September 16, 2010
Uruguay day 3.: A fine day on a bike.
Sat 11th Sep. Camping along farm-track to camping in plantation near Carlos Reyes. 79km.
The thunder and lighting lasted most of the night and the rain pelted the tent hard. This morning I relised I could've chose a much better drained place for the tent if I had of used a little more thought as there was a flood running past the tent and it was only by chance the tent wasn't completely waterlogged. As it was a little water ran under the tent and many things were soaked.
The two Ks of farm-track out to the road was a quagmire. I had to cross a stream which yesterday evening I couldn't cross without wet feet this morning the water was up over the top of the shoes. The road, luckily, when I did reach it being surfaced in sandy grit was well drained so there were only a few puddles and muddy places.
Today too as I kept going in the grey wet morning the brown gritty road seemed to have no end. It was however more flat today meandering it's way along and around the edges of wheat fields or across moorland pass plantations. I've pasted through two junctions since leaving Sarandi de Navaro yesterday evening none of which had roadsigns indicating the way. It's only by shear initiative by following the road with the most car-tracks that I think I'm on the correct road. Shortly after cresting a short rise I came to yet another junction, a road turned off to the left with what at first looked to be without a sign showing the way. Ah! Straight ahead I was looking at the grey back of a sign meant for road users coming from the opposite direction. So I cycled on past the sign and done a u-turn and saw Repressora Baygorria (which is a hydroelectric dam) 22km Ruta 5 65km arrowed now to the right which was the road I planned to take. I hoped there would be a village at Baygorria as I'd got no water and few thing to eat.
The grey morning gave way to a bright day with fluffy white clouds, an altogether fresher day than yesterday. The countryside again today could've well been Northumberland or the Cheviot hills. There were sheep and their lambs bleating. The furry rust coloured white head Hereford cows and their calves in muddy fields fed on round bales. I stopped and took a few photos and cycled on. A bit further on I almost ran over a snake. I see so many of them crushed on the road that it's great to see a live one. I was to see three more cross the road that day, apparently they're very active at this time of year.
It wasn't much further to the hydroelectric reservoir and before the dam wall there was a grassy pick-nick area where I spread out the tent, the sleeping bag the map and whatever else got wet last night on the grass to dry in the sun while I ate my lunch of two pieces of salami left from yesterday, bread from yesterday too and tea from water taken from the reservoir.
Across the the dam wall there was a village and I did find a small supermercado open. The girl behind the counter looked as if she'd seen a ghost when I walked in but settled down when I began asking have you this or that. I asked do you sell Alfarjores not just because I wanted one but because I love the way locals say Alfar har aah. She didn't have the nice home made Alfarjores just the other ones, not very good so I left disappointed.
The ashfelt began at Baygorria and thereafter it was time to make up some distance after the slow pace on the bumpy unpaved road the last few days. The landscape continued like earlier in the day only now the road was in a straight line meaning it was up and down as well as now a light south west wind had picked-up so I wasn't making up much distance. I was not going much faster than when I's on the unpaved road.
The afternoon passed on and again it was approaching nightfall. There was only one choice of campsite though and that involved uncoupling the Bob-trailer for the lift over the fence. It was not looking good as most of the plantations were close to farmhouses but there's alway somewhere if you keep going and looking. So I kept on until I saw a bit of woodland where the part next the road had been cleared. There was one tree on the outside of the fence which would act as cover if a car should come. There were only a car every ten or fifteen minutes anyway but when I crossed the fence it suddenly changed to car after car so I'd to duck down among the stumps allot until I got to the cover of the trees.
As I sat in the tent writing my diary a little later I relised that there was a road at the back of the wood too not very far from my tent so when I heard a car and saw the headlights glow through the trees I'd to put the torch of as not to be seen though this was not too often.
Today's ride: 79 km (49 miles)
Total: 1,951 km (1,212 miles)
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