diary week 5 [01.05.2006-07.05.2006]

don't forget to take a look at the related albums in the  photo gallery. click  here to go to the  main page of this journey report or  here to see  my other journey reports.

day 29 [01.05.2006] - villa la angostura, "jardin de la patagonia"

today we were very early on our bikes, at about 10.30. we were still offroad on the way to  villa la angostura, which is called "jardin de la patagonia" (patagonian garden). this village is very touristic, very nice and very new: founded in 1932.

the first 11 km we had to cycle offroad. then began the asphaltic road again. the difference of travel speed between those two types of roads is amazing. on asphaltic roads it's like on holidays. we arrived in villa la angostura at 14.00. we stayed in the cheap hostal "don pedro".

- 30 km -

day 30 [02.05.2006] - san carlos de bariloche

again we were on our bikes very early. today we had to cycle 86 km with a difference in height of 1000 m to  san carlos de bariloche. the route took us along the "lago nahuel huapi" and later a bit into the pampa. in only a few km, the vegetation changed rapidly. almost no plants, almost desert.

after km 50 began a hard front wind to blow against us. even downhill we had give all our power. partly we had a speed of only 10 km/h. after km 65 there was a bigger road, which is going to bariloche. when the direction changed, the wind started to blow from the side. so we travelled a bit quicker.

it is no problem to find a place to stay in bariloche. we have found a nice hostal again. bariloche is a pretty big city and still touristic.

- 86 km -

day 31 [03.05.2006] - day of rest in san carlos de bariloche

because of the hard days around nahuel huapi, we decided to stay a day in bariloche. a really nice town.

day 32 [04.05.2006] - along rio limay to confluencia

today we have left bariloche behind us. the first 27 km were on the same road like when we arrived, until the junction of routa 40 with routa 231. entering and leaving san carlos de bariloche by bike isn't comfortable. there is much traffic and the road quality isn't really good.

a truck saw us in the last moment. he knocked over a piece of wood. he was so scared that he drove on the unasphalted security lane with a speed of almost 100 km/h. i was really scared. impossible, but this damn driver was maybe sleeping.

after km 40, the road went along the " rio limay" through a really nice tale. the road was almost even. on km 67 was confluencia. on the map it was marked as a village, but there was nothing but a gaz station. from confluencia we had to ride 25 km more. right after confluenica there was a big grade. then we saw, that 100 m ahead was an accident with a truck. the police was already there. we decided to stay here this night in our tent. the whole night they did the clearance.

- 93 km -

day 33 [05.05.2006] - corral de piedra, the pampa begins!

we started early. a hard day with record in height difference should begin. right after the truck accident from the last day, the road began to rise. first we thought, that it is possible to do the 100 km to " piedra del aguila" in one day, but after km 40 we knew it is impossible!

the road went a bit down, back to the rio limay. rio limay was here a storage lake. we knew that the water we had isn't enough for the next day. so we asked people from a local construction site. they gave us some water. right after that place the road rised again. it should be one long uphill of 700 m. after 1.5 hour we were on the top. we were quite tired, when we decided to camp on the next best place. after searching a long time, we camped right beside the street.

- 67 km -

day 34 [06.05.2006] - piedra del aguila

we started a bit later today on 11 am. the first 11 km went a bit uphill. after that we were on a plateau. then from km 25 until km 46 the road went down. we were very quickly. it seems, that this is the sold for the last hard days. on the last 7 km, the road was even. it was a ride through land with a minimum of vegetation. it already seemed, that the pampa began.

on 14.15 we arrived in " piedra del aguila", where we stayed in the cheap hotel chamonix, where you can get a double room with breakfast for 40 pesos. piedra del aguila is a small village, which is constructed along the main road. there are two little shops and at least one restaurant. small, but enough. the rest of the day, we used to maintain our bikes.

- 55 km -

day 35 [07.05.2006] - through the pampa to picun léufu

already yesterday we have asked the hotel boss, what the distance is to the next location " picún leufú". he told us about 100 km. there was no point on the map between these two points. not even a kind of a p.o.i.

the road went a bit uphill, away from piedra del aguila and away from the rio limay which has attended us for so long. we already knew, this would get a hard day. the ladscape was pure "pampa"! the roads were perfectly straight. we were able to see cars on the streets up to 15 minutes before they have crossed. the sight was amazing...sometimes over 10 km straight. once there were small trees very far beside the street. from the point i saw them the first time until we were there, we have passed 8 km!

then we saw a little uphill, the "bajada colorada". then straight again. i was tired and i felt pain in my legs. it was so boring to cycle through this landscape! there was nothing to do and nothing to see. i have counted the middle lines and the pylons beside the street. they were placed with a distance of 200 m away from the other. on km 77 we had a break. from that point on it was a hard fight to go on. as if it wasn't enough, we got front wind.

we saw the last little uphill already 15 km before. picun leufu isn't nice. just another point with gaz stations, nothing more. we slept in a hostal.

- 99 km -