Coyhaique to Puerto Rio Tranquilo Day25 Jan3 14

 

Waking up this morning, Antonio informs me that he is going to linger in Coyhaique for a day or two…..wants to visit the Ice Fields…..which I am near at the moment but it is 52 k away on a rough side road so I will pass. With the GPS programmed for Cochrane, I bid farewell to Antonio and make my way out of town.Along the way at a photo stop, I meet Axel a 6’ 8” Argentinean from Mendoza who is also on his way to Ushuaia. He tells me about sleeping in an abandon house a couple nights back that made our barn sleep look like the Ritz. He has 20 days left for his trip.   The 1st 50 k are paved, plus the 42 k detour my GPS leads me on to Puerto Ray…….I stop for Coffee next to the lake in Puerto Ray. Puerto Ray……. I inquire in my best Spanish sign language where am I and learn that to get to Cochrane I must backtrack. Only tonight, I learn that I could have taken a ferry across the lake to Chile Chico. One half hour ride……instead I did over 150 k mostly rough gravel roads. I plan on crossing into Argentina at this point.       A light drizzle adds to the cold wind, as I hit the course gravel road. The scenery is spectacular and changes at almost every corner on this road which has many switchbacks as you climb and descend into valleys. Rock fall hazards along the way…… The road changes for a period to a hard packed clay then back to loose wash board adding to an already bumpy ride. I stop to adjust my load, luckily as I discover by spare gas can has sprung a leak and fuel is dripping on the exhaust. I pour the remaining fuel into the tank and discard the container in a garbage can next to a Prayer Shrine………..in the middle of no where.

Tonight, I am in an expensive hotel. I have met some other rider 6 of who on BMW’s and 1 Vstrom from Brazil………Rafael, a lawyer and I talked into the wee hours of the morning. His group is headed to Ushuaia and I passed him earlier but his bike was riding in the back of a pickup. He broke down 40 k back. His bike is a 2012 Bmw gs 800…..upon calling the dealer in Brazil…..and explaining that the bike seized up at 90 k causing him to skid into the ditch…….fortunately no injuries to either himself or girlfriend……the dealer said it was a known problem and would be covered under warranty. The best they would do was get the bike shipped back for repairs and he could ride along with the delivery van. He wants to complete the trip, so may bus to Argentina and rent a vehicle. I also met up with Alex, from Belgium and we had a pleasant dinner here at the hotel…….he will be crossing into Argentina and turning north for Alaska then the Road Of Bones as he makes his way home. He too has some problems. The road has wrecked havoc on his pannier frames and he needs to repair them before continuing…….