December 15, 2025
Luz Devine to El Calafate
I slept so well; it was such a pleasant place to wake up listening to the ripple of the river. The sun peeked over the hill on the other side shortly before 06 urging me out of the bivouac.
I returned up the track and lift the Kona over the padlocked gate around 07. The sky is near cloudless and the air still. The road onwards follows the river with barren brown hills either side until the river flows into a canyon and the road swings right and climbs steeply for the next couple of kilometres.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
The early light is great for photographs. You would think though, using the phone would be quick at capturing the moment. Wrong. I see horses galloping towards the fence to the left of the road creating a plume of dust in their wake, but by the time I've tapped in the pin number to open the phone, then cancelled a box telling me to go to settings, the moment has passed, with the horses having stopped.
Before the climb I pass a green tent by the roadside with two touring bikes lent against the fence. I was a bit surprised that they weren't up and out yet at coming up on 08, it being such a still morning.
After the climb the road traverves a high plain and it isn't far until the long line of Lago Argentino appears upon the horizon and further it opens out to a huge sheet of turquoise water extending west to the southern icefield and snowy peaks of the Andes.
The road descends and crosses Rio Leone for the second time via a long bridge as the river is spread out wide at this point a short distance before flowing into the lake.
Once the road climbs up from the other side of the bridge and it being a clear day providing a good view of Mount Fitzroy when looking back, the road swings southeast for a good many kilometres before Rio Santa Cruz appears below on the right.
The road descends steeply, curving around to crossover the bridge. On the other side is a wide riverbank with a track down to it and the ruin of an old roadhouse where I sit down to an early lunch of noodles and the last of my fruit. The bridge looks fairly modern as the concrete of its structure is clean. I would say built in the early 1990s. Immediately downstream is the trace of a raft crossing which perhaps preceeded the bridge: the river a wide pool at this point before curving around and back on itself, meaning the current is slowed down, less strong and a safe place to cross.
It had become breezy and the shelter of the old roadhouse kept my lunch things from being blown away. Afterwards its a steep ride back up the track to the road and a climb onwards from the bridge, then a short 5 kilometres to a tee-junction at route 11 and a right turn with 32 kilometres remaining to El Calafate into headwind and near enough all uphill. The view limited to a constantly occuring ramp ahead inasmuch as, once the hill is climbed the summit reveals the road ahead dipping a little before going up yet another ramp. It is the same the whole way with traffic increasing towards town with many instances of cars close passing as they squeeze between me and oncoming traffic even though the wind is making riding in a straight line unpredictable.
I arrive in town at 15.30, worn out and later in a pizza cafe feel my face burn. The pizza alleviates my hunger and the glass of house wine is good. Though it is wearing to be spoken to in English by the waiter when the brain is trying work in Spanish.
I found a campsite after a longer than I would've wished ride around, calling at a hostel which was fully booked, a second hostel with nobody about and a campsite still out-of-season closed.
A nice long shower cools my burning face, followed by an hours lay down on top of the bivouac. Presently drinking mate while writing this at the bench and table provided, looking forward to a good steak dinner in a restuarant this evening.
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 2 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |