On To 'Tierra Del Fuego', Ushuaia & The End of The Road

Sunday 29th to Tuesday 31st January

 

Dave & Bob relax in Punta Arenas before we head to the island of Tierra Del Fuego & our final destination of Ushuaia.

 

We catch the ferry at 09.30 to Povenir & arrive 3 hours later, a very smooth crossing thankfully as we disembark on ‘Land of fire’ (not sure why it’s called this as it’s a bit chilly!!).

 

Dave & Roger consult the GPS as clearly we have gone the wrong way & arrived at a locked gate.

 

With directions resolved we head back to the correct route, on the island we have about 140km of gravel road until the Argentinian border, from there it’s paved all the way to Ushuaia.

 

Along the coast we pass small fishing hamlets, this is a pretty bleak place in the summer but I hate to think what it will be like in the winter?

 

We are all getting a bit quicker on the ripio although it’s nearly all over now, next time we pass this way we will be real experts.

 

Our lunch stop at San Sebastian just before the border, Roger chats up the landlady as usual.

 

Now back in Argentina we spend the night at the unremarkable oil town of Rio Grande (it isn’t Grand at all!) & on Monday head up the Garibaldi Pass, it’s amazing how the landscape changes & we have trees again.

 

Our first sight of Ushuaia, the weather deteriorates & we get some light rain, initially we were going to ride to the end of the road today but we put it off until Monday hoping the weather will improve.

 

We’ve made it!!! We are in front of the sign in the ‘Tierra del Fuego National Park’ that marks the end of the road, you can’t ride any further South than this anywhere in the World.

Bob & Dave have completed 30,000 miles & myself 20,000 but we have made it in one piece, it’s a great feeling!!!!

 

The original Yamana tribe that lived in these parts were naked & hence had to have fires in their bark canoes, unfortunately the European settlers & Evangelists that tried to ‘save’ them in the 1880’s wiped them out within 35 years due to disease, the introduction of Alcohol & changing their way of life.

 

A picture of Dave’s rear tire, fortunately Horacio from ‘Patagonia Rider’ (www.patagoniarider.com) has organised delivery of three new ones to Rio Gallegos about 600km on our way back to BA, thanks mate!!

 

The scenery in the National Park is stunning & when you get away from the road so peaceful, this would be a great place to camp for a few days, we however prefer our 4Star accommodation.

This must be the most Southerly point to post your letters & postcards (does anyone send them anymore?), Motocycle tourists stick their adventure signs everywhere, should we have had some made?