It rained in the early morning on the ride to the boat to Porvenir. Our bicycles were tied to the inside of the boat and we sat inside a modern and warm cabin with other passengers, most of them travelling across the bay for Mother´s Day. We arrived in Porvenir, the Chilean capital of Tierra del Fuego. We rode 71km on the ripio along the ocean and there were small rolling hills and a strong tailwind and light cold rain. But it was very cold, and despite the tailwind, after a few hours the body was very cold and the hands and feet hurt despite the new boots I had purchased in Punta Arenas. Juan the Spaniard (not to be confused with the Juan mentioned below) had told us of an estancia. We were shown a barn with pigs and I was delighted as we would have not only shelter from the wind but a roof from the snow and sleet and rain. We parked the bikes and were led into the quarters for the workers. We would not sleep in the barn: There were bunk beds and of course we could sleep in them. There was a stove in a second kitchen for the workers and Juan, the most senior worker, began a fire. We were invited into the warmer kitchen to drink mate and we asked if we could cook. No, but we could eat dinner with the woman, Jorge, and Juan. We ate a dinner of lamb, potatoes, aji, and tea. Over the warm stove I spoke with Juan and his life working on the estancias. The pay was good and the work wasn´t too bad and he was very good at what he did. He could operate all the machines and had no problem handling the 4000 sheep on the estancia. The wool could be sheered after a year and there was good meat at a year also but you could keep the sheep up to 4 years. Guanaco was a delivious meat and that was eaten as well. You could not hunt guanaco but on the estancias you were free to get them.
We all retired early as the day began early on the estancia. By sunrise Jorge and Juan had finished their mate and would work for several hours before breakfast. Carlos and I ate breakfast with our mate and then had to set off, as San Sebastian was either 75 or 95km away on the ripio. We said goodbye to the three and snapped group photos, which I will post later (from Carlos´s camera). As we departed, the wind unleashed its torrent and the snow began to fall, lightly. Indeed it was 95km to San Sebastian in a tailwind on the ripio. Flurries came and went, the shore came and went, the clouds darkened the sky and then the sun brightened the sky. I worried about a flat as the hands would not last in the wind and the cold but the tires did not flat. When I reached the Chilean control after 80km, I needed to warm the toes with the hands. At the Argentinean control 15km later, there was a warm waiting room for us to pass the night. Ivana and Mario, a couple from Santiago (the Argentinean Santiago in the north) had been riding on horseback from Ushuaia with their dog, Lassie. Ivana had had some tough times with her health and showed us her detailed medical records. She gave me a brochure about tuberculosis and the many risks and I have this brochure in my saddle bag. Several newspapers had written of her horseback journey in protest of healthcare and lack of work. Her search for work had caused her bad health and fluid in the brain and eyes. A recent surgery had cured her. She trusted in Jesus and loved her horse and dog. Her son, Ivan, was a Tae Kwon Do champion and would become a lawyer. She spoke of the poverty of Santiago and it sounded bad. We drank mater at night, then pasta together. There was a shower room in the police as well and I showered and there was hot water. At night Carlos and I laid the sleeping bags on the flloor and Ivana, Mario, and Lassie, slept together on an elevated bench.
In the mornimg we drank mate together and Carlos and I mounted our bicycles while Mario and Ivana mounted Pampa, their horse. Lassie would run along side. They were headed for Rio Gallegos.
It was 78km of desolate crosswind to Rio Grande. I worried of frostbite as the toes had lost much feeling after 2 hours. Yet it did not rain or snow or sleet yet the crosswinds were never generous and robbed the body of heat. The crosswinds are the strong Patagonian crosswinds that knock the man into the road and so there is a lot of concentration on leaning into the wind and not veering into the road.
We arrived in Rio Grande and inquired of the nautical club that offered lodging to cyclists. Yet upon arrival it was closed for the season. The hands and feet were quite cold, and we inquired of one lodge that was too expensive, yet by luck spoke to a man who knew of cheap lodging. There were beds for us. Normally we would camp but the extremities were cold and the night would be worse. Sleet began to fall and in an hour the streets were nearly unwalkable with ice. The grassy areas were covered with snow. We headed to the market and bought meat for milanesas and I cooked 4 milanesas and we ate with boiled potatoes and shared a beer. The hostel was filled with Argentineans from the north here for work along with a group of four Colombians. It was buena onda at night and Carlos and I were grateful for the warm room.
In the morning the woman at the hostel told us of a municipal sports complex that offered free lodging for athletes. We inquired of several workers who in turn led us to different offices and different officials before were were given a key to a warm dormitory, reminiscent of Rio Turbio. Rosa, a sweet old woman, attends to us. We waited for the ice to melt from the roads today and will set off tomorrow. Snow falls between Toulhin and Ushuaia yet there is less wind.
