Three days. 25, 26, 27 March.

 

Three days of ripio riding would take us to Puerto Natales, and our first salt water, Ie., the sea, for several months. The landscape was big, empty.

But not without humour. At least I hoped it was a joke and not a warning.

 

Wild camping on this plain on the 26th saw us eat our tea and sit down with a cuppa and some chocolate biscuits, watching the sunset on one side and the full moon rise on the other.

And early the next day we saw the opposite occur.

Dawn as seen from my sleeping bag.

As an american might say, 'It was kinda neat'. We spoke about the fact that at home too many things would have prevented us from doing that, from enjoying that moment. It felt a little special. The temperature was also special at 2 degrees overnight.

Moonset the other way.

It was also special for another reason. I had collected some large rocks to help stake out the tent. A little while later I was handling one large rock when Sarah said, "Dave, that is a black widow spider". I was surprised, but sure enough there it was, sat upon its trade mark untidy egg sack, stuck to my rock. This rock was quickly and gently removed from our vicinity. I also gained a new sensitivity to all the hundreds of similar rocks which surrounded us.

There she is. You cannot see the red markings on her abdomen from this angle.

 

The following night we crossed the border once again. The Chilean border guards - a very happy bunch - allowing us to camp beside their building, which was good news as the forecast strong, gusting winds arrived at nightfall. At least we provided a minor diversion to the tour group buses which passed through the post the next morning.

We were very glad of the shelter afforded by the border guard post.

 

It's only the hairs on a gooseberry, that stops it from being a grape.

A conversation........ 24.03.13

A conversation between the gods of Awe and Splendour.

"Ok, listen up. We have this couple who have been biking north to south through the Americas. They are beginning to think they have seen it all; mountains, snow, salt plains, rivers, deserts, extreme weather, seas, lakes, canyons, forests, high plateaus, lowlands, etc., etc. What do we have next for them?

"Well, they are heading toward Torres del Paine".

"True. But as good as that is it is just more of the same. No, we need something they haven't seen before. Something....spectacular....beautiful.....grand...."

"Ah. It's going to be just fine. Look where they are going next."

"Where?"

"They are off to.... the Perito Merino Glacier....."

 

 

I was beginning to wonder where this journey could go next. Not geographically, but in the sense of what could produce the sense of wonder that I had been experiencing on an almost daily basis for some weeks now. The Perito Moreno glacier is where we went; it did not dissapoint.

The gods were correct. It was spectacular, beautiful and grand.

An ice sheet 170m thick, measuring 250 square kilometers, 30k long, and 100m high, 5k wide at the lake end. Blocks the size of several houses crack away - called calving - with loud retorts into the water causing large waves to spread out. There are constant creaks, groans, cracks and retorts as the weight of the ice relentlessly pushes from the rear towards the front. One of the few glaciers worldwide to still be advancing.

Remember, that is a wall of ice over 250' tall.

For scale....see below.

It's only the hairs on a gooseberry, that stops it from being a grape.

We went from this.... 22.03.13

We left El Chaten, and instantly left the mountains behind us. Literally.

 

Within 15k we were travelling through an arid landscape, a preliminary to the pampas?

 

It's only the hairs on a gooseberry, that stops it from being a grape.

Wear & tear. 28.03.13

The past few weeks stuff has started to simply wear out. Patches on my shorts, darned socks, holes in our clothing, in our tent ground sheet, etc. All minor stuff, quite remarkable considering the use everything has had. Then I noticed that my Tubus rack had broken on one of its spars. Fortunately within a few hours I had located a welder who tig welded it back together.

Perhaps not the prettiest weld. But to be honest, he wasn't the prettiest welder either. But it's held so far. It did make me cringe when he worked completely without any eye protection. At least his guide dog didn't seem to mind.

For many years now I have religiously carried a HyperCracker tool. (Editor; an emergency tool for removing a rear cassette to enable a drive-side wheel spoke to be fitted), but I have never had a spoke break on either wheel. Consequently there has always been a part of me which has felt 'hard done by', as it is a minor right-of-passage to replace a broken spoke. No more! Sarah had a rear wheel spoke break, and out came the HyperCracker, never before used. It worked a treat, the new spoke was fitted and I can now feel a little more like a real bike tourer. I know it's weird, but I cannot help it.

 

It's only the hairs on a gooseberry, that stops it from being a grape.

And just one, last one.....

No more, I promise.

 

It's only the hairs on a gooseberry, that stops it from being a grape.

No apologies.... 19.03.13

I make no apologies for another Mt. Fitz-Roy post.

 

 

 

 

As the day wore on it did get a bit moody up there. And possibly even more beautiful.

 

 

It's only the hairs on a gooseberry, that stops it from being a grape.

Mt. Fitz-Roy. 19.03.13

 

From Lago Desierto it was a days ride to El Chaten. It is the first time I have been to a town (All-be-it a small one) that is younger than I am. Created out of nothing in the eighties to 'settle' a border dispute with Chile, it was love at first sight for both Sarah and myself. The town serves as the gateway to Mt. Fitz-Roy, the star of the local mountains.

And what a star it is......

 

No photograph, or at least not my photographs, do it justice.

As you can see, we cannot complain about the weather....

 

 

It's only the hairs on a gooseberry, that stops it from being a grape.