Day 373 Saturday 22nd November S C de Bariloche to Osorno 245km

This morning we left just after 8h00, we were in a hurry as we had a Lunch appointment is Chille. The streets were deserted as we rode past several Petrol Filling Stations. Getting fuel in Argentina has been problematic to say the least. Every time we had to fill up we had to find the end of the line of cars and join the queue, sometimes around the block, with over 20 cars ahead of us. The Petrol Stations are not privately owned but belong to the Government and is run by the Government, and run very poorly as there are simply not enough petrol stations. So when we rode past we had just less than half a tank. I thought to myself that maybe we are making a mistake, maybe we should fill up as there was no line of cars waiting, but of course communication between us once we have our helmets on is impossible, so we sped past, WRONG MOVE !!!

We had to back-track about 90km’s of yesterday’s ride, so we headed North instead of our usual South before we could turn West to Chile. We had to pass through one little town, and they were having a cycle race today. We saw the main road was barricaded and did not worry as the GPS showed a route around this blockage, so we stopped for Breakfast and coffee. Peens was in charge of  placing the order and communicating with the Waiter via Google Translate. I suspected some problem was coming when I overheard the Waiter tell Peens the order he placed is enough for 3 people. Strange way to serve breakfast I though, so Peens ordered 3 portions, enough for 9 people, and as the 7 of us were hungry I did not worry about the size of the order, I just wondered how we share three large breakfasts between us. Well this is what arrived: We still have all the sweet stuff in a plastic bag in Rocky’s Top Box Pannier.

While eating the table next to us asked where we were going, we said Chile, they told us there was a very big Bicycle Race that was due to start in half an hour, or maybe sooner?? And if we were not out of the town by the time it started we would have to wait for several hours until the road they are going to close is re-opened. So we rushed to pay the bill, raced to the Petrol station only to find a very long line of cars waiting. We eventually had the bikes filled up and as we turned into the street I could see the bicycles lined up to start the race 100m away, Lucky Lucky !!!!!!

Apart from this little scare, we had a LOVELY Ride to the border today as the sun was coming in from the side, lighting the flowers, and there were no cars or bicycles on the road, only us, going through the Twisties as we followed several lakes, with the Pine Forrests on the other side, really a great ride for 90% of the morning.

The Argentinian Border Post was at the foot of the mountain, and very busy, but we got through in half an hour, then we had to ride over the mountain on a very steep and twisty pass, and down the other side to the Chilean Border Post, 40km away. To get through took about 45 minutes, so not bad like crossing through borders in Central America which all took about 5 hours each.

There were still lakes on this side of the mountain, with dense virgin Forrests, but then we got to the bottom of the Andes Mountain and we were also passing through farmlands with lush green grass and fat cows grazing. We arrived at the Motor Museum at 12h50, in time for our lunch appointment.

No yellow flowers this side of the mountain?????? But here the flowers are Purple:

I bought a Copper Drinking Mug about 78 000km ago when we started with the new bikes in Texas in 2017, (remember our 990’s which we used across Europe and Asia were not allowed to be shipped to the USA, only Pie and Tex’s 990’s were as they were registered in the USA, not RSA like ours. I drank from this mug all the coffee, cool drink, beer, wine and whisky, and a few cocktails I think, for this mug for 78 000km’s, and then I lost it 2 days ago, I was shattered, such a long relationship and then it is all over suddenly because I left it behind at a restaurant, shame on me. Then just after hitting the farm lands there was a guy selling copper ware, pots, trays, bowels and yes, copper mugs, so big was my pleasure when I could hook a copper cup onto the back of DadAss again.

We were met by the owner of the Museum,  Bernardo Eggers,  Wife and his daughter Sabine, to help with the translation. He was a 3rd generation Dairy Farmer, and his daughter is now carrying on with the farm. The grandfather emigrated from Germany and German was spoken in the house, Sabine also married a German husband.

He told us some interesting stories and credited his very adventurous wife for starting to collect cars, she loved speed and loved cars, so she did not stop him in the beginning, but when the collection got to 70 cars his wife and daughters said that it was enough and that he had to stop. He collects Post War Studebakers, Pie collects Pre war Studebakers. And interestingly, there is a difference in the USA and South Africa with Pre and Post War as the USA only joined the 2nd World War in 1941, when Pearl Harbour was bombed, but in South Africa we joined the War thanks to be part of the British in 1939.

His parents were both killed in a motorcar accident when he was only 30 years old, and he continued with the farm and still lives in the same house on the farm a few 100m from the museum. The wreck of his parents car was repaired and eventually found its way back to Bernardo and that Studebaker is part of the collection of cars on display.

Here are other makes of cars donated and on display:

He said he started the Museum with just one building and 25 cars, and then members of the public started contributing other cars, and anything old, from toys to type-writers, farming implements and anything that was collectable and old, so the museum expanded and more displays were added, and the museum is now so popular that it attracts over 15 000 Visitors per year.

Let me ask my daughters if they recognize any of these:

Three of these minature train “Cities” were also donated and the trains run and the street lights work, the detail is mind-boggling.

They said we could walk to the restaurant for a meal, we walked to the Cafeteria, and I was immediately thinking we were going to eat a Pie and Coke, like one would expect from a Cafeteria in South Africa, well, was I surprised when wonderful Medium Rare steaks and Salmon was served, very high quality, we had a lovely meal.

After lunch we spend a little more time looking at the Museum and then rode 20km to our  Hotel. Millsy had calculated what time the Rugby Game was going to be on TV between the Spring Boks and Ireland, but they were playing in London and something went wrong with his calculation, (the UK is only 3 hours before us, RSA is 5 hours,) or Millsy was told the wrong kick off time, but needless to say the score was already 19 – 7 by the time we discovered the game was sooner than what we thought. Then more bad news as there was no Rugby on our hotel’s TV Bouquet. So Peens raced of in search of a Sports Bar, and he gave up at the 3rd bar and is now watching Soccer, commentated in Spanish, while drinking away his sorrows with a “Cognac” and Coke (no brandy in South America.

Some of you might have noticed on the photos that I am riding with my Neck-Brace again, I stopped for many years but decided that at my age I need all the help I can get, see below, (kyk ma,) I wear it, but it is so uncomfortable and restricts you head movements, but the designer of this safety device won so many prizes, so I decided to just get used to it.

We have decided not to make tomorrow a Rest Day as planned and will try and push-on with Route 7, provided we can make Ferry Reservations tonight as the 1st ferry is a big ferry and it takes 3 hours to cross, the following ferries are apparently small and no reservations are needed.

Hope you are all having very Blessed Sunday!!!!

Fleisch