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Day45–Mano del Desierto, Thur, Feb 10, 2011

Another “Sit here, Twist That!” riding day.

Start & Stop: Iquique, Chile to Chanaral, Chile

Mileage: 523 miles

Fuel: $716 Chilean Peso /l liter ($1.51/1 liter) or $5.72 per gal!

Currency Exchange: $1 USD = $473 Chilean Peso

Chilean Toll Road:  $400 – 1500 Chilean Pesos

Lisa: About time! We finally put down some miles today.  Got an early start and headed south from Iquique.  We decided to take the ocean route but we were concerned the road would not be as good as Ruta 5.  No need to worry as it was a spectacular day of riding.  The road was 99% awesome and the scenery was completely spectacular.  The coastline is so different than what we’re used to as it is wide open, no high rise hotels or expensive housing.  Just gorgeous, open beaches.  Lots of camping going on with every manner of tent set up you can think of.  I loved the ocean breezes and moderate temps too, and I am so happy to get back to sea level.

We stopped for gas in Antafagosta and Dean picked up a can of chain lube.  We ate our leftover pizza and then got back out there.  At this point the road veered inland and up to 5,ooo ft again, surface of the moon stuff that Chile seems to specialize in.

Mano del Desierto

Lisa compares her hand to the one in the desert!

This is a unique, fun location in the desert. It would be a great IBR bonus location.

It was windy at the Mano del Desierto. Lisa leaves an element of Eddy at the site.

Dean: Just 75 km south of Antafagosta on the PanAm Hwy 5 is the Mano del Desierto. It’s a large-scale sculpture (36 ft tall) of a hand sticking out of the sand.  While nowhere near the beauty and splendor of Machu Picchu, this was another fun “must visit” site for me.

Lisa: A few tourists came in and out while we were there and we all took turns so that everyone in each group could be in the photo.  Fun.  I think Eddie would have appreciated it too so we took care of that as well.  He sure gets around :)

We arrived in our chosen town of Chanaral to find that it was much, much smaller than we thought but got a nice hostel with good internet.  As we pulled into the parking area, we met another rider. Doug Lear, from Cincinnati was in the carport trying to get his KLR up and running.  What a study in perseverance he is!!  Wow, anything that COULD go wrong, HAS … brakes, electrical, snapped frame bolts and on and on.  And yet he has such a great attitude that it is quite inspiring.  We 3 ate at the hostel as there just wasn’t anything appealing in town.  The waiter gave us a huge menu, page after page of everything you can think of. Wow!  How great!  But when the ordering commences that’s when the humor kicks in: they don’t actually HAVE any of that stuff,

it’s just on the menu because someday they MIGHT have it.  So I get spaghetti, Doug gets tomato soup and a ham sandwich and Dean gets a small plate of scallops, only one of two fresh items available on an entire typewritten page of Pesca/Mariscos.  Got to love it.

Dean: My Strompasourus had developed an  acceleration/fuel problem.  The engine is acting like there is a rev limiter on it.  At the lower rpms everything works great.  When I pass a vehicle and hammer the throttle the engine starts hesitating, caughing and no power.  This now happens at ~4,100 RPM.  The engine just goes powerless.  Back the throttle off and the engine power hooks back up.  I was able to run at 70 mph all day but passing must be done carefully.

We’re heading to Vina del Mar, 60 miles outside of Santiago.  There is an Adventure Rider member who works at a Suzuki dealer there.

VStrom rider Brian Roberts has also given me a possible fix:   http://www.vstrom.info/Smf/index.php/topic,6105.0.html

Another option is the PowerCommander III has gone bad.

8 comments to Day45–Mano del Desierto, Thur, Feb 10, 2011

  • Robert Van Dine

    Mary Beth loves reading your comments…not sure about her reaction…it’s kind of ‘on the one hand, or the other’

  • Kirsten T-S

    One minute I’m thinking, “wow, that’s awesome… wish I was with them” and then I read a bit more and am glad I’m not… and then I see the pictures and I’m back to yearning for the adventure. Thanks for the ride!

  • chuck hickey

    Glad you found sunshine –
    but you have to tell me — which one of you wrote the big “ME” on the hand. It just HAD to be an English speaking graffitiest didn’t it. Meaning American – and it looked fresh…… so cough it up= = who done it. Tell me now or I’m forwarding this picture to Ramundo at the next border crossing.

    And – who did that hand, anyway. A couple of questions for you:
    1. are those the shortest fingers on the largest hand on earth? the THUMB is longer than even the longest finger !
    2. What did the nails look like? Nice manicure? Polish? -or did some dill week American paint them Red White & Blue?
    3. Did any of the touristas see you writing “ME” on the palm of that hand?
    4. there wasn’t any hair on the palm was there? I mean… if there was I would suggest that you quietly tip-toe outta there.

    Back to the BEACH !!

  • Check the coil wires. They might appear tight on the spark plugs but could have worked lose on the coil side. (It happened on my bike and was an easy fix.) Just trying to help. Hugs…. Mario ô¿~)

  • Brian R.

    I just gotta wonder – you guys found a 36 ft tall hand a “Must Visit” while in Chile. Do Chilean motorcyclists stop and see “The Thing”, Wall Drugs, The Corn Palace, The White Buffalo etc when they visit the U.S.A.? Is there a “Roadside SOUTH America” guide?

    Oh Dean – sitting here reading your Blog with puppychow and he suggests looking at the fuel tank vent line – a pretty good suggestion. Make sure it is not blocked or plugged (with all those water crossings and sliding around on it’s side).

  • H Marc Lewis

    Before you dig deeper CHECK THE AIR CLEANER. A dirty filter will make the bike behave just as you describe. BTDT, but not in S.A. like you two intrepid adventurers…

  • Dean & Lisa,
    I am certainly enjoying your trip vicariously. I spent a couple months in Chile once with a side trip to Macchu Picchu
    I’m wondering if you might have either got bad gas or in some other way partially plugged a fuel filter or an in-line filter that might have put on the bike. I hope that you have figured it out before you receive this. I sure admire you two
    If the guy on the KLR is carrying much weight, he needed to remove the sub-frame bolts drill them out and replace with oversized tempered bolts if available. If not he needs to take some extras with him. It’s a KLR weakness

    Tim

  • KM6UK De Witt

    Good gosh, you guys keep me wet from drooling. I think about the food, and the ride, ahhhhh, the ride. You know how much I used to ride until the coumadin got me. I am enjoying your ride like you can’t believe, and how I look forward to the presentation when you guys get it put together. As for the air filter, based on the RAIN reports, it is probably MUD!, not dust..:>)

    LY, ride safe, and love the posts.

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