Heya Rob

Yes some things are talked up a lot and mostly for the masses, I wrote about this being careful trying not to sound unappreciative but it is interesting what you start to value after travelling for nearly three years.

A Harley in there, yeap definitely something different :thumbup1:

Cheers Andi

Rodeo To Hualilan
 

Starting our normal day the mission was to see Paso Agua Negra, getting to the gas station was our first surprise of the day, no gas!! :huh

We were directed to another station that had some so we were lucky enough to fill up, we also learnt the next town did not have it either so we were going so we had to do about 530 km without refilling,...ok we filled the supertanker full with 39 liters. :clap

Grateful for getting gas and Maya with a full belly we hit it to Las Flores then on and up to Aqua Negra for the day.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7470/...19d3e43f_b.jpgP1220589 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Beautiful is the only way to describe this place again with mineral poring out of the ground making an array of colors.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7557/...1e3e0fdd_b.jpgIMG_5443 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

At the top, 4780 meters is was a little cold and our lunch spot, I even resorted to putting on my beanie cos my ears got cold.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7531/...25c92a9d_b.jpgP1220586 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Heading back down we took in the sights, a well earned reward for the trip up.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7535/...1092f792_b.jpgIMG_5457 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The ice formations at the top are called Penitentes and you can read about em here Penitentes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7548/...867bea8d_b.jpgIMG_5423 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7520/...5472c3b9_b.jpgIMG_5425 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Wicked cool clean colours :clap

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7509/...d1fb3420_b.jpgP1220570 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Arriving back down at Las Flores we checked out some accommodation as the weather was looking ominous, again it would mean selling Maya as they were wanting Chilean prices so we opted to travel on given we had time up our sleeve and search for a more economical place to stay away from the border town.

We found a camp ground, the owner was nice as were the 6 - 7 dogs running around, I was keen on a good nights sleep and didn’t see this happening there as there were asados and parties going on as well as chickens and 6 - 7 dogs.

I didn’t have a fluffy feeling about the place so I pulled rank and we continued on our merry way, only a few km up the road the weather was darkening again, that's ok cos it was bloody hot, only a few more km along the temperature dropped, I started feeling cold and it was an airy feeling coming across.

The temperature dropped from close to forty then down to below 20, then it felt even colder, I thought I was having an attack or something bad, the clouds were black, it started to rain, slowing down from poor visibility we slowly climbed from 1900 - 2600 meters and into the abyss. :eek1

By this time I was starting to shiver, closing all vents etc, cresting a rise it then became apparent we had just ridden into the edge of a hailstorm with the hills and road white from hailstones.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7571/...f271aa2e_b.jpgP1220599 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7501/...9644b9db_b.jpgP1220597 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Our temp gauge reading about 4 degrees, 10 minutes earlier nearly 40 degrees … no wonder I felt weird.:evil

By this time I am starting to doubt my judgement of where we should have stopped for the night, the next town a long way off so we were both looking for a camping place to stay.

With the weather still swirling around and looking like having another crack at us we rode on, in my mind I thought at least we could carry on into the evening if we needed to and we were on tarseal so could hightail it if needed.

Cresting the pass and making our way back down to about 2000 meters we were on the edge of the crap so it was looking better, our moto gods deciding we needed some help came to the party.:clap

We arrived at Hualilan, you won’t find it on the map as it is an abandoned old mine.

We pulled in and rode the 400 odd meters to the ruins, 4 - 5 creek crossings I was weary of on entry, although dry showed signs of scaring from rain.

There was one building, a single room with a door opening but no door, a window opening but no window…..and a roof!! WOH HOH

Check out the new digs bro :D

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7469/...4c621353_b.jpgIMG_5462 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Checking the place out we decided we had been handed the winning lotto ticket for the night and set camp inside to escape the weather.

Come on in to the lounge, bedroom, kitchen, laundry and en-suite :rofl

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7580/...dda946f4_b.jpgIMG_5474 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The view from the kitchen window to the non undercover parking :evil

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7473/...fbfb7ee8_b.jpgIMG_5471 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

As soon as we set up and got organized the sun came out as if the weather makers said “ok you win”, what a feeling with a jet signing off on the clear sky

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7566/...471bfb59_b.jpgIMG_5561 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Our chosen stop then handed us some rewards, a few photos and a neat place to explore.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8671/...6e2bc54f_b.jpgIMG_5534 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7550/...e1aaf505_b.jpgHualilan - Maya by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Mayas parking spot for the night, outa sight outa mind ...don't look down :eek1:eek1

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7517/...15a6e9a2_b.jpgIMG_5520 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Even a small cactus flower was out making it feel good

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7564/...5b467b1a_b.jpgIMG_5685 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Venturing out the back I discovered the rabbits had a series of underground tunnels which were trying to swallow Maya :evil

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8592/...d6f432bf_b.jpgIMG_5480 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Upon night fall it was clear we had chosen wisely, all around us the sky was alive with lightening and rain, the weather starting to encroach on our piece of paradise, camping by candle light :freaky

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7465/...fba09047_b.jpgIMG_5582 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Bed time was an appreciative dry space to store gear and have our tent, water was in short supply by this time so we put our pots out to collect some rain water, that turned out to be a big enough deterrent to stop the rain….:cry ... can't win sometimes :rofl

As we lay in bed the angry sky lights lighting up our room like a floodlight it was a little hard to get to sleep, coupled of course with the occasional LOUD bang and claps from close lightening strikes.

Finally the morning arrived, safe and dry our pots had been blown away by the wind and we were void of any water, it was 120 km to the next town so no biggy, we had a mouth full of water each.

While packing up Maya the park rangers turned up with “what are you doing here faces”, a bit of spinglish, smiles and chats and they were soon on our side realizing we were there as friends and not doing any harm, I explained we took shelter from the storms and the discussion ensued as to the angryness of the storms.

We must have looked poor and hungry as the head lady told the young girl to go to the car, she did and came back with some Churros kinda thingies and gave them to us for breakfast, some more chats, hand shakes etc they were on their way and us again being grateful for being handed breakfast from out of the blue.:huh :D

Interesting how one event leads to another and good comes from it all.

Hualilan To Barreal
 

Having set the good mood by the rangers we headed to San Juan to pick up some stuff left there by our travel buddy Gail, onya mate really appreciated the delivery.

Not wanting to stay in the big city we took a shortcut road, only 10 km into it we discovered the road was closed for reconstruction so no go, we then attempted to take another road which was boney as hell, we let the tires down to help but it was loose and deep then boney and rocky, Mrs.G then said turn right.

Hmmmm, looking up the turn right it was apparent nothing had been up there for quite some time and the rain had destroyed the road turning into a rock climbing fest for a suitable rock crawler 4x4, not two up on an adventure bike, admitting defeat we turned around and took another back road, although it had also been hammered by the rains it was passable so we were on a win.:clap

Backing tracking a bit up the main drag we turned off into a sweet wee valley and stinking hot again again with the temp gauge bumping 45 degrees. :eek1

Occasionally we would get a smooth section in the middle of nowhere :huh

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7532/...ff3dd6a3_b.jpgP1220699 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

More different layers changing colour with the sun

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8606/...c8fe854f_b.jpgIMG_5763 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

This time the road was in less than ideal shape but was still a road and mostly tar sealed, an uneventful ride saw us get into Barreal so we decided to stop there, finding accommodation with a shower was preferable. :wink:

It was proving to be difficult with all the pousadas closed for siesta (seriously) then we met a young couple in the tourist center, they heard us wanting to find somewhere to stay and told us where they were staying….wifi, parking, quiet, price +/- ok ….and a swimming pool, sold to the Kiwis!!!

Getting set up we through the togs on and B lined it to the pool …. with no camera … ya shitting me, the scenery was quite good. :evil

Guys you will just have to imagine nice bulbous boobies, sorry for not taking the camera although Ellen did have the tab and managed to snipe off one shot of some hot product, yes a KTM coloured chair.:freaky

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7485/...26943c99_b.jpgpool by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

It was so nice a place so we decided to stay one more night, wine, views as asado, boobies … life was good.

A slight contrast from the night before :D

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8611/...57d2b8ab_b.jpgIMG_5706 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The groovy hostel

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8616/...bed680c0_b.jpgIMG_5707 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Great view :clap

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8654/...c66e5a85_b.jpgIMG_5769 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Monica our local asado chef extraordinaire :clap

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8622/...2ef33670_b.jpgIMG_5783 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Maya had undercover parking this time, bit tight but we managed to wedge her in :rofl

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7537/...4b305395_b.jpgIMG_5767 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Awful place :eek1

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7481/...6c33115d_b.jpgIMG_5771 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We did do some exploring again which was cool, gravity was lite on the moon :evil

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7559/...7f8bdfc5_b.jpgIMG_5757 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7570/...9373a932_b.jpgIMG_5729 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7509/...dbdb0de5_b.jpgIMG_5758 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Next, up to the observatory at the national park

The El Leoncito National Park
 

Finally leaving the nice place we carried on to the national park for star gazing, interestingly they have great facilities there including a sheltered camping ground, toilets, hot showers, wifi, table and chairs and a large asado cooking area ….. all free!!??.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8628/...0a72a7bd_b.jpgIMG_5836 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

They have observatories there which you can pay to see the stars so the money from that helps fund the project.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8573/...7254776a_b.jpgIMG_5860 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We didn’t go to the telescopes as the weather packed it in and was blowing like hell with lightning again, they normally boast 300 + nights still and calm but not this year.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7474/...f845817a_b.jpgIMG_5841 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Talking a walk up to the massive cascade (not piss take) was relaxing, the water was freezing cold.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7562/...080bf3bc_b.jpgIMG_5811 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Some more old ruins

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8581/...75d2bf32_b.jpgIMG_5824 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The following morning we woke in Antarctica, WTF …. it was COLD, the previous day shirt off at 35 plus degrees.

With fickled weather we continued to pull the tent and get organised, no sooner we got it nearly all packed down the rain came and swiftly in the desert … again.

Our mision for the day was get to Santiago, 360 km plus one border crossing, easy.

Nup, arriving at the gas station the woman was saying we have no gas, the guy at the pump asked us “just the bike”? … yes, he said quick come in, so he filled us up which was cool so there was a little left, the cones went up behind us and the station forecourt closed.

Stunning photos as always.


I saw Grant and Susan at the Vancouver M/C show last weekend, they say hello to you two.


Even though it feels like your trip is coming to an end enjoy your last few months, that is about as long as most people have for a very long trip so I hope you are still appreciating what you have done for yourselves.


Cheers,


David

Heya David

Two great people who have helped our travels with the Hubb and info.

We also owe great thanks to a crazy Kiwi there who helped us when our motos shat themselves......so ...thanks bier

Yes we seriously appreciate the time we have taken albeit twice as long as planned, we still have so much to see down here but as money draws to a close so must this trip, need to save for the next one.

We know a lot of travellers don't have long thus hit it so for us to take teh time and really experience ground level, some good, some not so good has been more than we could ever have planned or hoped for.:thumbup1:

Now we just need to fit back into society .......hmmmm :innocent:

Cheers Andi

Closed Forecourt To Santiago To San Rafael
 

Closed Forecourt behind us and enough gas to go to a new country we felt lucky.

With heading into Chile we wanted to take 3 - 4 bottles of red wine with us however we met some other moto riders and completely forgot what we were doing…. age is a bastid when mixed with excitement.

Up and over the pass in Santiago, should be easy enough …..no, we arrived amidst a line of traffic 2 km long to the border, it took us four hours , 3 hours was just waiting on the road, ridiculous.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8642/...b215f5b9_b.jpgP1220765 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The lineup moved s l o w e l y lucky we where on a dowhill so I did not need to start Maya up every time the line moved 10 meters, pictured here I rapidly and dangerously accelerated to about 3 km/hr

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8586/...bf8a6a5e_b.jpgP1220763 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Finally through the border we had developed an “issue”, Maya had started to clatter and it did not sound nice, we continued on to Santiago with my diagnostic head trying to work it out, all symptoms pointing to a dead hydraulic cam tensioner.

The Zig Zag down on the Chilean side

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8591/...4a91dae5_b.jpgP1220770 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Santiago was our fixit place as we were heading to the KTM dealer so as luck would have it we were in the right place to sort it, how often does stuff shit itself on the way to the dealer …. WOH HOH

New Front and rear tires to take, new hydraulic cam tensioner for the rear cylinder, new inner cables made for the throttle and we are as flash as Michael Jackson.

So yes, in 80000km our unreliable KTM has now had 1 new stator, 1 new water pump and now one new hydraulic tensioner ….not bad at all I say.:clap:clap

We also had the pleasure of meeting Radim and Lauren, travellers out of the US and Kiwis Charlie and Janet.

A great meeting and catchup with Radim and Lauren and a coffee shop in a supermarket we ended up staying for dinner then they kicked us out at closing time then we gas bagged in the carpark for another hour … travel and KTMs … good times.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8675/...3f9c6817_b.jpgP1220825 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Next was Charlie and Janet who fluently understood everything we said cos they are Kiwis, it was a nice feeling.

The afternoon started with a coffee (patten forming here) and we decided to go out for a local pizza, they said one big one was good enough for 5 people, we didn’t believe them but decided to ordr on only to star .. just as well we did, it was about 600 mm round!!!!! holey moley…good times.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8639/...d66565d1_b.jpgP1220837 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Our stay (thanks to Jaime) was excellent and became full on, we tried to catch up with the local lads too and simply ran outa time ….CHECOSO when we come back mate we can have a “kick TMK outa the country” party, our final place before heading back to reality.:cry

The view from Jaimes apartment

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7436/...847a2c50_b.jpgIMG_5910 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

And at night

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8613/...e4948504_b.jpgIMG_5923 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The fixits were sorted with new throttle inner cables being made, I installed our new tensioner, cleaned our prefilters and reoiled them and got some new tires, this time a Heidenau rear and Pirelli MT 21 front for the rippio and mud south, Maya now as sorted as she can be for the assault south.

In a form of good luck with leaving the wine behind I found some Flore de Caná rum which was a real surprise, coupled with that we got some Ginger Ale so yet again the stars aligned for some nice grog drinking.:evil

While at the KTM dealership I also spotted the new 690 Enduro, Mayas little brother .... although the little brother is tall....I like :wink:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7523/...0701ffbf_b.jpgP1220775 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Anyone going in there be careful cos there is a patch of kiwislobber underneath the 690 :rofl

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7492/...558f4548_b.jpgP1220778 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Erick the store manager and I, very nice guy and helped us get everything sorted, Erick also speaks very good engilsh so that took the difficulty out or getting stuff sorted.

Thanks Erick, we appreciate the help you gave us in getting sorted :clap, for any travellers this shop is pretty well stocked with all sorts so for getting something KTM done and bought this is the place to be.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7522/...60334e38_b.jpgP1220773 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Getting everything sorted out we hit it back to our friends in Argentina to Finca Rita in San Rafael, a few days to do some volunteer work while Clint and Rosie come from New Zealand beginning of February.:clap

A chance to help John and Annette and me to work hard at my next years winter stores gained in Brasil, nothing like good hard work to strengthen that inner core which is seriously needed and reduce those handles.:evil

One one thing when you are on the road for a while is keeping an eye on your bod and making sure you do exercise or it starts to bulge in the wrong places, not good when the verandah covers the tool shed.:huh

Plum harvest has just started so putting them out on the drying rack was the beginning.....San Rafael up next :clap:clap

Good to catch up on your trip .a couple of the shots would be worthy of entering this years contest on HUBB ,think it closes in a few hours so be quick .Anyhow till next time ,YDF Noel:D

Heya Noel

Thanks for the props, we did enter a coupe of photos for this years calendar again, having got two in last year we must have done something right and the cheque didn't bounce :innocent:

Cheers Andi

San Rafael - Happy And Not So Happy
 

We got to San Rafael with smiling familiar faces as we arrived at John and Annettes.

Again we were doing the work in exchange for food and accom but more to help them out as we had some space to fill before Clint and Rosie arrived from New Zealand and it is a huge help for them on the finca getting ready for harvest.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7444/...295b474d_b.jpgIMG_5938 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

With their plum harvest about to hit full swing there was line trimming to be done along the rows and between the trees as they lay the sheeting down on the ground and drop the fruit from the tree.

This needs the weed and stalks knocked flat on the ground and using and industrial grade Stihl line trimmer made very easy work of it making the row extremely tidy in no time.

There are of coarse heavy stalk as well which was too thick for the line trimmer so we took care of with the grubber.

We worked hard, for me it was good exercise and a chance to strengthen the core before hitting the deep south.

The kittens proving lots of entertainment with boundless energy

The second before it hurts :rofl

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8657/...f3d39e00_b.jpgIMG_5950 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We did go out on a Friday afternoon for a relax and lunch with some of John and Annettes friends which was nice.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8578/...e8f518b9_b.jpgIMG_5965 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Although we made great in-ways as days progressed so did the tension.

The tension did come to a head because of differing ideas on what order things should be done, John wanting to get the line trimming done for the main harvest and Annette wanting to pick up some wind fall.

We sat down and made a new game plan which was stuck to for a day when another storm hit bringing down some more fruit, another game plan was then made that the fruit would be picked up on the rows that the line trimming needed to be done on but somewhere in the middle things changed again.

I had set up for line trimming gearing up, getting dressed and sorted for a good clean assault to kick the arse of the weeds only to find the rows were not ready and they were doing their own thing then I was yelled and talked down too.

For me it was time out, while I have no problem working my arse off I got sick things being re-disorganized then being talked down to was the last straw for me, we were there to help them not get talked down to and pushed around like a little kids, at our stage of the game this will not happen if someone is wanting help.

Ellen was blamed for starting in the wrong place despite where she was told to start then there was back tracking about what was and wasn’t said.

We had one day up our sleeves before Clint and Rosie were going to arrive then we could hit it south which I was hanging out for, we made a decision to leave the finca from the stress.

Next up, meeting up with Clint and Rosie and the start of the big migration south.

The Gathering Of The Kiwis
 

Clint and Rosie Kiwi Bikers from New Zealand (well .. the North Island :evil) finally made it into San Rafael at 8.00pm after a day of setup and organising.

Rosie was pooped so we kicked her off her bike , sat her down with an Argie Malbec wine, some salami and cheese so she could level out, Clint and I taking care of the bikes and putting them out the back with Maya.

Great catch up over wines and fud, great to talk Kiwi again and catch up on the local homeward happenings.

Day 1

The day was a leisurely start with breaky and coffee, a quick organize, get some cash exchanged and away we go, Clint and Rosie playing follow the leader for the first part through the canyon, Ellen and I had already been prior so we knew the way and the cool parts to see.

First stop at the reservoir and damn

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/...5e32a53d_b.jpgP1220874 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Up to the lookout

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7311/...01e5a096_b.jpgP1220880 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

4 x selfie at the lookout :huh:eek1:evil:wink:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/...b364408f_b.jpgP1220888 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Donkeys .... always like a pat!!

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8652/...430f5387_b.jpgP1220890 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The two aliens :norton

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8619/...958eb382_b.jpgP1220902 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Rose racing her own Dakar on the NX 400 Falcon

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7290/...8512861d_b.jpgP1220917 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Cool rock formations

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7428/...d9995c64_b.jpgP1220905 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Out of the canyon was a tar blast down the famous 40, into Malargue then south to our camping place at Manque Malal where there are fossils … well…when we turned up anyway.

The 40 with new tar

Large expanses of not a lot

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7322/...023c9c03_b.jpgP1220922 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

A walked around the river and the supposed waterfall we were supposed to pay $50 EACH for we all felt it was a complete letdown and glad we didn’t anything, we got told off for not taking a guide :rofl

Some minor adjustments to Clints bike trying to tighten the gear lever by slotting the slot bigger.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/...929b2baf_b.jpgP1220924 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

That night was cooking, drinking and good times kicked off by good nights.:clap

The Gathering Of The Kiwis No 2
 

Day 2

From the desert Hilton it was a reasonable ride down the 40 with some ripio (gravel) and tar of various conditions with lots of road works.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7313/...e52f9970_b.jpgP1220926 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

A nice part of the 40

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7435/...7a8d91d3_b.jpgP1220933 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The three of us at a river stop

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7314/...38bd93d1_b.jpgP1220943 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The river flowing within an old volcanic crevice

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7366/...92b01a1c_b.jpgIMG_5975 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

For you lads back home ... the ADV salute to prove we were thinking of you :D

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7422/...fc8f369e_b.jpgIMG_5978 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

At Chos Malal we tanked up after overshooting the petrol station lineup down the street and having to ride around the block to find more cars were already queuing. :huh

We had all but decided to leave and were putting on our gear when a guy on a 1200 GSA pulled up, we exchanged notes and he told us that the route we were looking at was ok as he had just come that way, jobs on so we hit it.

Rosie stealing the limelight :clap:clap

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7377/...39a631fd_b.jpgIMG_5980 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The road was neat, great views, sunny and neat ride, we stopped at a small town and got supplies for dinner before looking for a place to camp for the night, this time proving a little more difficult with everything being fenced off.

Stunning views

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7287/...c658a3cb_b.jpgIMG_5995 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7322/...156160bf_b.jpgIMG_5988 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Clint the camera man shooting the race :evil

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8568/...00dd976c_b.jpgIMG_5994 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Rosie found some soft stuff while taking a pic :eek1

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8627/...c2a68c52_b.jpgP1230019 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Searching for a place to bunk down we finally found a small sand pit after Loncopue with an alcove off it so we were out of sight and out of mind, also aptly positioned away from the wind, good score. :clap:clap

Sitting down over a wine or two we chewed the fat and finally brewed up some dinner appreciating a good feed and nice wine.

Camp by night

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7449/...09d43b58_b.jpgIMG_6007 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The weather was on our side which was cool and the wind dropped letting us settle in for a good nights sleep.

The Gathering Of The Kiwis No 3
 

Day 3

Leaving from the sand pit again we had a great mix of tar and gravel swopping leader and tail end charlies while all having a crack at the photography.

Clumps of volcanic tufts reminding us very much of Iceland

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7370/...b8da0a0e_b.jpgP1230043 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We changed our plans part way down choosing to go Chile side through a border, in between we had past Alumine then up the road being beautifully tar sealed before hitting some ripio that proved interesting for our 95 % spent E07 front tire and being loaded heavy witha front and rear up on board the rear …..not a great combo.

Cool rock columns lining the road

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8655/...6ef3676a_b.jpgP1230081 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Check out the swirly grain in the rock

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8583/...3a7ce13b_b.jpgP1230076 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The side road we took

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8589/...8324e50d_b.jpgP1230098 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Lunch spot

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7436/...62a49af4_b.jpgIMG_6011 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Lunch :clap

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8633/...a20b6dee_b.jpgIMG_6014 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

On the way to the border Clints headlight mask came loose so it was a quick F1 stop to strap it back in place, that was easy, Rosie's bike on the other hand appeared to get tired and lay down for a siesta :rofl

A knight in dirty Klimgear running to the rescue .....sorry Rosie, not prince this time round :eek1

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8642/...92ba2294_b.jpgP1230142 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Up easily :clap

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7327/...03995b60_b.jpgP1230143 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

More rocks with sticky outy bits

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7330/...a495af77_b.jpgP1230147 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Taking a right to the National park with Volcan Lanin sticking out providing fantastic viewing, it looked much like Volcan Concepion on Ometepe Island in Nicaragua.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7414/...14c2c68d_b.jpgP1230161 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The ugly ripio near the border, being heavy loaded with two tires on board and a 95 % spent front.....yeah :eek1

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7308/...e45af0fc_b.jpgP1230168 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The border was pretty quick and painless and we were greeted by fresh new tar seal followed buy some serious roadworks where they are blowing the rock to widen and improve the road.

Part way down the valley we came across a camp ground before Curarrehue that was in a great setting, had a pool and showers etc so we treated to a good clean after ruffing it out for a couple of nights.

Camp

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7437/...90673ae2_b.jpgIMG_6036 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

A local :D

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7459/...56230f56_b.jpgIMG_6015 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Miniature Torres Del Paine

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/...5d33cbb9_b.jpgIMG_6027 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Again some good fud washed down by nice wine in a great setting with great people. :clap

Page Shortening Post
 

1 I hope

Page Shortening Post
 

2 then