It’s an enormous open house, empty to a level that leaves you feeling like a speck on an ocean of withered grasses, and it makes well-known lonely roads within the US look positively suburban.
The Santa Cruz River, extensive speeding previous our campground stuffed with power.
Poplar bushes (“Alamos”) are widespread round right here or no less than they’re if there are any bushes in any respect. They develop tall too and appear unaffected by the infinite winds.
Patagonia was named by Ferdinand Magellan when in 1520 he encountered a really tall native whom he referred to as “patagon,” a time period that was thought to discuss with individuals with massive toes however recently it’s believed there was an enormous in a well-liked story of the time referred to as Patagón, and in any occasion the identify has caught.
Patagonia is just not clearly outlined however it’s roughly the world of southern Argentina and Chile with a northern boundary the place you like. Typically in Argentina the northern edge is the Rio Negro although you may decide your individual line whereas in Chile its northern edge is simply south of Puerto Montt. It’s an enormous space.
We’re nonetheless a good distance south and that’s why it’s so windy right here. We’ve seen 60 mile an hour gusts but it surely’s well-known round right here for winds robust sufficient to knock you to the bottom or to tear the door off your automotive. We all know of 1 overlander blown out of his truck who fell to the bottom and broke a bone. Warning is the watchword when the wind howls. This far south winds blow across the southern oceans with no land plenty to cease them in order that they sweep Patagonia uninterrupted. Each iOverlander camp web site mentions wind safety ton or lack thereof. We park for the night time bearing wind path in thoughts. Rooftop tents on prime of automobiles and tents on the bottom get blown round routinely.
We have been searching for this gravel pit to get out of the wind however we couldn’t discover it. We figured the grading of the street had lined the exit to this spot however aid from the wind seemed good on paper.
And there you will have it: Patagonia the beautiful and Patagonia is the terrible. Colours and sunshine and beautiful clouds after which the wind and abrupt climate and harsh situations. I need to love Patagonia however I can’t. It’s fascinating and weird however so repellent.
You drive via nation that appears just like the Nice Plains or the western states and their hills and escarpments. I see buttes and mesas as we drive like we have been in Arizona. It’s so weird and disorienting.
And then you definitely spot a turquoise glacial lake to remind the place you might be.
Try these footage for your self. There’s nothing right here, nothing in any respect past the all the time irritating fences.
Within the photograph under is a street upkeep yard. There are not any electrical wires or poles, no radio or cellphone antennae.
On this drive the huge vacancy continued with no indicators of human habitation or work. There are not any farmers, no tractors, no work crews, no tracks or farm roads, no herds, no indicators, no electrical wires, and no indications anybody lives or works right here.
There’s nothing out right here. Nothing.
It’s truly fairly intimidating. I used to mock America’s loneliest street as we drove freeway 50 throughout Nevada. This place actually is empty.
Everybody stops at La Leona a lodge and restaurant with blended critiques. Layne purchased a brown paper bag of empanadas, baked meat or cheese pies.
Rusty took benefit to stretch his legs and let his tail fly.
After which again into the void.
We arrived at Tres Lagos, a village dying a sudden financial dying with shops closed and home windows papered over. Even the police checkpoint was deserted for the night.
There was a fuel station however to our shock they didn’t take bank cards so we cobbled collectively sufficient paper to purchase 5 gallons and go away us loads of money. In idea we had loads of fuel to get to the following massive city 100 miles away however round right here retaining the tank as near full as potential simply feels reassuring.
Later we have been glad to go away the village of Tres Lagos with no less than three quarters of a tankful. Oh and I had time to be enchanted by some puffy cloud formations.
After which the night went to shit. Abruptly the asphalt ended and gravel (“ripio”) started. Wasn’t {that a} beautiful shock placing us within the place of questioning how lengthy the hell this went on.
It was properly graded although we didn’t see building crews making repairs and paving. after a few miles we got here throughout the grading crew resting after a days work in a few journey trailers with their grader parked outdoors. We should always have stopped to learn how lengthy this went on.
We had no cell sign and we weren’t going to cease to arrange Starlink so we simply saved driving and hoping the paved street would return quickly. No matter didn’t know on the time was that this part is infamous and often called the damned (malditos) and it’s 73 kilometers of gravel, 45 miles of 10 to fifteen mph bouncing and rumbling in our heavy van. An deserted farm:
Really that farm was a possible parking spot for the night time though one entry in iOverlander stated the place was creepy with useless cows in all places. However the poor overview we have been determined to get off the street for the night time and we have now it consideration. We chickened out on the driveway with Layne worrying we might be trespassing on non-public property. She wasn’t creeped out by the useless cows you perceive. We pressed on in direction of eight o’clock.
The grading ended, the gravel received thick and the rocky street received bouncy.
Missing human contact we noticed guanacos doing what they do greatest which is leaping fences. Generally they miss and get hung up and die. You’ll see desiccated corpses hanging off the wire. Another excuse to like Patagonia.
We handed a van that was stopped within the street and requested in the event that they have been okay, they gave us a thumbs up and we drove on. Ten minutes later they buzzed previous us as we’re the slowest within the street particularly if it’s gravel.
The guanacos have been having enjoyable. We’d finish we seen the children operating round chasing one another. Then they began head butting the older guanacos who began chasing butting and enjoying with the children. We watched, fascinated for a couple of minutes.
There are emergency telephones each few miles for those who get into hassle. And certainly we got here throughout an SUV stopped by the aspect of the street so we stopped and a small robust trying Asian man received out and began talking English to us. He stated he had had two flat tires x and his buddy had received a trip to take his tire and get it repaired. He completely 5 and thanked us for stopping however he stated he was planning on spending the night time in his automotive and he appeared completely okay with that. He advised us the gravel lasted a pair extra hours and he put his arms collectively and bowed to us. The gesture jogged my memory of Dith Pran, the translator in “The Killing Fields” film so I questioned if he could be Cambodian. His English was glorious and he didn’t even strive talking Spanish to us. I’m wondering what his story is.
We couldn’t find any of the iOverlander stopping locations. It seemed just like the street had been graded so usually the gravel on the perimeters obliterated any exits. We noticed flat spots however no exits to them which was bizarre. Ultimately we discovered this:
I received the Starlink out and transformed gravel thriller. It seems the stretch of gravel marked on the freeway and I hadn’t seen it.
We received 19 miles into the gravel with 26 miles to go earlier than we stopped for the night time. It’s marked on Google because the Damned 73 North and South referring to the unpaved 73 kilometers between the 2 factors:
For some cause Google might t find us so our blue dot isn’t on the map however right here we have been Tuesday night time:
The good empty:
An excellent sundown noticed us to mattress.
Darkness begins to get too darkish for driving round ten pm. Full darkness falls round eleven. The wind by no means appears to cease and Rusty has gotten so used to the wind it now not scares him. That’s a plus.
Good night time.