March 31 - Towards the Atacama - 650km

View Larger MapDriving Directions

Riding a motorcycle at 15,000 feet is unique.

At that altitude, air density is nearly half that at sea level.  70 miles per hour feels like 35, and 35 doesn´t really feel like anything.   When you let up on the gas you coast and coast.  0-60 at sea level takes 7 seconds - at 15,000 feet it takes almost 20.  Unless you are going uphill, in which case you´ll never get to 60.

Altitude sickness starts to become a factor.  You will probably feel nauseous, achy and tired.  UV levels are 40-50% higher than at sea level and the sun burns.

A recurring theme is this unbelievable emptiness. Nothing has felt as in the middle of nowhere as this pass over the Andes.  It is 300km between gas stations on a landscape that looks less like Earth than Mars.  

Today was a long day - almost 8 hours on the bike plus border crossings.  It was another day of absolutely world class riding.  Beautiful roads twisting through mountains and coasted across salt flats.  

It would have been great to split over 2, or even 3 days, but there´s not many places to stay.  So I pushed and was relieved to finally make it to San Pedro de Atacama.

Lama sighting on the horizon.

Somehow, there´s life out here.

Susques.  10,000 feet above sea level.   One hundred residents.  There are two gas pumps - one doesn´t work.

Keep your fingers crossed...if this one breaks there might be a 500km stretch without gas...

Adobe houses and satellite dishes.

Getting around town and wondering what the gringo with the motorcycle is doing.

Why does this road exist?  Where does it go?

Taking a break.

Salt.

The sky really is that deep deep blue color.

The view from the cockpit.

20,000 foot peaks nearly a hundred miles away.

That would be very bad.