Map by the last day

We are done

The riding is done. 4500 km. No falls. Very few incidents. The bikes will be collected in about an hour. We head for Punta Arenas airport tomorrow... Homeward bound.

Chocolate Box

Re-group

Whenever we lose sight of too many riders we will find a point to stop and wait to check that all are ok. There haven't been many better spots than here. As usual, all were well and we rode on.

Torres del Paine

There are too many awesome shots from today's beautiful ride through Torres del Paine, including seeing two Puma about 200m away from us on their own Pride Rock - bonus - (not shown on Chris's itinerary.)

Puerto Natales

We have arrived in Puerto Natales but the weather is poor and forecast to get worse so we will use our spare day tomorrow to ride Torres del Paine. Instead we are off to find good coffee, and a gin distillery. 😊

Y uno cafe cortado

The closest we've found to a good flat white.

And when you can't ride...

Farmstay

Last night we stayed at a really cool old farming station. 12,000 hectares but only 5,000 sheep and 600 Llamas. A grand old property built by an English couple in 1891. The descendants make more from tourism visits now.

Half way across Magellan Strait

Farewell

Farewell Porvenir.

Some don't like gravel roads

These muggins overtook us on the gravel road. We were traveling at 80-100kph. They weren't good with corners. This was the result. Sam helped one who was stuck in the back. Dr Jen checked them all out; shock was obvious but otherwise ok. Then we rode away to leave them with their embarrassment because we had a ferry to catch.

Fisherman

We found an old fisherman that Chris met in the same spot 8 years ago. We gave him some NZ products and he responded by giving us a fishing fly each.

Ferry

Now aboard the ferry across the Magellan channel.

Porvenir Coast

We are headed North from Rio Grande, mostly on gravel roads, back across the border (I've lost count of how many times I've been to Argentina and Chile) and on to the ferry in Porvenir across the Magellan Strait.

Rio Grande

And now we are back in Rio Grande for the night after a good day.

Our first flatty

We have done really well with no flat tyres and broken bikes so far, but today or luck ran out. The good news is that it was slow leak so we kept popping up until we reached Rio Grande and a tree ship. Now fixed.

Learning to take selfies

Beach parking lot

There's always one

Beauty 3

Beauty 2

The scenery!

Popular

Postman Pat

The Southern most postal service? Again, save for Antarctic.

Cincuenta y dos anos

My birthday shout. 😊🎂

Another Cape Horn shipwreck.

Beauty

End of the road

Yesterday I said we were at the bottom of the world. Well, as Bluff is to Invercargill, there is an end of the road a little South West of Ushuaia, so we went there through a beautiful national park. And, thankfully the weather has changed from snow to sun.

Ushuaia dinner

You know that feeling when you don't know what the future holds?

Prison

So, I've done time in Alcatraz and now in the Presidio Terra Del Fuego in Ushuaia. They look similar but this one would be easy worse in its bitterly cold winter climate (not that if have much sympathy). The Presidio has become a cool museum and art centre.

54.8 degrees South

New friends

We found some fellow motorcyclists (American, Brazilian and Uruguayan) to drink with plus a couple of Aussies back from the Antarctic. It was fun how quickly people clicked into social interaction.

Ushuaia

After a day of sun, then strong winds, then rain, capped off with 30 minutes of snow we have arrived at the bottom of South America, Ushuaia. After hundreds of kilometres of wide open plains over the past two days we again have a backdrop of high mountains. The bloated midriff wasn't pies and cakes but 4 jackets on!

Waiting II

Waiting on the ferry, across the Magellan channel. The current was so strong it's hard to believe old sailing ships came through here.

Ferry

Waiting for the roll on roll off ferry.

Petrol, always more petrol

Today we rode 525km and the tanks are only good for about 300km so you're always on the search for petrol stations.

Shipwreck

An old shipwreck caught our attention. There are holes in it from target practice, probably for those heading to fight in the Falklands. There are heaps of signs still claiming Las Malvinas es Argentina's!

Really windy at times

Walking tour

Up on the sides of the glacier, with crampons.

Rest Day El Calafate

So, we headed off to check out Porito Moreno glacier, which is big.

Our track so far

Riding map to date

El Calafate

We are now in El Calafate for two nights. It is very clearly a Queenstown for of town; heaps of cars, buses, tourists, eating outlets and things to do. We are off to see a glacier tomorrow.

BMW F800

Heading for El Calafate, in the sun again. These BMW F800 bikes have been excellent for this ride with its combination of highway, gravel and a couple of tracks. (As long as you keep them upright because they are very heavy once more than 15 degrees off centre.

Butch Cassidy reward

More Butch Cassidy

We saw Butch Cassidy's house the other day. Did I load that? Today we stopped at a hotel he spent three days at resting after robbing an Argentinian bank.

More gravel roads

The snow passed but the gravel roads continued. They're actually pretty good condition and ready to roll along at 80-100kph.

Early lunch

So we took over a local petrol station to refill and eat or self supplied lunch. We bought good coffee and cakes from them. They were happy enough because they took photos of us. 😊

Well, it could snow!

Back on the road

Heading South again to El Calafate along some more gravel roads (75% of trip so far). The sun is out, what could possibly go wrong?

Tonights accommodation

Again plain but functional, with slow speed WiFi