The Motorcycle Diaries: Highway 40 (Part II)

Reflecting back onto the past months spent in the mountains (and the past two weeks in the Lake District in particular), they were filled with breathtaking, raw, untouched nature and spent in tranquility and mostly alone. I do not recall another time during this trip where I spent this much time by myself. There is something about spending time in nature (especially alone) that makes you reconnect with yourself, draws you inside and teaches you about simplicity and beauty in its infinite forms. But after one month of solitude, hiking, camping and reflecting I was ready to rejoin urban life and continue my journey north towards Argentina’s wine capital, Mendoza.

The trip north from the Lake District to Mendoza reconnected with the infamous Highway 40 (see my entry from the southern stretch of highway 40 from the 28th of February). However, this stretch of highway 40 was distinctly different from my first encounter. To start, the majority of the route was paved making traveling relaxing and easily accessible. There were more towns along the way and more tourism compared to the south where there was literally nothing for hundreds of kilometers. The scenery was also different: the south stretch of Highway 40 was desolate, dry, windy and flat (the mountainous and green scenery of the Lake District offered a pleasant change) while the stretch between Zapala and Mendoza, also being dry, was filled with rolling hills, mountains, the over-towering Andes visible to the west, canyons and colorful rocks and warmer temperatures without the stormy winds. In other words, this part of the trip was less adventurous and more pleasant and beautiful than Highway 40 Part I. But that is not to say there was not some adventure involved. In fact traveling with Morena (my motorcycle) you are guaranteed an “adventurous” incidence on a daily basis. This trip was no different featuring three experiences which could have blown up the bike’s engine (luckily none of them did), but the story is worth telling nonetheless.

Calmly riding during the afternoon hours I noticed the engine’s temperature rising higher than normal. After some prolonged persistence I began to worry and pulled over to see some green fluid bubble out of a tube towards the rear of the bike. “This cannot be good,” I thought to myself and decided I better head to the nearest mechanic. The mechanic (immediately making time to help me to put me back on the road as soon as possible) suspected a problem with the radiator and started to inspect it. Surely, he found two small rocks that had gotten stuck in the radiator ventilator prohibiting the ventilator from spinning and cooking the engine. The rocks were quickly removed and I breathed a big sigh of relieve and continued my trip.

The same time the following day, I shockingly made the same observation (high engine temperature). I pulled over and listened and clearly heard the radiator ventilator spinning. Having no mechanic in reach, I had to inspect the bike by myself. Not knowing much about Morena’s anatomy, the only thing I could think of was the lack of cooling water. And in fact the tank was empty. I had checked the tank the prior day at the mechanic and it had been half full. Strangely Morena had developed a sudden thirst for water and after consuming half of the tank’s water in the tank during one month of traveling, she finished the second half in one single day. The tank was quickly refilled and I breathed another sigh of relieve.

On the third day, how else would it be, the temperature rose again, yet the ventilator was working and yes there was still cooling water and I was in the middle of the desert. At first I reduced my speed to alleviate some stress on the engine, without success, then I tried to take frequent breaks to allow the engine to cool but it reheated within minutes of driving. I finally discovered the culprit (by lucky “coincidence”), the front wheel fender, which had been stitched together by the mechanic in Esquel, had broken further and the wind pressure was pushing it upwards toward the handle bar blocking the air entrance to the radiator (logical: without air flowing to cool the engine the temperature had to rise). I pulled out my duck tape, the only tool I carry and taped the plastic back in its place and the problem was fixed.

Although each of the three problems had a simple and quick solution, they were all very dangerous in nature and if untreated would have broken the engine shortly after. The moral of the experience is that the engine temperature gage is the important indicator on the dash board. In addition to occasional rocks getting stuck in the radiator, I should mention how hard the gravel roads are on the equipment (and driver). The constant vibration has the consequence of loosening all screws and if not fastened regularly things will start falling off your bike along with the things they were holding in place(I speak from experience).

The absolute scenic highlight of the trip was the Cañon del Atuel (in between El Nihuil and San Rafael), which is a 45km descend along small windy roads down the canyon following a river and enjoying amazing rock formations on both sides. I was happy the road only allowed me to only travel at crawling speed because the surroundings were so beautiful (the 45km took me 3 hours). The final highlight of the path was a spectacular viewpoint overlooking the entire valley and its lake.

I finally arrived in Mendoza, bringing to completion the northward re-ascend through Argentina (form here I will travel east back to Buenos Aires). But more than simply a change in cardinal direction I also feel that the nature of the trip will change: the remainder of the voyage on motorcycle will be filled with cities and people, a sharp contrast from the mountains and isolation. My welcome to Mendoza was sweet, I found a great hostel and immediately took a hot shower (I do not even recall the last time I had taken a shower – not counting baths in the mountain lakes) and slept in a real bed (the last bed I had slept in was in Ushuaia about a month ago.

What an adventure and amazing experience it has been traveling along the spine of the Andes Mountains. Above all I have learned that literally everything is possible and that the solution to any problem will always emerge when one is required.