Our first stop was the Llao Llao hotel-resort-golf course, a few kilometres west of Bariloche, created for wealthy tourists.
Llao Llao's security guards allowed us into their elevated carpark from which we took photos. We then tried to enter the hotel for refreshments, but we were refused entry because motorcycle clothing didn't comply with the hotel's dress code. Photo Sarsha
Our disappointment faded once we were amid, what Compass Expeditions calls, the South American version of The Alps. Soon we passed a loaded touring bicycle being ridden by a long-haired individual wearing brief swimming trunks. I thought the rider was a young woman until "she" joined us at the next lookout stop
The bicycle rider - an Austrian police captain who had ridden over 2000km from Ushuaia to Bariloche.
And we thought we were being adventurous riding powerful motorcycles with all our luggage in a trailer towed by our backup car! Captain Austria's determination and toughness impressed us. I admired him for imagining adventures and making them happen - this was not his first adventure and probably wouldn't be his last.
Mike L and Jo. Sarsha Photo
On a bridge that spanned the channel through which water from Lago Perito Moreno flows into Lago Nanuel Huapi.
Jacqui on IC240 and John B
The great views and the roads were losing their ability to assuage our coffee cravings and hunger pangs. Salvation and salivation appeared around a conifer shaded corner – a restaurant complex with several tourist coaches parked outside. Perfect! Parking our bikes on the treacherously soft gravel in the parking lot, we removed our helmets and started for the restaurant. At this point both buses pulled away, like a curtain at the opening of a stage play, revealing that the restaurant was closed. What sort of tourist facility closes on weekends – this one clearly!
At another lookout tourists could buy trinkets and photographs posed with St Bernard dogs. One of the St Bernards was a cute puppy - no photo, as I was too stingy to pay for one :).
I think I've found a spot to build a holiday home - when I win a lottery.
Our next stop was Cerro Catedral, the local ski fields. Before boarding a gondola to take us to a restaurant Roberto, our indispensable translator, chatted to the owner of another St Bernard. Dog owners aren't just selling photos and this one offered to exchange USD for ARS at a very good exchange rate. No doubt this forex trader made a good living – probably earning enough to feed his huge dogs.
A gondola took us up to Cerro Catedral ski fields,1600m above Bariloche or 2400m above sea level. Here we caught up with Jo and Sarsha, satisfied our caffeine and carbohydrate cravings and enjoyed the view. Photo Sarsha
The westerly winds from the Andes over Lago Nanuel Huapi blow almost continously.
As we'd been away a week our clothes needed washing. The proprietor of a lavanderia agreed to wash and dry them that evening so we could be ready to leave Bariloche the next morning. It was very thoughtful of her to work after hours and we tipped generously, but even then we paid only $7USD.
Bariloche is the playground for the rich and famous who go everywhere by car, so decent footpaths have not been a priority. The footpaths we saw either: didn't exist – you walk on the road next to buildings; are loosely packed pebbles or made from pavers that are unstable, or uneven, or both. Concentrating on where you stepped and whether a car could pass was the only way to stay safe.
Dinner that evening was at an Italian restaurant. Can you guess which grape variety was used to make the red wine we drank? I think Roberto(left) is helping David's Spanish so he could ask for another bottle.
In my diary for this day, I had the cryptic note: “Roy and Jackie had a near miss”. I couldn’t remember what happened, so I emailed Roy, and this is what he said: “We were riding out of town along the lake shore. There was a line of cars going in the opposite direction that was moving very slow. All of a sudden, a yellow car, about 30m in front of us, pulled out of the oncoming traffic into our lane. Luckily, I saw this and jammed on the brakes. They saw me and swerved to our right over to the shoulder by the lake almost taking out several pedestrians. If I hadn’t hit the brakes and they hadn’t swerved, we would have had a head on at 45 km/h. So, we were very lucky.”
"Guys, guys, GUYS!" shouts Eduardo, "Tomorrow we leave at 8.00am - be ready to go at 7,45am" (There you go Mike L!)
Day 7 Bariloche to Esquel
I couldn't convince Jacqui to rise earlier than 6.30am for our 7.45am departure so we arrived at breakfast just as everyone was having their last coffee. In fairness to Jacqui we were ready to leave on time - except for that first meeting. Foregoing an extra cup of coffee also had benefits when riding in convoy and even more so on cool days like today.
Our morning briefing. I'm not sure what Eduardo is demonstrating, possibly how to ride on what the locals call ripio. Many of today's photos are from my GoPro Hero 2 mounted on IC240's handlebars. The quality is not great, but I like the "view from the bike" perspective.
Ripio close up
It was cold this morning - vents were closed and winter gloves were donned. Mike L and Cheryl hale from Vancouver Island in Canada, so they came prepared with electrically heated jackets that plug into their bike's power.
Bariloche's 122,000+ population means the roads are busy at 8.00am on a weekday. Before long a traffic light split our group. Eduardo stopped, stepped off his bike and stopped all traffic in our lane until everyone caught up. Good as this system was a perverse combination of events thwarted it.
We turned right to get to a service station to refuel.
Sarsha explains what happened: "We all took off, and stopped at some lights and one of the guys, John l think, said my top box thing was open so l pulled over and locked it, took off again thinking you guys kept going straight. Kept riding thinking gee they have gone far cause l only stopped for a few minutes. Then felt my phone ring I pulled over and it was Jo, she told me to stay there and Eduardo would come back to get me, so l waited, saw him and the proceeded to follow him back to the group which you all were at a petrol station, he wasn't happy but l get why. I mean l have led a group before and it's really not that fun lol."
Queuing to fill our tanks from a single bowser.
Waiting at the service station. Lago Nanuel Huapi was over the road.
Strong winds whip up dust about 5km away on the other side of the lago.
Mike Limebeer, recumbent, and Cheryl relax while we wait.
Jackie and Roy. We were on our way to Esquel.
To get us back on schedule Eduardo took us on a shortcut to Ruta 40. No one was complaining - this is Lago Gutiérrez.
The shortcut became a dirt road. Negotiating one of the uphill turns El Che's front wheel washed out and he was on the deck. Everyone stopped and a few of us ran to his aid. He didn't need it, dusting himself off, picking up his F700GS, and carrying on. How his white motorcycle jacket stayed so clean is a mystery.
This was our last day riding amongst coniferous forests on the eastern fringe of the Andes.
Crossing the 42nd south parallel we entered Chubut Province. Its 224,686 km² stretches from the border with Chile in the west to the Atlantic coast on the east. Photo Sarsha
Roberto and his distinctive Schuberth Helmet. Traffic all but disappeared and the sky magnified. Ruta 40 is tarred and well made here - this won't always be the case. Photo Sarsha
On entering Esquel I almost forgot which side of the road to ride on as we passed La Trochita - a steam train that is better known as the Old Patagonian Express. This train still runs on its narrow 2'5½" gauge track (La Trochita means "the little gauge") for over 400km. Photo Sarsha
Passion speaks the same language
Even after leaving an hour later than planned, we arrived at Esquel in time for a late lunch in the La Barra restaurant.
Parilla restaurants grill large cuts of meat. I'm not sure what Jacqui had for lunch. Photo Sarsha
After lunch Eduardo helped me find an optometrist to fix my glasses. He gave me directions and agreed that they'd wait at the restaurant until I returned. Esquel is a town of one-way streets that weren't signposted that I could see - I told you my glasses needed fixing! I took cues from parked cars and, the real giveaway, confrontations with oncoming vehicles. Outside the optometrista was parked an early model Honda CB750. This wasn't someone's special bike, only taken out for display, it was the optometista's assistant's everyday ride. Neither of us spoke the other's language, but we had no problems communicating through our shared passion for two wheels. And even though my glasses were fixed ($20ARS), I still couldn't see the one-way street signs.
Real life in Esquel
Bariloche's dress codes, view enhancing St Bernards, ski resort gondolas and fancy Italian restaurants were somehow detached from the real world - especially the real world of most Argentinians. Esquel felt real, comfortable. I was at ease amongst people who like to eat big cuts of barbequed meat, care about their environment, own dogs as pets, and importantly share our passion for chocolate.
Esquel's community sending a message written with painted rocks on a mountain side and graffiti on a shop wall. In another shopfront we saw mugshots of local politicians. We didn't have to understand much Spanish to understand that each was accused of corruption.
On our way to our hotel we followed a small grey car, possibly a Hyundai, that took off after failing to slow down for a "V" shaped drainage channel in the road. This is a child-like and slightly exaggerated diagram from my diary. David, Jacqui and I waited, unsuccessfully, for another car to do the same thing. A bit voyeuristic, I admit.
Clockwise from top left: Looking back into town from our Esquel hotel (notice the asymmetry of the conifers - a consequence of unrelenting westerly winds), local wildlife, pizzas Argentinian style and a ripio courtyard in our hotel. Photos Sarsha
Thanks to Jacqui and Cheryl for reading an early draft and finding the inevitable typos.
Go back: Santiago to Bariloche
Stay tuned for the next stage in our journey.
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Comments
August 6th 2021. From Mike R
Excellent ! thanks so much for putting this together together. this past week I continued my tour of north Wales -- walked up Mt. Snowdon, it's not boiling hot or smoky but more like cold and damp :-) (When Ian sent out a link to this Blog post he suggested that most of us would be hot, smoky or in Covid lockdown. He was wrong!)
August 7th 2021. From John A
Ian: Thank you so much for sharing all these great images and commentary. You really should self publish your own “Motor Cycle” diaries. John Anderson
August 7th 2021. From Roy
Thanks for sharing Ian, it brings back lots of memories from that trip, and also the almost head on collision! I still remember that little yellow car. Sorry to hear you are not riding, I’ve been doing more than ever this year. Will have over 100 ride days by end of this year, including on my snow bike. Down in Southern Idaho for 10 days of single track riding with a group of 18. We go from hotel to hotel, and a van carries the luggage. But you are on your own during the day, follow GPS tracks. No Eduardo to make sure no one gets lost. Hope they let you loose soon.
Take care,
Roy
The 2 photos above were taken when Roy and Jackie's daughter was visiting from Norway in April 2021.
Roy and friends on their snow bikes. Winter 2021.
August 12th 2021. From Jerry Cook
Bariloche is so beautiful, thanks for sharing your memories and photos Ian. Those crazy winds and the ripio are definitely something special and unique to Patagonia. Ruta 40 is a great ride and I can't wait to get back there!
Best Regards,
Jerry
August 18th 2021. Jackie Ferguson
Ian,
Thank you for sharing all your beautiful chronicles from the 2015 Patagonia trip and this YouTube video(in the next post). You have a real gift for documenting, creative writing, and film making ….not to mention your wonderful wit! It is lovely that you share this with all of us and also give us photographers credits for our contributions.
Fun to relive that incredible trip to Patagonia! I have to say that I liked your music selection for the video and smiled when I saw your khaki colored sun hat being taken out of your top box….that was your signature accessory!
Good luck with your recuperation from your knee surgery. Hope your physical therapy goes well and you are back on the bike in no time!
Kind regards, Jackie and Roy
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