Trial Run to Bariloche

Date: 20/04
City: Bariloche, Argentina
Kilometres ridden: 275
Cumulative kilometre: 40725
Street: Single lane bitumen road
Weather: sunny/cloudy, warm/freezing

After we had breakfast I moved the bike out of the hostel room. For that we had to move the tables around so I could push the bike through the dining area.


It’s really amazing what people do to accommodate our wish for secure bike parking. Anyway, after the bike was packed, I went off and bought Sigrid’s bus ticket and then started toward Bariloche. I followed the GPS out of the city and promptly took a turn too early. I thought I turn on the next corner to get back on track, right? The GPS recalculated and I followed. There was no other road to turn close by and the paved road ended and dirt started. Then the GPS guided me to turn into a lane way, just wide enough for one car which was full of sand and gravel… Uuurgh… I couldn’t believe that this lane has a name and the GPS knows about it.

Anyway, I finally I the highway.  The landscape was really bare, no trees, just some ground cover and the mountain in the background. Then some pine trees appeared on the side of the road and I was finally riding through pine forest with cloud covered mountains.


It started to get overcast, and as soon the sun was covered, it got freezing cold. I had to stop and get my Gerbings jacket out- I love this jacket! After cranking the heat up it was toasty warm. After an hour the sun came out again and the colour of the trees looked even more impressive.

Not long after the road started to follow a lake. I guess this is what motorcycle riding is all about: Riding on a beautiful sunny day along a stunning landscape. The landscape reminded me of Canada, with the mountains, the lakes and the pine trees.


I arrived in Bariloche early in the afternoon. Straight away I had to change our booked hostel. There was no way that Sigrid would be able to get up the narrow stairs without a handrail to reach our room. It didn’t take long to find another hostel, and our room had a great view over the lake.


At 9PM I picked Sigrid up from the bus. She managed the bus ride well.

Sigrid is traveling in a bus with light luggage and crutches seems to work ok. We only need some minor adjustments for a longer trip.

Date: 21/04
City: Bariloche, Argentina
Kilometres ridden: 275
Cumulative kilometre: 40725
Street: N/A
Weather: sunny/cloudy, temperature, not sure didn’t leave the room J

We had a holiday from our holiday, a day of….. doing nothing, watching the clouds passing by,


Re-evaluating our travel plans and just enjoying the day. A day like this was really fun, so it can’t be healthy!  😛
So for tomorrow we planned to do something.

Date: 22/04
City: Bariloche, Argentina
Kilometres ridden: 275
Cumulative kilometre: 40725
Street: N/A
Weather: sunny/cloudy, warm

Today we decided to tour a bit. After talking to our host we went to a revolving restaurant on Cerro Otto via sky rail, the view was fantastic. When we arrived at the top we were greeted by an eight month old St Bernard – Paris 😀 soo cute.


We went to the revolving restaurant which does a full circle in twenty minutes. So we ordered some coffee and cake and enjoyed the ride.


The view was fantastic.


Well, we were sitting there for many turns, I didn’t want to leave. On our way out I had a look at the museum which had some replica of some famous sculptures. Unfortunately there were too many steps for Sigird to get there. :/


I had a short walk around the building and found some nice wood carvings.


When we finally went back down it was nearly six PM, so the sun was pretty low. That gave me the opportunity to take a picture of the shadow of the gondola (right picture).


When we tried to call our cab driver we realised that couldn’t reach him with our mobile and the number that he gave us. Apparently some prefix was missing. So we hopped on the local bus which dropped us off in the city cente. We limped and walked around for a bit and looked at some wood carvings.


Then we took a cab from there back to the hostel. When we arrived our host had just finished painting one wall with a white circle. The day before we had discussed different options of how to do it, in the end doing it by hand seemed to be the best option.

 

Date: 23/04
City: Esquel, Argentina
Kilometres ridden: 275
Cumulative kilometre: 41000
Street: Single lane bitumen road
Weather: sunny, warm/freezing

Today I packed the bike and went back to Esquel, starting around lunch time. It got freezing cold again at the same spot as the last time. This time I wore my Gerbings and long johns so I was better prepared. I arrived in Esquel around 4:30 without any problem. I found this guy at the entrance of Esquel.

Sigrid arrived earlier as planned, so she grabbed a taxi and came to the hostel. After meeting up again, we walked to the pub/pizza place around the corner. To our surprise there was a live band playing, which was really great.
Our trial run was successful, Sigrid can travel with light luggage in a bus and I can carry all the rest on the bike. Tomorrow we will see Juan, the doctor, and see what he has to say after removing Sigrids stitches. 😀

 

3 comments

  1. Good luck Sigrid!!
    Bjoernm,in the 3 picture i think you took a wrong way,because i did ,as you know,part of the same rute you do now (Patagonia Chile-Argentina)and i never saw that road,jeje !
    use a map also, maps are better than a gps.I know gps are more practical…use bouth when you can.
    Regards

  2. Dear Friends, all the best to you both, hugs hugs hugs for Sigrid. You still look happy as ever. Amazing spirit. All the best.

  3. Good to hear you are both so adaptable, and that the trip carries on regardless!
    Enjoying the blog; thanks!

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