World's End by Rob Mumford
Kiwis Rob Mumford and Aaron Key drive a 70’s muscle car through Patagonia on a
physical and spiritual journey to the end of the world.
It’s a grey and humid Monday in Buenos Aires as we drive slowly across the city at the start of our journey. The
Argentine capital is home to some 13 million people and the streets are packed and noisy as the working week gets underway. Newspaper sellers walk between the
rows of cars stopped at traffic lights and bicycles and motor bikes weave in and out of the slow moving mass. Impatient drivers shout and toot their horns.
Apartment blocks rise up on all sides. Trucks and buses loom close and our senses are assaulted by a constant barrage of sound and movement. Can’t wait to
escape this chaos! Argentina is a massive country, the eighth largest in the world, ten times the size of New Zealand and over 4,500 km
from north to south. Ushuaia, near the 55th parallel, is the World’s southernmost city and some 1,500 km south of Invercargill! Its here that the cone of the
South American landmass tapers into the Beagle canal and the fearful waters of Cape Horn. Our aim is to reach Ushuaia, the end of the world, and the end of
road. After about an hour we leave the capital and cross into the Buenos Aires province. Life on the edge of the capital is
a difficult proposition with migrants from neighbouring countries and rural areas arriving in search of a better life. With Argentina struggling to lift
itself from a deep depression many of them are unable to get work and are forced to live in makeshift and rudimentary houses. As the rain comes down dirt and
poverty run together in muddy streams at the sides of the roads. We are now on Argentine national highway 3 which travels from the edge of the city all the way to Ushuaia. It cuts
across the fertile Pampas to the Atlantic port of Bahia Blanca and from there keeps within 100km of the coast all the way to Ushuaia. Its over 3,000 km from
start to finish and we will travel 8,000 km in the next 4 weeks.
Feeling free after escaping the city and
traffic we speed through the heart of the Argentine agricultural industry, it’s like
driving through a gigantic field and the only changes over 500 km are the crops:
from sunflowers to wheat to soy bean and back to sunflowers again. It’s easy driving
and there is nothing much to look at outside. No navigation is required as its
straight through at all junctions.
As we speed along on the empty roads I
think of ex US ambassador to Argentina Alvin Smucker. Back in 1971 he decided to
bring out a brand new Ford Torino V8 coupe to give him presence and a piece of home
during his tour of duty here. When his term was up Smucker returned home but the
Torino stayed. More than 30 years later I saw it parked near my apartment and knew I
had found the perfect car to go south in. I stuck a Postit to the windscreen
“Awesome car, if you are interested in selling please give me a call”. A few weeks
later the Torino was mine and my road trip dreams were flowing.
INTO PATAGONIA
700 km after leaving Buenos Aires on the
afternoon of day 2 we reach the Colorado River. These silent waters mark the
northern boundary of the mythical region of Patagonia. Portuguese explorer Magellan
named this region in 1520 when he encountered the giant sized Tehuelche Indians in
the bay of San Julian. Patagonia means “Land of Giants” and it’s highly appropriate
that this “Land of Giants” is a vast and sparsely populated expanse that stretches
to the end of the world.
We stop and walk around the tranquil waters
and tree lined banks, it’s nice to talk to a bunch of happy local kids on their way
home after a day’s picnic. Sadly no giants are spotted! Rainbows and colour-streaked
skies light up the last hours of the day and we arrive in Carmen de Patagones in
darkness. This pretty town on the banks of the Rio Negro River has great views of
the river from its steep hills and streets. We wander around the waterfront and
feast on delicious Patagonian lamb.
In the morning we head out to the coast and
the mouth of the Rio Negro River, its here that we first experience the power and
force of Patagonia. We stop at Patagonia’s original lighthouse the “Faro Rio Negro”,
the wind is strong and the seas a stirred up muddy brown, its hard to see where sea
meets sky. It’s magnificent to feel the unrelenting wind and look out across the
Atlantic, it’s desolate and bleak here, I couldn’t be happier.
We take a detour down a canyon to a
magnificent beach below high cliffs of sediment layered rocks, each layer a
different colour or shade. The sky reflects off the wet sand and wind and sea have
carved strange shaped holes in the rocks. Two bridges allow fishermen access to a
rock platform where they can cast out into the foaming seas. The photo in the
tourist brochure shows these bridges shinny and new, we found them rusty and
unsteady, how long had it taken for Patagonia to take its toll?
After a night in dusty San Antonio Oeste
and a swim at Las Grutas beach we reach Puerto Madryn in the evening of our 4th day
on the road. The next day we drive out to the spectacular Peninsular Valdez and on
to Punta Norte, its here between February and April at high tide and on calm days
that Killer Whales deliberately beach themselves to capture and eat the young Sea
Lions. We sit and watch expectantly for hours before admitting defeat; we will have
to wait for another day to see this incredible and unique spectacle as while we see
plenty of Sea Lions not a single dorsal fin is sighted.
1,500 km down route 3 we head east to the
pretty coastal town of Camarones. As we enter the town the road’s gentle downward
slope affords us a lovely view of the sheltered harbour and pebbled beach. The
evening light is beautiful as it casts sharp shadows across the simple corrugated
iron and wood constructions near the waterfront.
Out on the old wharf fishing lines seeking
the catch of the day angle down from the edge of the concrete. Scattered cloud
shapes turn pink and orange in the setting sun and the rippled sea darkens as
evening is replaced by night. The gentle sound of wind and waves and the blanket of
stars overhead create an incredible peace and oneness with nature.
From Camarones it’s a rough 20km gravel
road to Cabo dos Bahias and the penguin colony on the peninsular. Here we see
thousands of Magellans penguins, there are adults, juveniles and young chicks. The
chicks look like teenage fashion victims as their downy feathers moult in strange
punk like patches to reveal their sleek dark swimsuits underneath.
We stop at what seems the World’s most
isolated yacht club at the beautiful and remote Caleta Sara. Eduardo the manager
rushes out to greet us with a friendly smile and strong handshake and welcomes us
into the cosy restaurant. He tells us that he would rather say fish was off the menu
than offer anything caught more than 24 hours ago. Lucky for us the fish were biting
today and we tuck into a huge plate of delicious sea salmon.
SEAWEED, STEAMER DUCKS AND SEA LIONS
It’s a slow and painful drive on a
seemingly endless gravel road to reach Bahia Bustamante 100 km south of Camarones.
This tiny town with a population of 40 is dedicated to the harvest of seaweed for
use in the food and cosmetics industries. We meet Matias Soriano whose family
founded the town and have lived and worked here for more than 50 years, Matias is
doing a brilliant job of developing the town as an ecotourism destination. We check
into one of four beautifully recycled houses just metres from the sea and spend the
evening talking and learning about the rich past and present of this surprising and
beautiful bay.
After breakfast Matias takes us out in the
Zodiac, we skim over the water and cross the bay to visit some of the rocky Islands.
At Bird Island we see Penguins, Cormorants, Antarctic Pigeons, and the hilarious
Steamer Duck. The Steamer is a flightless duck that uses its feet as paddles, they
look like they are desperately trying to fly but remain fixed to the water and
seemingly left behind by evolution! The next Island is a Sea Lion colony with many
animals from pups to adults, around the back of the Island we put on snorkel gear
and jump into the freezing water. Immediately a couple of Sea Lions come to
investigate, it’s an incredible experience to be with them underwater as they swim
and perform acrobatics with speed and grace.
Next stop is San Julian, that famous spot
were Magellan landed. As well as the first encounter with the giant sized Indians
Magellan was also witness to the first mass and first mutiny on Argentine soil. Here
we meet Ernesto, aka. Barnacle Bill our gregarious host at the Kau Yenu posada. With
his white beard, weathered skin and rolling Rs he sure seems like an old sea captain
but in fact has never been to sea. He tells us that if he doesn’t see us on our way
back he will see us in heaven, “I’ll have a hosteria there” he announces
confidently.
The San Julian coast is rugged and
spectacular, we drive the coastal road and explore deserted beaches and take in
stunning views. We come to a lighthouse staring out at the endless sea and sky, the
horizon separates the sky from the dark mysterious ocean. It’s windy, wild and
breathtakingly beautiful. On this lonely light someone has spray-painted “If you
love someone set them free, if they come back they are yours, if not, tough shit!”
Seems a pretty appropriate reflection from this desolate and mesmerising spot.
Isla Pavon is an Island oasis in the middle
of the Santa Cruz River, it’s the first place we have seen trees and green grass
since we’ve been in Patagonia. The Island is watered by the pale glacial waters of
the Santa Cruz and is an amazing contrast to the mostly barren and empty landscapes
that route 3 passes through. It’s great to walk beside the swift blue river and hear
the wind rustling the leaves in the trees.
We have now travelled more than 2,500 km
south since leaving Buenos Aires. The Torino is running superbly and with her
powerful V8 and graceful lines is the perfect car for the flat, straight, and empty
Patagonian highways. The only sounds as we cruise along are the low hum of tyres and
engine, and the rushing of the wind. The slowly changing landscapes add a strange
meditative quality to our time at the wheel. Time seems to stand still as the tarmac
disappears below the car but the horizon remains fixed in the distance.
ROCK MEETS WINDSCREEN
There is little traffic but we have to hold on tight when passing oncoming trucks as we are blasted and shaken by their invisible slipstreams. Passing one of these a stone is flung up and sent spinning towards my head, I duck instinctively and it slams into the windscreen spraying me with glass shards. The silence is deafening and I can hear my hearts accelerated beat as we pull over to inspect the damage. The stone has left a spider web pattern of cracks that will grow for the rest of the trip but luckily there is no danger of a collapse and we head quietly south again.
It’s getting colder the further south we get and after a night in freezing and windswept Rio Gallegos we cross the border into Chile and head towards the Island of Tierra del Fuego. From Punta Delgada it’s a 30-minute ferry trip across the windy straights of Magellan to Tierra del Fuego, it’s a brilliant feeling to be on this mysterious land. The tyres hum on the concrete curves of the Chilean highway and the air inside is filled with the melancholic beats of Crowded House “...you will never see the end of the road while you are travelling with me...” We speed up as we feel the end of the road getting closer and closer.
Unfortunately we hit the end of the seal before the end of the road and have to slow down to a painful crawl on a patchwork of rock, ruts and potholes. It’s a torturous next 100km as we are caught between a great desire to get off this wretched road as fast as possible and a need to drive slowly and preserve the car. At times it feels like the car will be shaken to pieces as we bounce along painfully and noisily. After hours of slow pain we creep into San Sebastian and spend a quiet night in Chile at a lovely farm homestead. I can still feel the bumpy motion as I flit between sleep and thoughts of the rocky road ahead.
In the morning of our 15th day we cross borders again and are back in Argentina with less than 400km to go to Ushuaia! Thankfully the road is sealed and excited by the prospect of reaching the end of the world we zoom along through mist and low cloud.
Suddenly the engine dies and end of the world thoughts vanish as we coast quietly to a halt at the side of the road!. Rain is falling as we look under the bonnet and wonder if we will make it to Ushuaia. We don’t see anything amiss and after a couple of attempts manage to get the engine started. We decide to keep going. It stalls another 4 or 5 times before arriving in Rio Grande where it dies completely at a roundabout and we have to get out and push. We call a mechanic and meet the beaming and super friendly Patagonian Rally champion Ramon Benitez. It doesn’t take Ramon long to locate and fix a problem with the electrics and we are soon heading south again.
For the first time on the road there are trees on each side, strange haunted forests of silver trees with long lichen beards hanging from dead branches. The scenery is now dramatically different from anything so far. Huge green mountains rise up in the distance and the glistening lake Fagnano accompanies us to foot of the Andes Mountains. We climb slowly up the winding Garibaldi pass and have stunning views of the lakes below.
At the top of the pass we breathe in the cool Andes mountain air before coasting down the other side, it’s exhilarating as we silently twist and turn through the last curves, past ski lodges and tourist hotels. We are so close now that if anything happens to the car we can push it to the finish line! We round a corner and our eyes light up as we see ahead the signpost welcoming us to the Worlds southernmost city! We yell and shout in celebration and after 15 days and over 4,000 km it’s a brilliant feeling to reach Ushuaia. It’s a cold, wet, and windy night at the end of the world but we feel only warmth and contentedness.
THE END, OR JUST THE BEGINNING?
It’s an amazing feeling standing at Lapatia bay and gazing out into the Beagle channel, the biting wind sends ripples across the bay and I shiver from both cold and emotion. Nature’s unspoiled beauty is all around and I feel humble and euphoric in the presence of such magnificence. As I turn away and walk back to the car I shut my eyes but can still see the outline of the bay and surrounding hills.
From the end of the road at the bottom of South America there is only one way to go now and that’s North. As we drive slowly back into town an idea comes into my head! How about driving the Torino from Argentina all the way to USA! That would be bloody brilliant! Yes, I will do it! Can’t wait! Hasta la vista! Hasta pronto!
Standing at the limit of an endless ocean
stranded like a runaway, lost at sea
You look into the land ant it will tell you a story
story 'bout a journey ended long ago
Great Southern Land, in the sleeping sun
you walk alone with the ghost of time
Lyrics from "Great Southern Land" by Icehouse)
NUMBERS
8,161 Kilometres travelled
280 Kilometres on the back of tow trucks
26 Days on the Road
1,223 Litres of petrol
6.5 kilometres per liter
24 Litres of Oil
4Visits to mechanics
16 Hotels stayed in
251 Postcards distributed
4563 Penguins sighted
438 Sea Lions sighted
1 Sea Lion attack
0 Killer Whales sighted
12 Times US tourist used the word "cute" to describe penguins in 1 hour
3 Days we laughed after seeing beached "whale"
55 Latitude South of Ushuaia
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