December 29th 2024 – Ushuaia, Argentina

Punta Arenas is a decent sized town and a good place to lay low for a few days. What I will remember most about our stay is the wind. It was a constant presence. It made our cabin groan and tried to steal our body heat whenever we ventured outside.

After 3 nights we left town accompanied by a light drizzle and a strong tail wind. The weather improved and the wind remained a blessing all morning.

We reached Punta Delgada early in the afternoon. The plan was to get on a ferry and cross the Straits of Magellan in order to reach Tierra del Fuego.

Another motorcycle was parked by the cafeteria when we arrived. They had been told that the seas were too rough for motorcycles and had now been waiting for a couple of hours watching cars and trucks being shipped across the water. We were also denied access to the next departure. The ferry left the ramp half empty.
We visited the cafeteria to get out of the wind and grab a hot cup of bean juice.

More bikes had rolled up when the next ferry approached the ramp.
Katrine got in the face of the guy responsible for boarding and suddenly we were allowed aboard with a warning that the crossing could be rough.
The ferry didn’t moor down, so the waves made the ferry ramp move in all directions on the land ramp. It made getting aboard a bit tricky – you had to wait until the ramp was relatively steady and then race onto and up the ramp to the car deck.
All the motorcycles were directed to the rear leeward side of the car deck. We soon learned why. The bow waves covered and soaked everything on the front half of the car deck during the crossing.
There was a little more shelter from the waves when we reached the other shore, but the wind had picked up and getting off the ferry still required a dose of timing and commitment.

The line of cars south of the strait waiting for the ferry was several kilometers long. I’m not sure the people at the back would make it across that day.

Correcting for strong crosswinds sapped our energy as we made our way south. After a couple of hours we reached the border to Argentina. It was nice to get off the bikes for a spell and shake out some of the tension. There were no lines at any of the offices. It was our 3rd time crossing from Chile to Argentina so the paperwork only took a few minutes.

From the border it was another hour to Rio Grande where we arrived early in the evening after a long, cold and exhausting day on the bikes. We stayed in town for 2 nights to recuperate.

Rio Grande is the industrial capital of the Tierra del Fuego Province. It had very little to offer and was definitely not a tourist destination!
The city got some international attention back in 2014 when a mob of some 300 vehicles blocked the escape of the support staff for the BBC Television program Top Gear after they had already been attacked with eggs and stones in Tolhuin. The commotion was initiated by local wankers who got offended by a license plate that they thought referred to the Falklands War in 1982.

The wind was conspicuous by its absence the morning we left town. It was a wonderful change after having fought it for days on end.
The scenery and riding kept improving all morning culminating with the Garibaldi Pass. It’s the most southern mountain pass in the Andes and the only overland access route to Ushuaia.

It was a special feeling when we 40 kilometers later parked the bikes by Ushuaia’s iconic city gate – 18 months and 60.000 kilometers after setting out from Phoenix, AZ.
Ushuaia is beautifully situated by the Beagle Channel surrounded by snow-capped mountains that shelter the city from the fierce winds that dominate the region during the summer months.

It was now December the 22nd. We wanted to stay in town during the holidays and had rented a small apartment at the edge of town. It turned out to be a great place with panoramic views and a garage for the bikes.

Christmas was coming up so the first order of business was to do some serious shopping. With the kitchen stuffed with food and treats it was time to go look for Christmas presents.
Finding good presents for each other has proven to be a challenge on this trip. We both have everything we need and no room to carry unnecessary stuff. If something breaks or wears out we replace it at the first given opportunity as availability is often an issue.
Katrine and I walked into town together and split up for a couple of hours to go gift hunting.
I had no clue what to give her and visited all kinds of stores. I considered a funky beanie and a small chess game but none of them seemed right. When I stumbled across a fridge magnet depicting a Guanaco with Serendipia written in small letters next to it I knew I had found what I was looking for.
The Guanaco is the biggest of the lamoids and typical for southern Patagonia. They have become one of Katrine’s favorite animals.
I had hit a homerun. She almost started crying when she unwrapped it the following day. Once we find a home again and get a fridge she’ll have a place to put it.

The 24th Fin and his girlfriend Elba from Punta Arenas came over for dinner.
Fin had arrived in town a couple of days before. Like us he would stay until after New Year. It was good to see him for the first time since La Paz in Bolivia. He was doing well and Elba was good company.
Being Christmas Eve we had of course bought gifts for both of them. Being a true American and not knowing how to properly celebrate Christmas, Fin had showed up with nothing but a bottle of wine for himself while I generously shared the box of chocolates Katrine had given me for Christmas.

The 25th Fin tried to make up for his blunder by hosting a Christmas dinner for some of the moto travelers in town. We ended up being a motley crew of 12.
Aside from Fin, Elba, Katrine and me it was Kiki & Andreas from Austria, Sandro from Switzerland, Matthias and Bernd from Germany, Iris & Jonas from Belgium and last but not least Jimbo from Minnesota, USA.
It was a fun evening. Katrine and I didn’t return to our apartment at the other end of town until well after midnight.

It was pissing down the following morning. A good excuse to sleep in and take it easy.
Fin and Elba dropped by for a cup of coffee in the afternoon.

By the time they left the weather had improved significantly. It was time to visit the end of the road.
The last 13 kilometers of Ruta 3 runs through Tierra del Fuego National Park. The price to enter the park is usually US $45, but after 6 pm it’s free.
The main road turned to gravel the moment we left town.

We hit the entrance to the park at 6.30. A smiling ranger waved us through. The beautiful ride continued on a dirt road.
One of the times I stopped to take a picture 3 riders arrived in a cloud of dust. It was Kiki, Andreas and Sandro from the previous evening.
At the end of the road, 20 kilometers outside of Ushuaia and 3.079 from Buenos Aires, we caught up with them again.
It was a nice evening and there was no risk of running out of daylight, so we hung out for a while before heading back to town.

Fin and Elba invited Katrine, Jimbo and me to join them for a hike the following day.
While Fin spent the first half of the day hunting down his 4th rabies shot after being bit by a dog in Chile, Kat and I ran errands and did some shopping.
We already had around 12k in our legs when we finally met up. An Über took us to the trailhead above the city. The trail climbed to just below the Martial Glacier. It was a good hike with nice views.

We walked all the way back to town through the forested hillsides. Back down Fin and Elba invited on leftover dessert from their Christmas dinner. There was plenty to make it out for dinner that night.
Katrine had to retire to the couch afterwards and struggled to keep her eyes open. That is what a whole day outside and 25 kilometers of walking can do to you. For $6 we traded the 6k walk home with a comfy Über ride.

We are really enjoying our time in Ushuaia. It’s a great place to hang out – especially because we are surrounded by friends. Luckily we have a few more days and a New Year to celebrate before leaving town.