October 16, 2010
Route 3 and Route 30
In this part of the world there's usually a horse trail by the fence along the roadside where the gauchos on horse back ride along or drive cattle. It was on this trail that I'd camped last night hidden from the road by thick scrubs, so I's hoping that a nightrider wouldn't come and tramp on my tent with me in it.
The sun did make a belated appearance yesterday evening so I's quite disappointed that this morning was overcast yet again. The back wheel was flat so I pumped it up before leaving but it only remained hard for an hour so I pumped it again and the third time I had had enough so decide to chance the tyre. The rim on the back is an old Mavic MA2 in which it's often hard to get the last bit of the tyre on the rim for most tyres. It's not the kind of job that's nice to do by the side of a cold windy road. The new tyre, a Maxxis overdrive, however was quite easy. It replaced a Kenda tyre both of which I bough in Chile where good 700 35 tyres are easy to find.
I've, as I write, just finished lunch of polenta. I'd polenta lastnight and for lunch yesterday too as there's absolutely nothing on this road. Nowhere to buy anything only villages far away from the main road.
At around four I came to the junction of route 30 which is a secondry road. There's only 29 km to the Brazilian border but route 3 and whatever road follows on on the Brazilian side has become very monotomous. And 70km further, on the Brazilian side is quite a big city which I'd prefer to avoid. I sat by the road side studying the map for a while eventually deciding that I would cross the border at Artigas 128km along route 30 where I can plot my way ahead through the first part of Brazil on side roads avoiding sizable cities.
The road was unpaved with lots of small round stones and the first part away from route 3 was slightly uphill. I's beginning to wonder was this a wise decision as I got further away from the paved road. I'd only done a few kilometres at a slow pace and there were another 125 of them. Would I have enough food? I definately needed alot more water.
There was a farmhouse ahead a hundred metres off the road so I parked the bike by the gate and took three big coke bottles with me up the laneway. Thankfully the dogs didn't meet me barking instead they met me then walked quietly and gently behind me. I met the woman of the house on the veranda and asked could I have water. She said through the open door to someone inside come out and fill the gentleman some water. A shy teenage boy came out and started a pump and he'd to wait awhile ontil the water came out a tape. He asked was I cycling the world. 'no, just South America' I replied. I get shy too when people keep asking me where I've cycled as I get tired of hearing myself telling the same story. 'And where to and how long for' they ask. I often make this up as I cannot say for definative my route or how long it'll take.
There were a few houses further on, one of which was a rural school. Julie Williams mentioned in her journal that all rural schools in Uruguay have wifi, so I decided to tried it out and got connected straight away. I checked a few things by the road side and then wheeled my bike through the gate past the front and was going to put my tent up round the back out of sight but discovered that I could be seen from a house in a corps of trees farther back. So I beat a hasty retreat.
I cycled on. It wouldn't be too hard to find a place to camp as there were eucalyptus groves every kilometre or so. It had been a sunny afternoon but now that I's cycling east I'd a bit of a cross wind, nothing too serious though, it only made putting the tent up in my chosen grove a little tricky ontil I'd pegged the four corners to the ground.
Today's ride: 80 km (50 miles)
Total: 3,936 km (2,444 miles)
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