The Motorcycle Diaries: Day 3: Penguins, Gravel Roads and Endurance

Today was by far the most challenging day – mentally as well as physically! No, today nothing broke, no fires and no accidents either. The day began just before sun rise when my dreams had reached their sweetest point. Rafael woke me up as the sun was peaking over the horizon and told me to hurry because it was time to go. With the beautiful backdrop of the sun rise we packed up our tents (each day goes faster) and were on our way. Before I knew it the first tank was empty, we quickly refilled and wee on our way again (gas station stops are quite frequent – every 250 to 300km with a 20 liter tank and a liter of oil daily for dessert, which is very poor fuel efficiency but you have to forgive my bike: she is 15 years old and going through puberty. You have to know that my bike drinks gasoline and oil like it was happy hour). Before it was noon we had reached our destination for the day: the famous Valdez peninsula (the wildlife highlight on the Argentinean Atlantic coast and home to whales, dolphins, penguins, sea lions among many other species I had never heard of or seen). We finally found a few minutes for a quick breakfast and were on our way to discover the beauty of this park among the over 300km of trails. The only problem was that all trails were on gravel roads and I had never ridden on gravel before. This was not a dirt road with a bit of gravel on top but rather a thick layer of gravel that the tires would dig into. My tires started to slip and skid from left to right and despite very low speed (which probably saved me from crashing) it was next to impossible to control the bike with confidence. Rafael did not seem to have any problems and was out of sight before I know it. The first view point was 70km away so it would be a long drive. I accelerated up to 30 km/h then began to slide, tried to avoid falling balancing the bike against the loose gravel. Finally the bike came to a stand with me still on it. I breathed a sigh of relief and tried again, this time I managed a bit longer. But a few minutes later I was in the ditch and had to use all my strength to push the bike back out. The struggle continued until after about one hour I seemed to have found the right balance and was abler to go for longer periods of time without skidding and struggling to avoid falling. The only relief of this fight against the road was the sporadic wild animals that made an appearance (probably to laugh at me). After one hour and a half I finally reached Punta Delgada and was rewarded by a spectacular view of the ocean, cliffs and sea lions resting on the beach: what a sight! The break was short, however, because 10 minutes later Rafael blew the horn for departure: back on the gravel road for another 40km adventure. I was feeling increasingly confident and was actually able to relax a bit and enjoy the view.

The next two view points were even more spectacular: a cold rough wind from the sea and the land looked almost like desert without much vegetation. The two formed a sharp contrast and made for an amazing setting for a school of sea lions and penguins playing on the beach, dancing and singing with each other or simply resting. The sun was starting to descend and we had to rush to exit the park before nightfall (I definitely did not want to be caught on these gravel roads at night). We fueled up one more time and left the gas station to a beautiful sun set and embarked on the final stretch of the day, a 100km ride to the next town and a promise of a warm bed and hot shower. The wind was blowing freezing cold and the last sun rays were soon extinguished. I had never ridden a motorcycle at night (another first time) and was exhausted after an eventful day. The kilometers stretched slowly as the cold wind helped me keep my focus. Finally we reached Puerto Madryn and met two friendly guys at the gas station that offered to guide us to a hotel. After 15 hours of travel and 700km of distance I finally parked my bike and was rewarded by a meal at the hotel restaurant (the first real one of the day), a hot shower (washing away all the dust, coldness and tension) and a warm bed (which I embraced like a baby his mother). Distance traveled: 700km.