November 9, 2025
Lago Rivadavia to Bahia Rosales
Somehow the bivouac didn't work and I didn't sleep well if at all. The ground underneath was as hard as concrete and in the early hours the inside was wet wirh cobdensation. It was a miserable night and I was out at dawn and took a walk to the lake shore. On the way back I felt the cold as well as exhausted, so got back into the bivouac and somehow dropped off to sleep. On waking up I was surprised to see the time is 09.08. Though there were still not many up and about the campsite where fog had descended keeping it cool.
The fog lifted around 11 and there was warming sunshine so I could dry my camp before setting off. With clear sky the sun was hot and within a few hundred metres I stopped to take off my fleece. I was feeling sluggish with lack of sleep and after an hour I reach Lago Verdi and turn off down a steep zig-zag track to the lakeshore. In among the trees up from the lake there is a campsite and restuarant, but as it is out of season there are few about. I left the bike and went down steps to the lake and sat on a patch of grass for a while and watched a pair of Cauquen birds. These are similar size to the Patagonian Ibis, or Bandurria but not as noisey and seem to spend their time between floating on the water like ducks or walking along near the shore.
Then there was the steep track I came down to climb back to the road. However, it was only a few kilometres more to another opportunity to stop at Rio Arrayanes, as I wasn't in much mood for riding. Down another track where there is an asado with open air makeshift restuarant. It was lunchtime and on the menu was Cadril de beef, or roasted beef with ribs, accompanied with chunky chips which were potatoes quartered lenghwise with the skin left on for a reasonable price of 12,000 pesos or £6.60. Payment was in pesos but the guy was able to exchange 20 dollars. It was a filling meal with Chimichurri (traditional vinergarette with chopped peppers) washed down by a cool can of red ale.
After that I wasn't going far. I went down towards the river and found a grassy spot by a picnic table in the shade and lay down for an hour and a half to listen to podcasts, but was soon asleep, awaking again at 15.40 when I got up and boiled water for mate and spent half an hour drinking the green tea.
I made good progress after the afternoon nap, until a thunder shower came on around 18 hrs: big splotches of icy rain. However, I had reached another campsite-Bahia Rosales, so I veered off down a track toward a lakeshore. Quite a long track, annoying as the rain beat down heavier; though, on reaching the administration building and ducked inside it stopped.
I set up camp in a sheltered spot beneath trees in case of more rain with a table where I write up my paper diary before a walk down to the lakeshore at dusk where I manage to get close enough to a Tero Tero to get a photo. Its partner was close by with a chick.
After dark I patronize the campsite restuarant where I'd a full size veggie pizza which was hard finishing. The other customers were a young couple with nine year old daughter from Costa Rica. They had hired a camping van in Bariloche and tomorrow would start a two-day drive south to Califate. The others where an elderly North European couple that came in as I was getting up to leave and I didn't get talking to them.
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