Day 210 – Coyhaique to Paso Raballos, Chile 03/19/11 Mileage: 214
It absolutely poured all night, so much so that it woke me up several times which almost never happens. Around 9:30 the rain let up, so I packed the bike and continued south on the Carretera Austral.
Aside from a few rain squalls, the weather steadily improved as I rolled south and eventually gave way to sunny skies with just enough clouds to make for good pictures….I hit the jackpot! It seems my waiting a day was the right move after all, and I was basking in the warmth of the sun and glad to not be drenched in the cold driving rain again.
The scenery went from great to unbelievable as I rode along the aquamarine waters of Lago General Carrera, the largest lake in Chile. This is what I came here for, and I would have disappointed to miss out had the mountains been obscured by the rain and clouds.
This one day made it all worth it. Late in the afternoon I stopped and setup camp on a small bluff and enjoyed an amazing Patagonia sunset…a fitting end to a memorable day of riding on the Carretera Austral.
Tomorrow it’s back into Argentina and onto the famous Ruta 40…
Kyosti and Joachim had decided to take a more direct route back to Argentina, while I chose to continue farther down the Carretera Austral before crossing back over to Argentina. They wanted to get an early start and I wanted to use the wifi for a bit, so we said goodbye and they were off.
It was great riding with them for the last 3 days…we shared a lot of good stories and laughs and I’ll miss their company. I went to work on the blog, but before long I could hear the unmistakable sound of rain on the roof of the hostal. Crap. Given the weather and that the blog was still over a week behind, I decided to stay one more night to get caught up….and hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow morning…
Day 208 – La Junta, CL to Coyhaique, CL 03/17/11 Mileage: 166
The hostal barely had heat so none of our gear was really dry. We certainly weren’t going to stay, so we packed the bikes and grabbed a quick breakfast of yogurt and fruit on the way out of town.
Part of the road that ran along a fjord was under construction, so they had a ferry take you around the construction zone…nice!
The rain was coming down but it would occasionally stop to lift your spirits even if only for a moment…and a picture.
The last 40 miles to Coyhaique were in a downpour the tropics would be proud of, so we decided to seek out a hostal (with heat) to dry out our gear and regroup. The rain ended late in the afternoon as we wandered out for dinner. Hopefully tomorrow will bring better weather so we can enjoy riding what is surly one of the most spectacular roads in the world.
Day 207 – Futaleufu, CL to La Junta, CL 03/16/11 Mileage: 237
It was raining on and off in the morning and it didn’t look like it was going to stop. We had breakfast and waited for it to let up, then packed the bikes and headed west for the Carretera Austral…a remote, mostly dirt road connecting the towns in the far south of Chile in Patagonia.
The quaint if not so bustling town of Futaleufu…
The scenery, when we were able to see it through the driving rain and low clouds, was spectacular. Some of the rivers were a turquoise blue that I just could not capture with my camera.
You can actually see the rain coming down in these pictures…
We pressed on through the rain and cold but eventually cried uncle and sought refuge in a small rustic coffee house on the Austral. We were chilled to the bone and drowned like rats, and thankful to be out of the weather. The owner stoked up the wood stove and made some hot tea and coffee while we listened to the rain pounding on the metal roof.
We tried to dry our gloves by the fire as our hands were suffering the worst from the cold.
Fresh steaming gloves hot off the stove….
We sat down and laughed at ourselves and thought at moments like this…why can’t we be like normal people and go vacation in the Caribbean and sit on the warm beach…washing down conch fritters with fruity rum drinks. Well, that was a good laugh but it was only a temporary relief from the misery ahead, as the rain if anything was only getting worse. So we thanked our host for her hospitality (and heat) and we put our gear back on and went back out to finish what we started. The owner gave us the name of a friend in La Junta that ran a hostal, so that was now our goal. Needless to say I did not stop to take many (and by that I mean any) pictures, partly because the scenery was largely shrouded in rain, fog and clouds, but mainly because I couldn’t be bothered with stopping to take the 10 minutes it would take me to get my soaking wet numb hands in and out of my drenched riding gloves to work the camera. We finally arrived in La Junta and ended the misery when we found the hostal.
The owner turned out to be bat shit crazy, and we would have told her to shove it and left were it not such a pain in the ass to re-pack the bikes. Over dinner we had some laughs (mostly at her expense) and shared stories from the road, the craziest of which I’ll summarize here. Back in Quito, Ecuador… 5 men armed with guns and knives broke into the apartment where they were staying, held them at gunpoint, made them get down on the floor and tied their hands behind their back…then robbed them. HOLY SHIT is all I had to say…in addition to they are lucky to live to tell the story…
Day 206 – San Carlos de Bariloche, AR to Futaleufu, CL 03/15/11 Mileage: 237
After running some last minute errands, I packed the bike and pointed the KLR south out of town. The scenery was epic, the weather was fantastic and all was right with the world.
I stopped for lunch in the small town of El Bolson which had a nice vibe and a great setting below the towering nearby mountains.
Even the gas station in El Bolson had a nice view…
A month ago I would have stayed just to have a better look, but I need to keep pushing south if I’m going to beat winter to Ushuaia. On the far side of El Bolson I caught up to 2 other riders and we pulled over to chat. Kyosti and Joachim are a father and son team from Denmark and have been on the road since August and also started in NY! We were heading the same direction so we saddled up and hit the road together.
We stopped for gas in Esquel and then continued to the Chile border, passing more amazing scenery along the way.
Crossing the border back into Chile…
We found a nice little hostal for the night in the tiny town of Futaleufu just over the border and then wandered out for dinner. There were only 2 restaurants open so we chose the one that had a pretty extensive menu. We sat down and began looking at the menu and noticed X’s next to many of the items on the menu. We asked the waitress if the X’s indicated that they did or did not have that item as it was not clear…and neither was her answer. So I order lasagna, which did not have an X, but the waitress said, “no hay”…which means they don’t have it. Next I tried ordering a burger, which did have an X next to it…but she said, “no hay”. Joachim and Kyosti tried ordering as well with similar results. I asked if she could just tell me what she DID have and we’ll choose from that. So, she went to the kitchen and returned 10 minutes later and said they have lomo (meat) with potatoes or soup. I asked what kind of soup, but she didn’t know and once again returned to the Kitchen to find out. Tomato soup, perfect…I’ll take it. Joachim and Kyosti went for the lomo and we added a round of beer to the order. 15 minutes later she returned and said, no hay lomo. We started laughing hysterically…and they amended their order to tomato soup as well.
Our “no hay” dinner….
So, with a menu of at least 50 items on it, it came down to they had tomato soup, bread and beer….which was fine with us and we got a good laugh out of it as well. Such is life in the remote area’s of Patagonia…
Day 202 – 205 – San Carlos de Bariloche, AR 03/11-14/11 Mileage: Local miles
I spent the last few days mostly getting caught up on the blog, running errands and drinking my body weight in cheap (but very good!) Argentinian wine.
The hostal had a pub downstairs and it was always full of partying travelers, so that was good time! They also had a big traditional Argentinian assado Friday night which was great.
Meat, it’s whats for dinner…. 😀
I took a day trip on the bike out to tour the west end of the lake on some spectacular roads, passing by the famous Llao Llao Hotel which is situated in an amazing setting.
You can see the Hotel Llao Llao on a hill in the middle of the picture….
I’m not sure what kind of birds these are, but they were big!
I also went up to have a look at the Catedral ski area and rode to the top of Cerro Otto with a great panoramic view of the whole area.
The view from the top of Cerro Otto…
Bariloche is a great place to relax and spend some time for sure. I also bumped into Alex yet again, which would make it the 4th time in 4 different countries. He saw my bike out front when he passed by and stopped in to say hi…too funny!
I also went to the Honda dealer to borrow a 27mm socket and breaker bar to change out the drive sprocket, rear sprocket and drive chain as it was starting to show signs of significant ware.
They offered to wash the bike for free, didn’t charge me for using their tools and moved some of their bikes out of the way so I could use their patio to work on my bike…..great guys!
Looks good as new!
Tomorrow it’s back on the road south and back over the Andes to Chile to ride the Carretera Austral…
Day 201 – San Martin de Los Andes, AR to San Carlos de Bariloche, AR 03/10/11 Mileage: 126
In the daylight my stealth campsite ended up not being so stealth, but it was still free and nobody bothered me. I rode back a few miles to San Martin de Los Andes to have a better look around and some breakfast which I found and quaint cafe.
I really like San Martin…I wish I could spend more time here…but I need to keep moving south. The road to San Carlos de Barlioche from San Martin passed by some spectacular alpine lakes and the scenery was great despite the light rain that was falling.
More lines for gas…..and this station is in a very wealthy resort town….so it’s not a money thing….
I saw these maps for sale and it dawned on me I just crossed another off my life list….to go to Patagonia…
Looking acorss thelake to San Carlos de Bariloche…
I rolled into Bariloche mid-afternoon and found a hostel thanks to another biker who came up to me and told me where he was staying. Brian is from the UK on his BMW F800 and is doing nearly the same trip as me…it’s hard to believe we didn’t bump into each other until now! I settled in and tried to update the blog but the internet at the hostel was pretty bad. At night I wandered out for a look around, some dinner and a bit of fine chocolate which is one thing that Bariloche is famous for.
Day 200 – El Zampal, AR to San Martin de Los Andes, AG 03/09/11 Mileage: 397
I lingered a bit in camp this morning to write a bit for the blog and enjoy the nice setting over a morning coffee.
Packed and rolling south on the dirt I recall laughing inside my helmet at just how fortunate I am to be right here right now….man I’m lucky bastard. The scenery was great and always changing and eventually I hit the pavement again which allowed me to ramp up the pace.
I used the last of my pesos to buy gas in a small town I passed by…enough for around 2 gallons. I was now out of money again until I can find someplace to change my dollars, which I figured I could do at Las Lajas or at worst Zapala.
Nothing but skin and bones…. Actually, that hide might make a nice rug…
Well, when I arrived in Las Lajas the bank was closed (I guess bankers keep the same shity hours everywhere) and all the businesses appeared to be closed…maybe the power was out…not sure, but the place was half deserted. My next chance was Zapala which turned out to be a half descent sized town. I went straight to the bank but it had closed at 1pm…despite the fact that it was 3pm and still FULL of people. Those poor fookers have been in there waiting for at least 2 hours now! WTF?
Here’s a picture of the “closed” bank and all the people waiting and waiting….crazy.
I asked a nice gentleman in a suit where I could find another bank, money changer….anywhere that would change dollars. He said I could try the gas station, but he didn’t think they would either. He offered to change what he had on him which was a nice gesture, but he barely had enough for 1 tank of gas, so I thanked him and politely declined. I went across the street to a restaurant and as luck would have it he would take and change dollars…sweet! So I had a lite lunch and paid with my crisp $100 I’ve been carrying from the motherland. So now with a full belly and half full wallet, I set off to get gas. The first gas station was out of gas, and so was the second. So I was told there was one other gas station in town, and when I arrived…this is what I saw…
Yes folks, that is what an hour and 15 minute gas line looks like. And no, this picture is not some third world banana republic or the US in the 1970’s, this is modern day Argentina. WTF?! It’s weird, some towns seem to have plenty of gas, others almost none…haven’t figured that one out yet. So now with a full tank to burn, I continued south battling the west winds the entire time.
I rolled through the quaint town of Junin de los Andes and then I was on the hunt for a stealth campsite. It proved pretty hard to find as there were cattle fences that ran on both sides of the road…or I would have just ridden off into the bush. I kept rolling and searching and eventually came to the super cool lakeside town of San Martin de los Andes. Wow, what a great little town…too bad I had to roll through without stopping. Fortunately a few miles further I found a descent little stealth spot just off the road. Tomorrow it’s on to San Carlos de Bariloche where I’m going to splurge on a room and have a long overdue shower.
Day 199 – Uspallata, AR to El Zampal, AR 03/08/11 Mileage: 434
I was up early, broke camp and was on the road around 8 and rolling south towards Mendoza.
My stealth campsite actually turned out to be pretty picturesque in the morning…
The vineyards around Mendoza with the Andes looming in the background…
I wanted to have a steak and a bottle of red in Mendoza, but the road south beckons and it will have to wait for the way back up. Eventually the vineyards around Mendoza gave way to open rocky desert and I was making good time.
I took a detour up to Las Lenas, another well-known ski resort, and had a nice lunch and a beer.
Let the good times roll indeed! But why is that sign in english? lol
Back on the road I continued south across the scenic but barren landscape.
These cute donkeys stood and watched me watch them for quite a while…
Nightfall finely caught me and I stopped and bush camped along a river….another great day on the road south…
Day 198 – Valle Nevado, CL to Uspallata, AR 03/07/11 Mileage: 221
I made some coffee and walked out a bit further on the outcropping just in time to catch the sunrise over the high peaks of the Andes.
Some wild horses were nearby as well…
I lingered a bit to take it all in, then packed up and continued up to the Valle Nevado ski are to have a look. As a die-hard skier, I’ve always wanted to ski in South America in Chile and Argentina, so even though it’s not ski season I’m still drawn here like a spanning salmon.
The resort sites on a knife ridge with spectacular views in every direction…and it’s only an hour ride from Santiago…pretty cool.
I also swung by La Parva on the way back down to Santiago.
Back in Santiago I went to draw out more pesos but three different ATM’s said there was a problem with my card…damn! So I stopped into a Starbucks and used the wifi to call my bank, and they said my card was disabled because a merchant I bought something from(they couldn’t say which one) back in the states got hacked, so they disabled every credit and debit card ever used at that merchant. I know that’s for my own protection, but what a pain in the ass for me. I only had around $8 in pesos left which wasn’t going to last long…Chile is as expensive as the US. The banks were already closed, I couldn’t change any of my US dollars….so I decided to use my remaining pesos to buy gas and head for the border into Argentina….country number 16. It took about 90 minutes to get there and the road climbed up a scenic mountain pass past the ski area of Portillo.
Now that is a twisty road!
The immigration and customs for Chile and Argentina were both in a combined building in Argentina…..brilliant! When you pulled up, you gave your passport to the Chile official who stamps you out, then they slide it over to the Argentina official sitting right next to them, who stamps you in…20 seconds tops! Same for the customs, an official from each country sits right next to each other, so they processed the bike in and out at the same time. There were no money changers at the border, so I continued down the valley to the town of Uspallata….a cool little place that seems to be a base for trekking, rafting and other outdoor activities.
The bank was already closed, so I tried to change money at 2 pharmacies, a gas station, 2 restaurants, a market and the casino…and nobody would change or accept US dollars. Next I went into a hotel and they said no as well, but I pleaded my case. They said it was illegal to change anything other than Chilean pesos, which I had none of either, but in the end they helped me out and changed $100. I thanked them for breaking the law and now I had money for gas a food. It was already dark by this point, but I rolled south in search of a stealthy place to camp. The road was pinched between cliffs and a river so finding a spot to camp proved difficult, but I did muscle the bike down onto a small embankment about 30 yards from the road by the river. I’d like to be farther from the road, but at least I was well hidden given the pitch black darkness. I had a quick bite to eat and then crashed.
Day 197 – Valparaiso, CL to Valle Nevado, CL 03/06/11 Mileage: 111
I’m a beer man for sure, but I like wine as well so while in one of the wine regions of Chile, might as well sample the goods! I packed up and left Valparaiso feeling like I had missed out, but I’ve got to get south and I can’t do everything….maybe I’ll catch it again on the way back north. It was a short hop over the coastal mountains to the Casablanca Valley to the Casas del Bosque vineyard.
It was a nice place and I signed up for a tour and tasting. The tour was brief but informative but the tasting was the highlight for sure (of course?).
This is their aging room….they were even playing classical music to entertain the wine…
They brought me and the two other guys on the tour into their tasting room which is really nice….in fact way too nice for a smelly biker. But, they let me in anyway and I sampled the goods, including their most expensive wine, the Private Reserve Gran Bosque.
So after my high zoot wine tour, it was back on the bike heading for the mountains to check out Valle Nevado and the other ski areas near Santiago. The road snaked its way from downtown Santiago up a picturesque canyon before turning into countless switchbacks.
Slicing through downtown Santiago…
Ahhh…home sweet home back in the mountains…
Nightfall was coming fast so I decided to camp up here in the mountains. A few miles from Valle Nevado I saw a rutted track heading out towards an outcropping and decided to have a look.
I couldn’t decide which sunset picture I liked best, so I put them all up and let you pick the one you like best…
It turned out to be an idyllic spot complete with another amazing Chilean sunset. I’m one lucky bastard for sure….
Day 196 – Chanalan, CL to Valpariso, CL 02/05/11 Mileage: 571
Alex had some things to do this morning so I hit the road south solo. I was on the gas to make miles and the weather and road were both working with me for a change. The road ran along the coast in a few spots and it could easily pass for the Pacific Coast Highway in California.
I’m still carrying the blue gallon jugs for gas that I bought from the little old lady in Bolivia…..the best 80 cents I ever spent.
Nightfall began to catch me as I turned off the Pan American for Valparaiso. The small road I was on ran along the coast and by what surely must be the Malibu of Chile with spectacular houses perched above the South Pacific.
I also caught a spectacular sunset before pulling into Valparaiso. I found a room and crashed soon after, worn out from the long day in the saddle…life is good…
Day 195 – San Pedro de Atacama, CL to Chanalan, CL 03/04/11 Mileage: 455
Marshall and I were up relatively early to work on the bikes and Megan cooked a nice breakfast for us. I’m going to miss all of their home cooking, as our time together was almost over. They were heading back over the pass to Argentina and I was going to cross the Atacama Desert and bomb down the Chilean coast as time is running short to make it to Ushuaia before winter. Our last mile together was to the gas station in San Pedro where we parted ways.
Adios mi amigos, buen viaje…
As much as I enjoy going solo, traveling with them has been great and will miss their company immensely. So just like that I was on my own again and rolling south. Instead of taking the paved route up to Calama and then south, I decided to put my still fresh knobby tires to use and chose to cut straight across the Atacama Desert on the dirt.
When I tell you that I didn’t pass a single car or truck, I mean not even 1 for a hundred miles until I hit the pavement again.
Crossing the Tropic of Capicorn…. I crossed the Tropic of Cancer way back in Baja Mexico…almost 5 months ago.
Continuing south on the Pan American my next stop was the Mano del Desierto…and who should I see when I pull up…none other than Alex and his KLR! That would be the third time I’ve bumped into him in as many countries….first in Ollantaytambo back in Peru, then in the middle of the Bolivian Altiplano and now in northern Chile…crazy!
Alex, his KLR and the big mano…
After the photos with the Hand of the Desert, we rolled south down the Pan Am. The Atacama Desert of northern Chile is desolate…so desolate it makes the Altiplano seem like Ho Ho Kus (yes, that is a town in northern NJ!) They only thing that makes it not feel as remote is the well traveled paved road across it. There are also not many gas stations and we made the mistake of passing one by and I had to use the two spare gallons I was carrying…one for Alex and one for me. Luckily it was enough to carry us to Chanalan where we split a room and scored some Chinese food.
The Chinese restaurant had Bud, and I couldn’t pass up a little slice Americana…
Tomorrow it’s more super slab down the Pan Am to Valpariso…
Day 194 – San Pedro de Atacama, CL 03/03/11 Mileage: 0
Today was a work day, and after breakfast I spent almost all day sorting through pictures, writing and working on the blog. Tomorrow it’s back on the road south….
Megan and Marshall made a nice breakfast and we were joined by a nice guy from Austria…
San Pedro lives in the shadow of Volcano Licancabur…
Day 193 – Laguna Colorado, BO to San Pedro de Atacama, CL 03/02/11 Mileage: 90
It was a spectacular morning and the sun was warming the air fast. We broke camp after a good breakfast and headed south for Chile border.
Two vicuna’s roaming the Altiplano
Along the way we passed the hot springs near Laguna Chalviri…can’t pass that up! We parked the bikes, jumped into our swim trunks and found a great rustic natural pool for nice hot soak.
The cold air made it hard to get out of the water, but the road south to Chile beckons.
The high lakes of the Altiplano have of all things….lots of Flamingo’s….
Shortly after passing Laguna Verde, we came to the Bolivian border post. The official stamped us out but told us the aduana office was 20 kilometers back….crap! Luckily he was an agreeable (but grumpy) chap, and he agreed to take our import permits back to the aduana the next morning for us saving us the trip back.
That done, it was on to Chile…country number 15!
We were heading for San Pedro de Atacama where the Chile border post was located…some 40 minutes or so down pavement so smooth you could play pool on it. Megan seemed particularly thrilled at the sight of pavement…and it was nice change from mud and sand.
So after plunging 7,000 feet to the valley below, we arrived at the dusty town of San Pedro, smack in the middle of the Atacama desert…the driest on earth. The border formalities were straight forward and took about an hour…but they seemed particularly concerned about foreign fruit and vegetables. They didn’t ask about drugs, guns, alcohol or the dynamite I picked up in Potosi…but they rifled through all of our stuff in search any rogue lettuce or rhubarb…strange. Anyway, we found a room and promptly went in search of dinner and the requisite drinks to toast our successful crossing of the Bolivian Altiplano…a fitting way to end some memorable and epic riding.
Day 192 – San Cristabol, BO to Laguna Colorada, BO 03/01/11 Mileage: 118
The first thing I did today was drain the float bowl on the carburetor again to see that the gas was clear and free of grit…which it was and the bike fired up without hesitation. Damn I love this bike…I always say that a KLR will run on llama piss if it had to, which I still think is true…just have to make sure it doesn’t have dirt in it. People always ask me if I’m traveling alone and do I have a wife or girlfriend, to which I always say “mi moto es mi novia”…”my motorcycle is my girlfriend”. They laugh, but there is some truth to that…and while she’s a little fat and not that sexy, she is trustworthy, built like an ox and has looked after me for almost 25,000 hard miles across two continents. So after packing up and buying some low-grade hooch we headed back out across the Altiplano.
The road was muddy and slick in a lot of places and after one particularly long stretch of mud, Marshall’s bike overheated and began to spew antifreeze.
We pulled off the road and he pulled the right side fairing off to check the coolant level. Luckily it seemed worse than it was and the level, while slightly low, was still OK.
We pressed on after letting the bike cool for a bit and luckily the road began to dry out too. After all, we are getting pretty close to the Atacama desert…the driest desert on earth…so if the roads are muddy there…It’s time to build an ark!
I also bumped into Alex again! I first bumped into Alex in Ollantaytambo back in Peru and now I bumped into him again in the middle of the Altiplano….small world… 😉
This cute little fellow came out of nowhere sporting an American flag air freshener around his collar…how random is that! lol!
Just past the town of Villa Alota we turned south towards Villa Mar. It was tough finding the right track but we eventually found our way crossing several streams in the process. The mud gave way to deep sand in spots so you still had to pay attention…as sand will toss you just as easily as mud.
Megan had a little wee-off in the sand. She is one tough chica…no muss, no fuss, she just picks the pike up and keeps going. What a woman! 😉
Megan and Marshall gittin it done…while keeping their boots dry…. LOL
All the while the scenery was constantly changing with each landscape more different from the next.
Marshall had a scary low-speed wipe out and had his leg pinned under the bike. Luckily he walked away with only a bad bruise…as it could have easily broken his leg….not something that you want to do in middle of nowhere on the Altiplano.
Marshall says…. Altiplano…fook yeah!
Late in the afternoon the wind was blowing with a fury and there was little shelter in the featureless landscape near the road.
Laguna Colorada
Just past Laguna Colorada we found a small dry canyon sheltered from the wind that we were able to get the bikes up into and make camp. Marshall and Megan made a nice pasta dinner while handled the drinks…hot chocolate with a shot of $1.50 hooch…perfect to chase away the evening chill.
It was the perfect ending to amazing day of riding high on the Bolivian Altiplano.
Day 191 – Uyuni, BO to San Cristabol, BO 02/28/11 Mileage: 61
I was up and working on the bike early as I still had to finish spooning on the new rear tire. Marshall had to help break the bead on the old rear using the kickstand on one of the Beemers. Marshall and Megan also did some grocery shopping for camping the next two nights out on the Altiplano. So with all this last minute preparation we didn’t get on the bikes until around 11am…but it was nice to be rolling. First stop was to top up the tanks and spare fuel bottles as the next known fuel is in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile…2-3 days riding from Uyuni.
We made a quick stop at the train cemetery for some pictures, but then it was all business as we pointed the bikes across the high plains of the Altiplano.
The road was slick as goose shit in spots (certainly not the spot in the pic below!) thanks to all the recent rain, but it was manageable.
Marshall after he got a mud bath from a passing truck!
I was out in front and all was going well until I rolled off the throttle to stop and take some pictures of some llamas along side the road. The bike died on the way down through the gears and I rolled to a stop.
I didn’t think too much of it at first as it has done this before at altitude…which now was around 13,000 feet. But unlike every other time, the bike would not start. Shit!
Marshall reading my Clymer shop manual while I tinkered…
This might be the first official breakdown in some 24,000 miles of riding…and the middle of the Bolivian Altiplano could not be a worse spot. Luckily Marshall and Megan provided a safety net and I was glad they were with me. Megan took pictures of llamas while Marshall and I went to work trying to revive the KLR.
It seemed the bike was flooding and Marshall noticed gas on the ground…which was coming out of the airbox. I pulled the cover to the airbox to dry out the engine and also pulled the tank to make sure the new spark plug I put in two days ago was properly seated. We did manage to get it started again, but it would stall as soon ad the RPM’s dropped. M–therf–ker…this sucks. The side of a muddy road in the rain is no place to take a carburetor apart, so we decided to make the run to village of San Cristabol about 25 miles ahead. I started the bike and hit the gas, and as long as I kept the RPM’s up I could keep going…and I did all the way to San Cristabol. Sure enough though, as I came off the throttle to make the turn into town, the bike died. At least now I could find some shelter to have a better look at the bike and the Clymer manual I’m carrying. We found a room at the only hotel in town and Marshall and I had to push the bike 2 blocks, but I did manage to get it running again and rode the last 3 blocks to the hotel.
The Hotel San Cristabol…
Mashall and Megan went to scare up some food and I sat down to study the Clymer. All the evidence pointed to a stuck float in the carburetor, and the process described in the manual involved removing carburetor and taking it apart…not an insignificant process. But, I noticed that one step was to drain the float bowl after removing the carburetor….so I thought, why don’t I just drain it now while it’s still on the bike…maybe that will free up the float. So I put a clear tube (that I also carry) on the float bowl drain and as soon as I opened the tap a few pieces of grit and dirt shot out. Damn Bolivian gas! I started the bike and presto…it was running as good as new! It seems some of that grit was binding up the float causing too much gas to flow into in the float bowl which was flooding the engine. I ran it around town for 20 minutes and it was running flawless! I can’t believe that a few pieces of grit from some bad gas brought the mighty KLR to a halt, but at least the fix ended up being easy. Lesson learned is to straight away drain the float bowl if I have this problem again. Tomorrow will be the true test to see if that really was it. But that’s tomorrow, and tonight there is much wine and beer to drink, so until tomorrow….cheers!
Parting shot: Megan and Marshall after several libations…
Day 190 – Uyuni, BO and the Salar de Uyuni 02/27/11 Mileage: 0
After breakfast we set out to book a 4×4 to take us out on the Salar de Uyuni…the largest salt flat in the world. We could have taken the bikes, but with the salar partially flooded, the salt water would have sprayed all over the bikes and it is highly corrosive and hell on the electrical system. We shopped around a bit but decided to book a private tour with the three of us. So at 11 our Land Cruiser showed up and we were off.
It was a 20 minute drive from Uyuni to the edge of the salar, then our guide eased the Lan Cruiser into the water and out onto the salar. The water was around 6 inches deep, but after a mile or so lessened to 2-4 inches. The water created a vast mirror reflecting the sky and surrounding mountains…it was magical.
Our destination was the Salt Hotel out on the salar, and as the name implies, it is made entirely out of salt blocks except for the roof.
Even the furniture was carved out of blocks of salt. It was a cool scene and as more Land Cruisers showed up it turned into a giant tailgate party in the middle of the salar!
Our guide cooked a nice meal of llama steaks…
After a nice lunch of llama steaks that our guide prepared, we drove farther out onto the salar for more pictures. We also took the obligatory perspective photos that play tricks on the eye.
Here’s a shot with my motorcycle boot…and what it looks like being shot below.
I’m not sure why my boot is in the jumping photo’s???? LOL
Back on dry land just off the salar we also visited a small salt harvest operation which was interesting.
After that it was back to Uyuni and the hotel to work on the bikes. I put in a fresh spark plug, topped up the oil, cleaned the air filter, adjusted the chain and most importantly spooned on the Michelen knobby tires I’ve been carrying specifically for the rugged Bolivian Altiplano we would be crossing over the next few days.
With that complete we grabbed dinner and a few beers before calling it a night. Tomorrow we set out across the Altiplano for what will be the most remote riding so far…
Day 189 – Potosi, BO to Uyuni, BO 02/26/11 Mileage: 142
It was no surprise to wake up to the rain pounding on the roof of the hostal, so Marshal, Megan and I decided to linger a bit and hope for a break in the weather. Right before noon the rain did let up so we packed the bikes and split for Uyuni. In the maze of one way streets and traffic leaving Potosi, I got separated from them. I figured I’d ride hard to catch them if the were ahead of me and if I didn’t catch them then must be behind me and I would just pull over and wait. Worst case is I would just meet them in Uyuni. But after about 40 minutes I caught up to them just after a stream crossing.
The road was a mix of smooth fresh pavement interspersed with sections of dirt…a mixed bag for sure but it kept the ride interesting.
Coming out of the mountains, we left the rain in our rear view mirrors and were rolling down a high desert plain. The views were spectacular and it was a treat to have the road nearly completely to ourselves.
Soon the smooth pavement turned back to dirt and began to climb up a small mountain range. Just over the top we were treated to a spectacular view of Uyuni and the famous salar of the same name.
The Salar de Uyuni is the largest salt flat on earth and it stretches as far as the the eye can see. We took in the view for a while and then rolled the last few miles into Uyuni were we found a hotel with safe parking for the bikes….on the marble floor of their lobby.
After dinner and a few drinks, we called it a night. Tomorrow it’s off to visit the Salar de Uyuni…
Sorry for the long gap in posts but I’ve been on the throttle getting south and I’m currently in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. I’ll have more posts up today as soon as I find a good internet connection to upload the pictures…
From Deadhorse Down 