Getting here was, however, not as easy or straightforward as we had envisaged. We had only 210km from Rio Grande (probably not the same one as featured in ABBA's 'Fernando') to ride to get here so we had a late breakfast and although very windy, what's new, there was some blue sky and sun which made a welcome change from the previous day.
Ushuaia is a one road in one road out town and, depending on where you start counting, it's a long road. But we only had 200km to do of it so all was well. It started getting very cold. Francoise was already maxed out with 8 layers, merino base layer, merino t-shirt, two technical sweatshirts, down jacket, anorak, motorcycle jacket and windproof jacket. The bike had helpfully given us a red warning light telling us that the temperature was low at 2°C - we weren't sure what we were meant to do with this piece of advice/warning?
We didn't need petrol but we were so cold after 100k that we stopped at one for coffee, run our hands under the hot water tap in the toilets and generally warmed up a bit. The cafe was quite busy but it got to the time when one way or another we had to do the last 100km, so we put all our gear back on and wished a group of 3 other bikers 'bonne route'. And they asked which direction we were heading - only two possible answers but when we said Ushuaia they shook, their heads and said, 'No'. They then told us that the road was blocked with snow and the police were only letting cars through with snow chains. IN SPRING ! They showed us the video and it was grim.
Lots of things then started happening which ended up with Luis and Pablo deciding that we were going to put the bike on the back of their Toyota pickup and they would drive us through the snow. This, despite Paul saying that the bike was too big. And that is exactly what happened. The photos tell the story with the back wheel of the bike sitting on the hinged drop-down bit of the pickup. The kindness of the guys to two complete strangers was unbelievable. Totally unbelievable. Every time this happens we ask ourselves the same question, 'woukd it be the same chez nous?'
By the time we got to the pass where there had been the snowstorm the snowploughs had cleared most of the snow and we reckon we would have got through in the wheel tracks of other vehicles. But - Francoise was quite happy in her eight layers inside a warm car with the heater on and we saved petrol! Luis and Pablo thought it very important that we ride into Ushuaia so they found an unloading point - the pictures tell the story - and we rode the last 10km into Ushuaia.
