Wind and Torres del Paine (Now with full photos) - (Friday, December 21 - Punta Arenas to Serrano River))


Before I begin today's update, I have a couple of updates from previous posts.

Remember back on the first day when we had to wait close to 2 hours for the ferry?  Well, we heard yesterday that the ferry we got on, was the last ferry going our direction for 1 ½ days due to the winds!  We are so lucky we made it!  The only other option would have been to circle back to our starting point and determine a new route.   We certainly would have had to exclude something from our original itinerary if we had been forced to circle back.

The other update is regarding the flat tire on the truck.  It was repaired this morning before we left the hotel.  A mobile repair unit came to the hotel and fixed the tire right there.  There was a small stone, about ¼ inch in length and it had one very sharp end that pierced the tire. Oh well, everything is back on track.

Today we headed north from Punta Arenas.  The first part of the route today was the same as Day 1 when we had all the wind.  The wind is still blowing just as hard as it was on Day 1.  We had strong winds all day today. 

The views changed dramatically as we headed north towards Torres del Paine.  Until we got closer, these roadside flowers were the only thing worth photographing.



Once we reached Torres del Paine the views were amazing.  My words won’t do justice to the views so I will post a few photos here and let you judge for yourself.  These peaks are the most famous in this region.






Tonight we are camping again and we are at the entrance to Torres del Paine National Park.  We have a river running  near our tents and the famous mountains nearby.  The campsite even includes a small shelter with tables and benches for eating at and protection from the weather if needed.  It is very nice.  Wilfredo has already set up our tents and is now busy cooking us dinner over a wood fire.  I believe pork chops, sausages, potatoes, vegetables, and a bottle of wine are all on the menu this evening.  We are really roughing it!




As we have now been riding for 5 days, I thought I would provide an update on how well the motorcycles are working and how we are navigating.

The motorcycles we have are working well.  If we had to carry our luggage, I would want a larger motorcycle, especially in the windy areas.  The bikes are very basic without all the electronics and in this situation, I am OK with that.  Having a lighter bike makes it much easier to maneuver because we make frequent stops for photos etc.  Wilfredo has done the required maintenance along the way including tightening and lubing chains.

From a navigation standpoint, things are also working well.  Neither Pradeep or I have maps or GPS with us; we are relying on Wilfredo for navigation.  When we are in a town, Wilfredo will take the lead and Pradeep and I will follow.  Once we get out of town, Wilfredo will signal us to go ahead of him.  When we need to turn off our current route, either Wilfredo will pass us and take the lead or we can see him signal so we know which direction to go.  If we are unsure about a corner, we can pull over and let Wilfredo lead or direct.  We have only missed a few corners where we had to go backtrack – not bad.  When we are out ion the road with Wilfredo behind, it doesn’t feel like “follow the leader”; it feels like we are out on our own but we have a bit of "insurance" right behind us!  Pradeep and I are also rotating who is leading and who is following at various times.  Pradeep and I have bluetooth communication systems in our helmets that allow us to communicate which is very helpful.  We use the systems primarily to alert each other to traffic concerns, road hazards, and general navigation.  Pleased to report that things are working out very well!



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