The Toninas

From Monday 15 Wednesday 24 January, from Trelew to Las Grutas province of Rio Negros

The Toninas

Tuesday January 16 we visit Trelew by bike. A fairly ordinary town where one of the activities is the processing of sheep wool. Apart from that the place is very quiet and little visited by tourists. We leave the city on Wednesday to go to Rawson, the administrative capital of the Chubut region. A seaside resort quite popular with Argentines for its beaches. Here, we did not have the chance to see the “Toninas” dolphins. A small white and black cetacean which made the reputation of the place. The outside temperature is close to 38°C and is difficult to bear.

A Giant Dinosaur

After a very quiet day in Rawson, this Thursday we leave the city. The wind should be favorable all day. We are still in an area where this factor must be taken into account if we want to move forward normally. We pass back near Trelew and on the way we stop to admire the world’s largest reconstruction of a dinosaur. It is impressive, 40m high and weighing 70 tonnes. We continue our route towards Puerto Madryn, today’s destination. Even today we have the chance to do a large part of the route on a two-lane road that has been under construction for around fifteen years. The construction site is at a standstill due to lack of money, a fairly recurring reason in Argentina.

A Loberia

After a few photographic poses en route, we slowly arrive in Puerto Madryn. This evening we are expected at Anna and Federico’s who will welcome us for two days. Federico runs a home-based bicycle repair shop. I’m taking this opportunity to do a little revision.

Puerto Madryn is a seaside resort where you can also observe a “loberia”. It is a place where sea lions come to give birth. A very protected area and under the surveillance of guards. It is a pleasant spectacle to watch and the period is good for seeing many newborns, they seem very tiny next to their parents.

A place from another era

Saturday we leave Anna and Federico with a little sadness because we had a good time. We continue on route 3, still with a lot of road traffic. On weekends, Argentinians travel many km to go to the beach or with family. The environment has become desert and we no longer see any animal life. All that remains is the pleasure of riding in these wide open spaces, but the situation could quickly become quite boring due to the monotony.

We sleep in the only hotel that exists on our route for the day. Here no electricity, no water, no gas, no internet. Electricity is supplied using a generator and a solar panel. For water, the owner fetches it from a tanker more than 50km away twice a week. Elsa the owner is 71 years old and her husband is 76 years old. They put a lot of energy into cooking and serving in the restaurant. They are dedicated body and soul to the customers who stop by. We spent a good night there in a basic but very well maintained room. Of course, the lights cut off at 11 p.m. when the generator stops.

Amazing

Sunday a day without any particular event brings us to Sierra Grande. The following day, in an environment as monotonous as ever, we take the road to Las Grutas. Over the hours the temperature becomes extreme and will reach up to 49°C. In this heat and despite the many cars that stopped to give us water, we decided to ask for help from a vehicle to cover the 30km in complete safety. The heat is no longer compatible with cycling. We will then learn that a heat dome, a fairly rare climatic phenomenon, was expected in this area the day we crossed it. After this heatstroke, a few days of recovery in this seaside resort will be welcome.

Our road

During these 10 days we covered 397km in the wind and the heat. Find the map of our route on the site or by clicking on this link.

Met :

• Raoul, an Argentinian who is driving towards Ushuaïa. The only cyclist met during these ten days
• Cristal Alexandra who kindly invited us to her house
• Anna and Federico who welcomed us for two days

Did you know: the surface area of ​​Argentina is 4 times that of France for only 47 million inhabitants. The currency is the Argentine pesos and inflation is very high, in 2023 it was 223% or almost 19% per month.