RTW North to South: Ushuaia

CN - Tuesday

We left Punta Arenas around 10:30am for the final stretch down to Ushuaia. Since the ferry straight across out of PA was booked (and would have shaved 200k off the distance) we had to take the ferry to the north across the Straight of Megellan making the total ride 620k. The winds were particularly strong that morning - usually the don't get crazy until the afternoon. But on this day they would be steady all day long. It is really hard on the limbs and neck fighting the wind on a small bike with little faring protection. We got to the ferry dock and the line of cars and trucks was extremely long. We waited in line for about 45 minutes and not a single ferry had loaded yet so we were a bit worried that the delay would put us in Ushuaia after dark. While waiting a trucker signaled to us that motos can go to the front of the line. We rode to the front and were squeezed on the next ferry that arrived. The crossing was a bit rough and the you had to have a hand on the bike or it would fall over. We met a couple of riders on the ferry on BMW 800gs bikes from BA, Argentina also riding down to Ushuaia. Even for Argentinians it is a long ride south!

The border crossing back into Argentina from Chile was fairly quick and easy. Both stations took maybe an hour or so. We gassed up for the final stretch in Rio Grande on the Atlantic coast and polished of the last 200k through winding roads and snow covered peaks. Easily the most enjoyable riding of the day. The only discomfort was that it was getting quite cold. We had put on heated jackets in Rio Grande but mine wasn't working too well due to having to switch to a regular headlight bulb from the original power saving LED bulb.

After over 15,000 miles, 14 countries, 15 border crossings, through intense heat and humidity, torrential rain, sleet, snow, freezing cold and stupid crazy Patagonia winds, we made it to Ushuaia at 9:00pm. The feeling was a bit emotional during the last 10k or so - thinking back over the past 95 days of the journey to get here. We are not unique by any means as this trip is a bit of a mecca for motorcycle travelers - we encountered many along the way. I guess what sets us apart from a bit is that we made the trip on 350cc dirt bikes - most are on much bigger and more comfortable machines. There were a large number of big BMW 1200gs passing us heading north in the opposite direction - most rentals and tours out of Santiago and Buenos Aries. We did encounter Mia - originally from Boulder, CO who had ridden down from Seattle on a Honda 250. She was riding solo since parting with her brother in Peru - very impressive!

Overall I liked the smaller bike in many situations due to its size and weight - an advantage in the dirt and when the roads disappeared into construction gravel fields. The disadvantage was speed, comfort, fuel range and the crazy winds that toss around a smaller bike - several times I came close to being blown completely off the road. In fact I did get blown off the dirt road into a ditch riding the gravel road in Torres - luckily able to recover and ride through and out if the ditch without crashing or dropping the bike.

We had pre-booked a hostel which turned out to be very nice near the center of town. Ushuaia is a travelers funnel. Everyone traveling down to Patagonia seems to end up there. We had heard about a popular Irish Bar called the Dublin and were hoping to get a Guinness there - no such luck but they did have a negro stout that would do. The bar was packed and standing room only. I heard so many different languages spoken while standing shoulder to shoulder with the crowd. It was too crowded to get any food there so we finished our beer and went down the street to a Hard Rock Cafe and had a couple of sandwiches at the bar. We didn't end up back at the hostel until almost 2am. It was a very long and exhausting day. We would spend the next day and night in Ushuaia before returning to Punta Arenas to hopefully sell the bikes on Friday.