Finn our newly arrived Irish journalist.
One of the seven lakes these 80 miles of rutted road pass by.
We finally got down below the snowfall.
Suzukis are not meant to ride through blizzards. It's a matter of traction. Without traction we topple.
Kevin's stop caused all of us to stop on a snow covered mountain road with trucks coming up and down the mountain. WHY STOP?
I asked Kevin why he stopped. He didn't answer.
We shouldn't be here.
Motorcyclists stopped in the snow.Osorno to San Miguel de los Andes – 250 miles (80 unpaved)
This ride was much more difficult than expected. It was a border crossing from Chile back into Argentina. It involved a 60 mile ride to the Chile customs at the foot of the Andes. As we approached the mountains Mac and I could see the snows from last night. We had been told that the rain in Osorno was snow in the pass. They told us last night that there were plows to keep the road open. We reached Chile’s customs and discovered they were protesting for higher wages and were in the middle of a three day slow down. Being there first allowed me and Mac to get done in about an hour. We started the ascent as it was beginning to sleet. The road began to have ice in the corners and edges. I led at a slow pace. Motorcycles are NOT supposed to be on ice and snow. I talked with our Finnish rider last night and he gave me a few tips. Ride slow, don’t use any brakes, keep a gear lower than normal for power and to drive forward. Lastly, make no quick movements. As the snow began to fall in earnest I noticed there were six more of our group lined up behind me. I just maintained about 12 mph and tried to keep as upright as possible. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a bike overtaking me. It was Kevin of Globebusters; he hates it when he is not leading. He pulled in front of me and went as fast as I had been going. We kept this up for another twenty anxious minutes as the snow fell faster and got thick on the road. Suddenly two semis came down the mountain road toward us. They were very much on our half of the road. But as they say in motorcycling, if you insist on your rights versus a truck, the only rights you’ll get are ‘last rights’. So Kevin and I squeezed over toward the shoulder but kept going. They missed us and our mates who were a few hundred yards behind. Just then Kevin decided to come to a full stop for no apparent reason. I tried to quickly decide if I could go around him on the left. Once I determined there as no room I was already upon him. I tried to squeeze by on the right but drifted into the banked snow. For the twentieth time I wondered why I paid to be led by someone who does such things. Not much damage done, just a pannier scuffed up. All of those behind us were also forced to stop. When I looked back down at them a big semi came up behind them, he saw they were stopped and tried to go around. He lost traction in the turn and started skidding sideways. Mac just missed getting crushed. The truck was then on the wrong side of the road and a car coming down mountain had to skid to a stop. The truck lost all momentum and was stopped in the middle of the road. The truck was now stuck and could neither go forward or back. I saw that I couldn’t help so I got back on and rode around Kevin’s bike, wanting to get over the pass before the blizzard got worse. Remember the Donner Party? I do. A few miles further on the road started down and the snow subsided. We finally reached the Argentine border thus ending the EASY part of today’s ride.
Eight miles past the border we had to take a dirt road for 80 miles. My sciatica has returned since my fall on the Day of Carnage 10 days ago. That was the day Kevin had us at 16,000 feet on a sand and gravel path with only street tires on. Anyway, I’m in great pain when walking or standing. 80 miles of rutted gravel road had me standing on a bouncing motorcycle's pegs for hours. I was in such pain I couldn’t see straight. By the time we reached the hotel all I could do was crawl into a fetal position and sleep. Tomorrow is said to be all paved.
This ride was much more difficult than expected. It was a border crossing from Chile back into Argentina. It involved a 60 mile ride to the Chile customs at the foot of the Andes. As we approached the mountains Mac and I could see the snows from last night. We had been told that the rain in Osorno was snow in the pass. They told us last night that there were plows to keep the road open. We reached Chile’s customs and discovered they were protesting for higher wages and were in the middle of a three day slow down. Being there first allowed me and Mac to get done in about an hour. We started the ascent as it was beginning to sleet. The road began to have ice in the corners and edges. I led at a slow pace. Motorcycles are NOT supposed to be on ice and snow. I talked with our Finnish rider last night and he gave me a few tips. Ride slow, don’t use any brakes, keep a gear lower than normal for power and to drive forward. Lastly, make no quick movements. As the snow began to fall in earnest I noticed there were six more of our group lined up behind me. I just maintained about 12 mph and tried to keep as upright as possible. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a bike overtaking me. It was Kevin of Globebusters; he hates it when he is not leading. He pulled in front of me and went as fast as I had been going. We kept this up for another twenty anxious minutes as the snow fell faster and got thick on the road. Suddenly two semis came down the mountain road toward us. They were very much on our half of the road. But as they say in motorcycling, if you insist on your rights versus a truck, the only rights you’ll get are ‘last rights’. So Kevin and I squeezed over toward the shoulder but kept going. They missed us and our mates who were a few hundred yards behind. Just then Kevin decided to come to a full stop for no apparent reason. I tried to quickly decide if I could go around him on the left. Once I determined there as no room I was already upon him. I tried to squeeze by on the right but drifted into the banked snow. For the twentieth time I wondered why I paid to be led by someone who does such things. Not much damage done, just a pannier scuffed up. All of those behind us were also forced to stop. When I looked back down at them a big semi came up behind them, he saw they were stopped and tried to go around. He lost traction in the turn and started skidding sideways. Mac just missed getting crushed. The truck was then on the wrong side of the road and a car coming down mountain had to skid to a stop. The truck lost all momentum and was stopped in the middle of the road. The truck was now stuck and could neither go forward or back. I saw that I couldn’t help so I got back on and rode around Kevin’s bike, wanting to get over the pass before the blizzard got worse. Remember the Donner Party? I do. A few miles further on the road started down and the snow subsided. We finally reached the Argentine border thus ending the EASY part of today’s ride.
Eight miles past the border we had to take a dirt road for 80 miles. My sciatica has returned since my fall on the Day of Carnage 10 days ago. That was the day Kevin had us at 16,000 feet on a sand and gravel path with only street tires on. Anyway, I’m in great pain when walking or standing. 80 miles of rutted gravel road had me standing on a bouncing motorcycle's pegs for hours. I was in such pain I couldn’t see straight. By the time we reached the hotel all I could do was crawl into a fetal position and sleep. Tomorrow is said to be all paved.
6 comments:
WOW!
Great moment of the journey, tricky conditions and classic photos.
Not sure if Kevin is reading this, or not, but I guess it goes without saying... he doesn't seem to have the temperament to lead a group in adverse conditions (safely)! Good luck and keep the shiny side up!
Jim,
What an adventure! Look forward to reading it daily. Really enjoy the photos and the stories as only you can tell. Can't wait to hear more of them when you return. Sounds like there maybe should be a mutiny. This Kevin guy sure seems lacking. Be Safe!
John Stull
Jim,
I've been checking your blog, but not as often as I would like to... what an amazing trip!
I learned last Friday that you were in Santiago... I tried to get my sister-in-law's phone number to pass it to you, but didn't get it until yesterday.
Give your sciatica a good rest and take care of yourself!
Saludos,
Leo
What a great web log. I spend hours on the net reading blogs, about tons of various subjects. I have to first of all give praise to whoever created your theme and second of all to you for writing what i can only describe as an fabulous article. I honestly believe there is a skill to writing articles that only very few posses and honestly you got it. The combining of demonstrative and upper-class content is by all odds super rare with the astronomic amount of blogs on the cyberspace.
Post a Comment