Hi Nelson,

I hope you are an enthusiastic rider that laughs at all. On your way south you should look out for a really thick Alpaca pullover or similar. Even if it has silly emroidery of animals on it, you`re going to love it. It`s fairly cold here in Calafate.

Johan parked his bike in Punta Arenas and is hiking until Sunday, on which day i`ll get there, and then we`ll continue to Ushuaia on Monday. So we can let you know what the ride is like.
Back when i was in Japan in September i took the advice of Makiko Sugimaki, a `fairly` experienced RTWer (Help out this amazing individual if you have the opportunity - ADVrider), who said i had until the end of April to visit and then get north of Ushuaia, before the word cool could not be used to describe anything good. So you may be limited to riding between 11am and 3pm when the ice has melted the most, but some of us need a few adventures so keep it in the plan for now.

Adrien and I ran into each other (not literally) in Perito Merino, before i`d checked my PM.

I took 2 full days to travel Chaiten to Coyhaique thanks to 3 days and nights of non stop rain culminating in landslides. For the first landslide i was about 15mins too late, as it clogged the waterflow underneath the bridge and covered the top of the bridge with trees (the bridge over Ris Sisnes, just after the mountain pass north of turn-off for Puerto Sisnes). And then the river split into 2 either side while i was there trying to find a way across the rocks, bringing with it more trees etc. And the second just covered the road with mud, trees and roots. My camera doesn`t work anymore, and I still have wet boots and mud everywhere! To give you an idea of how much it slowed my progress, i`d ridden from Laguna Colorada, Boliva, to Puerto Montt in 5 1/2 days (incl 2 nights in Santiago) so only 430km in 2 days wasn`t from lack of trying!

I`d expect a few adventures like this for an Ushiaia ride and slide in early May.

Thank you for your reply. May be I am over confident because of my earlier rides in Indian Himalayas during rain and sub zero temperature. Thank you for giving me first hand ground reality. I will closely follow the thread and get advise from everyone before I leave BA. I have spent lot of money for my Visas ( I am Indian, so I need visa for all damn place on earth before I leave my place), Bike shipping and trip preparation. If possible I will go down to Ushuaia or till the place I could manage to ride and take U turn and go up to Alaska.

Thanks again

Nelson.

P.S I just went through Makiko's RTW story. This is the best RTW story and map I ever read. I cpuld't find any word to express. I just show that to my wife she reads it now with out a blink on her eyes.

I just finished trekking the Paine circuit and now am back in puerto Natales. I just barely crossed the pass before a meter of snow fell. I am heading to Punta arenas tommorow and intend to go to Ushia from there.

I would enjoy hooking up for a if anyone cares to join me.

Cheers,
n

__________________
India Himal, 3mo,2x; Kazak/Krygyz/Tajik, 3 mo; Kashi-Lhasa, China 219! 6 wk; Nepal, 4 days/trekked 55; Santiago-Ushuia-Cusco, 7 mo; Peru, 3 mo; Chile-Medellin 3 mo; Medillin-Arica, 3 mo

Any update on Ushuaia, Is it possible to do it now?

nelson

I am now in Punta Arenas. The weather is holding for now. It is cold enough that you need a decent jacket just to walk about. Probably about 10 c. It does not seem to be getting below freezing at night yet. It is cold, not freezing, while riding the moto. I am going to buy some bar mitts and head to Ushia in a day or two.

Jordan, I had no way to reply to your mail as you don,t accept e`s thru the hubb. Are you still in PA? I am at erratic rock hostel.

please eMail:
glasswave followed by the atsign then yahoo and finally com
written as a proper eMail address.

__________________
India Himal, 3mo,2x; Kazak/Krygyz/Tajik, 3 mo; Kashi-Lhasa, China 219! 6 wk; Nepal, 4 days/trekked 55; Santiago-Ushuia-Cusco, 7 mo; Peru, 3 mo; Chile-Medellin 3 mo; Medillin-Arica, 3 mo

Just in case it makes you all feel better, it is cold in the northern hemisphere as well.
The evidence for the UK is temperatures at night getting down to 0 centigrade in lots of places, some snow still lying around on the higher ground, gritters still throwing grit/salt onto the roads in accordance with weather forecasts and the first race of the British Super Bikes was cancelled because of snow on the track (now postponed until next month).

There, it's not so bad down south.

__________________
Dave

Bananaman should get to Ushuaia today or tomorrow...

Latin America! - Page 28 - ADVrider

Is bananaman on the hubb?

Johan and I are in back in Rio Grandes, with a 76 Moto Guzzi 700 mounted Dutchman Paul we met in Ushuaia. North tomorrow via Argentina coast for something different if there is a border crossing. We pre-ordered good weather for our duration spent south of Punta Arenas so it`s not really been that cold. Unfortunately I lost the 1800 number to submit your orders.

Nelson - Johan and i are in Buenos Aires from around the 24th for a week so we can give you a first hand exaggeration of how warm it is. We were thinking today that Ushuaia is only at 55 degrees latitude south, about the same as Denmark/Scotland is north, and along the way here there are still warm hotels and shops/pubs selling , so it`s not really tough. The MX shop in Punta Arenas has the machine to put spikes in tyres if it is super slick but :-)

Go Billy McConnel! (Brit SBK)

Thanks for the update. Yesterday I crated my bike and gave it to Air France. My bike will reach Sao Paulo from Dubai on 23rd and I will reach on 26th. 27th is Sunday. I can clear the bike only on 28th or 29th. If weather permits I will sprint down south.

Nelson

Hi
When do you think the next ''possible riding'' season will start ? Is condition like MikeS show on is picture (snow) is and exception? Usualy in mid-or-end-november, do I can plan to go there?

Thanks FranK

I am in Ushuaia now. I got here about 48 hours ago. It has been raining for the last few hours. There is lots of snow in the mountains. The drivers I spoke with today said the roads were still fine. The temperature here in town all day was about 5 celcius. It feels cold.

I am trying to find a way to ship my bike out of here but I am pretty sure I will have to ride it to BA and from there do air freight home.

I would really enjoy a riding partner!

Nelson- it's 2000 miles from BA to Ushuaia. Them ain't easy miles in the wind and cold. I tried my hardest and barely managed 400 miles per day. I usually get 45 miles per gallon, but into the wind I got 30. It can be 175 miles between gas stations. You can go hours without seeing another car. Be careful how you twist the throttle.

__________________
Latin America Ride Report
Wisconsin to Alaska Ride Report

Hello everyone

Just wondering if anyone had advice for 4x4 travel to Ushuaia in winter? We are just shipping to Buenos Aires at the moment, and exepcting to get there in about 3 weeks. We are driving a diesel defender 110 4x4 and were planning on driving right down to the bottom of SA. When I looked at the local weather reports for Ushuaia it didn't seem that bad, since its only as far south as Belfast is north, so I was expecting weather conditions like those in Northern ireland. However reading this thread I'm getting worried. Is it really going to be that bad?

Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Cheers

Jason

I just rode out of Ushuaia. I'm about 2000k north now, in Puerto Madryn.

My dad has a Defender in Panama. Awesome car. But it's going to tip over in the wind.

It's the winds. They can be 140km. The winds topple semi trucks, buses, cars... last night north of Rio Gallegos the winds were what the locals called 'mortal.' Be very careful with the winds. I thought I'd seen wind before. Now I've seen wind.

I had 30-70km head winds going south, and then I had 30-80km winds coming back north. It just wasn't fair.

The ripio (gravel and mud) for the last 120km in Chile- before you cross back into Argentina at San Sebastian- it was good gravel going when I rode south, but it was pretty muddy a few days ago. The wind picked up the spray from the trucks and completely covered me. I have a rubber thing on my glove- a little wiper blade. Without it I would not have been able to see anything at all.

It was actually really fun riding the mud.

__________________
Latin America Ride Report
Wisconsin to Alaska Ride Report

In a 4-wheel vehicle, no. People actually live their, get around in 2-wheel drive vehicles, ride buses, take cabs and all that.

Doing it, balanced on two-wheels, on ice/snow, in the winds, without benefit of deicers/defrosters, windshield wipers, the heat switch - now that's a real man's mode of transport.

4-wheels are for weenies.

__________________
quastdog
Chiang Mai, Thailand

i have been having a peep at this thread ,i see april was ok ,do you think it will be possible to do it in october, as in early october ,