December 14, 1999
Day 53 Casa de Piedra: wicked winds
While Koko is saddling up his horse for another day of work, we pack up our gear and say our goodbyes. We ride back to Ruta 40.
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The day starts with just a little breeze from the northwest. We have seen the road yesterday, so we know where to expect the climbs. This helps us pace ourselves.
The wind gradually becomes stronger and shifts more to the west. This makes our work a lot harder, trying to stay in the car tracks is a necessity as there's too much gravel elsewhere.
Just before we reach Casa de Piedra, an isolated estancia on the road, tucked in a little valley where the road starts yet another climb, the wind forces us off our bikes. We decide to camp here tonight, no use fighting this wind so early in the trip down Ruta 40.
A woman shows us around the little campground. There are very nice showers with hot water, a building that once probably was a garage is now kitchen/dining area. We roll our bikes inside and decide to put our tent in here as well. There's plenty of room and so far, we are the only guests.
Patrick buys some coke, chocolate and beer, expensive here but worth the treat. While we relax in our sheltered area, outside the wind rages and even carries some rain clouds over the Andes.
Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles)
Total: 2,323 km (1,443 miles)
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