September 30: Day 3, Rio Grande to San Sebastian
I think I've had the full Patagonia weather experience today.
The forecast was: 1-5 degrees, good chance of rain, constant 30km/h wind from the west. Sounds reasonable - since it's above zero, there should be no ice or snow or sleet or hail or anything.
(You know where this is going. And it's not good.)
Before leaving I needed to fix the safety strap on my handlebar camera. It's fallen off once, and if it happens again there will be no more video. So I've been using a cellphone wriststrap: there's a small thread loop at one end, which attaches to the cellphone; I've put the screw that attaches the base through it. The wrist loop is small so it has to be threaded past the gear shifter and it's a bit of a puzzle. But it's secure! Until I accidentally pulled a little bit hard getting it off and it broke. Maybe the cold weakened it? I have a backup but it took a few minutes put the screw through the loop. The screw is small and dainty and the multitool isn't really good for this sort of thing.
But then the camera didn't turn on. No handlebar video today. It had been charged overnight so maybe it's something more serious...
Time to visit a bakery and get out of Rio Grande. (Should I be surprised that the bakeries here at the end of the earth still make enticing pastries? Because they do.) It was about 9 so the roads were busy; I took the sidewalk sometime when it was empty and the road was too full. And then there was a bikepath! Not a very long one, but a legit bikepath running between the two lanes of traffic. Does it get used much? Certainly not this time of year, I was the only cyclist I saw.
Then the big two-lane road turned into ... gravel?! It looked like a part was under construction, except there was no evidence of construction equipment, and it abruptly ended after a few hundred meters. Unfinished? Abandoned? No problem - the main (asphalt) road to the next town was a short zigzag away, through a short gravel section so deep I fishtailed and nearly got off and pushed.
Did I mention the wind? I'm going to. The forecast predicted a westerly, and that's pretty standard for Patagonia; it's strong and as far as I can see it's almost continuous. There's no trees around here, and that's probably a big part of the reason why. The only grass is brown and scrubby and there's patches of bare earth. This wind is part of the environment.
Today's westerly should mean I get a side wind for most of the day, I'll only be heading directly into it at the end.
But that isn't how it happened. In its defence the forecast only said it'd be a westerly at the start and end, and left open the possibility that it'd do other things in between.
But it started well enough. I innocently got on the road, used the gravel shoulder when there was traffic, looped around the big roundabout and started heading north. The wind was from the west, as expected, and it was strong. There's some seriously big logistics warehouses around, they were so big that the wind went away when in their shadow. For some reason, even though the wind is side-on it does slow you down. Maybe it's not possible to keep a straight line because it gusts? Not sure. I did my best, and pressed on.
From left to right: Bikepath in Rio Grande. The two lane road on either side turned into this. Some very long straight roads in these parts. Shrines/tombs. Landscape is pretty barren…
The road turned a bit left, went up a hill - maybe I'm jumping to conclusions but I'm going North and this feels a lot like a headwind. So maybe the wind had shifted? Well, whatever the story was, the ride was turning into a slog: be at peace, select the best gear, and don't get tired out. Komoot said this would be a short 5h20 ride, but it's very clear that's not going to happen today. And at some point I'm going to wish I stayed in bed.
Things escalated. I can't explain the geometry, but I ended up fighting a ferocious headwind even though I wasn't going west: flags were horizontal, the hood on my raincoat going FLAPFLAPFLAPFLAP. I'd got out the raincoat because there'd been a hint of rain and it turns out to be really good at blocking the wind, which keeps me a lot warmer than just the fleece. The rain didn't really go further than a few drops but then it switched up into fine hailstones; just peppercorn sized but when they're fired at your face at 30km/h they sting. The clouds were getting thicker, the hailstones turned into sleet then snow and I realize visibility is short, I'm in a nasty snowstorm, all I can see is waves of snow blast across the road, the ground is going from bare to snow-covered and I didn't sign up for this. There's still 50+km to go and while the temperature is probably above zero, the wind chill makes it very negative. (To be honest I was warm and mostly dry, energy was fine, and my fingers and toes weren't too cold.)
But it wasn't much fun. Snow kept sticking my sunglasses and covered up the view. Wiping them didn't really make it better. I could still get a clear view by peeking over the top but looking out meant the snow could get in. The route was basically Follow The Road All Day so I didn't need to take my gloves off and use the phone, fortunately. Snow blew in and packed on to me and the bike, I tried to keep my gloves clear since they're not waterproof and I don't want them wet from snowmelt.
Started to get a little lightheaded. Tried having a muesli bar which fixed it - and I suddenly realized I could go much faster, which was a very nice feeling. I'd been having serious thoughts about stopping at San Sebastian (Argentinian half) and staying at a hotel if there was one. If there was a cafe I'd stop and get a hot drink. But after the snack I was pretty happy with the idea of going the extra 15km to the hostel I'd booked. It's easy to neglect nutrition if you have to stop and take your gloves off and freeze, just to eat!
San Sebastian (Argentinian side) showed up, I had a careful look for cafes but it wasn't even a village, it was a border post with gas station and nothing else. The Chile and Argentina border posts are 10km apart, oddly: you exit Argentina, cycle for 10km, then enter Chile.
That 10km in the middle is an unusually rough road. It's so bad that perhaps "deliberately" is a better word. As far as I can see this road is the main transport link to Rio Grande (pop 100k) and Ushuaia (pop 90k) and all the other towns and villages on the island. So it doesn't make sense that the asphalt road has such huge and numerous potholes that the trucks have to pick their way through them. And it's heavily used: I saw at least ten going the other way while I was heading through. Being on a bike is an advantage though - cars had to gingerly straddle or circumnavigate the holes while I could thread between them much faster. It is in between the two countries so maybe both sides are being petty.
From left to right: the storm sets in; the photo erases the snow flurries. Me, having had enough. Snow covered country (through a bad lens). Entering Chile. The connecting road, this picture really doesn’t communicate that there were potholes bigger than one sq meter and 10cm deep. The road on the Chile side; someone is making a point. Bike parked for the night.
I forgot to say that the wind actually stopped! It's practically a wet wintry day in Amsterdam, with less wind. But I've had enough.
On the other side is the Chile entrypoint; this is a lot more complicated. You need to get your passport stamped (person #1), get your application judged (person #2) and then person #3 (the youngest and the one doing the hard work) set me up with an entrance declaration, then searched all the luggage on my bike and sent me on my way. Advice is to answer "yes" to the question about whether you're bringing fruit or vegetables in, because if you say no and forgot something, the fine is about 500 euro.
1km to go to the Chilean half of San Sebastian. That about matches my enthusiasm for being out here in the cold.
Get to the hostel, my room is nice and warm, the showers are hot, I'm feeling better about everything. Except the weather forecast. That was a betrayal. Some Googling shows a yellow-level weather alert for snow in the area. That's the sort of thing I'd like to know when I ask for a forecast. I'm going to get some more varied forecasts for tomorrow...
...but if tomorrow's weather is as bad as today I'm staying in bed.
