January 25, 2016
A Turn Around In Many ways: Rio Grande to km2895 (route 3).
Well I thought I'd sleep after that, but no. I could've done with having the tent up two hours earlier if only I weren't so soft hearted and kind. What Eidog doesn't understand, that unlike himself a hitchhiker, who doesn't use much energy during the day riding in a car when he can, sleep in the car if he's sleepy, cyclists need their rest. It is well after midnight when I eventually lay down to sleep. But could I get any peace to sleep camped in the middle of a town. No. All night long there is noisy revving of aging cars with corroded through exhausts. They'd start close at hand and drive away, the noise fading into the distance. Then within five minutes they would be heard returning "birrr birrr voom voom birrr....." back to the start. These petrol heads with peas for brains kept driving circuits of the city through to seven this morning.
I didn't sleep and therefore dread getting up to face the day ahead. Eventually I do make the effort out to answer nature's call. Then return to sit in the tent holding my head repeating "Oh my head hurts, oh my head hurts." It feels like I have a hangover with dehydration causing headache. I slowly breakfast on milk and cornflakes, before I start to liven up and pack up and begin breaking camp. I have just everything loaded on the bike when Eidog emerges from his tent in time to say goodbye. I need my own space. I didn't get a chance to write anything yesterday evening and dreaded he would come along to the YPF service station café with me this morning and keep talking to me and it would be impossible to concentrate to write anything.
Back in the YPF service station café my head is scrabbled without sleep and having Eidog talk to me non-stop the evening before, resulting in what should've taken an hour to write, about all what happened yesterday, takes over two hours, while the café sound system having played through a full array of Rock Argentina, then Eighties Rock. Then just as I'm finishing off Bonny Tyler with "Total Eclipes of The Heart" come on. Halfway through just as the instrumental solo is beginning I've finished and put the pen down, raise my head and tears come to my eyes at such a wonderful piece of music.
You can tell I haven't slept as I go the wrong way out of town. I knew that. I just thought by continuing south out of town was in the general south direction and would take me back onto the main route 3. But heading out of town south took me into a barrio and a dead end, so I had to return back in through town and out of town going north the way I rode into town, until I reach route three again at a roundabout and take the left turn for Ushuaia.
The road goes directly west and I've headwind, though the wind is only half the strength of yesterday's wind. Then after six or seven kilometres the road curves road to the left and from there on I've a tailwind.
I write now from a well hidden roadside campsite, having stopped at five. I should have a peaceful night's sleep here. I feel even though I didn't get much sleep last night, today though has been short and I have no longer aching muscles and stomach nausea. I feel a lot better than I've felt for almost a week.
Today's ride: 58 km (36 miles)
Total: 4,529 km (2,813 miles)
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