, but the closer you get to Ushuaia, the more beautiful it becomes. The last 50 miles reminded me of the Rocky Mountains in Utah, and is your reward for getting here. You are surrounded by huge mountains all around, with lakes tucked into the valleys, and the road is a biker's dream with lots of twisties! The scenery is fantastic. A few days ago, when I was riding thru Chile with Felipe, he mentioned that I might run into a few guys that he met on his travels. He described the three individuals and the bikes they were on. One of the bikes stuck out in my mind because it was an older yellow R1150GS. I never thought much about it because after all, what are the chances of running into the same three guys out here in the middle of South America? Well….as I pulled into the parking area at literally the very end of the road in Ushuaia, a very famous spot for Adventure Riders, who should I bump into? Yep, the three guys that Felipe told me about! One of the guys, a man from Spain, started his trip in ALASKA and drove all the way to Ushuaia and I was there to witness the end of his six month journey. One of the guys offered to take my picture beside the world famous marker at the end of Argentina Route 3 the farthest point you can drive to going south. Then we took a group shot before going into Ushuaia to the hotel they are staying. That is where I am at this moment, the Hotel Canal Beagle in down town Ushuaia, Argentina. I plan to start heading back to my Aunt’s in Chufquen in the morning. A four day journey I estimate.

Next Stop...Tierra Del Fuego

Near Ushuaia, Argentina

What do they say about, a picture is worth.....

"A single glance at the landscape was sufficient to show me how widely different it was from anything I had ever beheld," Darwin noted in his diary as his ship, HMS Beagle, approached Tierra del Fuego.

.

Fri. Jan. 30
Up early, I hit the road once again. This day’s ride would take me all the way south and onto the island of Tierra Del Fuego, no relief from the winds though. This part of Argentina is called La Pampa, and it is nothing but flat as far as the eye can see in any direction but for the occasional hill. Nothing and I mean nothing to slow the howling winds that come across that waste land. I though to myself, this must be where wind is made, then parceled out to the rest of the world. They have way too much of it here! As I continued south, I saw something I had only seen on television. Wild Guanacos! Flocks of them along the road side just grazing and being Guanacos. They are a relative of the Llama and the Camel, and can clear a four or five foot fence with no effort at all. They can be a real hazard though because they come right up onto the road and you never know what direction they will run when you approach. You don’t want to hit one of these, especially on a bike!
Shortly after passing thru Rio Gallegos, I came to the Argentina-Chile border again. The Argentina part of the customs process was an education. This was the most disorganized border crossing I have encountered yet. As you entered the building, it was just one big room with a line that snaked thru the hall. It was up to you to find the end of the line, not an easy task! First you had to go to Imigracion and then to Aduana. After about two and a half hours of waiting in line, I noticed a commotion behind me. I looked back and could see a person arguing with someone behind a large X-Ray machine, the type you put your luggage thru at the airport. Suddenly the entire room broke out in a protest, all chanting and clapping hands. At this point two uniformed officers came out and approached the counter where you where processed. They ordered the officers behind the counter to stop what they where doing. Oh Great!! I’ve been in line now for nearly three hours and I have only four people ahead of me, and they shut the whole thing down! I asked one of the people who had been in the discussion in the back of the room, what is going on? He explained that it was taking way too long to get thru the process (Steve Wonder could have seen that!) and to make things worse, some of the people doing the processing had gone to lunch. Now I wished I had joined in on the protest! Any way, it soon subsided and in about ten minutes I was up at the counter. The officer took one of my documents, stamped it and said, Aduana, that means Customs. I said, that’s it? To which he replied, Si, Aduana. I stood in line for three hours for a process that took no more that two minutes, total! Welcome to Argentina!
As I left the wonderful Argentina Customs behind and drove south toward Tierra Del Fuego, I had a Ferry crossing to make to cross the Straights of Magellan. They are not kidding when they say the weather in the Straights of Magellan is rough. The wind was whipping and the waves where big. The Ferry was getting tossed around quite a bit on the crossing, and at one point I was a little concerned about the large trucks near my motorcycle, but we reached Tierra Del Fuego without incident. After leaving the Ferry I expected to see more paved road, wrong! From the Ferry landing, all the way to the Argentina border it was all dirt and the day was getting short, although it was nine o’clock at night the sun was still quite high in the sky. Must be because I am so far south. I had to use my reserve gasoline at this point, but I was told by more than one person, that I could find gas in San Sebastian. By the time I reached San Sebastian I was pretty low, and as I entered the town, I looked for a gas station. What gas station, the officer at the border asked? There’s no gas here in San Sebastian. If you want gas you have to go to San Sebastian 12 kilometers farther east. Oh! Great! And I’m on fumes! Everyone failed to mention that there are TWO San Sebastian’s, one on the Chilean side and one on the Argentina side. That would have been a real handy piece of information to have, right there! Any way, I made it just as the guy was locking up the gas station for the night, but I managed to get fuel. I asked the gas station attendant, where I could find a place to stay and he pointed to the place right next to the station so I went over there to see if there was anything available. Nope! So I had to drive another 80 kilometers to Rio Grande. I found a nice place right in the city.

To The Atlantic

At the Atlantic Ocean after riding across South America. If you are wondering why I'm standing at an angle, it's so I don't get blown over by the wind.
Thu. Jan. 29

Today I rode from Chile Chico to Puerto Santa Cruz in Argentina. The border crossing at Chile Chico was the easiest I have ever encountered. I was in and out in fifteen minutes, if that! As I rode east on Argentina Rt.43, I came to the small town of Pico Truncado, on the eastern side of Argentina just before you get to Rt.3 south. There I had to make a decision, take the dirt road to Rt.3 or the bit longer but paved road. I chose the paved road, as I had been previously riding two full days of rough dirt in Chile. This decision was one that would come back to haunt me. As I drove north east on the short stretch of Rt.12, I got a taste of what everyone had been warning me about. The winds! I have never, up to this point in 34 years of riding motorcycles, ridden in such high winds. Most of the time was spent trying to lean into the wind at about a ten degree angle, except for the instant of relief as a large truck came from the other direction, and you had better be prepared for that! As the truck would go by there was an instant relief from the on slot of the wind followed very soon by a blast of wind that almost blew you off the road. Not fun! This went on for about forty minutes, until I reached the east side of Argentina and the Atlantic Ocean. I stopped along the shore and took a picture as I had now driven clear across South America from shore to shore. Now I headed south on Rt.3 that ends at the bottom of the world in Ushuaia, Argentina. Now the winds where hitting me from the other side, but with slightly less force, which was hard to tell at times. I continued riding until I reached Puerto Santa Cruz, a very nice, well maintained town because there is an Army Base there. There I fueled up and found a hotel for the night.

Heading To Chile Chico

Carretera Austral (Southern Road)
Carretera Austral is a rough gravel road that runs down the middle of the Andes Mountains in the south of Chile. How's that for breath taking scenery?

Wed. Jan. 28

Leaving Coyhaique this morning, Felipe and I headed south on Rt. 7 to the small border town of Chile Chico. Most of the day was spent riding around the second largest lake in South America, Lago Buenos Aires or Lago General Carrera, depending on what side of the border you are on. The lake straddles both Chile and Argentina. This has to be one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen, because not only of it’s location high in the Andes, but because of its deep turquoise colored water. As I said, this is a big lake and the road around it is rough dirt and gravel, so it took the best part of the day to ride around it, stopping once at a roadside Hostle to get something to drink. Continuing on, we arrived at a fork in the road, Felipe and I stopped and had a gentleman that was sitting near by in a pickup truck, take our picture together with our bikes. After the picture, Felipe and I shook hands, said good bye and Felipe went West toward Puerto Yungay and I went East to Chile Chico. In Chile Chico, I fueled up and found a hotel for the night. I went to a local restaurant for dinner and met an American from California that had ridden his bike all the way down to Ushuaia, and was now on his way back. We had a conversation for a while and he filled me in on much of what I would encounter on my way to Ushuaia. One thing he mentioned, and I have heard it from many sources, was the hellacious winds I would run into on the east side of Argentina. He was very helpful.

Off To Coihaique

This Guy is Good!!
City of Coyhaique pressed up against the Andes

Tue. Jan. 27

I left Chaiten early this morning, about 8:00am and headed south not really knowing where I would end up for the day. I wasn’t on the road very long, before I came to a Police check point in front of the regional Police station south of Chaiten. The officer motioned me to stop. He asked if I had stayed over night in Chaiten, or elsewhere. It looked as if they where collecting information regarding where people traveling in the area were from. He was quite impressed by the BMW, and mentioned that he was also a Moto Officer, as he pointed to the two Police Honda 250cc motorcycles on the porch of the station. A very pleasant person. As I went on, I came to a large suspension bridge that caught my eye, so I found a spot to take pictures from. Now, you have to realize that I was standing at the base of the bridge in a valley completely surrounded by very tall mountains, and the cloud cover in the morning was extremely low. I say this because, above the completely overcast sky, I could hear the drone of a small plane passing over head, and I thought to my self, how is this pilot going to get thru the clouds to land with out hitting a mountain? The next thing I saw was a little Piper Cub pop out under the clouds and fly up the valley. This guy is good, I thought. He obviously knows the area very, very well. I took my pictures and continued on. At about noon, I reached the small town of La Junta where I stopped for gas at the Copec. Mind you, I was fairly low on fuel, even though I did have spare gas in the gas can I carry, but when you pull into a gas station in this part of the world, and you are low on fuel, and the pumps at the gas island have been ripped from their moorings, it gives you cause for concern, to say the least. There where two guys ripping the island apart, so I asked if there was gas and one replied, si, and pointed to a pump near the corner of the building. I was a bit relived. After filling the tank and paying for the gas, I got back on the bike and turned the key, pushed the button, and again, “Click, Click, Click”. This is not good! After the beads of sweat subsided, I thought, there has to be something else going on here. What else would be killing this battery? Then I thought, I wonder if the battery terminals are lose, so I popped off the seat, took out a few tools and low and behold, both terminals were slightly lose. After tightening them, and reassembling the bike, which is not easy when you have so much stuff on the back seat and don’t remove it, the bike started up. It has been starting normally since, so I guess it may have been lose terminals all along though they where not very lose but I was able to give them each a quarter turn. OK, back on the road. I hadn’t gone more than a few hundred yards, when I came to a road construction road block. The flag lady told me the road was closed until two in the afternoon due to blasting that was going on a little farther down the road. Great! Now I have nearly two hours to cool my heels, so back to the gas station I went. As I pulled in, I noticed there was another BMW R1200GS parked there, so I got off my bike and wandered over to the guy that looked like he had been on the road a while and we struck up a conversation. Seems he is from Brazil and was also on his way south. We talked about the must see areas along the road south and after two hours of that, Felipe and I rode south together the rest of the day. We are now in the city of Coyhaique where we found two different hotels because it seems there is so much tourism here that most of the hotels are full. We found two hotels that each had only one room available, so we took them. After settling in, we met again and went out for dinner. Coyhaique is in a spectacular location, and as you approach from the north on Rt. 7, you suddenly come around a curve high on a mountain on the opposite side of the valley and you see the city pressed up against the base of a high mountain on the far side. Very impressive!
In the morning we will ride to Chile Chico, an all day ride to the south again.

Chaiten, Chile

The Button given to me in Chaiten!
On the Main Street in Chaiten........not a soul around!
That sign says "Yield"..... yield for what? It's a ghost town!

Ash piled up like snow drifts!

Total destruction!

Dogs guard what is left!

Mon. Jan. 26, 2009

I don’t know where to begin with this story. Last May, the volcano that looms over the southern Chile town of Chaiten roared to life after some 7000 years of dormancy. The ensuing ash that fell from the volcano, mixed with the river that used to run around Chaiten, causing the river to change its course. The river, choked with ash, now took the path of least resistance and that was directly thru the center of Chaiten destroying everything in its path. Unfortunately, it didn’t just pass thru and continue on its way. The river brought with it tons and tons of ash and water, and after the water dried, it left tons and tons of volcanic mud everywhere. A minimum of two feet of mud, in the streets, in the houses, in the businesses, EVERYWHERE! In some places all you could see was the top of the houses sticking out of the mud. Even the local cemetery was covered.

You might say, the town is dead; but after being here for a day and seeing the devastation first hand, that up to now I had only witnessed from the safety of the Internet, and after speaking with many of the residents of Chaiten, it is obvious that the town is not dead. I rode around the parts of the town that are accessible, and witnessed town’s people with hand shovels, shoveling the ash from the streets. I likened it to trying to empty the ocean with a thimble, after seeing the enormity of the work that needs to be done here. I witnessed municipal workers maintaining the grass in the main streets in a town that is for all intents and purposes abandoned. I saw a few large machines grading the streets to remove the ash, or repairing damage caused by the force of the water that ran thru Chaiten. You might say Chaiten is dead after seeing it, but spend a little time here, and you will learn that the spirit of Chaiten is still here. Here in the few people who have bravely returned to claim what is left of what once was a very beautiful town surrounded by the high Andes Mountains, and a volcano that most residents didn't even realise existed, since it had been dormant for seven to nine thousand years.

I went into one of the two grocery stores that have reopened, and I spoke with the woman that owns the store. She explained how difficult life is now in Chaiten with no running water, no electricity, one Physician who bravely returned. She told of her husband and son that suffer from Asthma, in this town where everywhere you look there is volcanic dust in the air. She told me of how hard it is to live here always dependant on a generator, if you are lucky enough to have one. This is not a rich town, at least not monetarily. As I spoke to her, a man came in to the store to buy a piece of bread and a tomato, to make a sandwich right there on the spot. You see, with no electricity, you have no perishable food available. I tried to buy cheese, and couldn't because there is no way to refrigerate it.
After speaking with the store owner for quite a while, I said goodbye and walked out to my bike. As I went to get on the bike, the man that had been in to buy a tomato and a piece of bread so he wouldn’t go hungry, approached me and asked where I was from, I told him. He then unpinned a button from his "T" shirt and handed it to me. The button reads, “Chaiten, Entrada A La Patagonia”. Translated it reads “Chaiten, Gateway To The Patagonia”. He told me to keep it as a rememberance of Chaiten. It almost brought me to tears! This man, who by looking at him you could tell didn’t have much, was kind enough to give a perfect stranger, something to remember him and his beloved town by. I thanked him, from the bottom of my heart and I snapped a picture of him as he jumped into a pickup truck with a friend, and drove away. Everywhere I’ve traveled in Chile, the people have been so, so kind, but the people of Chaiten are something special. I hope that someone who reads this story, and sees the many images I’ve taken in Chaiten, I hope that if they can help, or if they know someone who has the capability to help rebuild the lives of the people of Chaiten, I ask that they please contact me.

It’s been almost a year, and the only help to the town of Chaiten has come from the people of Chaiten. Where is the Chilean Government? It’s not right to abandon a town and its people the way it has happened in Chaiten. “Chaiten, Zona Zero... Zero Luz, Zero Agua, Zero Apoyo. That’s what the makeshift sign in town read…"Chaiten, Gound Zero... Zero Light, Zero Water, Zero Support!"

UPDATE: The government of Chile has decided that it will no longer support the town of Chaiten because of the danger posed to the public by the nearby volcano. It stated that it will relocate the town farther north in one of two locations to be decided in the next few months.

UPDATE: On Thurday Feb. 19, 2009, Chilean Authorities once again evacuated Chaiten due to the threat posed once again by the volcano. See the latest post above.

Good Connection

The vessel "Don Boldo" that will take me to Chaiten
Quellon, Chile, on the island of Chiloe
Ancud, Island of Chiloe, Chile
Salmon Farms on Chiloe
Playin on the pile
In the wood pile outside my room in Chiloe
Sea Lions in the Chacao Canal

Ferry heading the other way

The GS on the way to Chiloe

Since I have a fairly good Broadband connection tonight, I thought I would put up some other photos for you. Remember to click on them to enlarge the picture. The pictures are reduced in size to minimise upload time.

Somebody Had A Very Bad Day!

I wouldn't want to be this guy!!

No idea what happened to the driver, hope he's OK!

Sat. Jan. 24 PM

After this mornings the battery incident, I continued on to my intended destination which was the Ferry landing in Pargua, on the mainland just this side of the island of Chiloe in southern Chile. I hit it just right! I arrived just as one of the vessels was docking, and in just a few minutes, I was on the Ferry waiting to head across the Chacao Canal to Chiloe. There were two large trucks and a half a dozen cars and vans on board and one motorcycle. As we headed out into the open water you could spot the occasional group of sea lions with their heads sticking out of the water and once in a while you would see one jump out of the water then disappear again. The weather on the crossing was windy and it was sprinkling on and off. In about half an hour, we were docking on the other side. As I exited the Ferry I immediately drove thru the little hamlet of Chacao and then on to Ancud about twenty minutes away. In Ancud, I stopped at the Shell station to gas up because I’m getting in the habit of filling up as soon as the gauge reads half. They say that once you start down the Carretera Austral (the primitive road on the Chilean side that leads south) you don’t want to pass up a gas station, or you might be sorry. That is the reason I am carrying a 10 liter gas container. After leaving Ancud, I headed toward the Capital city of the island of Chiloe, Castro, about half way down the island. On one stretch of road I came upon a very serious accident that had occurred hours before. A large truck came down a long hill and missed the curve and went over the guard rail and rolled several times. I have no idea what happened to the driver, but as you can see from the pictures, it wasn’t good. Chile doesn’t seem to have the world’s best drivers! I continued on to Quellon where I managed to find a room right next to the Ferry company office. Now they tell me that the ferry will not leave until midnight Sunday because of bad weather. It’s pouring here at the moment. This is just like going to Alaska in summer. Cant’ wait to see what awaits me as I push farther south. I must say though, that I was very comfortable riding in the rain and cold today thanks to the heated clothing I brought and the very good rain suit I have. Thanks again Don!!

Almost Over Before It Began

Looks Bad
Sat. Jan. 24

This morning the trip almost ended before it began! Leaving Puerto Varas in the rain, yes I found out that it does rain here; I headed to Quellon, on the southern end of the island of Chiloe. Just south of Puerto Montt, I came upon a blue truck that had hit the guard rail and landed in the ditch, hard! I thought that might make an interesting picture, so I turned around and went back to the spot, parked the bike, and took a few pictures. As I got back on the bike to leave, I inserted the key, turned it to “start” and pushed the start button and heard the sound we all dread. “Click, Click, Click” No engine sounds! There I was, all alone on the side of the road with a bike that refused to start. So…I called the BMW dealer in Santiago and explained my predicament to Jose the service manager, and he could only suggest jump starting the battery. Well, my jumper cables are almost 6000 miles away, so what do I do now? Well, from my experience here in Chile, the people here always seem to be more than willing to help in any way they can, if you are stranded on the roadside. So I flagged a guy down as he turned into the side road that I was on, and explained my situation, right away he told me that he would go up to the house and try to find jumper cables. A few minutes went by and another person stopped and asked if he could help, so I told him my sad story. He jumped out of his truck, went to the back, opened the doors, and produced a pair of jumper cables. Fantastic!! After producing a few unexpected sparks, (that was my fault) we had the bike running again in seconds. The gentleman, Alberto Peters as I later learned, told me that he knew of a place in Puerto Montt where they could test the electrical system on the bike to see where the problem might be, so after suggesting I follow him there, we where off to Puerto Montt. As we arrived at the location, I hadn’t even managed to get off the bike yet, and Alberto already had a technician headed to my bike with a load tester for the system. The technician had me rev the engine, that I left running just in case, as he checked the operation of the alternator. All was well with the alternator, so he then checked the battery itself. No problemo there either! Hmmmmm? Looks like those high powered PIAA lights that I added to the bike, and have been running constantly, are a little more that the electrical system can manage. I was glad to hear that! So I turned the lights off and will hook them up to the high beam switch when I have a chance. Problem solved. Now, I turned to Alberto and offered to pay him for making him have to go out of his way. Right away he refused any payment and said that next time I’m out this way, I can buy him a beer. Here’s where it get’s good! Turns out Alberto Peters is owner of a beer Micro-Brewery http://www.ccpm.cl/ I had to laugh! We shook hands and went on our way.

Next Stop....Puerto Montt

Lago Llanquihue in Puerto Varas from the Hotel
This morning.....not quite the same! (Sat Jan. 24)

Fri. Jan. 23

I left Chufquen Friday morning at 9:45 and rode south to Puerto Montt arriving there about 2:30pm. The first thing I did was to go to the “Naviera Austral”, the Ferry Company and purchase my ticket for the Sunday morning trip to Chaiten, Chile. The ferry is scheduled to leave at 10:00am, but from what I have learned; punctuality is not one of their strong suits. (Sat Jan. 24) Right now I am in Puerto Varas, Chile just north of Puerto Montt, and I thought I would do some sight seeing today, but since it’s POURING and there’s a pretty stiff wind, I think I’ll pass. I think I will try to get to Quellon, at the southern end of the island of Chiloe. That’s where the Ferry leaves from on Sunday. Getting to the island involves a Ferry crossing as well, though this one is a much shorter trip. Should be interesting, given the weather today.

Early Harvest This Year

Wed. Jan. 21 PM

Harvest season has come a little early to Chufquen this year due in part to the long run of good weather they have enjoyed here in the south of Chile since December. I took the opportunity to go out and watch the harvest first hand, so I thought I would share some shots I took this afternoon.

It's Not In The Travel Brochure

The Surgeons, that's Eduardo on the right, Ernan on the left
Que es "F.D.A." ?

Wed. Jan. 21 AM

It’s all part of the experience. Here in Chufquen, pork usually comes wrapped in fur, not Glad Wrap. This morning, Eduardo (my Aunt’s driver) decided to butcher one of his pigs, so I thought I would show you what they don’t show you in the travel brochures. It doesn’t get much fresher than this! And I must add that the pork chops from that pig were the best I have ever had!

Off To Ushuaia

Packed and ready to go
Famous Puente Malleco Rail Bridge

Tue. Jan. 20

The trip to Ushuaia, Argentina has officially begun. This morning, just after 9:00am I left my Aunt’s house in Santiago and worked my way thru the rush hour traffic to the Pan-American Highway then turned south. The morning sky was clear as could be, and you could already tell it was going to be a hot day. By mid afternoon there was no escaping the heat. Even on the motorcycle at 75 miles per hour there was no relief. It was HOT! Door to door, eight hours on the dot. I pulled into the Ranch at exactly 5:00pm. The plan now is to stick around here a couple of days, and on Friday I will head south to the port city of Puerto Montt. There I will go to the Ferry company and reserve my spot for the Sunday morning (10:00am) voyage from Quellon to Chaiten. Not sure how long the trip takes, but I figure three, maybe four hours, not sure.

T- Minus 14:00:00

BMW finally returned my bike to me late this afternoon. Now I have to wash it, because BMW didn't have time and then I have to get the bike packed. That should be interesting. I'll post a picture before I leave, tomorrow morning. Hasta luego 'til then.

Marc Coma, Motorcycle Dakar Rally Winner

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) — Spain's Marc Coma, on a KTM, confirmed his position as Dakar Rally motorcycle winner on Saturday when he completed the 14th and final stage between Cordoba and Buenos Aires.

The GS Is In The Shop

I took the 1200GS into the shop this morning so they can perform the 10,000 Km. service as well as taking care of the two recalls from the factory. They turned me loose on a little BMW F-650GS screamer. It's no 1200GS, but it's fast, light and nimble. Not much in the comfort department though! I was promissed I would have my GS back late Monday.

Don't Forget The Photo Gallery

Just a little reminder to all that have so graciously taken the time to read my blog, I have posted a few of the better pictures in the Photo Gallery area, to the top right hand side of this page. I find that it takes forever to upload the pictures from my Nikon because of their size, so I will wait 'til I get home to load the entire gallery. Meanwhile, I will try to load the most interesting ones. Look for the gallery that's called "Chile/Argentina 2009". Also, if you put your cursor over the picture, a little window will pop out and you can choose to make the picture even larger. You can also control the speed of the slide show by placing the cursor over the main window, thumbnails will pop up, and at the top left of the thumbnails you will see, SLOW, MEDIUM, FAST. Click on the one you want.........Enjoy!

Another Postponement

The BMW dealer in Santiago, Chile
A nice place high in the Andes Mountains for lunch

Thurday Jan. 15

I have to stop visiting the BMW dealer here in Santiago, because every time I do, my trip gets pushed further and further back. Since my bike has two recalls, one relating to break lines and one to the system that recognizes the ignition key when it's inserted, I was told that if the bike is received by the dealer for any kind of service, the recalls MUST be done before the vehicle can go back out on the road. This work adds a lot more complexity to the job, and will take much more time. The short story....I can't head south until Tuesday. Moving on... I took a nice ride up into the Andes Mountains near Santiago this afternoon to the area of Farellones and Valle Nevado. Although it was over 90 degrees in Santiago when I left, by the time I reached Valle Nevado, at an altitude of nearly 7,900 ft., I had to turn around, because I had no jacket and the temperature changed drastically. As I began my ride back down, the temperature became more tolerable fairly quickly. By the time I reached Farellones, I was already comfortable again. Near Farellones I stopped at "Posada Farellones" for lunch since it was already about two o'clock in the afternoon. The areas of Farellones and Valle Nevado are very popular in winter since they are ski areas; consequently, there isn't much people traffic up here in the summer. Lunch at Posada Farellones was peaceful as you might expect, just me and the cook, but the meal at nearly 7,900 feet was very good. While up here in the mountains, I also took the opportunity to try the new Metzler Tourance tires out in some challenging off road. The tires handled very well in the lose dirt and very rocky terrain. They held the road without slipping or sliding in the rutty terrain. I’m very pleased with them so far. After that, it was back to the heat of Santiago. It’s going to be 91 and sunny again today. I’d like to be the weather man here, because you only need one forecast!......."91 and sunny today….now back to you in the studio! "

Good News and Bad News

Front tire on the left, rear tire on the right
The good news is the new Metzler Tourance tires are on the bike. A nice aggressive tread for the off road portions of the trip. The bad news is, they ain't going anywhere before Saturday. I stopped by the BMW dealer this afternoon to say hola, and in conversation, I discovered that the bike is just about due for the 10,000 km. (6200 mi.) service. So... tomorrow, Thursday, afternoon I will drop off my bike and pick up a little BMW 650 as a loaner. The service will be done on Friday, and I can pick my bike up on Fri. afternoon and start heading south early on Saturday. There was a guy from Mexico at the BMW dealer that is heading in the same direction as I am, and his bike is also in for service, so there is the slight possibility that we might travel together. Another guy I've been in email contact with is in the Bariloche, Argentina area and is also heading south at the same time. We'll see! Stay tuned. 91 and sunny! Again.

Sharon Is On Her Way Home

Arturo on the right

The Grill

Tues. Jan 13

Sharon is on her way home tonight and will be in Buffalo tomorrow afternoon. I took her to the airport this evening and made sure she got thru all the formalities without difficulty.
This afternoon, Sharon and I went back to the restaurant “Rancho Del Che”, which was closed yesterday, and had a fantastic meal. The restaurant is an Argentinean Grill where they specialize in meat dishes, like steak, ribs and things like that. We had the entire restaurant to ourselves, and where waited on very cordially by Arturo, our waiter and cook, since there was no one else there at that time of the afternoon (2:oo pm). The meat is cooked outside over a wood fired grill and comes to the table on a metal dish with hot coals underneath. So, if it's not cooked to your liking, you can literally grill it at your table. If you’re ever in the area, I recommend stopping in. Tomorrow morning I’m getting the new Metzler Tourance tires installed on the bike. I was very pleasantly surprised at the price. I expected the tires to cost me in the $600.00 range, like it did in the BMW dealer back home, but the total came to a little over $360.00 plus mount and balance. I can live with that. I plan to start the big trip to “Tierra Del Fuego” on Thursday if all goes as planned. Talking with the owner of the motorcycle tire shop, he told me that to get to Ushuaia should take me less than a week if you don’t stop too many times. Well, I want to see some of the spectacular scenery on my way, so I will go at my pace since I have the time. That’s it for now. Stay warm! 91 degrees here again today with a cloudless sky! Gotta love it?

A little background on Chufquen

This is the front side of my Aunt's house in Chufquen
Machinery buildings and warehouses for wheat

The main road into the Ranch. Building on the right is a repair shop. Office and one room school house are to the right behind the trees.

Some of the wheat fields

Oat fields Mon. Jan 12

Well, yesterday’s trip from Chufquen to Santiago took us eight hours with stops, just like the trip down. I thought I would give you a little look at what the farm looks like, so Sharon and I jumped on the bike and went out to take pictures. The main house dates back to, probably the early 1800's. Near as I can figure, the Ranch is about 2500 Acres total. Today, Monday, I had to run around re registering the motorcycle, and I also had to get more time on my Internet service, because the introductory amount ran out a few days ago. Those few things took all morning. In the afternoon, I took Sharon to the restaurant where I had such a good steak here in Santiago last year. Unfortunately today is Monday, and all the restaurants in that area where closed. Better luck tomorrow I hope. So we ended up at a little place here in Chile called “TGI Friday’s”. A decent meal, but no Argentinean steak. That’s it! Stay warm….no problemo here!! 91degrees today and not a cloud!