Fitzroy

The wind blew through the night but it was not as strong in the morning. It was cold and I wore my leggings and silk base layer and wool sweater, but I warmed up quickly when a pair of dogs pursued me to the edge of town. There the pavement ended and it was a gravel and sand climb up into the mountains. When the pavement returned there was a descent back to the sea and I rode along the coast over gentle ascents and descents.

Ruta 3 then turned inland and it was a long, slow ascent back up into the mountains and the wind was a headwind now, beating against me fiercely. The 30 km descent I had made into Comodoro Rivadavia I was now having to climb back.

I rode up to the height of one set of mountains and then dropped down into a valley and rode back up another range. It was 1pm and I was only 35km outside of Caleta Olivia and my legs were dead and heavy. Yesterday’s ride through the wind and rain had taken a lot from me.

I reached the peak of the next range of mountains and the Patagonian steppe stretched out ahead of me flatly. It was easy rolling country from here but with a crosswind and sometimes headwind until the pueblo of Fitzroy. I had had plans to make Jarmarillo, about 20 km further, but Fitzroy had supplies as well as a campground and I was too tired to go further.

The town was three blocks of shops along the western side of Ruta 3. I stopped in a parrilla and had a churrasco and a salad and a coffee, and the meat was delicious. I rode to the southern end of town to the campground and paid the owner 5 pesos for the night. I ate a bowl of pasta and fell asleep quickly. It had been two consecutive days of difficult riding.