Wandering Wheels: Day 43 - Calafate to Perito Moreno Glacier

Perito Merino Glacier

Set off just after 8.00 on a cloudy and worryingly windy morning. It felt great to be back on the bikes and travelling under our steam at last. As we rode out of town the wind started to howl through the overhead cables and whip the heads of the ever popular Poplars back and forth in a frenzy! We struggled on hoping it might just be a temporary squall, but after just 7km we were being blown off the road and struggling to stay upright, never mind hold our line. Windborne grit and dust accompanied the increasing pitch of the shrieking wind and we knew it was game up. It was both unpleasant and physically impossible. We shouted our concerns to each other above the wind and despite the fantastic scenery ahead forced ourselves to turn around and return to Calafate. It was a heartbreaking decision and we felt the grand plan was being torn apart by the fickle wind. We cycled straight to the bus station and booked a bus to the glacier (the wind was not going to stop us seeing one of the worlds few advancing glaciers) and a bus to El Chalten the next day. Our plan was to change our mode of transport from wheels to feet……the wind couldn’t stop us walking…could it?! The glacier did not disappoint. It was yet another spectacular sight. Ice blue shards and splintering towers of ice toppling into a sparkling blue/green lake with sounds like gunshots and whipcracks. It sounded like a firework display with ooohs and aaaahs whenever a chunk toppled, sending a bow wave across the lake. It was addictive and at each viewing point we had to drag ourselves away and continue the trail. As soon as we did, there would be a splintering crack with shrieks and whoops as the biggest slab yet crashed down! Stayed for 5 hours until our eyes hurt squinting at the reflections and brilliant white and blue colours. At 8.30 we got on the bus and had to search for spare seats as the bus seemed to have aquired more people, the people directly behind us on the way didn’t get on!! Back in town at 10.00 we went to a local restaurant (very expensive here) and ate before grabbing an ice cream and spending an hour downloading the 300 photos we seemed to have taken !!!