I left my two new friends behind at the mining ghost town of Casualidad and went on south.
It was a nice and easy morning ride without wind but somehow a bit too warm at 3400m. I stopped early at one of the few campspots that featured a fresh water stream nearby and good wind cover and shade.
The Vicunas were always surprised to see me, many setting off on a frenzied run from far away and going as far as climbing ridges to get away. Their trails, althought easier to ride than nothing were a maze of confusion.
I split off from the main route, following a section that the guys who wrote “life on mars” on bikepacking.com did. Just vaguely seeing what is left of their tire tracks after a year of winds.
The road alternated between a rocky mess and a sandy mess. Barely climbing but consistently moving to the lowpoint between two peaks. Aside from a jeep trail, there were other signs of the people and animals who traversed these dry places before.
The road turned to one of the bumpiest I ever had, where keeping your balance was a priority and somehow with the fat tires it was just barely rideable. Amidst some rocks I spotted a good camping spot, that will have to do and it was infact one of the best sheltered spots so far.
“oh, that looks cool” - is not the thought you should be having when you reach the place to get water. But that was it. It tasted kind of funny, ok for cooking but not the best. My plan was to load up on water here and try a more remote route to the west but I did not want to drink funny water for 2-3 more days so I guess I can take the main route.
The wind shelter was amazing and brought back the excitement of watching the sky and mountains change colors and these weird clouds of the puna come out as the sun set. This is also the last pasta and onion day and actually december 25! Christmas day!
it really felt like it was raining sand over there and not rain. Nothing can convince me now that it can rain here!
The odd flamingo friends down in the lake kept making funny sounds all night, interesting and yet soothing and so natural.
A lone Vicuna led the way onto the next pass, probably wondering what is this weird predator creature and why is it moving so slowly…
I could clearly see the un-fun tracks of my predecesors here. Thin tires, dug into the sand and footprints, deeper than normal probably meaning that it wasnt an easy climb. Me? I just rode that part, it was almost easier to ride than walk
The next valley over had a noted spring but after some scouting there was nothing to be found. Just a trickle of water and enough engine oil to discourage me from trying that water. Going to drink some more funny water and push onto the next valley where there is another water source.
At the pass the wind was howling and I looked at the route, pointing down while the map showed a track going up. It didnt look like there was anything so I just decided to aim down the valley, riding along the ridge as far as I can to preserve that hard earned elevation.
the main route would involve either more climbing + down + some up again
I followed a vicuna trail along the valley wall which went up and down a bit but it felt like a good option as opposed to descending to the potentially sandy valley floor. Eventually I found non-funny tasting water and cruised down the creek valley looking for a place to camp
but while I was looking for a place to camp, something else was looking at me!
DONKEYS! Lots of them! Their did their battle cries and some crossed my path. One almost charged me. They may be funny animals but if it comes to it, I am sure one of them could easily kick my ass.
Then I thought I saw a dog and its puppy looking at me
But it wasnt a dog, it was a fox or a coyote or something.
and it was quite comfortable with me, which i did not see as a good thing. I found the perfect campsite here with the wind protection and amazing rocks all around but I thought her lair may be nearby and I decided to camp elsewhere
Compromise camp was okay, right next to the stream and with a magnificent view of even more donkeys
It was a nice ride along this big valley, as low as 3400m and warm. No significant wind most of the way
looking at the map, after a pass there is a 40km flat section which should be easy and a climb to a creek. Shouldnt be a problem to make it there today in a longer day but… ooops. That salar on the flat section was just… well it was actually so bad that it was kind of funny. The first 3km straight line section was purely walking.
Eventhough the rest of the track was a little more manageable, it was really on the line of me not wanting to subject my bike to such violent bumps. Funny how a track like this can take your mind off the wind
I pushed on for a long day anyway, if anything it would be good to know that I will have less of this to do tomorrow. Funny to think that while I was at the top of the last pass I considered dropping down in a straight line and riding this salar… There was a nice rock cubicle campsite, a decent shelter from the wind
I opened up all my bags to assess food supplies and found a miner’s cookie from back in Chile. This monster cookie is packed well with almonds and oatmeal, good stuff! And the variety of instant mash potatoes was amazing!
Although the track was rough, i was really thankful for it. Imagine trying to get across this salt and mud monster without a track????
I sent a bunch more herds of Vicunas running for the mountains, terrified and rode across the edge of a big lava flow
looking back on the lava flow on a climb up to a creek
I was a bit low on water this morning but this next creek did infact exist and was quite good. One might say one of the best water sources on this route. With my tactic to start early and stop early I was doing great with the wind. There was also the plan to meet my friend coming from Canada at Laguna Brava, without going to Fiambala but my last few days dipping down to 3400m only went to show that there is more life and rock variety at lower altitude. Not that the endless sand and rock climbs to high passes arent appealing but they just get a little boring. So the revised plan is to hurry up a little and pass by Fiambala, eat and maybe meet my friend there.
Anyhow, for today there is a nice wind shelter and I can double up on my meals which wont need to last me the planned 27 days but about 22-23.
The way out was a real treat, i followed a trail which led for a bit along the ridges before rejoining the main route.
This was followed by a rather tough walk along the sandy space between the valley edge and the lava flow.
Sandwitched between two storms, which I would need to be convinced are rain and not sand, i got the best of it. Shade and tailwind.
I kept going, somehow unsatisfied with the camping options and the wind and eventually set up camp at 4700m without any wind protection. Surprisingly it wasnt too bad.
The next day I saw two more donkeys
I approached the edge of the Puna and the color on the green mountains was amazing, full of life!
I headed to a hotspring, which had a horse
and a dog!
oh and did I mention the hotspring?
I decided to take a day off here and share the remainder of my food with my new dog friend, whom i just called friend.
then two cyclists rolled in, good timing!
Marilie and Raphael ran 29+ for this and have impressive food rationing skills. All my candy was gone after the first week for example! I asked them if they are riding six miles south, which was followed by a firm NO. haha! I think the north part is enough Puna for the regular cyclist and I doubt I would be doing all of the south route but more on that in the next post!
“Friend, go home!” The dog, friend kept following me. He didnt seem to want to go back to the hotsprings
Even the guantlet of Burros did not deter him
nor did he chase the funny fat rabbit with a curled tail
he was infact going home. Dog is probably from the town nearby and was just at the hotsprings for some vacation?
we had a lot of things in common. I like water, he seems to like water too
finally he was at home, he started jumping on people, sniffing and peeing on stuff
Then there was the river part, the road went in and across. Must have crossed that thing over 50 times and somehow inbetween it lost its novelty but nontheless it was all rideable. Some jeep tour pulled over and they wanted to take a photo of me, i must have looked like a crazy guy on a bike.
then woooah! check it out, pavement!
after a big meal and avoiding the mid day heat under a tree at a small store I headed off. The good news is that the road is paved, the not-so-good is that sandstorm that is about to hit
It was quite bad, so bad infact that it was kind of funny. The wind is going everywhere and I need to cover my mouth to breathe. I even got sand in my years. It started raining a bit which kept the sand down but then it got cold. I see a jesus somewhere in the distance but he is facing the wrong way. hmm… there is no road to get to him
last 10k were along a narrow stretch of houses but all with a lot of trees. I rode along slowly while trying to remove all the sand from my eyes and years.
I find a bench in the main plaza and watch about 23 days of notifications roll up on my phone
I also may have ended up on the local TV, I am not quite sure. I was really out of it after such a long day
Fiambala on the other hand had a poor selection of pasta sauces and NO INSTANT NOODLES!
But a good selection of dogs
I petted and played with this pup while waiting in line for the ATM then he followed me. But boy, he did not know much about cities because he ran in the middle of the road the whole time, cars pulling over to let him pass. Thats right, he’s the king! When i went to the store to buy him sasuage, a cat attacked him and he ran away :(
The restaurant food in Fiambala was almost as disappointing as its internet. I was however invited by the Quebecois for a dinner feast!
oh yeah and the ice cream shop is open until 2:30…. AM!!!!
in two short days I managed to amass the food supply for the next leg. Like, give or take 15 days? With the internet here I barely half-loaded key sections on google satellite maps and it looks good. So we’ll see how that works out…
