2-15-6 Wed
I got back to the boat,after posting and getting some money, and the damn boat was gone. It was 12:30 and not supposed to leave untill 4:00. down here you never know what is happening so I was worried that my cycle was now going down the Amazon without me. The guard at the dock was trying to tell me something but I couldnot understand finally I gave a kid there 10 dollars to find my boat he talked to the guard then motioned
for me to follow him. I did and in about 10 blocks there at another dock was the boat. I guess they move it to start loading people.
Everyon sleeps in hammocks on the three decks unless they pay extra for a cabin. I got a cabin so I would have a place for all my Gear from the cycle.
There are about 12 cabins on this boat each has a shower and a head, very nice compared to the shared accomadations.
I now have a room mate a nice guy about 30 he speaks no english so it works out perfect. His name Leo( LayO) I was on the deck watching the people come aboard when a Guy behind me says " I never thought I would see someone from Algona Iowa on this boat" I was wearing an HD Algona T shirt. He said he taught school at Drake university years ago. I asked where he lived now and he said Scotts Valley. I figured if he knew Jeff & Ingrid I would look for Rod Seriling. Milt &Hazel Seick
The boat moves at about 12 miles per hour and its 815 miles to Belem. They feed us three times a day eggs and bread and mellons in Am, soup with noodles and rice or beans at noon and the same at dinner with more meat some complained but I thought it was great food.
It rained every night and was cloudy most of the days. This is one big river but as we get closer to Belem it gets narrow channels because of all the island.
We spent about 20 hours at Sanatrem while they unloaded and loaded freight. They let me go below into the hold and get a book off the bike.
Leo went to town and shopped I stayed on the boat as I wanted the swelling in my right ft to be gone by sunday, anyway Leo bought me a pair of slippers so I wouldn't have to wear my shoes anymore. I gave him the money before he went ashore.
This is at another port on the way down the river. notice all the green floating down from the storms in Bolivia. there was a lot of this in the river , even trees, and some animals.
As the boat moves down the river kids paddle canoes out and hook onto the rails tie up along side then come abourd to sell stuff. No way in hell I'd try that and these kids were about 12 or 13.
They use a metal rod to hook the tire hanging from our boat, then tie up to the side and climb aboard to sell stuff . They stay onboard about 30 mimutes, then drop off, boy does their boat ever go different directions all at once when it hits the wake from our boat.
I don't care how remote I get it seems like I can't get away from technology.
This is on the river very remote area, no roads just the river, and there they are satalite dishes. What's that old song "no time to hunt, no time to fish, I just watch my satalite dish"
The river gets narrower as we get closer to Belem and its mouth. there are many islands one is the biggest fresh water island in the world.
The boat comes around one of these bends and there it is Belem!
Sun we had breakfast and lunch on the boat it docked at 11:30
It took four guys to pull the bike out of the hold. (High teck.)
Where the people are standing is a floating dock then up about six feet to the land dock. the bike was too wide for the ramp so we pushed it up a couple of 2x12's along side of it.
my bike was off by 2:30 and I was on my way south. I got caught in a storm at 4:30 lots of lighting so I got a room to wait it out.at Castanhal.
I was on the road at 7:00 Am the road was steaming from the rain and was real pretty for 200 miles then it turned into the road from HELL some of the time it was just gone just mud no road left deep ruts 3 feet deep. trucks and busses playing bumber cars trying too miss the ruts and each other. Before the road turned bad I saw this guy out of gas along the road so I gave him a gallon to
get to the next station. Finally stopped at santa Ines to change the sprocket and chain and change oil in the bike. The bus is on the wrong side avoiding a pot hole. We drive on the right in all of South America
Buses and trucks would play bumper cars trying to avoid the pot holes. In the law of tonnage I'm at the bottom for sure. I drove into the ditch three times avoiding buses and trucks. Some of these pot holes are 3' deep and stretch almost all the way across the road. The road looks like the lower picture then turns to the dirt picture.
It would be dirt for a few miles then back to great road then one time it turned to dirt for 100 miles .
There was an 8 year old girl that lived there helped me then she walked down the street to show me where to eat. it was a buffet. I bought hers and mine total about 8 dollars. their money.
Finished on the bike tue morn. 2-21-6
Left at 11:15 and yes the road got worse I stopped at Teresina 235 miles for the day
A road like this becomes a road like this at the top of a hill
Nice hotel had dinner in the room it had hot water.
2-22-6 Wed
I started at 7:15 good roads at last then all of a sudden gone again but only for 5 miles then good at last.
I drove 395 miles to Juazeiro got room at hotel and then walked around town bought a pair of pants and food. So far I've been going south and east tomorrow I should start west.
This is of Petrolina, the newer town, taken from the Juazeiro side of the river.
This is where I stayed The first floor was for parking security is foremost everywhere.
2-23-6 Thur
Happy birthday Haley
This is my last day of hot sticky jungle the temp on my handle bar shows 115 but I know it is at least 140 on this pavement. I stopped at 2:00 to let the bike cool off ( Me Too) picture of the long hot road and big rocks.
This is the gas station I stopped at to cool off. All the stations in Brasil have great restaurants in them. there is also a bar in each one . Drinking and driving is a way of life here. I know I said that people that think Asians are the worst drivers have never been to Nicaragua, but that was before I got to Brasil. These are absolutly the worst I've seen
That rock is about the size of Iowa, I'm about 10 miles away
2-24-6 fri
Up early and on the road drove 428 miles today all the same all at 3000 ft alt. took a few pictures but all about the same miles of long streched out hiway.
2-25-6 Sat
There is a lot of farming on the hillsides here and this is the biggest water slide I've ever seen. I thought about stopping and going down it but decided I'd prob. have a heart attack just climbing up the thing.
Whenever I stop there are friendly people asking about my trip. these were motorcycle riders heading to Sao Paulo for carnival. picture was taken at a gas station.
2-26-6 Sun
I Drove through Sao Paulo early today, before 10:00 AM it took 2.5 hours to find the road out of town. The roads are not marked it's just ask and go then ask again then go again then do this about 10 more times until you get out to the countryside where there is just the main Hiway. I'm amazed at how large the cities are in South America, even the smaller ones are Huge.
Great roads at last and great day 429 miles. to Curitiba.
I got to Curitiba at about 4PM and got hit by two kids in a car at about 7:00PM. total wreck of their car the bike was ok and my back was broke. didn't go to the hospital, but it sure was sore . the kids were drunk and I was a foreiner so it was about even. Police wanted to put me in jail I paid the kids 600.00 dollars their money to cover thier deductable on ins. and the police let me go. I was just glad to stay out of jail.
Jorge, the guy on the left , spoke english and helped with the car driver and police negotiations. Saved me for sure.
2-27-6 Mon
Back sore today drove 225 miles slow day had to stop. Didn't get off my bike all day not even at gas stops, just too hard and took to long to do.
Found this nice hotel along the road behind a gas station and decided to stop early to give my back a rest.
2-28-6 tue
I should get to Iguazu falls today then head south. I did get to the falls but never went to look at them too growded and no place to leave the bike that I felt was safe. anyway I crossed the boarder into Argentina and headed south and west at last on the right direction to Ushuaia. I stayed at a small hotel along the hiway it rained real hard this night I was glad to be inside Loud Thunder like the midwest. The hotel was next to a grocery store so I bought lunch meat and had a picnic in my room.
Lots of logging going on along this route Tree farms like in Washington saw mills everywhere. I counted 27 before I quit counting.
Finally getting out of the hills and to flatter ground.
3-1-6 Wed
Back is getting better everyday 14 is a great road drove 360 miles gas every 30 miles still lots of logging going on.
I usually am able to park my moto right next to my room, as in this case. Hiway 14 follows the river between Brasil & Argentina and avoids all the towns, so it is hard to find hotels without driving six miles to a town then six back in the morning.
This is a large bridge over the Rio Parana just outside of Buenos Aires.
3-2-6 Thur
Cloudy and cool in AM I got through Buenos Aires in less than 3 hours which I think is real good considering the construction going on
4 police stopped me at a road block to give me a ticket for speeding 120 KMPH I laughed at them and told them the bike would only go 85KMPH and that was downhill they must have stopped the wrong guy anyway they let me go. The big news is my cell phone is now working and it is great to be able to talk to Sandy again. At least they know I'm not dead somewhere.
The lanes are wide on the main streets and some streets have a small 4 foot wide motorcycle lane. It seems that all the South American countries are a lot more motorcycle oriented than the good old USA.
3-3-6 Fri
Drove from Azul to Bahia Blanka today about 250 miles but I said if I ever found a hotel next to a Mc Donalds thats where I'd stop and I did! It looks like about 1600 miles to Ushuaia from here.
Look a motorscooter RV. Somehow I managed to loose all the pictures of Bahia Blanca.
3/4/6 Sat
I left Bahia Blanca under a clear blue ski, a far cry from the storm that was moving in when I stopped yesterday. On the way out of town I saw the worst car accident I've ever seen. Now keep in mind I drive about 25,000 miles a year on motorcycle's and another 10,000 in cars, so I've seen a few big ones. This was a world record. One car was completly off the frame and the other, a mini van, was crushed and ripped apart. The police and ambulance were both there directing traffic but the body bags were still along side the road. I didn't take any pictures won.t forget for a while anyway.
Drove 444 mi today, stopped at Puerto Madryn, found a nice hotel with a courtyard to park bike in. The Patagonia looks a lot like the land around Barstow California only with an ocean on the east side of it. The wind seems to never end. It just goes from strong to weak. A lot of the road is below sea level, but there is a big hill between the ocean and the road.
3/5/6 Sun
Cloudy and windy I put my winter coat on and used my winter pants over my levi's for the first time since leaving California. I can usually go 140 to 150 miles before I run out of gas, but today I coasted into a shell station after only 108 miles, what a differance the wind can make. I have not plugged in the electric vest or gloves but I did turn on the heated grips to the low position for most of the day.
I saw a gas station with a hotel and decided to stop a little early. I got the last room they had it was 6;30 and would be dark in about an hour and 50 miles to the next town. The Patagonia is not a place to be stuck when the sun goes down.
When the road turns and gets close to the ocean there is less wind and miles of deserted beaches.
This shows the hill that blocks the wind, that blows the bike that Joe rides
3/6/6 Mon
This is Rio Gallegos, the hotel I stayed at is on the left the yellow building. All the othe pictures I took here I lost somehow.
I have two cameras and still can't keep pictures Vernon will be pissed.
3/7/6 Tue
I stayed in Rio Gallegos untill 10;30 AM waiting for Western union to open. I'm homeless and waiting for money hows that for a success story.
The boarder into Chile is about 60 miles from Rio Gallegos. The from the boarder to the Ferry across the Straits of magallian was the best road of the trip and that includes California. Concrete and fast on a bike that will only do 65.
The ferry isn't very big but this truck and this bus will fit with no problem. the ferry is free at this crossing.
It was only about a mile across at this point so I didn't tie the bike down just parked it and stayed close. As soon as I got clear of the landing the nice concrete road turned to gravel for the rest of the way to San Sebastian and the Argentina boarder. At the boarder the road is paved again most of the way to Ushuaia except for about 10 miles of construction.
The pipes are on a truck on the ferry looking back toward where we left from about half way across the straits.
I crossed the boarder and went to the first gas station it was 182.7 miles since the last gas station. I carried an extra gallon of gas in a plastic container on the bike that I had used on the gravel road in the middle of nowhere. Wait the middle of nowhere thats Uehling Nebraska. Well this is the 2nd middle of nowhere.
This is across the road from the hotel. One of the biggest tide changes in the world happens here about 4 miles in and out from high to low 40 feet if up and down
.
This is the same bus that came across on the ferry with me. The people on the bus stayed at the same hotel tourists going to Ushuaia from Buenos Aires. Nice people but drank the worst tasting tea I have ever tasted.
This Model T was sitting at a gas station on the way to Ushuaia. Henry really did get everywhere.
Taken from the third floor reading room at the hostel. They had internet access for about 50cents per hour.also laundry for about 2 dollars. There were six people per room the room I was in a room with a couple from France a guy from Wis. a guy fromCanada the Canadian was going to Antartica tomorrow. About 75% of all Antartica expeditions leave from Ushuaia.
