ruta 40 day 3

the third day on ruta 40 was the shortest leg but seemingly tougher than the others...wind ripping all directions and road had highest loose rock/ gravel build up between ruts yet...as the wind whips from side it makes bike move few inches into the loose gravel and which can create lot of fishtailing...slower speeds help as does lots of gravel/rock riding like this throughout the trip and bolivias pain.....which is good now for head as long as never let get in way of reality that anything can happen anytime to anyone.

starting to see a lot more animals, bikers and overland truck type travellers in patagonia...most bikers brazillian and truckers european. animal.. deer, emu, armadillo, and super fast jackrabbit things

stayed at this middle of nowhere hotel which has the same name as the town on map (la siberia)as its the only thing in the town...so....it is the town. met 3 other riders....turkish, english, and a swiss girl

when we came up on Leo, a german biker riding an african twin....... his bike was upright in middle of the road and there was an ambulance already there....he was staggering around and not clearly conscious...repeating "am i in argentina"...."f*&%"....."how did it happen" "I dont know how this happened"....some body has a cigarette?" F&*^ i have to make a naked bike.....somebody has a cigarette?......am i in argentina? on and on after being answered each time...but nothing was sticking...

physically he said his shoulder, hand and knee hurt but he was walking around fine and not in too much pain.....

seemed more mentally damage from crash...more in shock than anything...the ambulance said he was ok and left a few minutes after we got there. said they were sending a tow truck back to pick up the bike...the ambulance didnt have a doctor in it, only serving as transport to the next town about 150 miles away.

dont know how he crashed as he couldnt remember anything but assuming as road was deep loose gravel that he lost edge and from the damage on the bike, think he slid down on his left side before being flipped/catapult over with the bike to the front ride side and smashing the fairing and the right side of his helmet......."somebody has a cigarette" "i have to make a naked bike now" along with walking away from us every few minutes going into crying then coming back "this is argentina"....told us that he wasnt ok....shock or concussion or....

when the tow truck got there we put his bike on it and went with him back to the tiny town where the ambulance was and told them he is not ok and needs to go the hospital to get checked out. they said ok and took him to calafate....dan who speaks the best spanish followed with the tow truck to hospital....everything checked out fine and it was shock that was unableing him to recall or record anything....we were with him for 3 hours and then it was another 3 hours to and at the hospital before he came to fully.....

he was riding solo...the worst fear of anyone riding solo in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country crash.....really made me thankful i met up with dan and simon...lot of comfort.....its about 4 days later now and im in calafate and Leo is fine...been resting trying to get his bike in good order before moving on

Emu in road video...... cant fly but they try