10:20 AM
March 02
BACK HOME
What's all this white stuff?
12:18 AM
February 29
CHILE - BACK TO THE U.S.A.
Fri. Feb. 28
Well, the party is over. It’s time to go back to the “real world”, so at 11:00pm, I boarded a direct flight from Santiago to New York’s JFK International Airport. I dread these long flights (10 hours), because it’s almost impossible to get any sleep on them. The flight was smooth and uneventful. Just the way I like them! I am now at La Guardia International Airport in New York City, waiting for a flight to Buffalo.
It’s been an incredible month, to say the least. This is the culmination of a dream I have had for many years now. To buy a motorcycle in Chile, and to be able to see the real South America. A huge THANK YOU to all who helped me make this possible.
Final Total
(6800 Kiometers 4225 miles in one month)
A very special thank you to my wonderful wife Sharon. With out her support this would have never happened.
The End
March 02
BACK HOME
What's all this white stuff?
12:18 AM
February 29
CHILE - BACK TO THE U.S.A.
Fri. Feb. 28
Well, the party is over. It’s time to go back to the “real world”, so at 11:00pm, I boarded a direct flight from Santiago to New York’s JFK International Airport. I dread these long flights (10 hours), because it’s almost impossible to get any sleep on them. The flight was smooth and uneventful. Just the way I like them! I am now at La Guardia International Airport in New York City, waiting for a flight to Buffalo.
It’s been an incredible month, to say the least. This is the culmination of a dream I have had for many years now. To buy a motorcycle in Chile, and to be able to see the real South America. A huge THANK YOU to all who helped me make this possible.
Final Total
(6800 Kiometers 4225 miles in one month)
A very special thank you to my wonderful wife Sharon. With out her support this would have never happened.
The End
TO VALPARAISO
8:08 PM
Tue. Feb. 26
I left Santiago this morning, heading to the Pacific Ocean, specifically to the main port city of Valparaiso and the adjacent city of Vina Del Mar. As I headed out of Santiago it was another warm sunny day, but the closer I got to the ocean, the cooler it became. I stopped to put on my jacket part way there, and wished I had remembered to bring the gloves again. Good thing the bike has the heated handlebars! If I had to pick only one option to put on a motorcycle, it would be the heated handlebars! As is always the case here, as you approach the coast, it becomes overcast. Never fails!
Arriving in Valparaiso, the traffic became very heavy, and the drivers here in Chile don’t give you much time to decide where you are going. You had better know!
Any way, I wanted to turn around and head south, but there was no good place to do so, but luckily I found a gas station on the left hand side, and as luck would have it, I needed gas, so into the gas station I went. After gassing up, I headed south toward the cities port. Valparaiso is Chile’s oldest, most important, and largest shipping port. Valparaiso is squeezed in between the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding hills; so, much of the city is on the steep slopes.
I wanted to find a way to the tops of the hills overlooking the harbor to take pictures, so I asked a local delivery man how to get up there. He gave me directions, so off I went. Talk about steep streets, San Francisco has nothing on this place! I am not exaggerating when I say that the angle of some of these streets was at least 45 degrees and extremely narrow. When I saw how steep the street was, I hesitated for a second before deciding to go up. No kidding, some of the streets are so steep that you are only allowed to go up, you can not come down. You have to come down another street, and the farther up you go, the less affluent the area becomes. The good news is, the poor people have the best views. It also seems that the farther up you go, the more dogs are running around lose and chasing you as you go by. Seems there where more dogs than people in some areas. Lots of fun running the gauntlet of dogs on those steep, narrow streets, only to find out you are on a dead end street! Oh, crap!
After taking some pictures from the tops of the hills, I headed back down to the Port and drove the short distance to Vina Del Mar which is only a few miles away. You can see both cities from Valparaiso, they are that close. Vina Del Mar is like the Miami Beach of Chile, it’s a very upscale tourist area with lots of big hotels and expensive homes up on the hills overlooking the Pacific. This past week was the big “Festival de Vina” and the town was still full of people and “Groupies”. The festival brings in big name performers from around the world, as well as Chile, for a long week end of songs and comedy performances. It’s kind of like the Academy Awards of Chile. So after a little sight seeing and a few pictures, I headed back to Santiago.
8:05 PM CHILE - BACK TO SANTIAGO
Thu. Feb. 21 (3850 miles on the bike)
I left my Aunts farm this morning at 10:15 and headed back north to the capital city of Santiago. The trip took me exactly seven hours, door to door, a distance of 650 kilometers (just over 400 miles). I could tell it was going to be a warn day, because at the farm the air was already warm for that time of the morning. The drive was uneventful, just the way I like it, although there was a fair amount of traffic all the way, and of course it got really heavy as I approached Santiago. It was the beginning of rush hour so the traffic in the city it’s self was the normal craziness. No wrong turns this time, very proud of my self for that.
CHILE SOUTH - SALTO DE LAJA
Sun. Feb. 10
At about 11:30 this morning, I left the farm for a place called “Salto del Laja” (Laja Falls). It was a drive of about two hours taking the scenic route which took me through Traiguen, then north to Los Sauces then continuing on to Angol. Continuing north from Angol I headed to the town of Coihue (Coi-way). There, I headed east toward the city of Los Angeles (no, not that one) At Los Angeles I turned on to the Pan American Highway, Route 5 for a short stretch and on to Salto del Laja.
Salto de Laja is a water falls, but it’s no Niagara Falls by any stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately, due to the lack of rainfall in Chile this year, the falls do not carry much water. But the site still attracts a lot of tourists and locals. Many use the pools at the bottom of the fall to swim in. It’s a great spot on a hot sunny day.
The return trip was a bit faster, since I took Rt 5 all the was back arraiving at my Aunts at about 5:30PM, just in time for afternoon tea.
ARGENTINA
Fri. Feb. 15
Click on the "My Photo Album" link to see all the photos
2683 miles on the odometer (4640 klm)
Well, I’m back from my three day trip through Argentina and the Andes Mountains in southern Chile. I left the farm early on Wednesday, at about 9:00am and headed to Temuco and then south to the resort town of Villarica (Vi-ya-ri-ca). From there I headed east, along the shore of Lago Villarica, toward the resort town of Pucon. From Pucon I headed into the heart of the Andes and toward the border with Argentina. As I approached the Andes, the scenery became more and more stunning, as you can imagine. The road up to this point was paved, but that was soon to change. I spent almost the entire day riding on some pretty rough gravel roads, but the scenery made the whole thing worth while, and the bike handled the rough terrain with ease. It seemed that I was stopping every few minutes to take pictures of some spectacular vistas, like the Lanin Volcano at the border crossing.
The border crossing into Argentina was much faster than the first time. I think the entire event took about an hour. That was getting through the Chilean and Argentina customs. It was interesting to see, once I made it through the heart of the Andes and well into Argentina, that much of the scenery reminded me of the American South West. Kind of like Monument Valley. Just a few kilometers from the border, the road became paved. Boy, was I glad to see that!
One thing I was not prepared for was the winds that blew down through the valleys on the Argentina side. The first valley I rode through was enormous, it seemed to go on forever, and bordered on both sides by high mountains and long straight a ways with big sweeping turns that you could take at pretty good speeds. Since there was not a sole on the roads, you pretty much had it all to yourself. I kept telling myself, “I can’t believe I’m doing this”.
The first place I planned to stay over night is called “San Martin de Los Andes”. A beautiful little town that would not be out of place in the middle of the Swiss Alps. San Matin de Los Andes is nestled at the east end of Lago Lacar (Lake Lacar) and bordered on all sides by the towering Andes. Location, location, location! It’s just freekin gorgeous! After finding a very nice place to stay for the night, kind of like a little Bungalow, I asked where I might get a good Argentine steak. I know what your thinking. Well, this time was the charm. It was suggested I go to the “Bamboo Grill”, so I headed a couple of blocks down the road to The Bamboo Grill. I finally found what I had been searching so long for, a great Argentina steak. The chef came to my table to explain how my meal would be prepared. Now, I normally like my steak “well done”, but it was explained that with a cut of beef this thick it would take to long to cook to my exact liking and would probably ruin the meat. So I relented and took the expert’s advice. I don’t normally like to see any red in the middle of my steak, but I must admit, the meal was fantastic. A few beers, a great steak and a nice fresh salad, in the middle of the Argentine Andes. What more can you ask for?
Initially I had only planned to go as far as San Martin de Los Andes, but after seeing how long it took to get there, and asking locals how long it would take to get to “San Carlos de Bariloche”, I headed for San Carlos de Bariloche, about a five hour drive.
I left at about 8:30am and drove out of town on the road that borders the lake the whole length. Another gorgeous place to take pictures! Anyways, The road out of town was paved, but not long after leaving town, I came to a split in the road. Not sure what way to go, I asked a person that I saw, running a flag up a flag pole. He told me that both roads lead to Bariloche, but one was paved part way, but the gravel portion was very bad. The other road was ALL gravel, but was shorter. I chose the shorter road since the gravel roads are bad enough already. The shorter road turned out not to be too bad after all, and the scenery was spectacular.
Where can you ride, where you are the only person on the road for hours, and everywhere you turn is more spectacular than the last? I was literally the only person on the road for hours except for the occasional group of horses grazing on the roadside. Again, I found myself stopping every few minutes to take pictures. This part of the world is unbefreekinleavable!
As I crested the top of a hill, I was almost blown away by what I saw. A large lake with the Andes Mountains at the far end. I had no idea I was so close to Bariloche. Seeing the lake pop up in front of me so unexpectedly, reminded me of the first time I came over the top of the hill above Wendover, Utah, and saw the Bonneville salt flats splashed out in front of me as far as the eye could see.
I continued in to the town of San Carlos de Bariloche and found a hotel right on the lake for the night. The town of Bariloche didn’t impress me much, but it’s location certainly did. I had the most spectacular view of the lake with the Andes Mountains in the background, right from my room.
People here in Argentina, and South America in general, don’t eat the evening meal until 8:30 or 9:00, consequently the restaurants don’t open until that time. Makes sense! Once again I asked for advice, from the hotel staff, on a good place to get, you guessed it, a good Argentine steak. La Parrilla de Julian (Julian’s Grill) was suggested, so I took the advice.
As I walked in to La Parrilla de Julian, I was the only one in the house, not counting the wait staff. As I sat at a table, near the front window, so I could keep an eye on the bike, the waitress came over and gave me the menu. I looked the menu over and noticed they had two sizes of Bife de Chorizo (Filet Mignon), a 500 gram and an 800 gram. I figured, what the heck, go for the 800. After telling the girl how I wanted it cooked, the owner, Julian, came over to school me on the proper way to cook this cut of beef. I guess I should have learned by now to do as the Romans do. OK, I let him cook it the way he suggested. “Butterfly” the meat so it would cook more to my liking with out taking so long to cook.
I ordered a beer with my meal, but Julian, the owner, insisted that the meat should be accompanied by a good wine. The next thing I knew, there was a goblet of red wine at my table, waiting for the beef. I also ordered a lettuce and tomato salad.
Once the meal arrived, I quickly started in on the Filet Mignon. It was a very nice portion of beef, about two inches thick, two inches wide and five inches long.
The meat in this part of the world has a taste you can’t find anywhere else. At least I’ve never found such flavorful meat anywhere else in my travels. It has a flavor all its own.
Just about the time I finished the beef, I thought to myself, I wish this hadn’t ended so soon. I hadn’t even finished the last piece, when one of the waiters approached my table with a dish in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other. On that dish was another beautiful cut of Bife de Chorizo, and it was headed right for my plate. I wasn’t aware, but I had only worked my way through 400 grams of my meal, and I had another 400 to go. Talk about putting a smile on my face! I must say, that has to be the best meal I’ve had while here in South America, so far. The owner and staff at Julian’s really know how to serve a great meal and it was evident by the people that kept streaming into the restaurant. By the time I left, there wasn’t an empty table in the whole place. Gracias Julian!
On Friday I left Bariloche at around 8:00am and headed out of town on route 237 until I reached route 215. Route 215 heads west toward the border with Chile. Route 215 also borders Lake Nahuel Huapi and winds through some very beautiful countryside as it heads toward the Chilean border. The area resembles the Adirondack Mountains a bit. There are a few resort towns along the lake that are very busy during the winter ski season.
Once I reached the Argentina Customs Office, I went in to stand in line with all my documents in hand. One thing they seem to pay special attention to in Argentina is that you leave with the same vehicle you came in with. It seems there is or was a lot of people bringing in vehicles and selling them at a great profit. Once in line, I met an older couple from Idaho that have been coming to South America to spend the winter for the last 18 years. They have been just about everywhere as would be expected.
After passing through the customs offices, I continued to the southern Chilean city of Osorno, where I picked up the Pan American Highway (Rt.5) and headed north to Temuco and then on to my Aunts farm, arriving at about 4:30pm.
P.S. 1:30am - Experienced my first earthquake while here in Chile, this time! Not a very strong one, but strong enough to rattle the windows and shake the house a little. Nothing like the earthquake of May 22, 1960 that I experienced. That was the strongest quake ever recorded anywhere on earth, at approximately 9.7 on the Richter scale.
CHILE SOUTH - CARAHUE
Fri. Feb. 8
Click on the "My Photo Album" link to see all the photos
A few years ago I passed through a town, here in southern Chile, while on the way to the Pacific Ocean. As I passed through the town I saw a large collection of steam powered equipment from a bygone era. So today I thought I would go back to photograph some of it. The name of the town is Carahue (Ca-ra way). It’s about an hour and a half’s drive from my Aunts ranch, so it’s a nice day trip.
As I left the ranch I headed south, toward the town of Galvarino, went down the steep hill into the middle of Galvarino and then up another big hill to get out of the town. The main streets in these small towns are a very busy place during the week. Just outside of the town I turned right and headed toward the town of Chol-Chol. No need for pronunciation here. J Not much in Chol-Chol so it was off to Nueva Imperial. At this point I had been on the road for about fourty five minutes. I turned right in Nueva Imperial and headed toward the coast.
Seems no mater where you go in this area, there is road construction. All along the road between Nueva Imperial and Carahue there where lane reductions where you had to stop and wait for traffic to come the other way.
As I entered the own of Carahue, there is a large boulevard with a dividing median. In the median, as far as the eye could see, where old steam tractors of all kinds on display. Very nice. This area is a potato growing region. They claim to be the potato capital here, kind of like Elba, New York claims Onion capital of the world. Any way, a little farther down the road was a display of old steam driven locomotives and rail cars of the era.
After Carahue I continued to the ocean side town of Puerto Savedra. This little town is very popular with local tourists. The town isn’t much to write home about, but the views of the Pacific Ocean, from the tops of the surrounding hills is. From the top of one of the hills I could see a large flock of Sea Lions below working their way up the shoreline looking for lunch. Speaking of lunch, after snapping a few pictures, I ducked into a little restaurant I spotted on the way up the hill, so I stopped there to have lunch. Another good steak, plus an onion and tomato salad, oh, and a Crystal, the local Chilean beer. Very good!
Then it was back to the ranch, but as I neared Galvarino, there was a roaring wild fire that had somehow started burning the fields of cut wheat and had invaded a forest as well. Wild fires here are a very serious danger, as in Southern California, because the climate here is very similar. Warm, dry and windy.
That was it for one day. I arrived back at about six in the afternoon, just intime for tea. Gotta have that here every afternoon!
CHILE SOUTH - GALLETUE, ICALMA
Thu. Feb 7
Click on the "My Photo Album" link to see all the photos
Today I left the farm at about 10:00am and headed for Tunel Las Raices. This is an old railway tunnel that is no longer used by the rail road so it has been converted to vehicular use. To say the least, passing through this tunnel is an experience. The first thing you notice, when you start in, is that the tunnel is very narrow, and it is not lighted. The other oddity is that the “road surface” is nothing more than dirt and gravel placed over the remaining railroad tracks. This tunnel is quite long, I’m going to guess about three or four miles, and seems to go on for ever. Once inside, you can’t see either end for quite a while. An interesting experience.
Since I had been through the tunnel many times, I just snapped a couple of pictures, then turned around and took the over the mountain route. This I have never done and that’s why I wanted to do it. The road is gravel from one end to the other, and as you can imagine climbs steeply up the mountains. Nearing the top, the scenery is quite beautiful and one notices that you are starting to see many Araucaria trees now. Those are commonly known as “Monkey Puzzle” trees. The only grow in the higher elevations, and are protected by law here because one tree can take thousands of years to reach maturity.
As I descended the mountain, I arrived at the small town of Lonquimai,
(Lon-kee-mai) nestled in a beautiful valley at the foot of the mountains. I then headed south, looking for a road that I am familiar with but is not marked, that leads up the mountains again toward Laguna Galletue (Ga-ye-tue) and Laguna Icalma. As you enter the town of Icalma you literally drive right by the Chilean – Argentine border. It’s not a block away.
All the time I was driving, I was trying to catch glimpses of Volcan Llaima
(Yai-ma), this is the volcano that erupted a week or so before I left the States to come to Chile. The volcano was very active, filling the entire surrounding area with much smoke.
As I left Icalma I passed by the far end of the lake, (and this is for you Howard) and as I looked down from the dirt road up above, I spotted a busload of naked senior citizens (NO KIDDING) NUDE bathing in the lake. Stupid me didn’t take a picture! There where eight or ten men, straddling a log, almost as if the where in a dough out canoe. There where women on the beach there as well. Funnier than hell!!! I almost lost my teeth!!
Ok, back to the trip. From Icalma I headed to the small town of Melipeuco, where Sharon and I had lunch a few years ago. Malipeuco is literaly at the foot of the volcano, and a few weeks ago, was almost evacuated due to the eruption. I was very low on gas by the time I reached Malipeuco, and was very glad to see that the gas station was still open when I arrived. My original plan was to return to my Aunts farm by driving through Parque Nacional Conguillio (Con-gi-yio Nationl Park. The park was closed due to the hightened activity of the Volcano. The road that runs through the park, is no more than a path worn over the old lava. It literally resembles driving on the moon. Not that I’ve driven there, but Sharon has wanted to send me there a few times J Any way, the park was closed, so I returned by way of Temuco. Temuco is Chiles second largest city and is always a very busy place. From there I took the back roads to the farm, arriving around 7:30pm.
CHILE SOUTH - TO CHUFQUEN
Wed. Feb 6
I left Santiago this morning for my Aunt's home in Chufquen, at about 7:30am, mainly to beat the rush hour traffic. The traffic was fairly light on the way out, and the only wrong turn I made was at the Pan American Highway (Rt. 5). As on almost all highways that I have been on, the exits are on the right hand side of the road. Unfortunately, this one was on the left, and by the time I realized that, it was too late to turn. The good news is that all I had to do was go around the block and get right on.
As I headed south out of the city, the traffic thinned out and it became very much like driving on Rt. 390 in the southern tier back home. It was overcast when I left, but the farther south I drove, the more blue sky I started to see. That was until about an hour from my destination, when the sky became very dark, and I was afraid it was going to rain. I was right! I started seeing more and more wet road, so I pulled over and broke out the rain gear. A mile down the road it started raining and I swear it was following me, because even though the sky turned brighter, I was still getting pelted with rain everywhere I went.
Finally when I reached the exit for the town of Traiguen, where I had to exit, it stopped raining and the sky turned blue again. The trip took me about six and a half hours at an average speed of 120. That’s in Kilometers J
The bike ran like a top, but my GPS unit decided to crap the sheets. It seems that the brand new cradle I bought for my GPS, that has about a weeks worth of use on it, stopped supplying power to the GPS unit.Now the GPS runs for about four hours on battery, then dies. The exact same thing happened to the other cradle I have that mounts to the car windshield. It too crapped out after a while and was replaced by Garmin. I don’t know what I’m going to do this time though, being so far from home. I’m going to try to take it apart to see if there is anything obviously wrong with it, but I’m not going to hold my breath on this one.
OK, I took the back off the unit, and as I suspected, there isn’t much anyone can do with this unless it’s in the shop. I did manage to disconnect the ribbon cables and plug them back in. Now, I am praying for a miracle. Guess I will find out in the morning when I put it back on the bike to see if it works. Let’s hope so, because I am blind with out my GPS, especially here.
See ya later.
CHILE
Mon. Feb. 4
I just dropped the bike off at the BMW dealer this afternoon for the 1000 klm. service. I will have it back tomorrow at 6:00pm. They loaned me a BMW 650 Dakar. A nice bike, but it's no R1200GS. To start with it only has one cylinder. Can't wait to get the 1200 back.
Wednesday morning, bright and early I plan to head south to my Aunts place near the town of Traiguen. (pronounced: Tri-gen) That's where my Dad and my Aunts where born. I figure I have at least a six or seven hour ride, so I want to get an early start. Hopefully I will have an Internet connection there. See you there.
CHILE
Sun. Feb 3
Click on the "My Photo Album" link to see all the photos
It looks like, if you want a good Argentinean Steak, you have to go to Chile!
This morning I decided to head up to “El Cajon del Maipo” (Maipo Canyon). Being Sunday, the traffic was bearable. I headed down Avenida Americo Vespucio, which is a main loop around the city of Santiago. I then turned left onto “La Florida”, another large avenue, which runs south until turning left heading east and continues into “El Cajon del Maipo”. This roar winds along the “Rio Maipo” (River Maipo) through small populated areas of homes, little convenient stores, restaurants and small towns, passing over small rivers, running out of the Andes, where many people where taking advantage of the rushing water to beat the heat.
I headed east until I came to a road that ran north along a stream that wound its way out of the mountains, until I was flagged down by a man that had a truck with a flat tire. Oddly enough, he had spent a long time in the U.S., in Iowa, and spoke very good English. He hopped on the back of the bike (no helmet) and we took off for the nearest gas station about ten miles away. After leaving him there and taking the opportunity to gas up the bike, I went back in the direction I had come from, and continued up the road until it ran out of pavement. The gravel road looked very inviting, and since I was on an on-off road bike, I continued up the gravel road a few mile before turning around.
On the way in, I had spied what looked like a good restaurant, so I stopped there on the return trip. The restaurant called “El Rancho del Che” (The Ranch of Che), a refrance to Che Guevera I suppose, was packed. Hmmmm! Unlike the one in Argentina. This place even smelled good!
The interesting thing about this restaurant, is that all the grilling was done in an outside enclosure, not in a kitchen. Inside there was a lot of hustle and bustle with waiters running in all directions serving patrons. I sat down at a table where I could keep an eye on my bike, and ordered a Chilean beer called Crystal. A very good beer. I also ordered an “ensalada a la Chilena (a typical Chilean salad consisting of tomatoes and onions), Oh, and a nice big steak.
When the waiter showed up with the meat, it came on what looked like a Fondue dish with the meat on the top dish and hot coals underneath. The meat was sizzling as the waiter set it on the table. Now THIS was a piece of meat, I thought to myself. It was about two inches thick, three inches wide and about six inches long. They don’t make ‘em like that in Argentina, I guess. It was very good!
After that very satisfying meal I headed back to Santiago.
I now have over 1100 klm. On the bike.
CHILE
Sat. Feb. 2
Click on the "My Photo Album" link to see all the photos
I was over to the BMW dealer yesterday, and I was told that the first service interval can be performed on the bike anywhere from 800 klm to 1200 klm. At the time I had somewhere around 375 klm on the bike, so I decided to go to Portillo ( pronounced: Por-ti-yo) another very famous ski resort in the Chilean Andes. After that, Argentina. That should rack up the Kilometers.
So I got up bright and early on Friday and headed out of Santiago northward to city of Los Andes. Arriving in Los Andes, I headed east toward the Andes Mountains and began a steady climb to Portillo. Nearing Portillo there is another set of tight switch backs known as Los Caracoles (The Snails). Must be because of the pace at which one has to drive up them. Again the scenery in the valleys and the mountains is breathtaking.
I have taken many pictures of these sights, but believe me, one has to be here to take in the majesty of these places. No pictures will ever do justice to the beauty of the Andes Mountains. At one point, going through one of the mountain passes, I strained my neck to look up at the tops of the mountains, and all I could think of was that the snow capped, jagged peaks of the mountains where scraping the sky. It really makes you feel insignificant when you look around at the expance.
From Portillo it’s a very short drive to the Chilean border check point. There you have to show your documents and they pay special attention to the mandatory insurance policy you must buy to drive in Argentina. Once through the check point you drive to the Customs check point in Argentina, passing through the Tunel Cristo Retendor.
Lets talk about the border crossing into Argentina. First, bring a lunch! It took me no less than two and a half hours to get through Customs on the Argentina side. This is a slow process to say the least! With your vehicle, you have to form two lines that lead to a large building where the Customs officers are. After about two hours in the warm Argentina sun, I finally made it to the entrance to the building. By this time, the two lines stretched all the way out to the road I came in on. Those people might as well camp out! Now at the entrance to the building, I had another half hour before I reached the little indoor huts where the Customs Officers reside. The first Officer makes sure all your documents are in order, and stamps them a few times.Then it’s on to the second set of Customs Officers. They make sure your documents are all in order, and then stamp them a few times. Hmmmm? Whe’re not done yet! As you exit the building, low and behold, there is an other officer that wants your documents. At least they took this guys stamp away from him.
Finally out of the Argetine Customs check point, I drove a few miles to a place called El Puente del Inca. (The Bridge of The Inca) A vary strange structure that seems to have been built into a natural stone bridge. I don’t know anything about it, but as soon as I can get this dam computer to allow me on to the Internet, I will investigate this place.
After a series of pictures of El Puente del Inca, I continued farther into Argentina, ending up in a small town called Uspallata (Us-pa-ya-ta) not far from the city of Mendoza. By now I’m sure you’ve figured out that in Spanish a double L has a Y sound. Once in Uspallata, I found a little restaurant right at the four corners of the town, and decided to get some lunch.
I’ve heard so much about the wonderful meat that Argentina produces, so I ordered, what I figured would be, a big juicy steak, a tomato and onion salad, and a liter of Andes beer. (it only came in letres) What other kind of beer would you expect in the middle of the Andes?
Well, I got a steak, problem was, it looked more like a “Steakum” than a big, thick, juicy steak . Wait, this gets better!
I HATE EGGS!!
Guess what was proudly sitting on top of my Steakum? You guessed it, a nice fried egg. Back to the cosina (kitchen) to extract the egg! I get the Steakum back and it still looks the same! I wasn’t aware, but hiding under that big juicy egg, was a slab of melted cheese! OK, I can deal with the cheese! A couple of quick strokes with the fork, and the cheese was history! I have to admit, as thin as the meat was, it was good. I’ve had better, but it was good. I think that the resident dogs, that kept circling me, thought so too. Too bad, go get your own!
After that wonderful culinary experience, I gassed up the bike across the street, at the only gas station in town, then headed back to the Chilean border. It was getting to be late afternoon by now, and fairly cool too.
The valley, that I rode through, between the Chilean border and Uspallata, was very windy, but at least I remembered to bring my gloves this time, as well as the heavy bike jacket and a nice wind breaker underneath. This kept me fairly comfortable especially with the heated hand grips on.
Arriving at the Chilean border, I was motioned to drive into a large building where there was a great deal of activity. Mostly busses, but a few cars, as well. What I suspect was a drug sniffing dog was jumping in and out of vehicles as a Customs Agent looked on. I knew this dog wasn’t looking for Steakums, because he had an official “Customs Dog” coat on.
I was ordered to park my bike over at the far end of the building near some wooden structures. After standing around waiting for a Customs Agent to inspect the bike, I finally asked a passing Agent if anyone was going to inspect my bike. He quickly and graciously instructed me on the proper way to get the bike inspected.
He grabbed my documents and waved them high in the air and told me that, all you have to do is, wave the documents in the air and yell to one of the Officers to get their attention.
That was only part of the process. First you have to go in to an adjacent hall, where there where a bunch of windows with Custom Agents behind them. You take your documents to window # 1 and the Agent makes sure your documents are all in order and stamps them. Then, on to window #2, where the Agent makes sure your documents are all in order and stamps them. Then on to window #3, #4, #5, you get the idea.
After all that, you go to the final window and pay a toll. Now, you go back out to your vehicle, flag down a Customs Agent, (I know how to do this by now) he makes sure you have all your documents in order, no he doesn’t stamp them, but this guy does inspects your stuff! Now you’re done! NO.
Now you drive out and stop at a small blue hut, where the officer makes sure you have all your documents in order and takes one of them and sends you on your way.
I could have been home by now!
Now comes the steep drive out of the Andes and back to Santiago. It was about 9:30 pm by the time I arrived back at my Aunts.
This was a spectacular trip as far as scenery is concerned. I don’t think that I can accurately describe the awesomness of the Andes Mountains. Pictures definitely do not do it justice. It’s something you have to experience for yourself, and the best way to do it is on a bike.
I now have 900+ klm on the bike.
CHILE
Fri. Jan. 31
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Today I headed back up to the Andes Mountains again to the same area that I visited yesterday. Only yesterday I didn’t get to the end of the road due to the late hour of the day.
This time I rode all the way to Farellones (pronounced: Fa-re-yo-nes), a very popular ski area, and then in the other direction to Valle Nevado (Snow Valley). The road up was great fun, as it was very picturesque and winding, but the trip back down was even more exiting. There is a section of the road that literally goes up the side of the mountain in a series of, no less than, 38 very tight switch backs. That’s some fun riding, especially given the beauty of the area. I was surprised how cool it became the farther up I went. Of course I left my gloves back at my Aunts house. Who needs gloves, it’s 84 degrees in Santiago, Yeah right! Good thing the bike came with heated hand grips. By the time I headed back down, it was late afternoon.
CHILE
Jan. 30, 2008
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The non stop flight from JFK to Santiago, yesterday, was very long and very crowded. I don’t think I would be lying if I said there was not an empty seat in the plane, and it was a very big plane. A Boeing 767-300
OK, enough of that, let’s get down to business. THE NEW BIKE!! I’ve had about a day and a half in the saddle, and to sum it up in just a few words, WOW! This thing is awesome! It’s very light, less than 500 lbs, compared to the other bike, that tips that scales at something approaching 900 lbs. It’s very maneuverable, and it has so much power, that when I went to pass a car so I could make a quick right hand turn, I felt the front end come right off the ground in third gear, and that left me with three more gears to go. This thing has ABS bakes and Traction Control. I was told that the Traction Control is very effective. It’s designed to keep the back end from squirting out from under you in off road use. Both the ABS and the Traction Control can be disabled at the touch of a button. It also came with the optional wire spoke wheels, that from what I’ve read, are stronger and better suited to off road use. I was pleasantly surprised.
This afternoon (today is Wednesday) I had a chance to take the bike up into the Andes Mountains, for the first time, to see what it could do on the twisties. I found out, very quickly, that the bike has a lot more capability than I do on the narrow switchbacks. That will take some practice, that’s all. One thing I learned: if you are going to drive in the Andes Mountains, STAY ON YOUR SIDE. It will help to keep you from becoming a hood ornament. Many of the turns are so tight that you can’t see if anyone is coming the other way.
I now have about 200Klm on it, all but eight of those are mine. Well, have to get my beauty sleep. Another long day of riding tomorrow. Back up into the Andes I think.
Oh, I already have a sunburn! Bet you can’t say that J Stay tuned!
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CHILE
Mon.Jan. 28, 2008
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I would like to give a very big thank you to my good friend Cesar Carrasco of New York City for inviting me to spend the day in the Big Apple while on my way to Chile. I had a very long layover (8 Hours) in New York and Cesar was gracious enough to invite me to come and see the sights of that great city. Cesar picked me up at La Guardia airport and the first stop was to his apartment in Manhattan to drop off my luggage.
I had been in New York City way back in the early 70’s while I was at Fort Dix , New Jersey, but only to drive through. Today, Cesar showed me many of the great places to see in the Big Apple. The first place we stopped at was the Brooklyn Bridge. A very impressive icon of New York City. We parked the car near there, and proceeded on foot up to Wall Street and to the New York Stock Exchange. Very impressive! Then it was on to Ground Zero. I guess I don’t need to tell you much about that. We then proceeded to walk to the Hudson river, after passing through some of the beautiful buildings in the vicinity of the World Trade Center. There, I was able to catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, out on the New York Harbor. We continued on to Battery Park and on to the East River, but not before stopping at Starbucks for a warm cup of coffee. Then it was back to the car and a very nice drive though Central Park. Not far from Central Park I stopped briefly to snap a picture of the former residence of John Lennon. We then drove on to Time Square before returning to retrieve my luggage at the apartment. And almost as fast as it started it was on to JFK airport to catch the 8:00pm flight to Santiago, Chile.
Again Cesar, thank you very much for a very memorable afternoon.
January 24
R1200G Video
I found a nice video on YouTube of the new bike. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa-amUAmaDA Enjoy!
January 11
Time Is Getting Short
January 28th will be here very soon and I am slowly gathering everything I might need for the new motorcycle in Chile.
The list of things I have packed for the bike include:
2 full face helmets
A new motorcycle jacket and pants
A new tank bag for the bike
2 luggage box liners
Mounting hardware for the GPS
Mounting hardware my video camera
Miscellaneous tools and stuff
I have been in touch with Mauricio Vergara, the manager of the BMW motorcycle dealership in Santiago, and he tells me that they have moved to a new location since I was there last year. Still on the same street, but closer to my Aunt’s. Mauricio tells me that the bike is ready and waiting for my arrival.
The weather in Santiago for the past few weeks has been mid 80’s to low 90’s and sunny every day with about 40% humidity. My kind of weather!
Chile was made for motorcycles!
December 14
It's Official
As of Thursday December 13, 2007, I am the proud owner of a new BMW R1200GS. I received the official receipt from Williamson-Balfour BMW of Santiago, Chile, making the sale final. Mauricio Vergara, the manager of the motorcycle portion of Williamson-Balfour, has been gracious enough to store the motorcycle at their showroom until I arrive in Santiago on Jan. 29. As soon as my feet hit the ground in Chile, I will head right to the motorcycle dealer to take delivery of the bike. For those of you that don’t know, the bike is red, white and black, with a black seat. A very nice combination in my opinion. (See pictures at the bottom of the page) It will also have the optional (expandable) R1200GS luggage boxes as well as the top box. This opens up a whole new world of riding opportunities. Literally!
Stay tuned, I will try to give daily updates while in Chile, as long as I can get a connection.
November 19
Spring 2007 Florida Trip
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May 21, 2007 My Son Michael graduated from Wake Forest University with a Masters in Business Administration, so I took the opportunity to ride the K1200LT to his home in North Carolina. Graduation day was a beautiful warm and sunny day, and the ceremony was very impressive.
After a week in North Carolina, I got back on the K1200LT and pointed it toward sunny Florida. I worked my way through South Carolina, with a side trip to Savannah, Georgia, a lovely little city with tons of southern charm. Then it was on to Fort Myers, Florida, where Sharon was to fly into the next day.
Sharon and I spent the next couple of days exploring the gulf coast of central Florida, and then started for the Florida Keys. We drove across Alligator Alley and made a right and headed through Homestead, and on to the Keys. The traffic across the causeway was horrendous. After fighting the traffic on the causeway, we found a hotel on Key Largo and used it for our base, for the next few days while we rode up and down the Keys.
One evening, after exploring all day, we stopped for ice cream and got to talking with a woman who was a local resident of Key Largo. She told us of a little “out of the way” watering hole, that she said we should visit. (and I mean “out of the way”). So the following morning, we got on the road early and headed for Key West. On the way, we decided to follow the woman’s directions, and try to find this little “Watering Hole”. It was almost lunch time by the time we made it to Big Pine Key, so we made a right and headed up a long lonely road that made a lot of turns and led us farther and farther into the out of the way parts of Big Pine Key. Suddenly I saw a sign on a tiny shack that read “No Name Pub” built in 1936. After finding a place to park, where the 850+ pound BMW wouldn’t sink into the gravel, we went inside. As we went through the door, the first thing that struck me about this place, was the thousands and thousands of dollar bills that literally carpeted the walls of the pub. I thought to myself, if this place ever caught fire, they would lose a bundle of money!
After a very good lunch at the No Name Pub, we continued on to Key West. Arriving in Key West we headed to the southern most point of the continental United States, and the obligatory photo in front of the monument. There was a light rain starting, so I wanted to see that place before it turned into a Florida down pour. I figured if it started to pour, we could hide out at Sloppy Joe’s until it stopped. It never turned into a down pour, but we found a place to sit down inside Sloppy Joe’s anyway. That was not easy! The place was packed! After a great day on Key West, we headed back to the hotel on Key Largo.
The following day we headed back to Fort Myers, since Sharon was scheduled to catch a plane back to New York the following day. After taking Sharon to the airport, I headed to Cape Canaveral via a road that bordered the western shore of Lake Okeechobee. The water level of the lake was so low that the vegetation that would normally be under water was on fire, due to the drought in the southeastern U.S. this year. I then continued to Route 1 on the eastern Florida coast. The ride up Rt. 1 is one I recommend because there are many very beautiful and expensive homes along the way.
The Kennedy Space Center is a place I have wanted to visit for some time now. It is a very interesting place and the bus tour was very informative. There was a Space Shuttle on the launch pad that was due to launch in two weeks.
After an afternoon at the Space Center, I headed back to my Son’s house in North Carolina, for a couple of days, before returning home to New York.
I left Santiago this morning, heading to the Pacific Ocean, specifically to the main port city of Valparaiso and the adjacent city of Vina Del Mar. As I headed out of Santiago it was another warm sunny day, but the closer I got to the ocean, the cooler it became. I stopped to put on my jacket part way there, and wished I had remembered to bring the gloves again. Good thing the bike has the heated handlebars! If I had to pick only one option to put on a motorcycle, it would be the heated handlebars! As is always the case here, as you approach the coast, it becomes overcast. Never fails!
Arriving in Valparaiso, the traffic became very heavy, and the drivers here in Chile don’t give you much time to decide where you are going. You had better know!
Any way, I wanted to turn around and head south, but there was no good place to do so, but luckily I found a gas station on the left hand side, and as luck would have it, I needed gas, so into the gas station I went. After gassing up, I headed south toward the cities port. Valparaiso is Chile’s oldest, most important, and largest shipping port. Valparaiso is squeezed in between the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding hills; so, much of the city is on the steep slopes.
I wanted to find a way to the tops of the hills overlooking the harbor to take pictures, so I asked a local delivery man how to get up there. He gave me directions, so off I went. Talk about steep streets, San Francisco has nothing on this place! I am not exaggerating when I say that the angle of some of these streets was at least 45 degrees and extremely narrow. When I saw how steep the street was, I hesitated for a second before deciding to go up. No kidding, some of the streets are so steep that you are only allowed to go up, you can not come down. You have to come down another street, and the farther up you go, the less affluent the area becomes. The good news is, the poor people have the best views. It also seems that the farther up you go, the more dogs are running around lose and chasing you as you go by. Seems there where more dogs than people in some areas. Lots of fun running the gauntlet of dogs on those steep, narrow streets, only to find out you are on a dead end street! Oh, crap!
After taking some pictures from the tops of the hills, I headed back down to the Port and drove the short distance to Vina Del Mar which is only a few miles away. You can see both cities from Valparaiso, they are that close. Vina Del Mar is like the Miami Beach of Chile, it’s a very upscale tourist area with lots of big hotels and expensive homes up on the hills overlooking the Pacific. This past week was the big “Festival de Vina” and the town was still full of people and “Groupies”. The festival brings in big name performers from around the world, as well as Chile, for a long week end of songs and comedy performances. It’s kind of like the Academy Awards of Chile. So after a little sight seeing and a few pictures, I headed back to Santiago.
8:05 PM CHILE - BACK TO SANTIAGO
Thu. Feb. 21 (3850 miles on the bike)
I left my Aunts farm this morning at 10:15 and headed back north to the capital city of Santiago. The trip took me exactly seven hours, door to door, a distance of 650 kilometers (just over 400 miles). I could tell it was going to be a warn day, because at the farm the air was already warm for that time of the morning. The drive was uneventful, just the way I like it, although there was a fair amount of traffic all the way, and of course it got really heavy as I approached Santiago. It was the beginning of rush hour so the traffic in the city it’s self was the normal craziness. No wrong turns this time, very proud of my self for that.
CHILE SOUTH - SALTO DE LAJA
Sun. Feb. 10
At about 11:30 this morning, I left the farm for a place called “Salto del Laja” (Laja Falls). It was a drive of about two hours taking the scenic route which took me through Traiguen, then north to Los Sauces then continuing on to Angol. Continuing north from Angol I headed to the town of Coihue (Coi-way). There, I headed east toward the city of Los Angeles (no, not that one) At Los Angeles I turned on to the Pan American Highway, Route 5 for a short stretch and on to Salto del Laja.
Salto de Laja is a water falls, but it’s no Niagara Falls by any stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately, due to the lack of rainfall in Chile this year, the falls do not carry much water. But the site still attracts a lot of tourists and locals. Many use the pools at the bottom of the fall to swim in. It’s a great spot on a hot sunny day.
The return trip was a bit faster, since I took Rt 5 all the was back arraiving at my Aunts at about 5:30PM, just in time for afternoon tea.
ARGENTINA
Fri. Feb. 15
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2683 miles on the odometer (4640 klm)
Well, I’m back from my three day trip through Argentina and the Andes Mountains in southern Chile. I left the farm early on Wednesday, at about 9:00am and headed to Temuco and then south to the resort town of Villarica (Vi-ya-ri-ca). From there I headed east, along the shore of Lago Villarica, toward the resort town of Pucon. From Pucon I headed into the heart of the Andes and toward the border with Argentina. As I approached the Andes, the scenery became more and more stunning, as you can imagine. The road up to this point was paved, but that was soon to change. I spent almost the entire day riding on some pretty rough gravel roads, but the scenery made the whole thing worth while, and the bike handled the rough terrain with ease. It seemed that I was stopping every few minutes to take pictures of some spectacular vistas, like the Lanin Volcano at the border crossing.
The border crossing into Argentina was much faster than the first time. I think the entire event took about an hour. That was getting through the Chilean and Argentina customs. It was interesting to see, once I made it through the heart of the Andes and well into Argentina, that much of the scenery reminded me of the American South West. Kind of like Monument Valley. Just a few kilometers from the border, the road became paved. Boy, was I glad to see that!
One thing I was not prepared for was the winds that blew down through the valleys on the Argentina side. The first valley I rode through was enormous, it seemed to go on forever, and bordered on both sides by high mountains and long straight a ways with big sweeping turns that you could take at pretty good speeds. Since there was not a sole on the roads, you pretty much had it all to yourself. I kept telling myself, “I can’t believe I’m doing this”.
The first place I planned to stay over night is called “San Martin de Los Andes”. A beautiful little town that would not be out of place in the middle of the Swiss Alps. San Matin de Los Andes is nestled at the east end of Lago Lacar (Lake Lacar) and bordered on all sides by the towering Andes. Location, location, location! It’s just freekin gorgeous! After finding a very nice place to stay for the night, kind of like a little Bungalow, I asked where I might get a good Argentine steak. I know what your thinking. Well, this time was the charm. It was suggested I go to the “Bamboo Grill”, so I headed a couple of blocks down the road to The Bamboo Grill. I finally found what I had been searching so long for, a great Argentina steak. The chef came to my table to explain how my meal would be prepared. Now, I normally like my steak “well done”, but it was explained that with a cut of beef this thick it would take to long to cook to my exact liking and would probably ruin the meat. So I relented and took the expert’s advice. I don’t normally like to see any red in the middle of my steak, but I must admit, the meal was fantastic. A few beers, a great steak and a nice fresh salad, in the middle of the Argentine Andes. What more can you ask for?
Initially I had only planned to go as far as San Martin de Los Andes, but after seeing how long it took to get there, and asking locals how long it would take to get to “San Carlos de Bariloche”, I headed for San Carlos de Bariloche, about a five hour drive.
I left at about 8:30am and drove out of town on the road that borders the lake the whole length. Another gorgeous place to take pictures! Anyways, The road out of town was paved, but not long after leaving town, I came to a split in the road. Not sure what way to go, I asked a person that I saw, running a flag up a flag pole. He told me that both roads lead to Bariloche, but one was paved part way, but the gravel portion was very bad. The other road was ALL gravel, but was shorter. I chose the shorter road since the gravel roads are bad enough already. The shorter road turned out not to be too bad after all, and the scenery was spectacular.
Where can you ride, where you are the only person on the road for hours, and everywhere you turn is more spectacular than the last? I was literally the only person on the road for hours except for the occasional group of horses grazing on the roadside. Again, I found myself stopping every few minutes to take pictures. This part of the world is unbefreekinleavable!
As I crested the top of a hill, I was almost blown away by what I saw. A large lake with the Andes Mountains at the far end. I had no idea I was so close to Bariloche. Seeing the lake pop up in front of me so unexpectedly, reminded me of the first time I came over the top of the hill above Wendover, Utah, and saw the Bonneville salt flats splashed out in front of me as far as the eye could see.
I continued in to the town of San Carlos de Bariloche and found a hotel right on the lake for the night. The town of Bariloche didn’t impress me much, but it’s location certainly did. I had the most spectacular view of the lake with the Andes Mountains in the background, right from my room.
People here in Argentina, and South America in general, don’t eat the evening meal until 8:30 or 9:00, consequently the restaurants don’t open until that time. Makes sense! Once again I asked for advice, from the hotel staff, on a good place to get, you guessed it, a good Argentine steak. La Parrilla de Julian (Julian’s Grill) was suggested, so I took the advice.
As I walked in to La Parrilla de Julian, I was the only one in the house, not counting the wait staff. As I sat at a table, near the front window, so I could keep an eye on the bike, the waitress came over and gave me the menu. I looked the menu over and noticed they had two sizes of Bife de Chorizo (Filet Mignon), a 500 gram and an 800 gram. I figured, what the heck, go for the 800. After telling the girl how I wanted it cooked, the owner, Julian, came over to school me on the proper way to cook this cut of beef. I guess I should have learned by now to do as the Romans do. OK, I let him cook it the way he suggested. “Butterfly” the meat so it would cook more to my liking with out taking so long to cook.
I ordered a beer with my meal, but Julian, the owner, insisted that the meat should be accompanied by a good wine. The next thing I knew, there was a goblet of red wine at my table, waiting for the beef. I also ordered a lettuce and tomato salad.
Once the meal arrived, I quickly started in on the Filet Mignon. It was a very nice portion of beef, about two inches thick, two inches wide and five inches long.
The meat in this part of the world has a taste you can’t find anywhere else. At least I’ve never found such flavorful meat anywhere else in my travels. It has a flavor all its own.
Just about the time I finished the beef, I thought to myself, I wish this hadn’t ended so soon. I hadn’t even finished the last piece, when one of the waiters approached my table with a dish in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other. On that dish was another beautiful cut of Bife de Chorizo, and it was headed right for my plate. I wasn’t aware, but I had only worked my way through 400 grams of my meal, and I had another 400 to go. Talk about putting a smile on my face! I must say, that has to be the best meal I’ve had while here in South America, so far. The owner and staff at Julian’s really know how to serve a great meal and it was evident by the people that kept streaming into the restaurant. By the time I left, there wasn’t an empty table in the whole place. Gracias Julian!
On Friday I left Bariloche at around 8:00am and headed out of town on route 237 until I reached route 215. Route 215 heads west toward the border with Chile. Route 215 also borders Lake Nahuel Huapi and winds through some very beautiful countryside as it heads toward the Chilean border. The area resembles the Adirondack Mountains a bit. There are a few resort towns along the lake that are very busy during the winter ski season.
Once I reached the Argentina Customs Office, I went in to stand in line with all my documents in hand. One thing they seem to pay special attention to in Argentina is that you leave with the same vehicle you came in with. It seems there is or was a lot of people bringing in vehicles and selling them at a great profit. Once in line, I met an older couple from Idaho that have been coming to South America to spend the winter for the last 18 years. They have been just about everywhere as would be expected.
After passing through the customs offices, I continued to the southern Chilean city of Osorno, where I picked up the Pan American Highway (Rt.5) and headed north to Temuco and then on to my Aunts farm, arriving at about 4:30pm.
P.S. 1:30am - Experienced my first earthquake while here in Chile, this time! Not a very strong one, but strong enough to rattle the windows and shake the house a little. Nothing like the earthquake of May 22, 1960 that I experienced. That was the strongest quake ever recorded anywhere on earth, at approximately 9.7 on the Richter scale.
CHILE SOUTH - CARAHUE
Fri. Feb. 8
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A few years ago I passed through a town, here in southern Chile, while on the way to the Pacific Ocean. As I passed through the town I saw a large collection of steam powered equipment from a bygone era. So today I thought I would go back to photograph some of it. The name of the town is Carahue (Ca-ra way). It’s about an hour and a half’s drive from my Aunts ranch, so it’s a nice day trip.
As I left the ranch I headed south, toward the town of Galvarino, went down the steep hill into the middle of Galvarino and then up another big hill to get out of the town. The main streets in these small towns are a very busy place during the week. Just outside of the town I turned right and headed toward the town of Chol-Chol. No need for pronunciation here. J Not much in Chol-Chol so it was off to Nueva Imperial. At this point I had been on the road for about fourty five minutes. I turned right in Nueva Imperial and headed toward the coast.
Seems no mater where you go in this area, there is road construction. All along the road between Nueva Imperial and Carahue there where lane reductions where you had to stop and wait for traffic to come the other way.
As I entered the own of Carahue, there is a large boulevard with a dividing median. In the median, as far as the eye could see, where old steam tractors of all kinds on display. Very nice. This area is a potato growing region. They claim to be the potato capital here, kind of like Elba, New York claims Onion capital of the world. Any way, a little farther down the road was a display of old steam driven locomotives and rail cars of the era.
After Carahue I continued to the ocean side town of Puerto Savedra. This little town is very popular with local tourists. The town isn’t much to write home about, but the views of the Pacific Ocean, from the tops of the surrounding hills is. From the top of one of the hills I could see a large flock of Sea Lions below working their way up the shoreline looking for lunch. Speaking of lunch, after snapping a few pictures, I ducked into a little restaurant I spotted on the way up the hill, so I stopped there to have lunch. Another good steak, plus an onion and tomato salad, oh, and a Crystal, the local Chilean beer. Very good!
Then it was back to the ranch, but as I neared Galvarino, there was a roaring wild fire that had somehow started burning the fields of cut wheat and had invaded a forest as well. Wild fires here are a very serious danger, as in Southern California, because the climate here is very similar. Warm, dry and windy.
That was it for one day. I arrived back at about six in the afternoon, just intime for tea. Gotta have that here every afternoon!
CHILE SOUTH - GALLETUE, ICALMA
Thu. Feb 7
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Today I left the farm at about 10:00am and headed for Tunel Las Raices. This is an old railway tunnel that is no longer used by the rail road so it has been converted to vehicular use. To say the least, passing through this tunnel is an experience. The first thing you notice, when you start in, is that the tunnel is very narrow, and it is not lighted. The other oddity is that the “road surface” is nothing more than dirt and gravel placed over the remaining railroad tracks. This tunnel is quite long, I’m going to guess about three or four miles, and seems to go on for ever. Once inside, you can’t see either end for quite a while. An interesting experience.
Since I had been through the tunnel many times, I just snapped a couple of pictures, then turned around and took the over the mountain route. This I have never done and that’s why I wanted to do it. The road is gravel from one end to the other, and as you can imagine climbs steeply up the mountains. Nearing the top, the scenery is quite beautiful and one notices that you are starting to see many Araucaria trees now. Those are commonly known as “Monkey Puzzle” trees. The only grow in the higher elevations, and are protected by law here because one tree can take thousands of years to reach maturity.
As I descended the mountain, I arrived at the small town of Lonquimai,
(Lon-kee-mai) nestled in a beautiful valley at the foot of the mountains. I then headed south, looking for a road that I am familiar with but is not marked, that leads up the mountains again toward Laguna Galletue (Ga-ye-tue) and Laguna Icalma. As you enter the town of Icalma you literally drive right by the Chilean – Argentine border. It’s not a block away.
All the time I was driving, I was trying to catch glimpses of Volcan Llaima
(Yai-ma), this is the volcano that erupted a week or so before I left the States to come to Chile. The volcano was very active, filling the entire surrounding area with much smoke.
As I left Icalma I passed by the far end of the lake, (and this is for you Howard) and as I looked down from the dirt road up above, I spotted a busload of naked senior citizens (NO KIDDING) NUDE bathing in the lake. Stupid me didn’t take a picture! There where eight or ten men, straddling a log, almost as if the where in a dough out canoe. There where women on the beach there as well. Funnier than hell!!! I almost lost my teeth!!
Ok, back to the trip. From Icalma I headed to the small town of Melipeuco, where Sharon and I had lunch a few years ago. Malipeuco is literaly at the foot of the volcano, and a few weeks ago, was almost evacuated due to the eruption. I was very low on gas by the time I reached Malipeuco, and was very glad to see that the gas station was still open when I arrived. My original plan was to return to my Aunts farm by driving through Parque Nacional Conguillio (Con-gi-yio Nationl Park. The park was closed due to the hightened activity of the Volcano. The road that runs through the park, is no more than a path worn over the old lava. It literally resembles driving on the moon. Not that I’ve driven there, but Sharon has wanted to send me there a few times J Any way, the park was closed, so I returned by way of Temuco. Temuco is Chiles second largest city and is always a very busy place. From there I took the back roads to the farm, arriving around 7:30pm.
CHILE SOUTH - TO CHUFQUEN
Wed. Feb 6
I left Santiago this morning for my Aunt's home in Chufquen, at about 7:30am, mainly to beat the rush hour traffic. The traffic was fairly light on the way out, and the only wrong turn I made was at the Pan American Highway (Rt. 5). As on almost all highways that I have been on, the exits are on the right hand side of the road. Unfortunately, this one was on the left, and by the time I realized that, it was too late to turn. The good news is that all I had to do was go around the block and get right on.
As I headed south out of the city, the traffic thinned out and it became very much like driving on Rt. 390 in the southern tier back home. It was overcast when I left, but the farther south I drove, the more blue sky I started to see. That was until about an hour from my destination, when the sky became very dark, and I was afraid it was going to rain. I was right! I started seeing more and more wet road, so I pulled over and broke out the rain gear. A mile down the road it started raining and I swear it was following me, because even though the sky turned brighter, I was still getting pelted with rain everywhere I went.
Finally when I reached the exit for the town of Traiguen, where I had to exit, it stopped raining and the sky turned blue again. The trip took me about six and a half hours at an average speed of 120. That’s in Kilometers J
The bike ran like a top, but my GPS unit decided to crap the sheets. It seems that the brand new cradle I bought for my GPS, that has about a weeks worth of use on it, stopped supplying power to the GPS unit.Now the GPS runs for about four hours on battery, then dies. The exact same thing happened to the other cradle I have that mounts to the car windshield. It too crapped out after a while and was replaced by Garmin. I don’t know what I’m going to do this time though, being so far from home. I’m going to try to take it apart to see if there is anything obviously wrong with it, but I’m not going to hold my breath on this one.
OK, I took the back off the unit, and as I suspected, there isn’t much anyone can do with this unless it’s in the shop. I did manage to disconnect the ribbon cables and plug them back in. Now, I am praying for a miracle. Guess I will find out in the morning when I put it back on the bike to see if it works. Let’s hope so, because I am blind with out my GPS, especially here.
See ya later.
CHILE
Mon. Feb. 4
I just dropped the bike off at the BMW dealer this afternoon for the 1000 klm. service. I will have it back tomorrow at 6:00pm. They loaned me a BMW 650 Dakar. A nice bike, but it's no R1200GS. To start with it only has one cylinder. Can't wait to get the 1200 back.
Wednesday morning, bright and early I plan to head south to my Aunts place near the town of Traiguen. (pronounced: Tri-gen) That's where my Dad and my Aunts where born. I figure I have at least a six or seven hour ride, so I want to get an early start. Hopefully I will have an Internet connection there. See you there.
CHILE
Sun. Feb 3
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It looks like, if you want a good Argentinean Steak, you have to go to Chile!
This morning I decided to head up to “El Cajon del Maipo” (Maipo Canyon). Being Sunday, the traffic was bearable. I headed down Avenida Americo Vespucio, which is a main loop around the city of Santiago. I then turned left onto “La Florida”, another large avenue, which runs south until turning left heading east and continues into “El Cajon del Maipo”. This roar winds along the “Rio Maipo” (River Maipo) through small populated areas of homes, little convenient stores, restaurants and small towns, passing over small rivers, running out of the Andes, where many people where taking advantage of the rushing water to beat the heat.
I headed east until I came to a road that ran north along a stream that wound its way out of the mountains, until I was flagged down by a man that had a truck with a flat tire. Oddly enough, he had spent a long time in the U.S., in Iowa, and spoke very good English. He hopped on the back of the bike (no helmet) and we took off for the nearest gas station about ten miles away. After leaving him there and taking the opportunity to gas up the bike, I went back in the direction I had come from, and continued up the road until it ran out of pavement. The gravel road looked very inviting, and since I was on an on-off road bike, I continued up the gravel road a few mile before turning around.
On the way in, I had spied what looked like a good restaurant, so I stopped there on the return trip. The restaurant called “El Rancho del Che” (The Ranch of Che), a refrance to Che Guevera I suppose, was packed. Hmmmm! Unlike the one in Argentina. This place even smelled good!
The interesting thing about this restaurant, is that all the grilling was done in an outside enclosure, not in a kitchen. Inside there was a lot of hustle and bustle with waiters running in all directions serving patrons. I sat down at a table where I could keep an eye on my bike, and ordered a Chilean beer called Crystal. A very good beer. I also ordered an “ensalada a la Chilena (a typical Chilean salad consisting of tomatoes and onions), Oh, and a nice big steak.
When the waiter showed up with the meat, it came on what looked like a Fondue dish with the meat on the top dish and hot coals underneath. The meat was sizzling as the waiter set it on the table. Now THIS was a piece of meat, I thought to myself. It was about two inches thick, three inches wide and about six inches long. They don’t make ‘em like that in Argentina, I guess. It was very good!
After that very satisfying meal I headed back to Santiago.
I now have over 1100 klm. On the bike.
CHILE
Sat. Feb. 2
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I was over to the BMW dealer yesterday, and I was told that the first service interval can be performed on the bike anywhere from 800 klm to 1200 klm. At the time I had somewhere around 375 klm on the bike, so I decided to go to Portillo ( pronounced: Por-ti-yo) another very famous ski resort in the Chilean Andes. After that, Argentina. That should rack up the Kilometers.
So I got up bright and early on Friday and headed out of Santiago northward to city of Los Andes. Arriving in Los Andes, I headed east toward the Andes Mountains and began a steady climb to Portillo. Nearing Portillo there is another set of tight switch backs known as Los Caracoles (The Snails). Must be because of the pace at which one has to drive up them. Again the scenery in the valleys and the mountains is breathtaking.
I have taken many pictures of these sights, but believe me, one has to be here to take in the majesty of these places. No pictures will ever do justice to the beauty of the Andes Mountains. At one point, going through one of the mountain passes, I strained my neck to look up at the tops of the mountains, and all I could think of was that the snow capped, jagged peaks of the mountains where scraping the sky. It really makes you feel insignificant when you look around at the expance.
From Portillo it’s a very short drive to the Chilean border check point. There you have to show your documents and they pay special attention to the mandatory insurance policy you must buy to drive in Argentina. Once through the check point you drive to the Customs check point in Argentina, passing through the Tunel Cristo Retendor.
Lets talk about the border crossing into Argentina. First, bring a lunch! It took me no less than two and a half hours to get through Customs on the Argentina side. This is a slow process to say the least! With your vehicle, you have to form two lines that lead to a large building where the Customs officers are. After about two hours in the warm Argentina sun, I finally made it to the entrance to the building. By this time, the two lines stretched all the way out to the road I came in on. Those people might as well camp out! Now at the entrance to the building, I had another half hour before I reached the little indoor huts where the Customs Officers reside. The first Officer makes sure all your documents are in order, and stamps them a few times.Then it’s on to the second set of Customs Officers. They make sure your documents are all in order, and then stamp them a few times. Hmmmm? Whe’re not done yet! As you exit the building, low and behold, there is an other officer that wants your documents. At least they took this guys stamp away from him.
Finally out of the Argetine Customs check point, I drove a few miles to a place called El Puente del Inca. (The Bridge of The Inca) A vary strange structure that seems to have been built into a natural stone bridge. I don’t know anything about it, but as soon as I can get this dam computer to allow me on to the Internet, I will investigate this place.
After a series of pictures of El Puente del Inca, I continued farther into Argentina, ending up in a small town called Uspallata (Us-pa-ya-ta) not far from the city of Mendoza. By now I’m sure you’ve figured out that in Spanish a double L has a Y sound. Once in Uspallata, I found a little restaurant right at the four corners of the town, and decided to get some lunch.
I’ve heard so much about the wonderful meat that Argentina produces, so I ordered, what I figured would be, a big juicy steak, a tomato and onion salad, and a liter of Andes beer. (it only came in letres) What other kind of beer would you expect in the middle of the Andes?
Well, I got a steak, problem was, it looked more like a “Steakum” than a big, thick, juicy steak . Wait, this gets better!
I HATE EGGS!!
Guess what was proudly sitting on top of my Steakum? You guessed it, a nice fried egg. Back to the cosina (kitchen) to extract the egg! I get the Steakum back and it still looks the same! I wasn’t aware, but hiding under that big juicy egg, was a slab of melted cheese! OK, I can deal with the cheese! A couple of quick strokes with the fork, and the cheese was history! I have to admit, as thin as the meat was, it was good. I’ve had better, but it was good. I think that the resident dogs, that kept circling me, thought so too. Too bad, go get your own!
After that wonderful culinary experience, I gassed up the bike across the street, at the only gas station in town, then headed back to the Chilean border. It was getting to be late afternoon by now, and fairly cool too.
The valley, that I rode through, between the Chilean border and Uspallata, was very windy, but at least I remembered to bring my gloves this time, as well as the heavy bike jacket and a nice wind breaker underneath. This kept me fairly comfortable especially with the heated hand grips on.
Arriving at the Chilean border, I was motioned to drive into a large building where there was a great deal of activity. Mostly busses, but a few cars, as well. What I suspect was a drug sniffing dog was jumping in and out of vehicles as a Customs Agent looked on. I knew this dog wasn’t looking for Steakums, because he had an official “Customs Dog” coat on.
I was ordered to park my bike over at the far end of the building near some wooden structures. After standing around waiting for a Customs Agent to inspect the bike, I finally asked a passing Agent if anyone was going to inspect my bike. He quickly and graciously instructed me on the proper way to get the bike inspected.
He grabbed my documents and waved them high in the air and told me that, all you have to do is, wave the documents in the air and yell to one of the Officers to get their attention.
That was only part of the process. First you have to go in to an adjacent hall, where there where a bunch of windows with Custom Agents behind them. You take your documents to window # 1 and the Agent makes sure your documents are all in order and stamps them. Then, on to window #2, where the Agent makes sure your documents are all in order and stamps them. Then on to window #3, #4, #5, you get the idea.
After all that, you go to the final window and pay a toll. Now, you go back out to your vehicle, flag down a Customs Agent, (I know how to do this by now) he makes sure you have all your documents in order, no he doesn’t stamp them, but this guy does inspects your stuff! Now you’re done! NO.
Now you drive out and stop at a small blue hut, where the officer makes sure you have all your documents in order and takes one of them and sends you on your way.
I could have been home by now!
Now comes the steep drive out of the Andes and back to Santiago. It was about 9:30 pm by the time I arrived back at my Aunts.
This was a spectacular trip as far as scenery is concerned. I don’t think that I can accurately describe the awesomness of the Andes Mountains. Pictures definitely do not do it justice. It’s something you have to experience for yourself, and the best way to do it is on a bike.
I now have 900+ klm on the bike.
CHILE
Fri. Jan. 31
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Today I headed back up to the Andes Mountains again to the same area that I visited yesterday. Only yesterday I didn’t get to the end of the road due to the late hour of the day.
This time I rode all the way to Farellones (pronounced: Fa-re-yo-nes), a very popular ski area, and then in the other direction to Valle Nevado (Snow Valley). The road up was great fun, as it was very picturesque and winding, but the trip back down was even more exiting. There is a section of the road that literally goes up the side of the mountain in a series of, no less than, 38 very tight switch backs. That’s some fun riding, especially given the beauty of the area. I was surprised how cool it became the farther up I went. Of course I left my gloves back at my Aunts house. Who needs gloves, it’s 84 degrees in Santiago, Yeah right! Good thing the bike came with heated hand grips. By the time I headed back down, it was late afternoon.
CHILE
Jan. 30, 2008
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The non stop flight from JFK to Santiago, yesterday, was very long and very crowded. I don’t think I would be lying if I said there was not an empty seat in the plane, and it was a very big plane. A Boeing 767-300
OK, enough of that, let’s get down to business. THE NEW BIKE!! I’ve had about a day and a half in the saddle, and to sum it up in just a few words, WOW! This thing is awesome! It’s very light, less than 500 lbs, compared to the other bike, that tips that scales at something approaching 900 lbs. It’s very maneuverable, and it has so much power, that when I went to pass a car so I could make a quick right hand turn, I felt the front end come right off the ground in third gear, and that left me with three more gears to go. This thing has ABS bakes and Traction Control. I was told that the Traction Control is very effective. It’s designed to keep the back end from squirting out from under you in off road use. Both the ABS and the Traction Control can be disabled at the touch of a button. It also came with the optional wire spoke wheels, that from what I’ve read, are stronger and better suited to off road use. I was pleasantly surprised.
This afternoon (today is Wednesday) I had a chance to take the bike up into the Andes Mountains, for the first time, to see what it could do on the twisties. I found out, very quickly, that the bike has a lot more capability than I do on the narrow switchbacks. That will take some practice, that’s all. One thing I learned: if you are going to drive in the Andes Mountains, STAY ON YOUR SIDE. It will help to keep you from becoming a hood ornament. Many of the turns are so tight that you can’t see if anyone is coming the other way.
I now have about 200Klm on it, all but eight of those are mine. Well, have to get my beauty sleep. Another long day of riding tomorrow. Back up into the Andes I think.
Oh, I already have a sunburn! Bet you can’t say that J Stay tuned!
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CHILE
Mon.Jan. 28, 2008
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I would like to give a very big thank you to my good friend Cesar Carrasco of New York City for inviting me to spend the day in the Big Apple while on my way to Chile. I had a very long layover (8 Hours) in New York and Cesar was gracious enough to invite me to come and see the sights of that great city. Cesar picked me up at La Guardia airport and the first stop was to his apartment in Manhattan to drop off my luggage.
I had been in New York City way back in the early 70’s while I was at Fort Dix , New Jersey, but only to drive through. Today, Cesar showed me many of the great places to see in the Big Apple. The first place we stopped at was the Brooklyn Bridge. A very impressive icon of New York City. We parked the car near there, and proceeded on foot up to Wall Street and to the New York Stock Exchange. Very impressive! Then it was on to Ground Zero. I guess I don’t need to tell you much about that. We then proceeded to walk to the Hudson river, after passing through some of the beautiful buildings in the vicinity of the World Trade Center. There, I was able to catch a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, out on the New York Harbor. We continued on to Battery Park and on to the East River, but not before stopping at Starbucks for a warm cup of coffee. Then it was back to the car and a very nice drive though Central Park. Not far from Central Park I stopped briefly to snap a picture of the former residence of John Lennon. We then drove on to Time Square before returning to retrieve my luggage at the apartment. And almost as fast as it started it was on to JFK airport to catch the 8:00pm flight to Santiago, Chile.
Again Cesar, thank you very much for a very memorable afternoon.
January 24
R1200G Video
I found a nice video on YouTube of the new bike. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa-amUAmaDA Enjoy!
January 11
Time Is Getting Short
January 28th will be here very soon and I am slowly gathering everything I might need for the new motorcycle in Chile.
The list of things I have packed for the bike include:
2 full face helmets
A new motorcycle jacket and pants
A new tank bag for the bike
2 luggage box liners
Mounting hardware for the GPS
Mounting hardware my video camera
Miscellaneous tools and stuff
I have been in touch with Mauricio Vergara, the manager of the BMW motorcycle dealership in Santiago, and he tells me that they have moved to a new location since I was there last year. Still on the same street, but closer to my Aunt’s. Mauricio tells me that the bike is ready and waiting for my arrival.
The weather in Santiago for the past few weeks has been mid 80’s to low 90’s and sunny every day with about 40% humidity. My kind of weather!
Chile was made for motorcycles!
December 14
It's Official
As of Thursday December 13, 2007, I am the proud owner of a new BMW R1200GS. I received the official receipt from Williamson-Balfour BMW of Santiago, Chile, making the sale final. Mauricio Vergara, the manager of the motorcycle portion of Williamson-Balfour, has been gracious enough to store the motorcycle at their showroom until I arrive in Santiago on Jan. 29. As soon as my feet hit the ground in Chile, I will head right to the motorcycle dealer to take delivery of the bike. For those of you that don’t know, the bike is red, white and black, with a black seat. A very nice combination in my opinion. (See pictures at the bottom of the page) It will also have the optional (expandable) R1200GS luggage boxes as well as the top box. This opens up a whole new world of riding opportunities. Literally!
Stay tuned, I will try to give daily updates while in Chile, as long as I can get a connection.
November 19
Spring 2007 Florida Trip
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May 21, 2007 My Son Michael graduated from Wake Forest University with a Masters in Business Administration, so I took the opportunity to ride the K1200LT to his home in North Carolina. Graduation day was a beautiful warm and sunny day, and the ceremony was very impressive.
After a week in North Carolina, I got back on the K1200LT and pointed it toward sunny Florida. I worked my way through South Carolina, with a side trip to Savannah, Georgia, a lovely little city with tons of southern charm. Then it was on to Fort Myers, Florida, where Sharon was to fly into the next day.
Sharon and I spent the next couple of days exploring the gulf coast of central Florida, and then started for the Florida Keys. We drove across Alligator Alley and made a right and headed through Homestead, and on to the Keys. The traffic across the causeway was horrendous. After fighting the traffic on the causeway, we found a hotel on Key Largo and used it for our base, for the next few days while we rode up and down the Keys.
One evening, after exploring all day, we stopped for ice cream and got to talking with a woman who was a local resident of Key Largo. She told us of a little “out of the way” watering hole, that she said we should visit. (and I mean “out of the way”). So the following morning, we got on the road early and headed for Key West. On the way, we decided to follow the woman’s directions, and try to find this little “Watering Hole”. It was almost lunch time by the time we made it to Big Pine Key, so we made a right and headed up a long lonely road that made a lot of turns and led us farther and farther into the out of the way parts of Big Pine Key. Suddenly I saw a sign on a tiny shack that read “No Name Pub” built in 1936. After finding a place to park, where the 850+ pound BMW wouldn’t sink into the gravel, we went inside. As we went through the door, the first thing that struck me about this place, was the thousands and thousands of dollar bills that literally carpeted the walls of the pub. I thought to myself, if this place ever caught fire, they would lose a bundle of money!
After a very good lunch at the No Name Pub, we continued on to Key West. Arriving in Key West we headed to the southern most point of the continental United States, and the obligatory photo in front of the monument. There was a light rain starting, so I wanted to see that place before it turned into a Florida down pour. I figured if it started to pour, we could hide out at Sloppy Joe’s until it stopped. It never turned into a down pour, but we found a place to sit down inside Sloppy Joe’s anyway. That was not easy! The place was packed! After a great day on Key West, we headed back to the hotel on Key Largo.
The following day we headed back to Fort Myers, since Sharon was scheduled to catch a plane back to New York the following day. After taking Sharon to the airport, I headed to Cape Canaveral via a road that bordered the western shore of Lake Okeechobee. The water level of the lake was so low that the vegetation that would normally be under water was on fire, due to the drought in the southeastern U.S. this year. I then continued to Route 1 on the eastern Florida coast. The ride up Rt. 1 is one I recommend because there are many very beautiful and expensive homes along the way.
The Kennedy Space Center is a place I have wanted to visit for some time now. It is a very interesting place and the bus tour was very informative. There was a Space Shuttle on the launch pad that was due to launch in two weeks.
After an afternoon at the Space Center, I headed back to my Son’s house in North Carolina, for a couple of days, before returning home to New York.
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