end of the world

Ushuaia.

made it.

southern most city in the world...as argentines say..... fin del mundo

last 60 miles in was spectacular......up thru mountains/lakes and ending down in town and bay surrounded by peaks...every direction...much bigger place than i anticipated with the perfect mix/match of commercial port industry and tourism.....one of favorite towns of trip

short and sweet...thats it. did some chest pounding at the city entrance sign and spent the day near the water thinking about everything from first day til now and how a month ago 4 months felt like 4 years...now 5 months feels like 5 days.....spent the night at irish bar celebrating.....now figuring out how i am gonna get home.

thanks to everyone i met along the way for all the hospitatlity and help. especially juan, juan, pascal, jeff and two loud snoring a-holess----dan redneck with the soul of a saint--- and simon, you limey pikey cockney bastard...el confidante en idiocy also rejecting idea need be moto elite or gearhead 'swap out the 4 lug crankshaft bolt with aluminum gaskets and remount fork spring bracket with a 14nm torque if youre gonna do a trip like that,' bullshite....we had a laugh

anyone can do it, on any bike, anyway you want. grab a bag... throw some clothes in it... strap it to your bike and go.......dont forget your soul, sense of humor, patience, passport, awareness and arse cream.

also thanks to all for comments and all the emails....its great hearing from everyone

have to throw a catch up little party when i get back..

will post videos and some trip wrap-stats later on...

of course most thanks goes to my parents.......

my dad got me first motorcycle when i was 5...riding has been a passion ever since.

my mom gave me first longer term international exposure at 13...life changing.

i am forever grateful.....

combine, sprinkle in a little will, and im on my bike at the end of the world....smiling

the end

wicked wind of the south

just as leaving puerto natales rain starts and last first 2 hours then comes the wind going across plains with wind bent trees. some at 90 degrees. rode along magellen strait and came accross an old abandoned fish camp/ cannery town (what is it about old decaying ships that make want to take picture, this one beached there since 1932) before coming to the ferry crossing to get on the island...pretty quick and easy...black and white dolphins following along wake

magellen was a great explorer and discoverer no doubt but he made a huge mistake when he named tierra del fuego(island of fire) island. any moron ,myself included, within 3 seconds of being on it will know it should named island of wind. ridiculous borderline absurd amount and strength of wind here.. constant blowing over flatland of the island...can only imagine what ship coming around cape horn is like no wonder so many sank.....the bikes always at 25ish degree bend and when gusts come whipped easy 15 ft over till slow down or come to stop.......then speed up again...then slow or off the road....helmetbeing pulled up head clinched in a vicescriphold along wiht hands and arms...hoping for a turn east with wind at back you feel like the bike is floating and its 'a breeze'. its so quiet like youre standing in place and hear the bike is running clear along....with any twist it rips. dont know how fast the wind...but never felt moving air remotely as strong...if transport the energy...windmills down here... youre a gazillionare

the other immediate notice was the forever sky....pull over after getting off boat to the clouds breaking and the sun coming thru...... definately is its own island

torres del paine national park

after glacier day went down and around on 40 before turning off to torres del paine national park... had to cross the border into chile again to get into the park...as far as the patagonia chile/argentina land split so far chile got the better end of the deal.. half the road was paved and the other half solid gravel....the wind was whipping again...strongest so far across vast flatlands

pulled into the park just at dusk and the towers were almost completely visible...giant rock formation just beyond crystal lake was again breathtaking. stayed at little ranch camp and stunk up the room... next morning explored a bit and rode out. tons of wildlife including my first ever red fox sight...right up close too probably 5 feet and he not run...two of them. non stop beautiful stunning views...

next town was puerto natales....cool old fishing town surrounded by mountains. with (youre right leslie) packs of stray dogs everywhere it was beautiful sun little wind area which was about to change....

ice age

now ptagonia is starting to feel and look like what i had imagined...

key thing i've wanted to do since getting to South America is see a glacier....moreover see one break into the ocean like ive seen on tv/ discovery channel etc.

rode up perito moreno glacier, one of the bigger 46 ones around from calafate known to break off chunks of ice quite regularily, to try my luck.... great ride next to glacier filled lakes with that unique glacier color water

they had the lookout area closed to cars so you had to walk up a ways....or take a hearded like cattle tour boat....boat/walk? boat. got on and instantly amazed at the mass of the glacier which is approx 3.5 miles long and 200ft high.

size scale picture below the boat is approx 30ft high and 80ft longboat ride up and down for about 30 min....starts raining and most of the heard moves insideonly couple of us stay out....keep looking for chunks to break off but nothing happenen....can hear cracks though....they sound like shotgun blast s few feet away...nothing. just as boats starts to turn back toward the dock i have my camera pointed at the glacier and i hear a huge roar like thunder sound..look and its a chunk crashing to the water...snap snap snap.....then a few seconds later another one....snap snap snap...got a few pics but mostly only crashing into water and nothing falling in air but the experience was right up there in the top of this trip....wicked nature

afterward got on bike and as leaving noticed the road to the lookout area was open...should we go up? ya we're here why not......turned out to be a wise decision.... 20 minutes later the glacier started breaking like crazy...huge chunks dropping, giant ripple waves with massive blocks of ice floating areound and piercing loud blasts and cracks like thunder every minute or two....

again late on the 'in mid air' falling pics but did get a video......post it when i get home.....earth moving day! rings of ice and waves from breaking chunks

cool daddio cool