Day 68 Update: Huinca Renancò to Ataliva Roca
154 miles
After yesterday’s sidewinds and afternoon cross-tailwind Mother Nature decided I had enough fun and brought back the headwind today. It wasn’t awful mentally because I was still buoyed from yesterday’s mileage, but I wasn’t super stoked to be fighting the wind again. I continue south fueling exclusively at YPF gas stations. They have small cafes inside and accept card. The food is good and quick and I know exactly what to expect at every stop. YPF is by far the predominant gas station here in Argentina. There are YPFs in the middle of nowhere. They are often my only option and saving grace, but even in cities they are often my preferred option just because I’m a creature of habit at this point and I want to avoid sickness in the home stretch. I had some rain which was a bummer, but it only lasted for a couple of hours before the sun came back out. I stopped at a bike shop in Santa Rosa to get new tires for the final stretch.
The days are getting a lot longer. The sun rises before 6:00am and sets at 8:20pm and it doesn’t get dark until almost 9. I was warned that in Argentina the roads have no shoulder, which has turned out to be 100% correct. I was also warned that the cops don’t let you ride after dark. Today I learned that is also true. I got pulled over just after dark as I was coming into Altavia Roca. I wanted to ride until around 11:00, but the cop told me I had to get off the road immediately. I described my record attempt to him so he agreed to give me an escort the next 2km into town. Once in town he interrogated me for a while and wrote up a report with my passport complete with a picture of me and my bike which he sent to all the cops in the Pamplona Province. He was a nice dude and was trying to say “Hey let’s keep the road safe by watching out for this biker trying to ride after dark, let’s keep him and drivers safe.” But to me he might as well have been saying “Stop him! Make sure he doesn’t get the record!” I was mad to have to stop early. He gave me a reflective vest and told me to wear it at all times. I’m actually kind of happy to have it. I’ve been wanting one. Still, my defiant spirit doesn’t like to be told by the cops that I HAVE to wear it. I will wear it though. The cop was so fascinated by my journey that after he wrote me up (no ticket, just a warning) he asked for my instagram, which was really funny to me. I found a cheap little hotel and met the nicest guy ever who gave me a very upgraded room when he learned of my journey because he wanted me to get the best rest possible.
