Wildcamp at Charles Fuhr

January 10, 2023

QJust before one o'clock this morning our sleep was disrupted by the arrival of a motorcyclist who first wanted us to move our tent because that was where he wanted to park his motorcycle and then got Jacobus to move his bicycle so he could put it where the bicyclehad been. Needless to say, when when we all woke up soon after six o’clock and started packing up we weren't too focused on being quiet and leaving the motorcyclist to enjoy a late lie in.

Soon after seven thirty we all hit the road with the three amigos leaving a little while before us. We caught up to them at the Hotel La Leona (where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid out after robbing a bank in Rio Gallegos in 1905) and took the opportunity to fill our water bottles.

View of La Leona from north of the river of the same name.

Most of the distances on the sign board aren't that accurate.

The light wind was from the north and we made excellent time up until Lago Argentino despite our legs being a bit tired from the previous days efforts. Here the wind shifted to south westerly and we slowed down from the combined effects of the wind and tiring bodies.

We have had lots of Guanacos since leaving El Chalten as well as a few Lesser Rheas.

At around twelve thirty we stopped to photograph Leigh's bicycle computer. She had reset it yesterday when we left the ferry port and it had just hit two hundred kilometers. That this was done within twenty four hours meant it was quite a milestone for us.

We arrived at Charles Fhur just after two thirty. The three amigos had arrived about an hour earlier and were resting in the shade of a tree. After scouting the area we have all set up camp a few hundred meters east of the broken down house in which we slept five years ago. We have had a good wash in the river and made use of the neat but very exposed little pit toilet that someone had dug a few hundred meters away from where we are camping.

The run into El Calafate is less than forty kilometers but will mostly be into a headwind which will strengthen as they day goes on so we hope to be on the road before seven o'clock tomorrow morning. We are feeling pretty tired and with the early start planned for tomorrow we are hitting the sack a few hours earlier than last night.

Today's ride: 93 km (58 miles)
Total: 5,429 km (3,371 miles)

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Mike AylingWhat nationality was the "entitled" motor cyclist?
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1 year ago

Jean-Marc StrydomTo Mike AylingMy first thought, based on his time of arrival, was that he was Argentinian but after hearing his accent I realized he was Chilean, a fact confirmed by the motorcycle's registration plate.
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1 year ago