Trans Americas 2009 - The Blog

Another night where my sleep was interrupted by pain in my back as a result of the overly soft bed and single pillow, meaning I was lying too flat. Having got up to take a painkiller I was wide awake and with lying down too painful took a shower and went into the common area of the hotel so as not to disturb Jim – it was only 5.30am and with breakfast not until 8am I reasoned he could usefully use the sleep he seemed to be enjoying. With no Internet access again I couldn't upload the blog, but I could at least write it and so that's how I whiled away most of the time until the rest of the group were up and making a racket in their usual fashion, clunking about the hotel in their bike boots. I changed into my bike gear and loaded the bike, then went and joined the early birds in the hotel's eating area ready for breakfast. This consisted of some very nice scrambled eggs and fresh buns with butter and jam, accompanied by the inevitable Chilean coffee – Nescafé sachets made up with hot water and warm milk. As a tea drinker it's perfectly acceptable, but those who habitually drink coffee tend to start the morning complaining...

This morning the group formed up for the official 9am start with only Ed & Lorraine and Pertti setting off before Kevin & Julia – unusual in that it meant that when they set off they were immediately followed by a large gaggle of bikes including me. As the road turned quickly from tarmac to dirt it meant that the convoy was riding in each other's dust, but we quickly spread out to increase visibility, the line riding in single file in the clear track between the sprinkling of loose gravel. Sticking to a reasonable speed of around 45mph, we rode along, with ample time to think about the day's ride – some 200 miles to a hotel just shy of Ushuaia and our last night before reaching the southernmost point of the trip. With a featureless and largely uninhabited landscape either side of the road, the ride was pretty dull, with only the odd truck to overtake to break up the monotony. Just before the Chilean border the road changed where it had been recently re-graded, becoming hard-packed mud. Fortunately the graders had almost finished, but some earlier in the group had been directed to the side as the surface was being compacted, including Nigel, who was standing by his bike some way from the road. Assuming he had a puncture and was waiting for the van, the group in front of me waved at him and rode past. I gave him the “thumbs-up” sign to check all was ok, but got a strange gesture back in return as he pointed back the way we'd come. Confused, I stopped to check what was going on, as did Simon behind me. It seems that he'd been directed down a softer path by the workmen and when the path ran out didn't have the strength in his injured shoulder (the result of his crash some time ago) to get the bike up and onto the road. Simon pushed as I walked the bike using its engine and clutch up the small mound of soft earth at the roadside and back onto the road proper, and then we all set off again.

The border crossing was as simple as they get, the Chilean exit formalities completed quickly before a short ride to the Argentine border where we got ourselves stamped in and then a new bike permit printed. Leaving the border most of the group stopped for coffee but I kept going, keen to get the day's riding done whilst I was still feeling fresh. Now back on tarmac I could relax more, although the dirt road had been in really good condition so hadn't posed any problems. The next point of interest was the town of Rio Grande, famous for being where the Argentine air force launched its support for the invasion of the Falklands in February 1982. Here there were statues and signs proclaiming that the Malvinas belong to Argentina, and a large memorial to the 649 Argentine soldiers who were killed during the conflict. A large white wall on the ocean-front with plaques listing the names of the dead, and their regimental coats of arms, it made a sombre spot to reflect on the follies of man, fighting over a patch of land in the middle of an ocean of no strategic or mineral wealth. There was no mention of the 255 British personnel killed during the conflict, or the 3 civilians that also lost their lives...







Leaving Rio Grande and heading back out into the open countryside I was once again alone, enjoying the ride as it headed across the flat pampas towards the distant hills. I stopped only once, briefly, to take a picture of the road some 20 miles from the hotel, once again totally absorbed in the joy of riding. I was trying to capture Ed & Lorraine who I'd seen on the road ahead of me, but at this scale it's impossible to see them, their bike becoming just a speck on the road, such is the grand scale of things...





I arrived at the hotel early, around 1.30pm, and with my room not yet ready went to the restaurant for some lunch, where I joined Pertti, Aaron and Finn, the 3 having arrived some time before me. I had an excellent plate of tagliatelle and a beer, and was then shown to my room in a cabin by the lakeside. Yet another perfect spot in which to unwind and look forward to the days ahead. After a quick hot bath I grabbed the laptop and headed back to the main building, where I joined the others in establishing an “Internet café” with great views out over the lake and mountains...





With the blog up to date, the photos finally loaded, Tracy online, great music playing in the background and a cold beer at hand it was a great way to while away the afternoon and early evening... At 7pm we had our last meeting before Ushuaia, Kevin briefing us on plans for tomorrow when we will ride as a group the remaining 70 miles to the end of the world... It's all getting quite emotional...

Dinner that evening was a collective affair, the hotel full and the restaurant unable to accommodate us individually. Just before the start of the meal, Richard, the current “Gold Star” holder announced that he'd had one nomination, which he then read out. It was from Chris nominating Julia for giving up what could be her last chance to ride the entire Trans AM so he could ride her bike. She missed 6 weeks back in 2005 when she broke her wrist in Costa Rica, and the business means both she and Kevin are unlikely to guide the trip together again. The entire group thought this was an excellent use of the award, quite rightly so.





Dinner then came and the food was excellent, the wine initially less so (we chose a better bottle for our 2nd). Naturally conversations over dinner and in the bar afterwards were reflective, looking back on the trip and what it has meant to us... I suspect that's likely to be the case for a good while, as there's been quite a lot to reflect on... but first we need to complete the journey from the top of the world to the bottom... and that's a job for tomorrow...