December 19, 2015
Same: Rio Senguer to Culvert Camp.
I have the wind this morning hitting me side on from the right and I'm forever riding uphill to a dead level horizon. Like a table of dull scrubland tilted up. Sheer misery after yesterday's delights. Patagonia sure is full of variety, except now, it is featureless and all the same. If I could get to the next town, Rio Mayo, I know from there the road turns a bit more to the south again and unless the wind moves more to the west, I should have a bit of a tailwind from there on.
Then, as if things aren't bad enough, there's road works. And shortly a sign "200m Fin de Pavemento" meaning the tarmac ends and onward is on gravel road.
Road resurfacing is ongoing and traffic has been diverted on to a graded temporary earth road alongside, where a cloud of dust is thrown up by vehicles passing over it. Fortunately though, the wind is blowing it off to the left, away from me cycling on the right side.
I continue for what must be five kilometres, until I see a black stripe of tarmac on the permanent road where they're working. So I lift the bike up on it and ride on upon the smooth newly laid tarmac, until the road works finish at a steep hill down to an arroyo, where there's a blue lagoon to the right; wherein, are pink flamingos. And ahead it's pleasing to see the line of the Rio Mayo valley.
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I descend to Rio Mayo at noon after having struggled four and a half hours doing forty-seven kilometres.
From the barranca top looking down into a valley, it looks like someone dropped a load of tin boxes from the sky, that clustered by a pale green willow enclosed winding river contrasting with the dry ochre surroundings. But once I'm in it's tree shaded street, I find a pleasant enough small town. I find a small family run supermercado where I get the makings of lunch and more food for the days ahead. And then lunch in the municipal campsite, wherein, two itinerant carpenters-furniture makers have stopped in, driving a closed back pickup full of tools towing a caravan; one cooking lunch, while the other has plugged a jig-saw into the power supply and is cutting pieces of wood. Lunch is ready just as I have finished eating my fill of cheese sandwich and can eat no more, which is a pity because they invited me to join them.
I am glad to see a tarmac road has been built on the stretch on since I passed this way in 2004. Then it was "Fin de Pavemento" on the edge of town and the next hundred kilometres "ripio" graded natural material how a map key may describe it, otherwise known as dry soil and stones. Back then I had a really tough long day from starting in Rio Mayo in the morning, reaching Perito Moreno at sunset, filthy because of the dust.
Today the wind continues buffeting me, only slightly to the rear now as to give me a push into the road instead of a helping push along. It is a long afternoon looking at the same level scrubland horizon ahead of me. And when it is getting late I stop by a steep banked culvert and pitch my tent on the sheltered side.
Today's ride: 115 km (71 miles)
Total: 2,668 km (1,657 miles)
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