PATAGONIA Tour on Motorcycle-05 February 2018 Day 15

SOUTH AMERICA / PATAGONIA TOUR with MOTORCYCLE
Riding to EL FIN DEL MUNDO between 21 January - 10 February 2018.

Day-15 (05 February 2018) :  Puerto Natales >>>Cerro Sombrero (375 km)

Day: 15 Route from Puerto Natales to Cerro Sombrero

After staying in Puerto Natales for two days we woke up in the Hotel Altiplanico and after the breakfast we departed around 08:50 and took the Route 9 to the South. The weather is nice but cool. Riding to the south we feel cooler. It is changing between 9 and 15 deg C. The road conditions and the quality is fantastic. We are still on Chile today.

Our first stop is at Va. Tehuelches. There we stop in front of a Café called Cocique Mulato.
Tehuelches are the Indians of this region. Most probably the man in the shop is also having ancestors from old Tehuelches. We took coffee and enjoyed the sun outside.

Sadik is enjoying nice weather and his coffee.

Rodeo arena in Va. Tehuelches.

After 4 kms passing Va. Tehuelches, we -as small group- took the gravel road to the right.
Cruz del Sur, Rio Verde is on our route. The other part of our group used the asphalt road to Gdor. Phillipi. The view on our right hand side was beautiful. 

We were riding the coastal road. Then we arrived at the asphalt road which goes to Punta Arenas. We took the left to Gdor. Phillipi. Our guides had mentioned that there should be a fuel station and we had to buy fuel. When we came to the fuel station we saw that it is no more life here. No operation !!

We were now riding to Punta Delgada where we should take the ferry to Tierra del Fuego. Our fuel was getting less and less we should find fuel somewhere. There are more then 115 km to Punta Delgada. We followed the Route 255 and came to a junction to the right side. The place is called Los Cisnes and there was a refinery in the far distance. 150 meter from the high way there is a COPEC fuel station. We, all, came to the station. It was around 11:45 and the operator was on lunch break. We waited until he opened the small counter but he said that there is no fuel !!  Our guides tried to find a solution. It is also for me non sense why they do not carry benzine in the van. They had got 3 x 20 liter plastic containers in the service van but these were empty.

After some talks with the COPEC guy we found out that there was fuel but already sold to someone who paid in advance. Then our guys talked with the owner of the benzine on the phone and he sold us 6 liter for each motorcycle. This was good news finally. Then everybody filled 6 liter and this should be sufficient for our group up to our final destination Cerro Sombrero.

Then we came to Estancia San Gregorio which is a "haunted village". It was first founded in the last quarter of the 19th century. There had been a rich family living here and had been working in the complex and they were trading ship skin and similar products of the live stock. After  some years the government had taken their meadows and ground.  Due to  this conflict the family moved away from Ea.San Gregorio and left the facility as it was running. All the buildings are looking old and evacuated.

After a break in Estancia San Gregorio we continued to ride. Maybe less then 20 minutes we arrived at the ferry port in Punta Delgada. There is a big restaurant/café here. We ordered two sandwiches and cokes. The sandwiches are really big. Good to share for two.
After having lunch here we took the ferry around 15:00. The ferry is operating between the continent and Tierra del Fuego which is an Island and separated from South America by the Magellan Strait. The ferry took us in approx. 30 minutes to the other side Pt. Espora.

Magellan Strait:- Right side is Atlantic Ocean

Light House of Punta Delgada

Sadik is in front of the Restaurant in Punta Delgada

Ferry took us to Pt. Espora on the Tierra del Fuego

 After we left the ferry we started to make our first miles on Tierra del Fuego. After 35 km we came to our stop for today. It is the Hotel at the entrance of the city Cerro Sombrero. It was sunny and warm in the front yard of the Hotel. 

Sadik is looking out from the window of the Hotel Room-Cerro Sombrero

 After having a short rest in the room I went out and bought a beer and drank in the garden together with our guys. Dinner is in the restaurant which is located just beside of the Hotel.
The food was not bad. It was OK with the red wine.

Our friend Bill from Wyoming

After the dinner I walked up to the down town. It is only 800 meter to the center of the city.
Don 't imagine a big city ! There is a cinema and sports center. The sculpture in the middle is showing a oil field worker with the tools. There is also a bus terminal for the domestic transportation between cities. Occasionally there were few buses which were leaving to Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales.