We decided that we should leave El Calafate by around 7am because Ruta 40 is infamous not only for its condition, but for the constant winds coming from the west that have been known to reach speeds of 160km/h. The winds however don’t start blowing until about 11:00 and any motorcyclist will tell you that this can be harrowing, and doubly so, if you are riding dirt roads with narrow tracks and tall “middle mannetjies” (what’s the English word for “middle mannetijie” other than a direct translation?)
Ruta 40 is in the process of being tarred, the 630km stretch between El Calafate and Perito Moreno anyway and probably about half of it is now done. The thing is, the stretches of the original Ruta 40 that we rode were actually quite good and we were able to get to speeds of up to 120km/h. The deviations around where the roadwork’s are being done however are the dangerous parts and what slows you right down. The fact that this road is being tarred is partially a shame. Although the commercial benefits for the residents of the towns on this road must take precedence, the road has obtained something of a mythical status due to its toughness and remoteness and the tarring thereof will simply just make it another ordinary road through nowhereland.
Our 750km ride for the day..
Needless to say, we loved it. The good and the bad. What added to the challenge was lack of fuel at a petrol station that we were counting on to refuel. This resulted in a 120km detour because although Lil Fatty had the stores for the distance to the next fuel Station, slimline supermodel didn’t, and added an hour and a half to our days ride as a result…hhhmmmm???!!!
When we joined Ruta 40 again, the detour had put us about 50km north of the Estancia that we were planning to stop at for the night and neither of us felt like going back so we pressed on to Perito Moreno for the night. This was crazy because it resulted in a 750km day that was exhausting and to add to the problem, when we got there we couldn’t find accommodation so we pushed on to Los Antiguos some 60km further along our route.
This turned into a blessing of sorts because although the day was long and exhausting, we found an AWESOME hotel on the waterfront of Lake Buenos Aires in Los Antiguos called Hotel Mora. The location is brilliant, the service is 6 stars, the rooms are clean, neat, modern and spacious and the food at their restaurant that is open 16 hours a day is phenomenal! We have stayed at 5 star hotels throughout Argentina that could learn a few lessons from this establishment and its management. So good we booked in for 2 nights so that we can rest and celebrate Enrico’s 60th birthday tomorrow in style.
Sleep, admin and bike maintenance is the order of the day for tomorrow!!!
