Hello from El Chaltén, Argentina!!

Just a little reminder for new readers of this blog... Our names are Karen Schlatter and Joel Correia and we are in the midst of a six month, six thousand mile long bicycle tour to raise funds that will be used to construct and remodel schools in rural communities in Paraguay. The donations made to our cause will be used to dig wells, build sanitary bathrooms, improve existing schools, purchase furniture and teaching materials for said schools, as well as install playgrounds. Some of the donations already raised are paying for the shipment of computers which will be installed and used at every school involved in our project. If you want more information about the details of the Biking to Build Schools project, please visit our website at, www.bikingtobuildschools.com.

Thanks again to everyone for your support!

There are many different ways to help us reach our goal. We would like to call on all teachers and people involved in education to incorporate our trip and travel notes into your curriculum or school work. You could relate our trip to geography or language and involve your class in tracking our progress. Class or school fund-raisers would be a great way to have children in the U.S. help the children in rural schools of Paraguay. If you are not a teacher, you can help us by spreading the word about our trip at your work place or to friends and family. Make a penny donation for every kilometer traveled or $10 for every mylodon spotted! We also have a facebook group, Biking to Build Schools. Support us by joining!

We had some more guesses about the mystery photo and we would like to congratulate Craig Schlatter and Judy Mathews whom both guess correctly. The photo showed the extinct Patagonian Giant Sloth called the Mylodon! Nice guesses to everyone else too. The photo for this blog should prove to be a bit more challenging.

Now to the stories from the road...

Its a windy and misty day here at the base of Mount Chaltén (also known as Mt. Fitz Roy). We got here in four days of riding hard against the wind from El Calafate. We had planned on making it here in three days, but that wind will really slow you down.

So we left El Calafate in the afternoon. It was a beautiful and sunny day. We were riding in shorts and singing as we flew down the road. Our spirits were high and we were well rested, always glad to be back in the saddle. Once we got to the junction to turn north our spirits changed a bit. We turned at the intersection and instantly the wind was in our faces, slowing our speed and pace down to a grueling grind. We rode on through the afternoon and made it to a suitable place to camp off the road and on the shore of a beautiful milky, blue river.

Up early the next day, we set out to beat the wind. We made great time and road up the final stretches of Lago Argentino (Lake Argentina). This lake is one of the largest by surface area in all of South America and it is a surreal sight to see as the color of it is phenomenal. When the sun is shining the lake absorbs the incoming rays and displays the color of a radiant bright sky blue...almost as if it is reflecting the light blue light from above. This quality is resultant of the lake being fed by the glaciers of the "Campo Hielo Sur" or the Southern Ice Field. This is a sheet of ice that some say is the largest single piece of ice outside of the poles. As a result there are glaciers everywhere and we have been circumnavigating the eastern flank of this ice field for a few weeks now. The lakes and rivers here are something of another world and contrast greatly to the dry and barren Patagonian steppe lands that surround it.

We rode and rode through this steppe and its low shrubs and thorn bushes, its mesas and low rolling hills, and its big skies with clouds and condors for the rest of the day until we turned the corner off of Route 40 and onto Route 23. At this intersection there were only 90 kilometers remaining. We rode a bit farther but the wind proved too much and we called it a day expecting to get up early and make the ride into El Chalten before the wind could get too bad. We set up camp on the side of the road behind the only shelter we could find on the flat steppe; a small mound of dirt and a "Calafate" bush. The Calfate bush is a small plant with fierce, inch long thorns that protect yummy blue berries that stain one's mouth and fingers. We snacked on the berries then tried to set up our tent in between gales of wind. Ha! The wind was fierce and was blowing our tent around like a flag. We finally got it set up and called it a day.

Before the sun rose we woke to the "beep-beep, beep-beep" of our alam. That was a rough morning as it was hard to sleep because of the constant flapping of the tent fly all night. But, we got out on the road and made our way as the sun was coming up. We didn't beat the wind that day. It picked up nice and early and we made a snail's pace toward El Chaltén. Finally, in the distance was an estancia. It was the Santa Margarita. We pulled in to ask for water and were greeted by Sandra the cook. She was really nice and wanted to talk because she said she never got to talk to anyone outside of the estancia. We chatted for a while in the wind and then she invited us into the kitchen where she was working so we could drink some warm maté. She fed us lamb empanadas and Argentinean style fried tortillas. Yum! The flags out front were whipping  and stiff as boards in the wind. We asked if we could set up a tent and stay the night. She said that her boss wouldn't allow, but that we should head three kilometers up the road to an abandoned estancia where we'd find a good place to set up our tent out of the wind. We thanked her and set off.

Down the road we struggled with the wind, but we made it to the Estancia San Lorenzo and headed down the road to check it out. Sure enough the gate was unlocked, so we went in. The place was definitely abandoned. There were bones of sheep who's luck had run out sometime strewn about everywhere on the ground. It was kinda creepy. The piles of old decaying sheep skins and broken bottles didn't help either. We checked out all the potential spots for shelter. Unfortunately, every one was no good because there were huge drifts of sand that had built up on the leeward side of each spot. That left only one last option...the abandoned farm house. It was locked up tight, but there was one place that was left open to reach inside and open up the window. We had no option. The wind picking up sand and pelting us, we were tired, and decided to give it a shot. We went in through the window and loaded all of our gear into the house. It was nice and protected from the wind, but gave us a very creepy feeling inside. Eventually, sleep came.

Joel woke from sleep in the middle of the night. The wind was howling and making eerie noises as it blew throught the tin metal roof. Was that someone talking outside? No. Just the wind. Did someone just open the door? No. Just the wind. The wind was playing tricks on his mind and an overactive imagination didn't help either. There was little sleep that night and Karen wasn't surprised when the alarm went off at 3:45 am. She didn't sleep well either. They woke early to try and beat the wind again. Outside the window all they could see was the full moon light playing over the sheep bones glowing white and the sand and brushes-- a monochromatic moonscape that look cold and uninviting. At dawn's first light they were out the window of the house and headed to the road for the last stretch of their journey to El Chaltén.

The wind was already blowing hard and they started at a slow pace down the road. It was cold. The wind howling. They were both very tired from days of struggling against the wind and very little sleep. It had the ingredients of being a very rough morning. Though sometimes things work out in ways one would never expect. Riding in silence they made their way down the road. Its really hard to try and put into words the progression of the morning, but here goes. It was a dark and cold morning. Not only was the wind blowing but then it started raining. To the west the full moon was setting, directly above the southern cross and scorpio shown bright in the deep blue sky, and to the east the sun's first rays were starting to pierce through night's hold on the sky. The land was all greys and a gradient of light, dull colors starting with the road and fading off to the sand and scrubs, working its way up the massive mesas and the stratified sedimentary rocks showing off history of time long past, and climbing up to the freshly snow dusted summits that faded off into the misty fog that shrouded the highest reaches of their peaks. Then the sun burst through in all of its radiance and lit up the sky.  Immediately the landscape was warmed and the light became pleasent. Off to the south over the Lago Viedma (Lake Viedma) a giant rainbow showed itself  over the blue waters. Further in the distance they could begin to make out the massive Glacier Viedma and its huge blue face and skunk- like streaked back climing up into the mountains of red and green that too were covered in fresh snow. They pedaled on throughout the morning watching the transition of the day and the world wake up. Then Karen said "Look!" There it was! Mout Fitz Roy came out of the clouds and showed all of its splendor looking like a castle of stone waiting at the end of the road for us. We pushed on even though the wind was as brutal as ever. While pedaling up a hill against the wind and not sure if they could make it, or if it was time to get off and push, suddenly a huge eagle came out of nowhere and hovered just feet above their heads. It rode the wind with them for a few minutes and as they crested the hill it soared off into the distance. They both agreed that it was one of the most amazing mornings that they'd ever experienced.

Not long after, we were in El Chaltén eating chocolate and relaxing again. Since we arrived the mountain has been hidden in a shroud of mist and clouds, but luckily we got to see it on ride in. We randomly ran into a couple of friends, Jennie and Teo, that we know from Paraguay and we got to hang out with them last night which was great.

Tomorrow we will start making our way north from town. We have decided to change our route from our original plan. From here we will be heading directly into Chile to ride up a road called the "Carretera Austral." After spending over a month battling the wind and riding through the barren reaches of Patagonia we have decided to head into the Andes mountains instead. The road is frequented by many cyclists and we have talked to lots of people that have done it. We are trading the relentless headwind and flat shrub lands of Patagonia for the undulating and somewhat wet western slope of the Andes. We are both really excited and it should be a great ride. The idea for now is to take this road north through Chile to the town of Chaiten, where we will take a ferry across to the island of Chiloé. After riding the length of Chiloe we will take another ferry to mailand Chile again and then ride back to Argentina just to the north of Bariloche to ride up the famous "Seven lakes route." Vamos a ver....

It could be a few weeks before we can post another blog so until then thanks again for all of your support and help. Be well and much respect. Hasta el proximo...

Joel and Karen