Matt, Evan, and I finally departed from El Calafate after getting a series of bike and money issues settled. The days are getting cold with fresh snow on the hills over town but favorable winds pushed us out across the steppe. After climbing 10km out of the river valley onto plateau the wind charged unimpeded across the steppe driving off snow into drifts at the base of fescue tufts. Fingers frozen, toes frozen, face stinging we arrive at our dirt road turn off 100km down the road at El Cerito . . . nothing is there . . . funny, I am unclear why there are names on the maps. There is a road works building where we can get water but the lone worker says no to camping, besides it is too cold to camp . . . no shit.
With the sun going down and temperatures dropping we retreat to a nearby drainage looking for shelter from the wind and find casa "Arnold".
We had noted the regular concrete drainage culverts along the road and knew we were bound to be sleeping in one like every other cyclist. So we hung Evan's ground sheet across one end and moved in. We dragged in everything we would need for the night and snuggled into our bags to get comfy. Evan and I stayed in our bike clothes too cold to change telling ourselves we could change later . . .
After some minor interior decorating to give it that cozy prison feel . . .
we opened the whiskey and put on some Neil Young. Post cocktail hour we made dinner and with two stoves going the temperature stayed above freezing inside - bottles froze solid outside.
The morning dawned cold but calm and we crawled out of our cave to ride before noon on Argentine Route 40 - a good quality dirt road through the steppe.
Wildlife was abundant - we saw enough guanacos and rheas to stop counting, a couple foxes, condors, hares, sheep, cattle, and horses. The rhea is a flightless bird related to the ostrich that stands anywhere from 3-5 feet tall. I have tried to get a decent photo of rheas but for a flightless bird they sure are flighty - taking off flapping and running as soon as we approach - consequently this is not my photo.
At a small lagoon beside the road ducks, geese, and flamingos sat on the water.
the pink dots are flamingos out there . . .
We finished out the day on 50 km of pavement to the dirt road turnoff to Argentinian immigration and into Chile as night fell.
After a cold night in the ditch we opted for more comfortable accommodation in Cerro Castillo besides lacking few other options in the dark and the rain . . . or at least we told ourselves.
The next day into Puerto Natales was a short 60km through beautiful Patagonia.
mind the land mines . . . they are the remnants of a 150+ year old border dispute between Chile and Arggentina, the Beagle Conflict, that nearly erupted into war in 1978. Ultimately, the Pope was called in to mediate the dispute and it was definitively settled in 1988 by the Argentinian electorate. The mines pose little threat to people because there are no people but occasionally the odd stray cow/sheep gets blown to bits.
We rode down a long valley, over a small pass chasing a series of retreating rainbows caused by passing rains.
Into a cold gray Puerto Natales whose primary attraction is its proximity to Torres del Paine.
However, I will not be hiking there this late in the season - I have plenty of cold and wet in my life.
With the sun going down and temperatures dropping we retreat to a nearby drainage looking for shelter from the wind and find casa "Arnold".
We had noted the regular concrete drainage culverts along the road and knew we were bound to be sleeping in one like every other cyclist. So we hung Evan's ground sheet across one end and moved in. We dragged in everything we would need for the night and snuggled into our bags to get comfy. Evan and I stayed in our bike clothes too cold to change telling ourselves we could change later . . .
After some minor interior decorating to give it that cozy prison feel . . .
we opened the whiskey and put on some Neil Young. Post cocktail hour we made dinner and with two stoves going the temperature stayed above freezing inside - bottles froze solid outside.
The morning dawned cold but calm and we crawled out of our cave to ride before noon on Argentine Route 40 - a good quality dirt road through the steppe.
Wildlife was abundant - we saw enough guanacos and rheas to stop counting, a couple foxes, condors, hares, sheep, cattle, and horses. The rhea is a flightless bird related to the ostrich that stands anywhere from 3-5 feet tall. I have tried to get a decent photo of rheas but for a flightless bird they sure are flighty - taking off flapping and running as soon as we approach - consequently this is not my photo. 
At a small lagoon beside the road ducks, geese, and flamingos sat on the water.
the pink dots are flamingos out there . . .
We finished out the day on 50 km of pavement to the dirt road turnoff to Argentinian immigration and into Chile as night fell.
After a cold night in the ditch we opted for more comfortable accommodation in Cerro Castillo besides lacking few other options in the dark and the rain . . . or at least we told ourselves.
The next day into Puerto Natales was a short 60km through beautiful Patagonia.
mind the land mines . . . they are the remnants of a 150+ year old border dispute between Chile and Arggentina, the Beagle Conflict, that nearly erupted into war in 1978. Ultimately, the Pope was called in to mediate the dispute and it was definitively settled in 1988 by the Argentinian electorate. The mines pose little threat to people because there are no people but occasionally the odd stray cow/sheep gets blown to bits.
We rode down a long valley, over a small pass chasing a series of retreating rainbows caused by passing rains.
Into a cold gray Puerto Natales whose primary attraction is its proximity to Torres del Paine.
However, I will not be hiking there this late in the season - I have plenty of cold and wet in my life.
I hope nobody had bad gas in that tunnel/culvert....Greg?
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