Wildcamp at Refugio 58 Km East of Porvenir

February 11, 2020

The first seven or eight kilometers out of Porvenir was really pleasant cycling on good ripio up a gentle hill. Then we struck a patch of roadworks with lots of loose gravel and sand that carried on until we hit the coast at the Santa Monica wetland. We stopped to check out the birds but there was nothing exceptional to be seen.

A shrine Gauchito Gil on the hill out of Porvenir.

A warning for "Red Tide", a phenomenon that occurs often off the South African coasts as well. These are algal blooms that produce toxins that can kill off marine life.

Turning eastwards along the coast we started to be pestered by first a crosswind and then a headwind. By the time we took shelter for some lunch just short of thirty five kilometers it was blowing quite strongly and we thought that we were in for a tough afternoon. Soon after that it suddenly dropped and started blowing from the west and stayed like that until the end of the ride.

The route was a bit of a roller coaster with a few steep sections and the ripio varied a lot with smooth sections interspersed with sections of loose gravel. Thankfully the traffic was mostly light and the fresh wind made sure that the dust dissipated quickly.

We are starting to see a lot more Guanacos.

We reached the first of the refugios that are maintained by the Porvenir local authority, largely for the sheep herders. It is quite new but already shows signs of abuse. Although there is provision for a stove, it appears that one has not yet been fitted. The toilet is part of the refugio and stinks to high heaven. We first thought of sleeping in the loft which is designated as the dormitorio but after a nunmber of other cyclists arrived we decided to set up the tent about thirty meters away, out of the range of the smelly loo.

The cyclists who arrived, in drips and drabs, had all been on today's ferry from Punta Arenas. The first to get to the refugio was Torvin from Germany soon followed by Wolfgang, also from Germany. Then Tom from the USA (on a Thorn Nomad) and the eccentric Swiss couple on a tandem whom we had met south of Cerro Castillo. These last three decided to carry on a bit further but Torvin and Wolfgang were happy to take the dormitorio that we had vacated. While we were having supper (the second half of a double batch of beef stew that we had cooked up last night) Martin and Elsp from the UK arrived on their Thorn Nomads. I have been following their journal (on another site) since they set off from Rio de Janeiro last year.

The rain, which has been trying to fall all day, has started while I lie in the tent typing up my journal but hopefully the weather will clear tomorrow. The plan for tomorrow is to ride to the King Penguin colony about 56 Km from here and hopefully spend a full day there, if the weather plays ball.

Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 1,479 km (918 miles)

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