2017-06-17 Day 62

I drove out of camp towards the ocean but the ocean road was closed so drove on ruta 5 until we found a track across the dunes to the ocean. Stopped just short of Bahai Inglesie and John checked to see where the Lodge Piedras Bayas was as there is a guy that may be able to help with sourcing tyres. Although the lodge address is Bahai Inglesie it is actually 70k’s south, we passed it yesterday. John rang the lodge and got another number for an English speaker. John rang Jose and got email contact so wrote a note about our tyre requirement. We decided, as we were asking for help, we’d head back to his lodge. Going south on this closed road we passed some very long beautiful beaches pity its not summer.

Just as we got to the blockage on road, Jose called back and we discovered he was in Santiago. So back north again. Stopped at Bahai Inglesa and filled up with fuel food and water

Time for mountains. East and then North. Not many vehicles around here. Mountains are wonderful colors that change all the time. Some pretty neat ones had stripes through them. Because we are in the desert with no or very little vegetation the colors of the sand and rock shine forth.

Past a disused railway tunnel which John was very keen to drive through but it was very short so he lost interest.
These tracks are really just a bulldozed track through the sand. Lots of washouts from recent rain which I believe is rare. Some of the passes up here have been closed with snow which only happens every couple of years.

Pulled off the road onto a small hill top for a camp. Washed and hung up the washing. Some truckies tooting us. One started a long way off and kept tooting...Nearly dry when we went to bed.

Woke to the sound of dripping and told John it was raining. He went to get the washing off the line but it was just thick fog. Didn’t expect that here in the desert