Park National Day 44 Jan 22 14

 

days . A couple back packers we met. This young lady from Vancouver took a leave of absence to do a couple month trip and he quit his job in Seatle to join her. Her family lives in Toronto and has a cottage in Dorset On only a few miles from where I live…small world…. eh.

It was sunny when we awoke this am and it gave us an opportunity to dry out our stuff……….we hit the road about 11am…first stopping to get some food at the small market in the village. They had a tent set up for sale reduced from 850 pesos to 750 pesos…about 125.00 US…….after spending the last 2 nights in cramped wet conditions…we bartered or at least Antonio did……8.5 pesos to the US dollar….so I exchanged 100.00 US…got the tent and 100 pesos change.. Tonight I AM ONE HAPPY CAMPER….You may have noticed the black plastic around the tents……apparently they have a plague of sorts that has killed a few people and is borne by rats or mice……these rings of plastic help keep them away from you. Tourism in these parts is off as a result of this FEAR. I didn’t have this protection the previous 2 nights and had to make noises through the night to shoe them away as sworms could be heard making their way towards me…….maybe that was a dream…lol.

Made an adjustment to my saddlebags which have been  awkward on the bike….my hockey bag now protects them and is the saddle over the rear seat with by dry bag on top…..this allows me a bit more comfort in that i am not as far forward. THE bike covewr which I used like a rain jacket over the bags before is full of holes…mostly burns from the exhaust. I had bought ladder holders which supported the bags previously and taped these to the rear carrier and hanging down to keep the bag away from the exhaust….it works…   ………………………………………….

Scenes in our 40k journey today     entering tonight’s camp..70 pesos’

view from my tent looking up river

might be a Robin from Muskoka…he was hanging around my tent…

unable to post tonoght…no wi fi……ma\y try to reach BARILOCHE tomorrow…….

Esquel to Park National Day 43 Jan 21 14

 

On the road by 9am..in a light drizzle which turned to all day torrent……we rode only 10 k into the park before we sought shelter in a village within the park, Filtaleufu. We spent a cold, wet and very uncomfortable night in damp cloths. It is still raining this am so we will stay put….internet is down so this post will be on the road. on route to the park….  Park Entrance 65 pesos…hiding from the downpour…..soon we would camp…  so wet they let me set up under a shelter next to the bano…..used rocks to tie off and the posts…to keep the wind from blowing me away….. Lunch……. Restaurant at camp ground……..in the evening the kitchens in most places open late with dinners going out after 9 pm. Spent the morning in the tent under damp covers……Sun out for a few minutes…now drizzling…our clothes are to wet to travel and without sun we have no way of drying them……

Esquel Day 42 Jan 20 14

 

This has been a rest day with some maintenance to my bike performed by Antonio……..he adjusted the throttle cable as it appears he had more on his than mine and may be the reason he is 30 % faster than me…..I cleaned the air filter….so tomorrow i hope to be able to keep up. R to L Mia, Lucia & Matais…….

Fue nuestra buena fortuna de conocer a una maravillosa e interesante familation….Le deseamos lo mejor en el viaje de la vida………

Tomorrow we will venture into the Park……….may be a couple days before I post again……

Rada Tilly to Sarmiento to Esquel Day 39 40 41 Jan 17 18 19 2014

 

This turned out to be one of those eventful days……the night before while having dinner with a couple young Argentineans , Antonio had met earlier in Ushuaia, they convinced Antonio he should follow me on Route 26. Just over an 1/2 hour out of Rada, Antonio’s bike develops a wobble. We discover a number of broken spokes on the rear wheel and unload the bike hoping this will allow him to return to Comodoro for repairs…..no way. We have no luck in flagging a truck to get the bike to the city….people stop but are either not going that far or are unable to carry the bike…we decide to take the wheel off….no simple job without a centre stand.Antonio’s Argentinean friends stop to say they saw Antonio in town….I was late in getting a pic Wheel off Antonio departs with my bike which has also been unloaded while I stand guard in the sun over his bike and our stuff. It’s roughly 10am……while he is gone a number of people stop and I field questions with the usual…no hablo espanol…all try with hand gestures to see if they can help….I explain in kind that everything is ok. During the next 10 hours I am given water and a large chocolate cup cake by individuals who stop. Antonio returns around 1.30 pm…no wheel….after a lot of running around the Honda Rep takes him to a bicycle shop and he is repairing the wheel but it will not be ready until 6.30………we snooze in some bushes to get out of the sun and talk to people who stop…….. Antonio leaves at 5.30 and returns at 7.30…..we get the wheel back on and shortly after  pm are headed for Sarmiento. It is late when we arrive and set up is done in the shadows of a mild evening.

Next morning we depart  with Esquel as our destination…..scenery changes about 50 k from Sarmiento as we are approaching the foothills of the Andes. We lost a couple hours at Jose de San Martin while waiting in a line up for fuel. Reach Esquel around 6 pm…I am on reserve….the station has no fuel….just across the road is a campground…the nicest yet…we decide to stay a couple days before going through the Parque Y Reserva Nacional Los Alerces  which will take us on Ripio roads for 100 plus k and back to 40 and north towards Bariloche. Today is catch up the blog and do some maintenance on my bike. Antonio’s bike has  about 30 % more power than mine….hoping it is a clogged air filter problem….if not then I will just lag behind….sucks. Last evening we met a couple great families and though I couldn’t converse, Antonio spent the evening in conversation with them….the children were the nicest and most friendly kids with the young boy so gracious and polite and interested in our travels….he is seven . Camp great kids Another family next to us

From the campground I was able to get a pic of an excursion train which is quite old and runs on narrow gage track.