2011 Trans Americas

• The End

  

  
  We rise to clear skies, sunshine and the sun and an almost full moon still in the sky. We are leaving early to ensure we get in to Buenos Aires before the rush hour. We are starting out from Sierra De La Ventana park. The tarmac has a strange sparkle to it as it catches the low sun. It is like stars on a carpet of tarmac darkness showing us the way home.
  
  

  

  We gather at a small restaurant for lunch and to complete our ride as a group. We rode out of Anchorage as a group on 6th August and we will ride in at Buenos Aires as a group. The run in is a simple route and we arrive at the hotel smoothly and all together. The parade of bikes attracts lots of attention and admiring looks.
  
  And so this is the final proper ride for Trans Am 2011. All that remains is to get the bikes through the bureaucracy of the freight process and take them to the agent. Then we are going to the best Tango show in Buenos Aires, eating one last superb steak and washing it down with some fine red wine.
  
  If you want to experience this epic ride and be part of the adventure then there are places available Trans Americas 2013. Just contact us through www.globebusters.com
  
  Thanks for following the blog. We hope you have enjoyed reading it as much we all enjoyed the experiences that we wrote about.

  

• Ushuaia – Buenos Aires

  

  We thought we celebrated our arrival in Ushuaia pretty well. However the next day Boca Juniors won the Argentinian Football league and the town showed us how to celebrate properly. The party, the drum bands and the car horns went on to the early hours.
  
  We rode out of Ushuaia the next day in some light drizzle which soon cleared as we re-traced our steps across Tierra Del Fuego. After an overnight stop we crossed back to Chile, boarded the ferry to cross the Straits of Magellan, crossed back to Argentina on the other side and headed for Rio Gallegos. This was our final land border crossing of the trip and the 9th time we had cross between Chile and Argentina.
  

  

  In Rio Gallegos a number of us visited the British Club. In its centenary year the club still has strong British membership with over twenty of the original founding families still members. The over-stuffed deep buttoned leather arm chairs, the snooker table and the club members such as Colin Jamieson give the feel like you are back in Britain. However in Argentinian style the restaurant doesn’t open until 8pm and serves great Biefe de Chorizo steak.
  
  From here we have a few days heading north on Ruta 3 which is the main all tarmac route to and from Tierra Del Fuego. A stop off in Viedma presents us an chance to visit the Horizons Unlimited South America meeting which is on. It is a small gathering with mainly locals but some English, Scottish and German travellers as well. The travellers are mainly heading south to be in Ushuaia for Christmas. At our hotel we also meet some more travellers heading south. A huge group of Dutch registered Volvo’s are outside. It is a two month endurance event and they are just on day 4 out of Buenos Aires. Some of the cars are recognisable as quite recent models and some are proper classics. Many are stickered up from their previous event to Beijing in 2008. They are all full of enthusiasm for the road ahead. However when they mention that many of the vehicles have fuel tanks of only 35 litres we are shocked. With their fuel economy and the lack of fuel in some parts of Patagonia we think they are going to run into some big problems!
  
  We also get caught up in another Argentinian celebration as they are re-investing President Cristina Kirchner for another term. Again the street party runs and runs. Latin Americans from Mexico to Ushuaia certainly know how to celebrate and party.
  
  And so here we are in Sierra De Le Ventana Park with just one days riding left to take us to Buenos Aires and our final hotel. We have 300 miles to run to Avenida 9 De Julio, according to some the widest road in the world.
  
  We will let you know when we are all in.

  

• Ushuaia – Fin Del Mundo

  

  
  

  

  The crossing of the Magellan Straits is a major milestone. It is only the second ferry of the trip and the other was on our first day in Canada. The ferry runs back and forth constantly operating as a lifeline for Tierra Del Fuego. It is a very quick turnaround as the boat does not dock or get tied up. The Captain just drives it into the concrete dock and drops the loading ramp. He keeps it there with the engines churning white water out of the back of the boat and with constant adjustments with the side thruster’s to counter act the viciously strong currents. All you need to do then is ride up the wet steel ramp that is always moving slightly against the dock. It looks worse than it is and the transition is swift and easy. So swift in fact that they do not bother to tie the bikes down or secure them in anyway. Just leave them on the side stand and in 1st gear.
  
  We disembark and remain in Chile for our first evening. The Island is divided between Chile and Argentina and so the following day is once again a border day as we cross to the Argentinian side. A few of the group take the opportunity to visit the Tierra Del Fuego, Falklands Conflict Memorial on the sea front in Rio Grande. Sadly it looks tired and unkempt.
  

  

  

  We are stopping off just 65 miles from Ushuaia for the night so we can ride in as a group on this remarkable day. Our overnight stop is at the head of Lake Fagano. The mood is mixed. People are reviewing old photos, playing cards, talking, but it is all subdued. Tomorrow marks a huge achievement for every-one here, but it also marks the first end of this epic ride. For us it is has been our reality for 5 months riding our bikes in ever changing environments and countries. However other realities are starting to beckon. Some sorely missed; wife’s, partner’s and children . Some maybe less so; work, or job hunting or returning to the business that has allowed the time away.
  
  The next morning the skies are overcast but it is dry and relatively warm. We ride out at 9am and make our way gently over the Paso Garibaldi towards the most southerly city in the world. However to remind us it is a small world we are catching an Iveco overland truck. It has UK license plates, and even a Welsh flag on it. We may be a long way from GlobeBusters home in South Wales but we are not the only people making this epic journey!
  
  At Ushuaia we stop at the town sign for photos and then on into the National Park and to the end of the road. “Here ends Ruta 3” proclaims the sign and 20 metres further on is the ocean. Pacific or Atlantic? Fed from the Antarctic? The Southern Ocean? The debate wends on and we all hug, congratulate each other and the Champagne corks fly. We have 17 riders here, 11 of whom have ridden all the way from Alaska. From the Dalton Highway to the end of Ruta 3 in Ushuaia, but all have completed an epic journey whether from Alaska, Tucson or Bogota.
  
  There will be a celebration this evening. There will be hangovers tomorrow. The next day we start 7 days more riding covering over 2,000 miles to get to Buenos Aires and our ultimate destination for this ride. We have reached the end of this road but the road ahead is still calling for another week or so.