Finally some half decent scenery unfortunately short lived!
Last evening with the help of two Argentinian bikers I had concluded that my chain was totally shot to tight when sort of adjusted but to sloppy at the same time I could not find a halfway house solutions or compromise position and I was not sure how long it would last and was seriously uncomfortable with the state it was in. I packed up my gear and I headed to Viedma I was stopped by the police on the way there it was just a routine paper check no problem and I was soon making my way noisily to Viedma. As I was passing through the town I saw a bike shop and I decided that I would see if they had a Chain for Daisy, as I was not happy with the one I had anymore and from the noises she was making. He has a 520 and 525 118 links in stock and a quick check on the Internet to see which one we need yup just as I thought the 525 and the mechanic will be in soon and we can fit it straight away. All good except it was just an ordinary chain not with roller bearings so it would not last very long but everything has got to be better than what’s left of the old chain so we change it and it only cost 21 EUR for the chain and 12 EUR for fitting it so very reasonable and as usual credit cards for parts but cash only for the mechanic. So within an hour and half I am back on the road and Daisy is no longer crying out with pain at every turn of the crank, which is a relief. So the last chain lasted 24k km not a lot it should have gone much further but I think the dirt roads took there toll and at the last service I did not notice that the mechanic had adjusted the chain but the wheel was not aligned so it was not running aligned for about 2000km with that and with my off road adventures it made sure that the old chain was toast. I have been quite good on the adjustment side and with my OSCO oiler she is always smothered in oil maybe too much in the dirt as this was sticking and probably combining to make a grinding paste. The mechanic advised me to replace the full set so that’s a new chain and sprockets and soon to the roller bearing type as this one would not last to long.
It got hilly for while Daisy likes hills especially with her new chain!
So today destination was Sierra de la Ventana which was supposed to be nice I am not sure I like anything with wind in the title at the moment but anything has to better than the dull boring scenery I was passing through at the moment. It had changed from scrub to agriculture but god it was very uninspiring so another day grinding the miles out day less grinding today thanks to a new chain.
Last 100km scenery finally took a turn for the better still windy but a lot more interesting so a nice final run into Sierra. I went to tourist information, which was run by the local council so they only had info on council matters so no details on hotels/hostels campsites and no there was no municipal camping ground. So as a tourist info place not much use really but a nice lady.
Sun flowers love them!
I find a nice campsite and I take ages in selecting the right spot it needs to be out of the wind if it gets up again and it needs to be in the shade in the morning so I do not get cooked out of the tent. So after much deliberations I found the perfect spot and put my tent up and I headed into town for some dinner. I say town more of a village so I have covered most of it in no time. I find a nice restaurant have a sit down look at the menu and then I go to order only to be told the cook will not be there till 8pm and it was 7pm and I was hungry so I wish they had told me before I had wetted my appetite on the menu.
Finding the right spot for the tent its a science I tell you!
So I found a great little take away Pasta place where they had all sorts of pasta home made being rolled on huge machines so I ordered the dish of the day ravioli and sat and ate it on a bench outside enjoying freshly made and cooked pasta.
Freshly made pasta mmm lekker!
Back to the campsite I am sitting outside the office as they had Internet but it did not make it to the fantastic spot I had chosen! The problem was it was dark and all the moths and mossies were attracted from the light from my screen making working very hard as I kept killing them and in doing so smearing my screen in the process so its time to hide in my tent and work offline again. The tent is next to a power point so I ran a cable into the tent and I was good to go for a while.
Nice scenery again at last.
Phillys Big Trip 