The Short Way Down

The Next Adventure To Chile Begins On Jan. 3, 2012

2010-08-03T11:08:00.006-04:00

All updates regarding my trip will be found at this site and only at this site.

Back Home After A Fantastic Adventure To South America!

2009-03-02T09:43:00.011-03:00

Back at JFK International

1968 Trip to Chile. Tumaco, Colombia. My Dad in the dark pants, me behind him to his right. My brother in the blue shirt. Mom took the picture.

Sun. March 1, 2009

After almost twenty four hours of travel, I am back at home here in the U.S.A.. Saturday evening, when I went to Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago, I had no idea I would be adding another country to the list of countries visited on this trip. I was under the impression that the return flight to the United States would be a direct flight to New York’s JFK International Airport, as it had been on the way down, but three and a half hours after leaving Santiago, I found myself in Lima, Peru. The last time I was in Lima, Peru was in 1968, during a trip to Chile in my father’s private plane. A trip that took us from Rochester, N.Y. to Santiago, Chile and back, in August of that year. Although the stay in Lima was brief, about an hour, it was interesting to be in the land of the Inca once again. At 7:30am this morning I landed at JFK International in New York City, went thru the usual formalities of Immigration and Customs (thank goodness it was nothing like Customs in Argentina!!) and then over to Terminal 3 to await my connecting flight to Buffalo. Now, to plan for next year!

I want to thank all of you that followed my trip, and hope you enjoyed the Blog. Until next year!

The Party Is Over !!

2009-02-27T19:03:00.011-03:00

Notice the Elevation!
This is what it looks like up there, looking toward Santiago in the smog below.

Fri. 27 Feb.

Today I decided to go high into the Andes, since it’s my last full day here….nine thousand, two hundred and seventy five feet high, to be exact. Translated into Spanish numbers it would look like this 9,725Ft. That’s as far as I could go as I headed up to the Farellones ski area just outside Santiago. Up there, there are a number of very nice ski villages that have got to be a beehive of activity here in the winter. There are more Restaurants, Pubs and beautiful Ski Chalets up there than you can shake a ski pole at. Unfortunately not a one is open at this time of year. I’ll bet it would be a great place to work for a winter! This is the construction season there. Many people building and repairing things up there today. If you want to go to Google Earth and see where I was, copy and paste these coordinates into the search window:
-33.3334305555556, -70.286275

Other than that, it was a sad day, because I started to pack things away that I probably won’t see until next year. Bike things! Worst of all, tomorrow I have to put the bike away since I will be hopping a plane to New York’s JFK International at 9:05pm local, tomorrow night. 7:05pm for all of you back home. I really like this bike and I’m going to miss it! Oh well, it's been one hell of an adventure!!! Where can we go next year?

New Location For Chaiten Announced

2009-02-26T16:09:00.011-03:00

Chaiten will be rebuilt 6 miles North of the present location in the area marked "Santa Barbara"
Click Picture To Enlarge.

The Chilean government has announced that a location for the "New Chaiten" has been chosen. Estimated cost $70 million, estimated time to finish the project 2,402 days. Wow!

Read the whole story here: http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKTRE51O7UM20090225

More Here: http://www.emol.com/noticias/ingles/detalle/detallenoticias.asp?idnoticia=346370

Chile / Argentina To Host 2010 Dakar Rally Once Again

2009-02-25T12:37:00.005-03:00

Once again, Chile and Argentina will host the 2010 Dakar Rally, after the success of the most recent edition of the event. Chilean government spokesman Francisco Vidal announced on Tuesday. For the whole story go here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iTXo3nYPmU6e7WU1nMsJhT4io3-g

Chaiten Volcano Roars Back To Life. Chaiten Evacuated...Again

2009-02-20T10:26:00.014-03:00

Chaiten evacuated once again as the nearby volcano threatens the area.

On Thursday, Feb. 19, Chilean authorities once again evacuated as many as 160 remaining inhabitants of the destroyed town of Chaiten as the nearby volcano renewed its furry. Large amounts of gas and ash were spewed high into the air surrounding the volcano, some of the ash falling as far away as Futaleufu near the Argentina border. Authorities flew over the area on Thursday and said the situation is risky for the nearby town of Chaiten because rains could trigger avalanches once again flooding Chaiten. An estimated 4000 people lived in Chaiten at the time the eruption began on May 2, 2008. Many of the residents of Chaiten have resisted efforts by the Chilean government to resettle the town elsewhere. Residents opposed to the relocation, in recent weeks staged protests, cutting access in or out of the area. Chilean authorities stated on Thursday that this "was exactly the kind of danger we were talking about when we decided to relocate Chaiten. "The relocation site has yet to be determined.

Some great recent pictures can be seen here: http://www.fotos.emol.com/index.asp?G_ID=8803
Here is a short video of the Chiten Volcano as it is now: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7902923.stm

New Pictures Uploaded

2009-02-18T09:56:00.009-03:00

I have uploaded, to the "Picture Gallery", all the pictures that I took in the destroyed town of Chaiten, Chile. Have a look, don't forget to hit the "Slide Show" button. I have also uploaded the best pictures I've taken on this trip. They will be in the album called "CHILE/ARGENTINA 2009" and remember you can control the speed of the slide show in the upper left hand corner of the thumbnails by placing the cursor up there while in the slide show.

Back In Santiago

2009-02-17T17:35:00.004-03:00

North East part of Santiago
I'm back in Santiago, Chile's Capital City, until the 28th of February at which time I return to the U.S. The trip today from Chufquen took seven hours, under warm sunny skies. I have a lot of things to do before I put the bike away again until next year, so I will spend some time taking care of things like insurance for the bike, the 20,000Km. service and things like that. I might even sneak in a trip or two to "El Rancho Del Che" to satisfy that urge for Argentine Steak. Who knows?

Volcanoes and Champagne

2009-02-14T19:54:00.008-03:00

Lava field from Volcan Llaima
The Champagne crowd

Sat. Feb. 14

Happy Valentine’s Day !!

I decided to take off to Parque Nacional Conguillio this morning, since I have been lying pretty low since I returned from Ushuaia. The Park encompasses the Llaima volcano that was in eruption last year at this time. The ride took me thru the towns of Victoria, then to Curacautin and then up toward the Park. As I entered the park, I came to a scenic overlook, so I stopped to take a couple of pictures. There were a few other people there at the time, and as I got off the bike and said Hi to them, they asked where I was coming from, so I told them, and before I new it, I was handed a glass of Champagne and offered some home made spicy ham. You know, everywhere I have been, on this trip, the people I’ve met have been so, so nice. I can’t say enough about the people in this part of the world. It’s like, once you strike up a conversation with them, you become part of the family. I mean, here I am in the middle of nowhere on the side of a volcano, and I stop to take a picture, and the next thing I know, I’m drinking Champagne with people I just met! It doesn’t get much better than that! Any how, after a few pictures of me and a few of them, I was off again down the very rough roads leading into the Park. I went up to the Ski Center and then back to Chufquen via Temuco.

Total Distance Traveled

2009-02-06T20:33:00.006-03:00

Yellow indicates the trip down, Green indicates the return trip. Blue is Ferry crossings.
Fri. Feb. 6

Looks like the total kilometers traveled during my trip to Ushuaia equals 6,571, that translates to 4,083 miles. That’s from Santiago to Ushuaia and back to Chufquen, my Aunt’s ranch. You can add another 664 kilometers back to Santiago.

The Long Haul To Bariloche

2009-02-05T15:57:00.006-03:00

A great place to dine in Bariloche
Tue. Feb. 3

Up and on the road at 5:30am this morning! Today I want to make it to Bariloche, not an easy task, it’s a long way! Averaging probably 75 miles an hour, I drove 15 hours before finally shutting the bike down in Bariloche. There were parts of my body that I couldn’t even feel anymore. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to sit down again! After stopping for gas in Esquel, I drove north to Bariloche passing thru the town of El Bolson. A very quaint town full of all kinds of stores for the tourists. This last stretch from Esquel to Bariloche was very, very scenic, and I spent a lot of time riding on the sides of my tires! Any Hoo, one of the main reasons for wanting to get to Bariloche had to do with a place called “La Parrilla de Julian”, an eatery I discovered last year on my first trip to Bariloche. That is where you can get some of the best steak I have ever had! Arriving in Bariloche, I went to the same hotel as last year, right on the lakeshore and got a room. After a well deserved shower, I headed right over to Julian’s for a meal to top off a very long trip. At Julian's, I ordered the 800 gram steak (half a cow), a salad, and an ice cold beer. Julian came to my table and remembered me from last year, because of my bike. Julian makes a point to go to each table and speak with his guests. A very nice man! After a wondeful meal, it was back to the hotel to get some sleep, and in the morning I would drive the final six hours to Chufquen, my Aunt’s ranch. This will be the end of a trip to the far southern tip of South America that has lasted sixteen days.

To Torres Del Paine

2009-02-05T15:48:00.008-03:00

Unfortunately the Towers were behind the clouds
Guanacos are everywhere in the Park, by the hundreds

Spectacular scenery!

Mon Feb. 2

Leaving Puerto Natales this morning I headed to Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. It took about two hours to reach the Park, some of the road being gravel, especially in the Park it’s self. The closer I got to the Park, the more beautiful the scenery became. The Park is quite large and I didn’t have enough time to see it all, but I did get to see the world famous towers that the park is named for. Unfortunately the peaks were shrouded in clouds and I managed to take one picture that barely shows them, after waiting quite a while. One interesting thing was the hundreds of Guanacos in the park. They were literally everywhere, some grazing, some sitting and some where playing some kind of game where one jumps on the back of the other one to get a piggy back ride, or something like that. Any how, I stayed about an hour or two, then headed out of the park and back into Argentina to start my trip north. I drove all the way to Puerto Santa Cruz on the east coast, the town that I stayed in on the way south, where the Argentine Army base is. There, I fueled up and went to the same hotel as before.

Leaving The End Of The World Behind

2009-02-05T15:22:00.014-03:00

Statue in Puerto Natales
The Hostal I stayed in, I was very well received.

Sun. Feb. 1

This morning leaving Ushuaia and the end of the world behind, I rode out of town in a steady rain. Can’t complain though, because I have been very fortunate as far as weather goes in this part of the world. To come into Ushuaia for the very first time and have a day with no rain and even some sunshine, it’s a good day! After less than an hour the rain cleared up and the sun came out for the rest of the day, although it was still cool and I reencountered those winds once I got out of the mountains. Passing thru customs at the border once again, I continued a short way and came across a group of riders that stopped at a roadside cafe. There I bumped into an aquaintace that I met in Vermont a couple of years ago at a BMW National Rally. The person was none other than Ron Ayers, owner and operator of Ayers Adventure Tours. I had to go in and say hi to Ron, because while in Vermont we discussed the possibility of my becoming a guide for his South American Tours. After my chat with Ron, I continued to the Ferry that would take me back across the Straights Of Magellan. When I arrived at the Ferry to cross the Straights of Magellan again, the Ferry was waiting for me and in minutes we where on our way to the mainland. There were black and white Dolphins following, and playing, all around the boat, but I saw them too late to take pictures as we where just about to reach the other side. The Spanish guy who rode from Alaska to Ushuaia told me I should not miss Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile, since I was so close to it, so rather than going north on Rt. 3, I headed west back into Chile’s Andes Mountains and to the town of Puerto Natales. Shortly before reaching Puerto Natales I came to a police check point were there where two other riders as I arrived. The police asked all of us for our documents, and where we were coming from, and after processing each one of us, let us go on our way. Just as I was going to pull away, the Top Cop came out and asked me, “How did you get from Ushuaia, Argentina to Puerto Natales in record time”? Ooooops!
Ummmm, Well, Uh! I thought the speed limits down here were just suggestions, because even though I was averaging 75 mph I was usually being left in the dust by most drivers, especially in Argentina. Besides, you rarely see a speed limit sign out here. Any ways, he was very pleasant and almost kidding me about it, but I got the message loud and clear! He let me go. I continued to Puerto Natales, where I am now. In the morning I’m off to Torres Del Paine National Park, a very beautiful place from all I have seen of it on TV and the Internet.

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

2009-01-31T18:53:00.026-03:00

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

2009-01-31T18:50:00.017-03:00

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

2009-01-31T18:26:00.002-03:00

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

2009-01-31T18:24:00.006-03:00

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

2009-01-28T07:27:00.016-03:00

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

2009-01-28T00:24:00.018-03:00

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

2009-01-24T22:26:00.021-03:00

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!

2009-01-24T21:45:00.010-03:00

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

2009-01-24T20:23:00.004-03:00

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

2009-01-24T07:30:00.005-03:00

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

2009-01-21T14:09:00.004-03:00

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

2009-01-21T12:11:00.006-03:00

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

2009-01-20T19:37:00.005-03:00

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

2009-01-19T19:48:00.003-03:00

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

2009-01-18T10:17:00.003-03:00

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

2009-01-17T12:58:00.000-03:00

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

2009-01-16T15:31:00.004-03:00

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

2009-01-16T08:01:00.002-03:00

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

2009-01-14T17:05:00.000-03:00

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

2009-01-13T21:46:00.000-03:00

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

2009-01-12T21:32:00.000-03:00

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!

Very Special Thanks To Don Miller

2009-01-10T15:00:00.005-03:00

Don to the rescue!
I want to thank my very good friend Don Miller for saving the day, by over nighting me something very important, that I left at home (unfortunately it took a week for it to get to me Overnight!...Thanks UPS!!). I have a jacket liner and pants that can be plugged into my motorcycles battery power, to heat the clothing. The clothing is made by a company named Gerbing. Seems I remembered to bring the clothing, but left the controller for the pants and jacket back in the good old US of A. So, Don came to the rescue and had the item "over nighted" by UPS. Since I will be encountering temperatures in the 40's and 50's when I head to Tierra Del Fuego, I will really need this heated clothing. Thanks again, Pal!

Back To Chufquen

2009-01-09T19:55:00.000-03:00

Entrance to my Aunt's house in Chufquen
That's in Letres

On the Villarica volcano

Fri. Jan 9

This morning, before leaving the Gran Hotel Pucon, Sharon and I went down to the main dining room for a very nice buffet breakfast at the hotel. Everything you could possible want was there for you to enjoy. After breakfast we checked out and headed back to Chufquen, but this time we rode into the city of Temuco to do some shopping. The traffic was nuts! As usual. We did our shopping and got out of there as fast as we could. That place is a chore to drive thru. The ride from Temuco back to my Aunt’s place took about an hour, taking the back roads.

The Resort Town Of Pucon, Chile

2009-01-09T19:40:00.000-03:00

The "Gran Hotel Pucon" right on Lake Villarica
Sharon in Pucon

Lunch is on the Parrilla!

Thur. Jan. 8

This morning at about 9:30am Sharon and I left the Ranch and headed to Pucon. The ride took about two and a half to three hours including stops. We took the “By Pass” around the city of Temuco, Chile’s second largest city, on the advice of my Aunt’s driver, Eduardo. Temuco is an extremely busy city to drive thru at any time of day so going around it was very easy. All expressway! As we approached Lake Villarica, we drove thru the town by the same name. You pretty much have to drive thru Villarica to get to Pucon, because leaving the town of Villarica you must stay on the road that borders the lake all the way to Pucon. It’s about a twenty five minute ride from Villarica to Pucon and you go by some very beautiful lakeside homes and resorts. Once we arrived at the hotel in Pucon, we had about a three hour wait before we could get into our room, so we left our things at the hotel and walked into the town to have a look around and find a place to have lunch. Can anyone guess what we had for lunch? After we checked into our room we thought we should take advantage of the absolutely beautiful day to take a ride up to the Volcan Villarica. The temperature was warm and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. You don’t always get a day like this in southern Chile so you have to take advantage of it. They do have clouds here! Pucon is not very big, so as we headed out of the town we soon encountered the rough gravel road that leads to the base of the volcano. We drove all the way to the ski resort that is on the slopes of the volcano, just below the snow cap, where the view of the area was breathtaking. After walking from the parking area to the observation deck, I doubt that I will be climbing Mt. Everest any time soon.

P.S. Don't tease Sharon about her hair, in the picture above! ;-)

To Pucon Tomorrow

2009-01-07T22:32:00.001-03:00

Wed. Jan. 7

Not a cloud in the sky and a nice breeze here today with a temperature of about 79 degrees. I finally resolved the cell phone situation by buying a very simple pre paid Nokia phone. That will make one of my Aunt’s very happy, because she is such a worry wart. I made reservations for tomorrow night at the “Gran Hotel Pucon” in, where else but Pucon, Chile. Pucon is a VERY busy tourist town, about two hours drive,that has gone from a sleepy little dirt street town in the mid 70’s to one of the best places to visit in southern Chile. It’s situated on Lake Villarica with the huge Villarica volcano looming behind the town. Very picturesque! So, we will leave for Pucon early tomorrow morning and return to my Aunt’s ranch on Friday evening.

Off To The Ranch

2009-01-07T15:40:00.002-03:00

A New Addition To The Herd

Tuesday Jan. 6

At 8:00am this morning Sharon and I headed across Santiago to get on the Pan-American Highway (Rt. 5) and head south to my Aunt’s ranch in Chufquen, Chile. The ride was long, 8 hours, even with a 75mph max speed limit, but the weather was spectacular. I just realized something….they don’t have clouds down here, just sun and blue sky. We would stop to rest or fill up with gas about every two hours, and to get some blood back in certain parts of our anatomy. Given Sharon’s time constraints, we decided not to go to Bariloche, Argentina and opted to do a couple of day trips in this area instead. That’s it for now. Stay warm!

The Latest From Sunny, Hot South America

2009-01-05T20:08:00.000-03:00

Valparaiso Monument

Mon. Jan. 5

Very hot here again. Not too much to report today. Ran some errands for my Aunt this morning, then this afternoon we drove all over Santiago trying to get a cell phone activated. I spent ALL of this afternoon going from place to place to place trying to get this thing activated and never did. Talk about frustrating! The cell phone companies here leave a little to be desired, to say the least. First thing in the morning, Sharon and I are heading seven hours south to my Aunt’s ranch. We plan on spending about five days exploring the Lake District of Chile and a trip over the Andes Mountains to Bariloche, Argentina That’s it for now. Stay warm :-)

Day Trip To The Coast

2009-01-04T22:11:00.000-03:00

Radiance of the Seas in Valparaiso, Chile
Lunch in Zapallar at "El Chinguirito" an excelent experience

Sun. Jan. 4, 2009
This morning Sharon and I left Santiago on the bike and headed to Valparaiso on the Pacific Ocean. As I mentioned before, Valparaiso is Chile’s main port city. The two hour ride from Santiago to Valparaiso was surprisingly warmer than I expected. I was expecting much cooler air in the morning. As we entered the city, we went straight to the port where we where came face to face with the largest cruise ship that I had ever seen. It seemed to take up the entire wharf where it was tied up. The ship was the Royal Caribbean's “Radiance of the Seas”. It dwarfed the other large cruise ship that was moored near by. The Radiance of the Seas is 962 ft. long and more than 105 ft. wide. We walked around the port for a while, then I approached a couple of police officers to ask them about the up coming visit of the Dakar Race which is due to arrive in Valparaiso the 10th of January. One of the officers told me that the race participants would be arriving at the Naval Academy, and pointed me in that direction. As we entered the Naval Academy gate we where met by two very sharply uniformed Chilean Navy men, that unfortunately knew nothing about the world famous “Dakar Rally”. So the hunt was on. Unfortunately we were unable to gain any information regarding the race. So what do you do in a case like that? You go to lunch, of course! Getting back on the bike, we passed thru the near by city of Vina del Mar. Vina del Mar is like the “Chilean Riviera” (pronounced: Vinia del Mar), very expensive and full of beautiful beach homes and large hotels dangling from the surrounding hills. Vina is so close to Valparaiso that the too are more like one big city. Once past Vina, we headed to a small, but very quaint ocean side town called Zapallar. Zapallar is a beautiful little town tucked around a small bay, off the Pacific Ocean, full of little fishing boats. In Zapallar there is a restaurant called “El Chiringuito” that is perched in one of the most beautiful locations I have seen in a while. The restaurant literally sits on the rocks at the edge of the Pacific Ocean overlooking the little bay with mountains in the background and the sea gulls at your table, no kidding! We had a great meal and met some very interesting people as well. The return trip to Santiago took us east to RT 5, the PanAmerican Highway, and then South on Rt 5 directly into Santiago arriving at about 6:00pm

Sunset On San Cristobal

2009-01-03T22:52:00.000-03:00

Santiago Sunset
Sharon On San Cristobal

Don't Drink The Water

This evening Sharon and I took a bike ride to the top of Cerro San Cristobal (Hill San Cristobal), in the center of Santiago. The place was mobbed with people enjoying the warm evening and the views over looking the city. The funniest thing happened when this dog came over to the drinking fountain to try and get a drink of water, problem was he had a hard time trying to turn the knob cuz he had no thumbs, so this guy helped him out by taking a few mouths full of water and spitting it into the dogs mouth. One thing this guy hadn't seen, was the little kid that had just finished washing his hair in the same drinking fountain, and the gentleman that washed his Son's dirty face in the same drinking fountain, and the other man that just finished washing his dirty hands in the same water fountain. Now you know why they say DON'T DRINK THE WATER! Early tomorrow morning Sharon and I are off for a day trip to Valparaiso, Chile's pricipal port city and site of this years Paris to Dakar Race that is going from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Buenos Aires, Argentina passing thru Chile and stopping for a day of rest in Valparaiso. The racers are not scheduled to be in Valparaiso until the 10th, but I'm sure that with an event this big there will be plenty of pre-race activity there. Boy was I wrong!!!!

Man Is It HOT!

2009-01-03T17:48:00.001-03:00

Sat. Jan 3, 2009

Hello from HOT Chile! The temperature here in Santiago today has to be over 90 degrees. No snow anywhere, except the tops of the Andes Mountains. If you are reading this, you must have gathered by now that I managed to obtain an Internet Connection. Sharon and I rode the bike over to one of the big malls near my Aunt’s house this morning. What woman would pass up a chance to go to a Mall no matter where it is? There we found a kiosk where they sold Cell Phones and the like. There is a mobile phone company here called “Claro” and they offer a mobile broad band service for your lap top, so we got it and now we are good to go with the Net. The unit is not much larger than a USB Flash Drive, and plugs into a USB port on the computer. As a matter of fact, it has a Flash Drive built in. How’s that for practical? Also, if you want to contact me by eMail, please send all eMail to thebmwrider@live.com while I am in Chile. I’ve spent most of the afternoon installing all the accessories I had brought down here for the bike, and now everything is on the bike and ready to go. I think Sharon and I might take a ride up to Cerro San Cristobal to watch the sunset over Santiago tonight. Cerro San Cristobal is a small mountain that the city of Santiago wraps around. I’ll update you later on how that went. Hasta luego for now!

Here We Are In Sunny Chile!!

2009-01-03T12:52:00.000-03:00

Fri. Jan. 2, 2009

Arrived in Santiago, Chile this morning at 8:40am, local time, after a very long ten hour direct flight from New York’s JFK International. First thing was to go thru customs and then to baggage claim where the drug dogs where checking everyone’s luggage as they went from bag to bag. Then as we where exiting the baggage claim, Sharon got nabbed by customs officials for smuggling and falsifying a customs document. Seems she was trying to enter the country with a bag of salted peanuts. Looks like she will be doing some hard time in a South American jail. JUST KIDDING!! The customs official was quite pleasant as he explained why even an innocuous thing like a small bag of peanuts could carry contaminants into the country effecting the agricultural industry here. Chile is a very agricultural country, so they take this very seriously. After the explanation the customs official wished us a nice day, and sent us on our way.

Arriving at my Aunt’s house we where greeted by the house keeper and informed that my Aunt was still in the shower, so I took the opportunity to remove the cocoon that I wrapped my motorcycle in for it’s eleven month hibernation period. After removing the plastic sheet and the cover under that, I stuck the key in and turned it. The Beemer sprang to life almost immediately, although with a few grunts and groans from the lack of oil cursing thru its veins. After a few quick starts and stops to get the oil moving, I let the engine run and the noises went away.

After replacing the rear tire, that I had removed to make it harder for thieves to steal the bike, Sharon and I took a ride to the BMW dealer to let them know I was back in town. They where very glad to see me again. Actually, I went there to discus the recalls on the bike that they had informed me about by mail.

Then, we took a ride around town ending up at Ruby Tuesdays for some refreshments. One thing I noticed is that after just a couple of hours out in the sun today, I am already visibly sunburned. Apparently the Ozone layer here in the Southern Hemisphere is quite thin, and consequently you do not have much protection from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. It’s highly recommended that you apply sun block to exposed skin to protect from skin cancer. We don’t have to worry too much about that in western New York.

See You In Sunny South America

2008-12-31T22:00:00.000-03:00

Friday's forecast for Santiago: Scattered Clouds. High: 87 °F . Wind SSW 20 mph

Strong Earthquakes Shake Central Chile

2008-12-19T13:25:00.000-03:00

A Small Part Of Santiago Yesterday, Dec. 18,2008, the central part of Chile, including the capital city of Santiago, as well as the countries main port city of Valparaiso was shaken by an earthquake magnitude 6.3 on the Richter scale. The initial earthquake was followed by a second quake of 5.8 Richter degrees, according to the USGS. After shocks continued today with smaller quakes being felt in Santiago this morning. Head of the Chilean Emergency Office (ONEMI) Carmen Fernandez said that "there are no reports of damages due to the quake. It's part of a normal seismic activity."

Metzler Bike Tires In Chile

2008-12-13T09:32:00.001-03:00

MX Moto, Santiago, Chile

Good news on the Tire front. Eric Cleaveland, a good friend of mine that just returned from a ride from the southern most point in South America to Alaska, recommended the Metzler Tourance tires for the rough gravel roads in Chile and Argentina. So I did a little investigating and found a Metzler dealer in Santiago, Chile http://www.mx.cl/ . Yesterday I called the dealer in Chile and spoke with Jorge to see what the availability would be for the Tourance tires. Jorge told me "No Problemo" and has set two tires aside for me so when I start my trip to Ushuaia, I will start on a new set of Tourance tires.

As you can see from the picture above, the Tourance has a nice aggressive tread, but is also a good highway and wet road tire. Users of this tire have reported very good off road handling as well as long life for this tire.

REVISED ROUTE

2008-12-05T10:34:00.000-03:00

I have been studying the maps a little closer lately to see if there is a route that would take me primarily down the Chilean side of the Andes Mountains staying on the road called "La Carretera Austral" ("The Southern Road" marked in YELLOW). Taking this route would mean that there would be some Ferry crossings involved (marked in BLUE), so this morning I contacted the Ferry company http://www.navieraustral.cl/, in that part of Chile,to get some up to date information. I had hoped to ride to the town of Hornopiren and take the Ferry from there to the town of Caleta Gonzalo (marked in RED) and then ride on to Chaiten and points south. Good thing I called, because I found out that the Ferry between Hornopiren and Caleta Gonzalo is not running. Instead, I will have to take the short Ferry from Pargua, on the mainland just south of Puerto Montt, to Chacao on the island of Chiloe, a trip I have made before. Once on the island, I will ride to the town of Castro about half way down the island of Chiloe, where I can board a Ferry that will take me to Chaiten. I am a bit surprised that the Ferry is still running to Chaiten since the town was pretty much destroyed by the eruption of the near-by volcano back in May of this year, but I was assured the Ferry is running to Chaiten.

About Chile

2008-11-17T13:11:00.000-03:00

TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK , CHILE

GREY GLACIER, CHILE

I thought I would include some facts about Chile that you may or may not know, to give you a feel for the land that I will be traveling thru. The following comes from http://www.ecovoyager.com/destinations/Chile/index.asp :

From north to south, Chile extends 2,269 miles, and yet it only averages 110 miles east to west. On a map, Chile looks like a long ribbon reaching from the middle of South America's west coast straight down to the southern tip of the continent, where it curves slightly eastward. Chile's northern neighbors are Peru and Bolivia, and its border with Argentina to the east is one of the worlds longest.Chile's shape was determined by the fact that it began as a Spanish settlement on the western side of the mighty cordillera of the Andes, in the central part of the country. This range, which includes the two tallest peaks in the Americas--Aconcagua and Nevado Ojos del Salado--is a formidable barrier, whose passes to the Argentine side are covered by a heavy blanket of snow during the winter months. As a result, Chile could expand beyond its original colonial territory only to the south and north. The colony grew southward by occupying lands populated by indigenous groups, and it grew northward by occupying sections of both Peru and Bolivia that were eventually awarded to Chile. The main tourist regions are the Atacama Desert, the driest in the world, the Central Valley, where Santiago, the capital city, the wine country and the main ski resorts in the country are located, the Lake Region, famous for its beautiful landscapes and colonial architecture, Patagonia, the land of glaciers, cold rainforests, imposing national parks and endless plains, and Easter Island, the most remote island in the world and home to the world famous stone statues and one of the most enigmatic civilizations on earth.

The Route

2008-10-21T18:49:00.000-03:00

A few days ago, I sat down with some maps of Chile and Argentina, to plan my route for the trip from Santiago, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina this coming January and February. The route will take me from Santiago heading south on the Pan-American Highway (Rt.5) to my Aunt's ranch near Temuco, Chile. I will spend a few days at the ranch, and then head south to the city of Osorno, Chile. From Osorno I will head east, thru the Puyehue Pass, over the Andes Mountains to the Argentine city of San Carlos de Bariloche. Interestingly enough, while doing some research for places to spend the nights along this trip, I came across some very interesting facts. It seems that a pair of Americans called Robert Leroy Parker and Harry A. Longabaugh, better known by their outlaw names: Buch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (part of "The Wild Bunch"), had escaped to this area of Argentina in 1901 to evade the Law back in the United States. Seems that these two had some banking problems back in the U.S.. They went as far as to buy a ranch (with the stolen money of course) in this part of Argentina, changed their names, and then commenced to ply their trade in Argentina. There still exists a General Store, near Bariloche, where the boys would go to get their provisions. I've got to find THIS store!

The Wild Bunch

From Bariloche I head south on Rt. 258 to the town of Esquel. From Esquel, I want to go to the Chilean town of Chaiten. Here, I may run into a problem. The town of Chaiten was pretty much wiped out by a violent volcanic eruption earlier this year. The ash from the near by volcano fell into the river that runs thru Chaiten and caused the river to over run it’s banks and flood the entire town with a concrete like mixture of water and volcanic ash. I won't know, until I get to the region, if the authorities will let me into the area, because the ENTIRE population of Chaiten was ordered to evacuate, and to the best of my knowledge, have not been allowed to return. There are plans to relocate the town of Chaiten.

From Chaiten, I will head south to the town of Coihaique. From what the map shows, these will be unpaved roads. From Coihaique, I will cross back into Argentina and on to Perito Moreno. Now, I will be getting into glacier country. Chile has a large amount of glaciers in its southern extremes, and I want to get to see some of them. From Perito Moreno, I will head south on the famous Route 40. This is the road that leads to Tierra Del Fuego and on to the End Of The Earth in Ushuaia, Argentina. One place that I want to stop before reaching Ushuaia is the Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. This park is said to be one of the most beautiful and picturesque places on earth.

The return trip will take me up the eastern side of South America on Argentina route 3 that hugs the Atlantic coast to the town of Trelew. From Trelew I will ride west across Argentina back to Osorno, Chile and on to my Aunts ranch again before returning to Santiago.

The Stuff

2008-09-15T12:27:00.001-04:00

Much of the stuff that I've ordered for the bike in South America has arrived. In the picture above are the light mounts for the PIAA 1100X, that arrived a couple of weeks ago, from Lumalink. The mounts have been custom made to fit the R1200GS on the front forks. Another thing that just arrived from RKA Luggage http://www.rka-luggage.com/A06%20Liners/R1200GS/R1200GStrunk.html is a liner bag for the top box (not in the picture). Some of the other things in the picture are: a Brake Caliper Lock with built in motion sensor alarm from XENA, Stainless Steel Foot Pegs from Pivot Pegz, much better than the stock ones, a Universal Solar Charger for electronic devices from Solio, an Air Pump from CyclePump. There are very few places to get air for your tires in the Andes Mountains. Also the Throttle Lock from Kaoko (lower left), Cylinder Head Guards from Touratech (upper right). And probably the most important item is the S.P.O.T. Emergency Personal Locator. Other things like camping equipment, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping bag pad, will also be part of the trip, although most of the camping equipment is already in Chile. The only thing I will take down from here is the one person tent that I bought from Eureka Tents pictured below. It only weighs 2 lb, 9 oz.

Another little piece of equipment that I just ordered, is a new Digital Camera from Nikon. A brandy new Nikon D300, said to be the best digital camera on the market at this time. http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d300.htm I'm phsyked about this one! It's a serious 12.3 MegaPixels of picture taking machine. There's going to be some very spectacular scenery on this trip, so I hope to be able to get some great shots with this camera.

The Trip

2008-08-15T19:04:00.000-04:00

This year's motorcycle adventure will take me from Santiago, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina, as you can see in the picture above. "The End Of The Earth". Ushuaia is arguably the southern most city on Earth. (click on image to enlarge) The color yellow represents the trip down and the other is the trip back. I will head south from Santiago and my first stop will be at my Aunt's ranch to spend a week or so in the Lake District of Chile showing Sharon some of the beauty of this area. Once Sharon returns home, I will start the actual trip to Ushuaia. One place I have to see is the Torres Del Paine National Park. It's been said that this area is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. A must see!

Also, this year will see the world famous "Dakar Rally" being held in Argentina and Chile, and I hope to be able to witness parts of this world famous race. My trip, this year, will start on January 2, 2009 arriving in Santiago, Chile on January 3, 2009, and consequently the Dakar Rally will start in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the very same day Jan 3. The Dakar Rally is set to make it's way across southern Argentina and then into Chile, stopping in the port city of Valparaiso, as the half way point. It will then head north into Chile's Atacama Desert, before heading back to Buenos Aires. I hope to be in Valparaiso to catch some of the action first hand.

The Bike

2008-08-15T18:02:00.000-04:00

The bike: 2008 BMW R1200GS "The Swiss Army Knife Of Motorcycles". Weight: under 500 pounds. Horse Power: about 100hp. Performance: HANG ON TIGHT!

Bought new in Santiago, Chile February 08, and at this point I've put 4000 miles on it. Other equipment on board include a Garmin Zumo 550 GPS https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=135&pID=414 , with maps of all of South America. Mount for the GPS comes from RAM Mount http://www.ram-mount.com/ . As you can see by the picture, the bike has the BMW GS panniers already on it and spoked wheels for better off road capability. The Panniers are expandable for when you need to carry a lot of stuff. They will expand about three inches. I will also be installing a throttle lock from Kaoko . http://www.kaoko.com/cruisecontrol.html. Tank Bag and pannier liners from RKA http://www.rka-luggage.com/A02%20Tankbags/11PF4%20Build%20sheet/11PF4%20Build%20Sheet.html . Auxiliary lighting will come from a set of PIAA 1100X Platinum Super White Dichroic Driving Lights ttp://www.piaa.com/Lamps/Lamp-pages/1100x.html . Cylinder guards will be installed before the trip and they will be from Tourateck - USA http://www.touratech-usa.com/ . Light mounts for the PIAA's are from Lumalink, and are being custom made for the GS by Gordy Tool http://www.lumalink.com/ of Arkansas.