Wandering Wheels: Day 51 – El Chalten to Campo La Leona

Wind assisted road out of El Chalten

Had a large breakfast and set off into the wind and rain at 9.15. Stopped off at one of the best Panaderias in town for four huge bags of cakes, pastries, bread and empanadas and pulled into the local 2 pump petrol station to fill the camping stove bottle. It was pretty cold but with a strong tail wind and the sun now on our faces we enjoyed a thrilling ride along an undulating dead straight road. A condor flew low next to the road and we stopped to admire its aerobatic prowess at close range. After a swift and fairly effortless 55km we stopped for pastries in a ditch, out of the wind at the side of the road and made friends with a little Armadillo who appeared out of the scrub next to us. He was quite tame but he was too late for any left overs unfortunately! We mounted our bikes and the wind pushed us forward as soon as we released the brakes! For 70 km we enjoyed the winds help before the road turned and we were buffeted by a tricky cross wind. Thankfully the road was really quiet so we could use the whole lane to ‘tack’. It was tiring on the hands (tensely gripping) and arms (constantly adjusting direction) and by the time we reached the junction with the Ruta 40 we were pretty tired but we knew it was only another 20km to Campo Leona. The next 20km took 2 ½ hours as the wind turned from ally to foe. At times, despite a smooth road surfac,e we had to get off and push! Despite our best efforts in granny gear our speed was not sufficient for forward motion. When the wind dropped to a more constant gale we managed to ride at a 30 degree angle with our arms locked to prevent any disturbing oscillations. The landscape was flat and we made the most of road signs to shelter behind whilst eating most of the cakes we had allowed for 2 days! At 4.00 we rolled into Campo Leona café and hotel, shaking out the numbness in our hands and arms (our legs seemed to have survived even after nearly 3 weeks off the bikes) and sat down for hot coffee and huge slabs of cake (again). Whilst reading the local blurb about the history and the hotel, apparently Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid stayed here having just robbed a bank in Rio Gallegos, we noticed a picture of warm, homely rooms with fluffy towels and quilts. After being shown to our room we enjoyed hot showers, warm fluffy towels and watched the pet Guanaco pass the window whilst downloading the day’s photos and writing the blog. At 8.20 we heard English voices and watched two women unload their bikes and check into a room down the corridor, next to another cyclist who arrived before us. At dinner we met them and had our first proper English speaking conversation of the holiday! They were South Africans ( Dom and Michelle) who now lived in London and had just completed their first day of a six month cycling trip (110km into a wind!) They looked shell shocked from their wind experience and asked if today was particularly bad. We confirmed it was and they looked relieved as they had just spoken to a German who had said it was a ‘breeze’ compared to Torres del Paine! We offered advice regarding maps and dogs and enjoyed a chat….( well we enjoyed it). When their eyes started to glaze over and they stifled multiple yawns we let them escape and returned to our room. We were asked to store the bikes in a house behind the hotel, so John followed a lady who, in turn, was followed by 4 dogs, 1 goat, 1 young Guanaco, 1 sheep and a calf!! The Guanaco was so tame I even managed to give it a tickle under its chin. Went to bed to the sound of the river, bleating animals and a constant drip on the ceiling directly above our heads. We will see whether it holds out under the pressure in the morning.