More of the same.

January 12, 2011

Today, it is around 125km from San Antonio to Sierra Grande and so a more achievable distance than yesterday. I should arrive, provided the wind doesn't rear up, by mid-afternoon.

Already it is a morning I wish I were somewhere else. The sun which is not long risen is momentarily blocked out by clouds of brown, (probably sand) moving rapidly across the scrubland. As I Left the service-station where I'd camped, it looked like cycling into the abyss. The wind hit me side on, repeatedly pushing me off the side of the road and making progress miserably slow. And there was a big increase in truck traffic which joined the road at the crossroads by the service-station. The oncoming trucks hit me with a blast of turbulence which almost stopped me in my tracks while I'd to continually look over my shoulder for trucks coming up from behind.

Looking forward, the road seemed to be one long gradual uphill, but casting a glance backwards I saw this wasn't so. Though, there were gentle hills as the landscape remained the same as yesterday, namely, ancient sand-dune with its cover of scrub.

I past a turnoff on the left for a place on the coast called Las Grutas which features in other journals on this site. Shortly thereafter the day mellowed, the wind dropped and the rapid moving clouds and dust drifted away completely leaving in their wake clear blue sky. At the top of a rise, I approach a turnoff on the right, Route 23 inland. A few hundred metres on from this junction and also on a bit of a rise up from it is a petrol station with a shop.

I am now as I write the notes for this page sitting outside on the sheltered side of that shop. The view is of that road West to Barilochi. It is a white line through the dark green scrub which folds into a low hill on the other side. The sun is glinting off the windshields of cars seemingly moving in slow-motion along it. I contemplate the idea of turning back and going that way, but I really don't want to go to Barilochi.

The day then just got better, I mean while sat outside the shop the wind was still blowing furiously in the wrong direction and I'd only covered at that point barely 40km by 10.30. But on the road ahead unnoticed the wind shifted further to the side and towards the back of the bike and it was only an hour later after leaving the petrol station that I reached a sign where amongst other places ahead stenciled along with the distance in kilometres was Rio Grande 61km, so at last I was making reasonable progress.

Again the day would pass without human contact other than the shopkeeper who was a shy young lady. There were though car after car that gave me a friendly hoot and also the many motorcycle tourist that held their hand aloft after passing me.

There isn't mush more to write about today except the wind moved even more around to my back and I arrived in Sierra Gande mid-afternoon. Here as the name suggests, there's a range of hills which broke the tedium this afternoon as they could be seen for a long time as a purple coloured rugged range across the increasingly brown scrubland.

I am now writing from where I intend to camp to night in a little park, with amble trees and picnic tables, behind the YPF station on the way out of the other end of town. At another table is a couple with a car, drinking mate, looking as though they'll camp here too.

Tomorrow it's yet another 140km to Puerto Madryn. I wish it was tomorrow evening just to have done with it.

Today's ride: 129 km (80 miles)
Total: 8,798 km (5,464 miles)

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