We awoke after a good night´s sleep, to open our eyes to ... a snow storm! Whaat!!??
And although the winter had technically past, we were in for a cold adventure. Most of the people where I live recommended us to stay at home, or we would suffer badly from the cold temperatures. My friend kindly answered; "We were born in the cold, we are used to it". Moreover, we only had four days to explore Ushuaia.
We packed the bike in the afternoon when the snow had temporarily paused. With some 80 kg extra, I was a little bit concerned about exceeding the weight recommendation by ... a considerable amount this time. But we were equipped and prepared for the worst scenarios! ...and very eager to take off!!
I must say I was probably equally excited about the trip as my friend, who had barely been on a bike before. When we stopped for a break an hour or so later we were both filled with childlike excitement having finally started the trip! It is incredible to share a bit of what has been my life for some time now, the experience that can neither be described by words nor pictures.
I thought he must have been as cold as I was a the time, but he just smiled and I remembered what he had so proudly told before. Instead of my basic layering technique, he had put on an impressive layer of thermal clothing with double pair of gloves. ...I did my routine push-ups, mini-sprints to warm myself before we continued.
It was cold, and got even colder as we were driving on a mud road between the mountain ranges. But at one point when we started to exit the valley, the temperature changed as drastically as the landscape opened up into a country side field with view of the canal and the surrounding mountain.We continued in a comfortable cruise to just enjoying the landscape.
At one point we had wild bulls running alongside the bike, but decided to stay behind as we began to worry about their intentions! (I cannot forget to mention the estimated weight of at least 500kg, with long, pointy horns). I blame Andreas for the lack of photo evidence, but we were both eager to leave them behind!
The Canal Beagle in the background, with the mountain range on the Chilean side of the boarder.
With the last bit of the sun, we found a camping spot just off the road near a river. We organized duties to get a fire going and the tent set up before the night settled. As we opened a bottle of wine, we talked about the ridiculous day and the how it had far exceeded our desperate hopes of not freezing too much. On the contrary, the night temperature was comfortable, and the night sky revealed itself, brightly shinning over the quiet river. We could never have imagined this ending to the snowy morning we woke up to. We spent the better part of the night recalling memories from our university years!
We woke up after a goods nights sleep and were in no hurry to return to the city. The day was clear but with a strong wind. After an improvised breakfast we got back on the bike and started head back toward Ushuaia. The traces of the harsh wind that normally rules this part of the world are notable in the growth shape of the trees and the bare landscape.
Attaching the tent to the handle bar!
The ride on the mud road between the mountains left traces on the bike and ourselves.
We got back home safely despite the challenges we encountered on the road! To be honest, we were stoked about all the adventure we had, and acknowledge the luck we had with the weather.
With just a few km left to Ushuaia, we were hit by a wall of really strong winds, ... and snow! The conditions were pretty extreme (even by my standards). I had to clear the face shield as often as I could spare the hand, and counter the wind with effort. I immediately admitted to Andreas that I had never driven in a snow storm before.
The last night out, we headed for some infamous pizza down town, followed up by the Irish Pub, the most popular (among few bars in Ushuaia) to drink beer, and later a shot at our luck at the casino. - Needless to say, the following day we slept in. Because of the snow that had fallen, we had to call a cab for Andreas to get to the airport. It was the end of this epic adventure, ...one of many to come!
Overall, I don´t think we could have spent the four days better!!
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