Quickly approaching the Solstice I'm confused. Usually I'd be at the depths of darkness with gray skies, rain, wind, clogged gutters and yet I find myself at 7:15 pm sitting in shorts with hot sun tempting me to take off the tee shirt or seek shade. All I can say is 'I'm lovin' it" (Hasn't some company already claimed that one?) .
For the last few dayz it has been serious road time with strong head or side winds.Chile is ONE LONG COUNTRY. Always wearing ear plugs to reduce the sound of wind at 60-70 mph or ,on occasion, an MP3 with my jogging music-only latin music please) we move and wiggle the butt frequently, from side to side, re adjusting the sheepskin I received from a fellow traveler in Panama, so as to get comfortable. Usually the AM has the least wind and by noon it gets tough(well not really tough). It does make driving harder. It does make passing trucks harder ( as you approach you're buffeted a lot then as you pass you're sucked into a vacuum then as you emerge you're hit by strong winds again. It just takes knowing what is happening and be prepared as best you can. (life lesson #101)
Richie, a Colombian, jointed us for a couple of days. Six months into his trip with his girlfriend from Colombia, he'd sent her ahead on the bus, due to strong winds and rough conditions. It gave them both a 'breather' of being together day and night and he got some 'male time'. He has a para gliding school in Colombia. Leaving his business in the hands of friends, he is 'living the dream' at age 43.
Camping on an isolated beach. Papa tent, Mama tent and baby bear tent. (Guess which one is Mr. Minimalist's tent?)
If you couldn't guess then here I am. One person, one person tent. Beautiful scenery. We were approached by 'locals' who said we should move since the tide oftentimes comes up and over this site. Didn't believe him (hey, I grew up with tides in my life) but then he's a local and he volunteered this information out of concern for our bikes, tents and selves.. At late dusk we decided to go for safety rather than our own 'sense'. We moved to higher ground and reset tents in the dark and slept soundly. Next morning. My northwest water sense about tides and information about beaches and evidence of high tides SHOULD have been followed...but then I'm not at home. Better safe than sorry.
I added this photo because if I were a Martian, I'd have assumed that Chileans, more than any other nation so far, are religiously inclined. It could be considered subtle but the frequency of alters to dead, whether on the highway or elsewhere is remarkable. It almost approaches too much. Especially with the Chilean flags attached everywhere. If I were to do a documentary show of roadside alters I'd take forever to get through Chile. Incredible and it can't be related to the number of deaths on the roads. Chilean pan-american highways are in great shape and not prone to accidents from the conditions of the roads.
Randy, my California riding buddy, preparing some dinner on the beach near Iqueque, in the north of Chile.
OK The 'Manos del Desierto', out in the middle of nowhere.
Are two hands better? Have I won??? Did I overcome something?
Well, there is a lesson here.It happens in the oddest places. Without any premonition, under perfect conditions. Who could have predicted that when I got ready to leave and rolled forward off my center stand than the uneven sand would cause me to fall over. I can't pick this puppy up by myself, I'm well off the road and who would come by to help me? My riding buddy! That is one reason that being with someone else gives a little more security for the BIG things and the SMALL things.
The coast of western South America is like that. From southern Ecuador, all of Peru and so far, half way down Chile it has been desert. Dry, rarely a drop of rain, and wind. All of this has to do with the Humboldt Current that sweeps up from Antarctica along the coast previously mentioned bringing nutrients for fish and cooler waters that affect the coast conditions leaving little variation in the climate. Sun,sun,sun, mist sometimes and fog, sometimes but that is it, from recorded history. So enough words. Here are some pics of camping on the beach on Dec.17th,18,19th all in different places. Free! Plus the 'Manos en el Deserto', a sculpture that is on some peoples'(i.e. motorcyclists) must do list. We came upon it early in the morning, riding before the wind came up, across endless desert with little visual variation and without knowing it was there. Great place for a pic. Plus, I dropped my bike getting back one and since it is over 700 pounds loaded (without me) i asked my friend to help me lift it.
Well, there is a lesson here.It happens in the oddest places. Without any premonition, under perfect conditions. Who could have predicted that when I got ready to leave and rolled forward off my center stand than the uneven sand would cause me to fall over. I can't pick this puppy up by myself, I'm well off the road and who would come by to help me? My riding buddy! That is one reason that being with someone else gives a little more security for the BIG things and the SMALL things.
No comments:
Post a Comment