January 2: He Went That Way

It’s always hard to say goodbye. After delivering Adventure Baby to the truckers in Punta Arena responsible for getting him to his next destination, I had mixed feelings. Although I was sad to see him go after our incredible ride through South America, I was relieved to know he was in good hands and was also excited about our next adventure.

I took time for a little TLC the night before, washing off the bulk of the mud splattered all over his frame and taking some pictures to assist in ordering replacement parts. It turns out he did not survive the winds of Patagonia unscathed. Several nights earlier, when parked between two cars in front of my hotel in Comodoro Rivadavia, he had been violently slammed to the ground, breaking the right-hand side crash guard in two places.

Logistically speaking this trip has been rather complex - needing import experts to walk me through the customs process in Buenos Aires, locating a shipper who could truck the bike from Punta Arena and then fly it from Santiago, making sure all my documents and copies of documents were in order, getting papers notarized in Chile, planning riding times around severe wind, recalibrating plans after losing almost a week of the three week time on the ground, and of course keeping the bike maintained and secure overnight.

So, after delivering Adventure Baby and all the appropriate paperwork to the shipper, I decided to take some time to rest, recuperate, and celebrate, treating myself to some delicious meals, a long massage, and a nice hot cup of tea. This way I’ll be ready to hit the ground running with tutoring work on Sunday and teaching responsibilities on Monday. What an incredible Christmas break!

Note: The statue in this picture depicts Luis Pardo Villalon, a Chilean naval pilot and maritime hero, pointing towards Antarctica where he courageously commanded a rescue mission to successfully rescue 22 members of the British Endurance Expedition after they became stranded when their ship was crushed by sea ice.