Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego and north once more!

We finally left Estancia Harberton and headed northwest towards Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego National Park.  Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side and we had rain, fog and cold temperatures for the next several days.  We stopped for the obligatory photo at the End Of The World sign.  The place was an absolute tourist zoo because of the busloads of tourists coming from the cruise ships that stop at Ushuaia.  When we arrived to set up our tent the rain stopped and an amazing triple rainbow appeared in the sky; it was so beautiful!  We had never seen anything like it before.  It was the definite highlight of my birthday.  During our time here we did go on one half-day hike in the freezing rain and ice.  The inclement weather was for the birds; literally, they were everywhere and seemed to be loving the icy rain.  Not so for us.  Due to the lousy weather, we left two days earlier than planned.  The morning of our departure there was fresh snow on the nearby mountainsides – it was seriously cold! 

So, you have probably noticed in our photos multiple references to ‘Las Malvinas.’  This is the Argentinian name for the Falkland Islands (a British Overseas Territory).  All over the country, and I mean EVERYWHERE, you will see memorials and signs declaring that these islands belong to Argentina.  And since Ushuaia is the closest province to the islands, they additionally claim to be the rightful capital.  As one local tour guide put it, “Las Malvinas is the only issue about which ALL Argentinians agree.”  For a better understanding of what is going on here, as best as it can be understood, check out this YouTube video from Oversimplified History that explains the fascinating history very well (it is seven minutes well spent)…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiDvLshi9CY

As we headed north again we passed a Moto Cafe and Museum sign and decided to stop for some hot beverages because our hands were freezing.  Well, it turned out to be a fortuitous break.  The owner of the cafe, Daimen, keeps a book of all the motorcyclists who arrive from Alaska (or are heading in that direction) and asked us to sign it (see pic).  He also introduced us to a large motorcycle club he was hosting and they graciously invited us to have lunch with them.  After lunch, they bought a bottle of champagne for us to celebrate our accomplishment of riding from Alaska to Argentina!  It was a great time of camaraderie and a trip highlight.

On a side note, as we were getting ready to leave the cafe, Daimen’s dog brought back an enormous dead beaver.  We were shocked when we saw it and even more surprised when Daimen explained that beavers are an invasive species in Tierra del Fuego and are killed whenever possible.  Which was a big surprise to us because in Alaska we were repeatedly told that beavers are a sign of a healthy ecosystem (though there they are a native species).  A little incredulous, I looked it up on the internet later and he was absolutely right!  Not only are they an invasive species in Tierra del Fuego, they even have paid hunters to kill beavers because of the damage they cause to the fragile ecosystem.

When we arrived in Rio Grande we needed to find a place to stay for the night.  While I was searching for accommodations, Sharon made a quick visit to the local cemetery.  It would be easy to mistake the tombs for small, closely-constructed apartments.  They normally have a very small chapel inside for family members, often decorated with keepsakes and flowers.  This style is found all over Latin America.

The next morning we left Rio Grande for Porvenir and then Punta Arenas – it required a border crossing (back into Chile) and a ferry, but by a different route than the one we used coming south.  The road to Porvenir was 60 miles of gravel, some places quite deep, and less than a mile from the town (and the tarmac) Sharon got caught in a deep rut and ended up crashing on the side of the road.  She was fine and the bike had no significant damage – thank God.  While waiting for our ferry we had a chance to go to an interesting museum about the indegenous people.  Our ferry arrived after dark, so we had a slightly more stressful ride to our AirBNB than originally planned, as we almost never drive at night.  We were completely exhausted when we finished our last trip up the stairs to our room.  We had made it!

We remained in Punta Arenas for an entire week – it was wonderful to be sleeping in a real bed again and, even more importantly, be out of the ever-present wind.  Each time I heard the wind howling around the home where we were staying…I smiled.  Punta Arenas is a relatively small city (pop. 125,000); however, compared to the rest of the tip of South America it is absolutely gigantic.  It was strange to see traffic lights again after so many months!  While here we visited a number of museums (shocker!), including the naval museum.  It was here that we learned some additional details about one of the most intriguing and epic tales of survival of all time; the ill-fated Imperial Trans-Atlantic Expedition led by Ernest Shackelton.  If you have never heard of this man or the expedition I would encourage you to stop reading right now and either read the wiki article or watch one of the many documentaries that have been made (I’ve linked a shorter one below; it’s only 24 min).

wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Trans-Antarctic_Expedition

National Geographic documentary (24min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgh_77TtX5I

Spoiler Alert!!!  The really interesting thing this museum had was concerning the rescue of the expedition survivors.  Two unsuccessful attempts had been made to reach the small island where they were stranded after escaping the ice pack.  Terrible weather and storms had caused them to fail.  The third attempt was made by an incredibly brave Chilean naval officer (read the letter given to his father prior to leaving – see pic) and his crew.  They also encountered a big storm with heavy seas on the return trip, but managed to heroically liberate all the men and return them to Punta Arenas alive!  A truly amazing and inspirational story.

A very different kind of museum that we visited was the Nao Victoria Museum.  This intriguing museum builds full-sized, seaworthy replicas of famous ships.  They display them on land and allow you to explore them!  It was definitely one of my favorite “museums!”  The ships they have in 1:1 scale are the Nao Victoria (Magellan’s ship), HMS Beagle (Darwin and Fitzroy’s ship), and the James Caird (Shackelton’s small boat).  We could not believe how small Magellan’s ship was, considering the voyage lasted for over THREE years!!!  We learned that he had set out with five ships, but only one completed the voyage and Magellan himself was actually killed during the voyage.  So, technically, he never circumnavigated the globe!  My mind was blown by this revelation.  Though, truthfully, he should get lots of credit for leading the expedition that accomplished this incredible feat, even if he was not alive to see its completion.

While we had some time and a comfortable setup, Sharon decided to mix things up with a new hair color (just for fun).  I think the before and after pictures tell it all.  Personally, I like it and definitely think it suits Sharon’s fun side!

Chris & Sharon