Fin del Mundo, Tierra de Fuego

Town square just across the border in Argentina

The countryside is flat but scenic

It doesn´t matter how you make the journey, as long as you ride


Did I mention the road was flat, watch out for the killer corner!

The weather is getting cold and nasty. Snow is flying!

Cold and Windy!

Ushuaia, the end of the earth and cruisers domain.

Hey!!!! We made it to the¨fin del mundo¨
Close to 27,000 kms from home

After four days of sitting back and letting someone else do the driving Ken took to the last 100km of dirt road before the Argentine border like a man possessed. Back in the saddle again.
With the Argentina border came pavement, almost immediately you could notice more prosperity, houses with tile roofs (not straw), cars (people actually own their own vehicle), and everything became more expensive. But we like it, it´s almost like being transported from the the 1800´s back into the 21st century. We decided to take the fast route down to Ushuaia via ruta 9, 35 and 3, leaving the ledgenary ruta 40 for the way north.
Rolling hills and farms dominate the landscape for the first few hours of the ride, until Salta. Another must see colonial city. We decide to stay a couple of days, do laundry and get cleaned up and ready for the last 5000 kms thru Argentina (and a bit of Chile) to Ashuaia, the end of the earth. It´s as far as we can go anyway!
The road after Salta turns flat.....and straight......and I am glad I´m not driving. I think I slept through the whole first day or two. The road just goes on and on, sometimes without a turn for an hour. 5000 kms in 8 days. Across the Chilean border and back to Argentina within an hour or two (they should really figure out who has what down there, join forces or something just on the tip). From 45c degrees to snow in a matter of days. Yes, I said snow and wind. On the last 200 kms before Ushuaia the plain turned to mountains with snow. Man, it is very cold, we are wearing every bit of clothing we have. I have on long johns, pants, rain pants, 3 shirts, 2 jackets, 2 pair of socks, gloves and a hoody under my helmet and I´m still cold! I don´t think I signed up for this! But is is worth it, we have made it to the southern most city in the world!
Ushuaia, not much to the city itself, really. Alot of over priced hotels, restaurants and shops. Oh yes we did shop and bought a new rear tire for the bike and three liters of oil, we should be good to go until Mendoza. Ken is not too happy with the last Dunlop tire as he only got 10,000 kms. The new tire is a Brasilian made Metzler Sahara so it should be good for the gravel on Ruta 40. We had to pay for the most expensive room yet on this trip. But we fork out he cash for 2 nights, take a good look around the city and then head our sights NORTH. We want to see the penguins. Punta Arenas is our last chance along the way.
Chile, Argentina again, and Brazil. Home...when and how???