August 28, 2010
Route 4 and National route 11: The way to Santa Fe.
Day 19. Wed 25th Aug. San Cristobal to road junction routes 4 and 61. 91kms
It was late when I awoke having already gone seven thirty. The first thing I done as I periodically do is try rocking the cranks from side to side to check for play. Yes, there was play, not surprisingly really with all the recent grinding in the wind. It's hard to maintain a smooth spinning action as the books and coaches advise which reduces strain on the bottom bracket while battling against wind. The part a Shimano Hollowtech like all Shimano is only design for trail riding and racing not constant daily loaded riding.
The Southbound road from San Cristobal, provincial route 4, has allot of truck traffic but it's at a comfortable level where I'm not constantly clashing with oncoming and passing convoys consequently having to ride off onto the verge out of the way. The sign on the way out of town read Santa Fe 172kms and shown in my map route 4 joins national route 11 forty kay north of that city. I wonder what it'll be like, maybe an autopista with nice wide shoulder. I'll have to wait and see though.
As well as being aware of play in the bottom bracket my chain was dry. I remember making a mental note last night to oil the chain in the morning but this morning I though, I know there's something I intended to do before starting today, could I remember no. I'd to resort to taking out most of the contents of the Bob-bag by the roadside it being so dry it wouldn't wait to evening. Though I's lucky it was a still morning.
By lunch time I reached the village of Elisa which as the sign in read, the village with the the sweet name which was the only sweet thing as it was another spread out collection of grain stores, farm machinery and not much else. Though there was a good roadside restaurant where I stopped for lunch eating spaghetti bolognesa washed down with good red wine. The food in Argentina is great in the big cities and touristy areas, though in rural unvisited places it is often boring and medioce. The above place was different though being immaculately clean offering a variety other than the Criollo, pizza and pasta norm though I opted for not very exciting spaghetti as I like the combination of mince meat and grated hard cheese especially with red wine.
After a dull overcast morning it was a bright sunny winter's afternoon. The low clipped hedgerows were bare except for small birds flying about. I often saw big birds roosted on top of roadside trees. There were brown tilled fields and green fields of wheat. Other fields had herds of black and white cows and cows fed on round bales in enclosures by farmyards. There were quite allot of derelict old houses and most of the farmhouses were modern bungalows.
Following Elisa there was one other village that day, Pelada, then I saw a big grove of eucalyptus ahead which looked to be the spot to camp but when I'd gotten that far it was the entrance into a big beef farm with a great billboard announcing a forth coming cattle sale. It was 30kms more to a road junction where I knew there'd perhaps be a service station and possibility of camping. I's right after close to two hours riding I arrived to a small service station by the junction having a grassy patch by a tree and the owner said I could camp.
Day 20. Thurs 26th Aug. Road junction to Santa Fe. 85kms.
It has been a big shock to awaken to thick fog this morning as if the road wasn't dangerous enough in good visibility, consequently I didn't dare ride on it instead riding full time on the verge. The service station was a small one man operation. I's quiet disappointed there wasn't a coffee machine. The owner fixed me up an instant coffee which wasn't looking great as he was mixing coffee granules and sugar with cold water into a paste before boiling up the water to be added on a gas hob in a kettle reserved for mate. there wasn't any of the normal breakfast pastries so I'd to do with alfajores( a two biscuits sandwich with dulce de leche). There was Internet so at lease I could catch up on emails which there were none.
I cursed the fog as it was slow going riding on the verge. The sun briefly glance through but was resolved in thick fog again. It was eleven before it began lifting and well after noon before it'd totally lifted and the sun began breaking through. So then I's back riding on the road. I passed a few roadside farmyards where the dogs came out barking where I rode back on the verge as I didn't want the distraction of the dogs while looking out for traffic. It was for this reason I think I'd a front wheel puncher as there were thorns on the verge.
I reached the junction with route 11 where there was a Petrobras service station and as it was both midway distance wise to my destination and lunch time I stopped. There was not only wifi but also power points so I charged up my computer a bit.
Although much wider than usual route 11 was still the same old trademark Argentine single carriage way without a shoulder with more car traffic going very fast and the same heavy truck traffic. I's happy in the knowledge though that I'd only forty kilometres of it and then a much looked forward to couple of days break.
The earlier sunshine was increasingly clouded over as the road passes though village after village to one big village then into the suburbs of Santa Fe where it looked certain to rain. Once on the city streets the traffic lights every few blocks had a calming affect on the traffic though. I could've in any case rode on the pavement but I thought I better not as it looked like a rough neighbourhood. I's proved right as I passed a park further on and a scruffy teenager approached demanding money. My heart was in my mouth and I instinctively knew it was time to stop riding slowly and accelerate away. I kept going for many blocks barely stopping at traffic lights until I'd reached a nice looking neigbourhood near the city centre, where I's glad to meet with two young guys on a scooter at traffic lights which were clean, smartly dressed and certainly didn't look as if they're going to jump me.
The last few kilometres towards the city centre were confusing though because at every intersection or roundabout there were big signs directing towards Cordoba and Rosario. There were none showing the way to the centre, perhaps you most quest or ask a passerby which I did a few times eventually getting to the main pedestrianizes commercial district. I needed to find a place to stay so I ask another passerby who wasn't much help. Then an old lady asked me,'cheap or expensive' 'cheap' I replied. Then she gave me directions to a place called Humbertos which isn't so cheap as it's 70 pesos or 12 sterling which doesn't include breakfast and the room is like a cupboard. It's an indication that Argentina has become expensive.
Today's ride: 177 km (110 miles)
Total: 1,235 km (767 miles)
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