of course that means rain. The rain rarely lingers clouds race across the sky on the wind the landscape raked by shadows and sun. Trees leave little doubt as to the direction of the prevailing winds - thankfully they point in our direction.
Pto. Natales was a pleasant rest stop at the Erratic Rock hostel full of folks doing/done one of two trekking loops in the Torres del Paine, the W or the O. Matt considered it, I never did but we heard enough discussion of the trek to feel like we did it thrice. I have plenty of exercise and cold dampness in my life at the moment - besides I heard it is in the 70's in Buenos Aires and I have a plane to catch. The afternoon started wet leaving in a steady cold rain, Mat and I were braced for a little misery but when we dropped down onto the Llanuras de Diana the clouds started to break up.
Llanura means flat plain which connotes 'boring' to my mind and everyone said it was going to be a dull monotonous ride. The ride was beautiful passing a succession of estancias with essentially one climb, other than rollers, up the Cordon Arauca over looking the Llanura de Diana.
The winds drove the rain clouds before us producing a continuous series of retreating rainbows for the 250km into Punta Arenas.
With the approaching darkness we started looking for a place to spend the night out of the inevitable wind and rain. Thankfully the paradas (bus stops) have shelters with doors and appeared every 20km - we just needed to find one with windows, a solid floor, and not used as a bathroom.
Home sweet home for the night out of the raging wind and driving rain - stylish architecture too. Truckers honk to us roaring north and south as we sat on the bench in our sleeping bags cooking dinner and drinking box wine by headlamp.
Accommodations were a little tight but we could stretch out - just barely.
The morning dawned promising with rain blowing ahead, we had a big day of 160+km into Punta Arenas - hopefully the winds would stay to our backs . . . but we knew that was not to be. Initially we motored down the road at 40-50kmph then the road angled west and we were blasted from the side. Pushing down the road leaned over into the wind shoved around by gusts that made standing hard. A woman tending a small store told us the day was relatively calm . . . The riding was hard but occasionally relented when we turned easterly, however I was finally able to get close enough to Rheas, or Nandus, to take their photo crossing the road. We also saw thousands of sheep along with the usual assortment of birds and Guanacos.
The day was long. Matt and I got separated. I rode into Punta Arenas on a US style four lane highway in the dark . . . with two lanes closed for construction - not much fun weaving back and forth across the unlit highway over barriers on dirt frontage roads to arrive in an unfamiliar downtown chilled, hungry, and wind burned. I ducked into an internet cabina located a hostel, got my bearings, then tracked down Matt after a shower, beer, and food. Matt and I met up at 11pm for second dinner. Here we are at 54 degrees latitude in the largest southern most city in the world . . .
Tomorrow we cross the Straight of Magellan by ferry to Tierra del Fuego.
Pto. Natales was a pleasant rest stop at the Erratic Rock hostel full of folks doing/done one of two trekking loops in the Torres del Paine, the W or the O. Matt considered it, I never did but we heard enough discussion of the trek to feel like we did it thrice. I have plenty of exercise and cold dampness in my life at the moment - besides I heard it is in the 70's in Buenos Aires and I have a plane to catch. The afternoon started wet leaving in a steady cold rain, Mat and I were braced for a little misery but when we dropped down onto the Llanuras de Diana the clouds started to break up.
Llanura means flat plain which connotes 'boring' to my mind and everyone said it was going to be a dull monotonous ride. The ride was beautiful passing a succession of estancias with essentially one climb, other than rollers, up the Cordon Arauca over looking the Llanura de Diana.
The winds drove the rain clouds before us producing a continuous series of retreating rainbows for the 250km into Punta Arenas.
With the approaching darkness we started looking for a place to spend the night out of the inevitable wind and rain. Thankfully the paradas (bus stops) have shelters with doors and appeared every 20km - we just needed to find one with windows, a solid floor, and not used as a bathroom.
Home sweet home for the night out of the raging wind and driving rain - stylish architecture too. Truckers honk to us roaring north and south as we sat on the bench in our sleeping bags cooking dinner and drinking box wine by headlamp.
Accommodations were a little tight but we could stretch out - just barely.
The morning dawned promising with rain blowing ahead, we had a big day of 160+km into Punta Arenas - hopefully the winds would stay to our backs . . . but we knew that was not to be. Initially we motored down the road at 40-50kmph then the road angled west and we were blasted from the side. Pushing down the road leaned over into the wind shoved around by gusts that made standing hard. A woman tending a small store told us the day was relatively calm . . . The riding was hard but occasionally relented when we turned easterly, however I was finally able to get close enough to Rheas, or Nandus, to take their photo crossing the road. We also saw thousands of sheep along with the usual assortment of birds and Guanacos.
The day was long. Matt and I got separated. I rode into Punta Arenas on a US style four lane highway in the dark . . . with two lanes closed for construction - not much fun weaving back and forth across the unlit highway over barriers on dirt frontage roads to arrive in an unfamiliar downtown chilled, hungry, and wind burned. I ducked into an internet cabina located a hostel, got my bearings, then tracked down Matt after a shower, beer, and food. Matt and I met up at 11pm for second dinner. Here we are at 54 degrees latitude in the largest southern most city in the world . . .
Tomorrow we cross the Straight of Magellan by ferry to Tierra del Fuego.
I just wrote a great note and the freakin power ran out...trust me it was witty (about your lovely accomodations in the culvert), at times speechless from the beautiful women and mountains and I said have fun and good stuff like that for the end of your Journey...peace...p
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