Punta Arenas - most southern Chilean city to Ushuaia, end of the world!


I left Puerto Natales in a down pour, but luckily it only lasted 5 minutes. After I left the gas station, rain stopped and I was riding with the wind on my back. I had a 250 kms stretch to Punta Arenas. The road was paved all the way with a tail wind, it was a fast ride. Punta Arenas is nothing special but a port city with a free tax zone at high price. It is the most southern city in Chile. People are nice and it's extremely windy. I spent a couple days relaxing and getting my bike ready with an oil change before my last stretch to Tierra del Fuego - Ushuaia - the very end of the road.
I took the ferry to Porvenir (2 1/2 hours) and landed in the "Land of Fire" Tierra del Fuego. I rode to the Argentinian border just before dark. After 1/2 hour getting my stamps and paper work, I rode off towards the Atlantic ocean. It had been over a year since I was last on this side of the continent. As it got darker and colder it was time to stop and camp. I found a perfect spot next to the Atlantic ocean just north of Rio Grande. Just after I was settled in my tent, it started to pour down rain... lucky once again! I fell asleep to the sound of the ocean and started day dreaming about my last 240kms to the very end of the road... Ushuaia, here I come.
The next morning the sun was shinning and it was a great feeling to be on my way to the end of the road. It was a moment I had been waiting for being 2 years on the road, over 50 000kms of riding, from dirt roads to pave roads, snow and rain, 16 countries, amazing scenery, amazing people. I rode all this distance without any bike problems, no flat tires, nothing stolen. I have to give a big thanks to my good buddy Calixte Leblanc of Canada that road with me from Jasper Canada to Costa Rica, and to Angela Leighton of Santiago Chile that also came on a long 10 month stretch from Costa Rica to LaPaz Bolivia - and never ridden a motorbike in her life, she impressed me every day on the road!!! Thank you for making my trip so special and sharing so many great moments. A trip never to be forgotten with you guys. So many thanks to many people that supported me along the road, to you riders that shared sections along the way. This dream ride wouldn't of been the same without all of you. Another accomplished dream of mine under my belt, from now the road will be north...hopefully continue riding without any problems. I will be making my way back via Carretera Austral - ruta 7 then to Buenos Aires, up Uruguay, Brazil... to Colombia...
so stay tunned, as the Adventure continues...

2 comments:

  1. congratulations buddy , i must say it was the best year of my life, wish i was there for all of it but things happen for a reason, hopefully this next adventure will just as good and i know it will, be safe riding back up and i will see ya this summer, miss ya bros....Cal

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