20 November
Wike upp 07.30 am and loaded my bicycle for todays tour and heading Porvenir. The brakfast is served at 08:30 and I’m alone . Coffe, two warm sandwiches, two pancakes with jam and glas of juice. Todays sunshine has switched over to rain and grey sky,
My plan is to head for Porvenir from where the ferry boat over to Punta Arena depart, First 35 km easy cycling on concret surface road. Then I came to a Y-junction. Here I must stop because there is two different roads to Prorvenir, a short one and a longer one.
At this Y-intersection, there’s also a small shelter for cyclists and others to take cover from rain and wind. The shelter is filled with text on the walls and stickers from all corners of the world.
After some consideration and advice from a passing motorist, I choose the Y-71 road, the shorter option.
What I didn’t have a full grasp of was the road’s quality and length. It was a gravel road not worth the name, full of holes, stones, loose gravel, and completely devoid of any semblance of service. It bounces and shakes all the time, and the crosswind makes it difficult to maintain balance. Additionally, there are quite a few challenging hills.
This area must be a solitary paradise. Light years between houses and no shops and other services!!
I persevere in the crosswind and over the bumps. After exactly 77.61x km, I meet a touring cyclist from Ecuador. We chat a bit, and I find out that he’s headed to San Sebastian and has no tent with him. It will be a tough journey for him; he started in Porvenir and has already cycled over 60 km.
I continue my pedaling and reach a junction, and there’s another shelter for cyclists, called Circuito de Oro. A couple is already there, and I join them. They’re from Australia; his name is Alan, and hers is Alie. They are headed to Ushuaia and then flying home. They plan to stay at this shelter tonight.
I have some snacks and an energy drink. The view from here down to Ushuaia Bay is truly magical.
After about 45 minutes, I continue for another 7-8 km before setting up camp above a number of metal sheds that I guessed were for fishermen. Two larger open boats confirm this.
While setting up the tent, I hear barking, and they come towards me at first a bit cautiously. But then their joy spreads, and so does mine.
I continue preparing for the night, and for dinner, it’s boiled rice, ham, boiled egg, tomatoes, and a non-alcoholic beer… Coffee and cookies before I crawl into my Marmot sleeping bag.
I am completely exhausted, mostly mentally.
Distans: 93 km
Average Speed: 14,0 km/h
Max Speed: 35,3 km/h
Cycling Time:06,37 h/m
Total Time:09:59 h/m
Medium Temp: 06,0 C
Max Temp: 13,0 C
Min Temp: 04,0 C
See Yeah
P-G
//The Global Cyclist 1726