Jim Reaches Ushuaia
"Fin del Mundo" - The Edge of the World

Day 72 - Sunday, January 12, 1997
Rio Gallegos to Ushuaia, Argentina,Providencia Tierra del Fuego!

Miles - 365 (Kilometers - 588)*
* Five-day total: 2405 miles (3872 kilometers)

A Brief Overview of the Road:

Miles

0-10 pavement

10-44 ripio

44-45 cement

Exit Argentina (paperwork)

Enter Chile (more paperwork and pay $2.50) 45-53 ripio

53-70 one lane cement, one lane ripio -- everyone uses the cement lane 70-80 ripio

Wait for the boat to cross Punta Delgada onto Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego.

80-171 ripio, but at least it is two lanes wide. windy 171 Exit Chile (more paperwork and pay $2.50) 179 Enter Argentine - still more paperwork. Argentinian from Rio Grande invites me for lunch when I return.

180 asphalt

293 ripio - massive dusty, and damn cold too. Everybody and their brother is returning to Ushuaia from a long weekend. They are all hauling ass and burying me in dust. The road is mountainous, yes mountainous, very cold, very dusty, and people blowing by me like I am standing still. 356 asphalt

360 entering USHUAIA. I made it from Santiago in 5 days. One of the most challenging things I have ever done in my life.

When I arrive, I am COVERED IN DUST and FREEZING COLD. Stop at La Curva restaurant. Cannot take helmet off--fingers are too cold and weak, no joke, it took me several minutes to remove the helmet, all the while everyone is talking to me a mile a minute and thinking that I am rude for taking so long to remove the helmet.

Finally get helmet off and have some awesome ravioli. Almost warm now.

Look for Las Hayas hotel - cannot find it, but learn that Ushuaian dogs do not particularly take kindly to motorcycles. Return to La Curva. Someone offers to lead me to Las Hayas. I wait 20 minutes, from 1:20am to 1:40am, while he finishes his meal. After which he informs me he is a cab driver, and that it will cost me $8 for his services (the hotel is only 1.5 miles away)! I don«t think so. I decide I would rather give my money to a hotel than this cab driver.

Drive around stopping at hotels -- everyone is full. I beg just for floor space to put my sleeping bag. No luck. Should have paid the $8, maybe. Finally go to Hostal Torre del Sur and when I walk in I see a guy from London I met in Cusco, Peru! Sleep in my sleeping bag on very warm floor. Once again, something bad turns into something great.

Thanks to everyone - my family and friends, our sponsors, and

WHAT A DAY. WHAT A WEEK. WHAT A LIFE! :-)

ONE MOONRIDER DOWN (and I mean WAY DOWN), FOUR TO GO!  

This is the very end of the road!