The Earth on a bicycle: Crossing our first desert

After a two-day break in Rio Cuarto, we set our course towards San Juan, in the final part before hitting the Andes. Leaving the plains of the humid pampa behind us, we enter the desertic and hilly regions of San Luis and San Juan.

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During the first day, we are still travelling through a green region. The road climbs or runs along numerous hills that finally break the monotonous scenery that we had until now. A nice constant wind pushes us and we arrive in Achiras in the afternoon of the first day.

Still riding straight through the scenery, but now with ups and downs!

For the first time, we feel from the infrastructure at the entrance of the village that we are entering a tourist region. We ask for a place to camp and we end up at a balneario (mix between a beach, a campground and a resort).

Chilling out at the end of the day

On the next morning we loaf around and when we finally start, it's already 1pm. We even stop at a gas station at the exit of the village. However, this brings us a unexpected encounter with Raúl and Gloria. Very curious about our bikes and our trip, they invite us to spend the night at their cottage after a few minutes. Small detail: we still have to ride 90 km and arrive before sunset. After an exhausting day with a very hilly route, we arrive at Cortaderas. We are welcomed like kings and enjoy a merry evening around dozens of empanadas, chatting about their trip (check our their blog) and the Argentinian society.
After a tight sleep and a generous breakfast, we start again relaxed for a short day of riding.
Thank you very much for your hospitality and your tremendous welcome!

Raúl and Gloria with their kitchen timer

The 40km to Santa Rosa are a continuous descent and we almost don't need to pedal. We arrive at the central square and start drinking a mate. However, dark clouds have gathered and we move to the local balneario to seek shelter if necessary. And indeed, we needed it... The wind starts blowing heavily and it is raining lightly. The person in charge of the balneario shouts at us to sheek shelter under a larger roof. Sebastien quickly runs under the rain, pushing his bike while Martin and I decide to stay under our current roof. It is now pouring down, even hailing, and Martin and I are crouching and turning around our bike panniers to hide from a rotating wind. On his side, Seb enjoys taking some pictures. After 15 minutes, the storm is over and soaked wet, we all gather under the main structure.

Seb merrily taking pictures of the thunderstorm

Main structure of the balneario

We spend the night under this roof, together with huge toads and filthy dogs. Villagers are driving by, forming small groups in the balneario, drinking and chatting until late at night. Still unsure if it would be safe to sleep there, we get a few hours of sleep before the next morning.

Biker toad is watching you

The filthiest (but very cute) dog on earth

The next morning, we decide to ride to Quines through a track, in order to train ourselves to be self-sufficient. The route has about 60 km without villages along the way. A friendly villager confirms us that the storm of yesterday hasn't transformed the track into mud and gives us precious information on how to access it.
The beginning of the track is already a challenge: a ford. We stop for a second and try to evaluate the level of water. Seb starts and we all follow. At some point in the middle of the ford, I loose all my speed and slightly turn my handle. All my weight slowly drifts towards the ground, my head touches the muddy water and luckily enough, my elbow scratches against a tough layer of sludge. Before falling completely, I just have enough time to see that Martin also got the same issue. We quickly pick up our bikes, while trying not to slip, and cross to the other side. This is going to be a tough day!

The guilty ford and its two victims

The track starts with dirt before changing to stones and finally finishing with sand. This requires a tremendous amount of concentration and it is a real challenge to stay on the bikes without getting stuck in the sand.

Full concentration riding downhill with 30 kg

If you get too close to the side, you know what is awaiting you!

From dirt....

... to pure sand, pure nightmare

Our average speed is low, the heat is killing us but finally, after 5 hours, we are relieved to arrive at a small village! Covered with dust and sand, we enjoy a fresh drink with some food before starting again towards Quines where a shower and a comfy mattress await us.

My bike would need a little cleaning

The following day, we take on the real desert part of our trip: 205km without villages. Fortunately, this time, we have an asphalted road to ride on. After the last "pit stop" at Lujan, the long journey starts...

No worries, we've got 24 liters of water with us

After 100 km under a blistering sun, we find a spot in a sand road parallel to the main road. We pitch our camp, cook and fall asleep after admiring the starry sky. At 2am, we get woken up by strong gusts that lift our tents. We all run outside to reorient them before resting until dawn.

The next day, the path continues tirelessly through the desert, with dunes and bushes. We arrive in Encon just before a violent thunderstorm that cuts the power for couple of hours. The owners of the local gas station allow us to sleep on their parking lot, under a roof. As we were getting ready to sleep, a peddler comes with his car to sleep next to us. Together, we reorganize the camp in a good mood before falling asleep.

On the morning of the last day, we are woken up violently by the tremendous noise of the compressor, right next to our tents. We are tired but motivated to cover the distance that separates us from a real break. The thunderstorm of the day before cooled down the temperature and it is a long but nice ride to San Juan. We even have the privilege to ride on a bike track.