D. Brim
Tierra Del Fuego Road
After leaving the viewpoint at Lapataia, we reversed course. After a stop for lunch (and sending postcards) in Ushuaia, we headed back up RN3 in order to get out of Argentina. It was important to be out on that day for a couple of reasons. First of all, there was a national transportation strike in Argentina on the following day, and we wanted to decrease our odds of being impacted by it. Also, we wanted to drive the Chilean portion of the road before it got dark. By driving it in the light, we’d be able to see the road and be able to make the ferry back to the mainland before it stopped for the night.
Here is a portion of the road on the Chilean side of Tierra del Fuego, looking rather scenic. The road is indeed quite pretty, but it’s also deceptively dangerous. The quality of the gravel is generally decent (with washboarded portions here and there), but due to the high winds and the lack of friction of gravel, there are quite a few accidents caused by cars being blown off the road. On the way in, we saw a recently overturned truck (lights were still on). On the way back, we saw a few frames of cars that were long abandoned along the side of the road.
When we were driving in this area on the previous evening, we asked our hitchhiker Sebastián why the Chilean side of the road isn't paved yet. His answer was that Chile has no incentive to do so. While this road is a major truck route, it is only in Chile briefly, and there are no large towns on the Chilean side of the island. Chile doesn't benefit much economically by paving the road. However, while on the way up, we did see some paving work taking place, so maybe Chile and Argentina worked something out.
Tierra Del Fuego Road
After leaving the viewpoint at Lapataia, we reversed course. After a stop for lunch (and sending postcards) in Ushuaia, we headed back up RN3 in order to get out of Argentina. It was important to be out on that day for a couple of reasons. First of all, there was a national transportation strike in Argentina on the following day, and we wanted to decrease our odds of being impacted by it. Also, we wanted to drive the Chilean portion of the road before it got dark. By driving it in the light, we’d be able to see the road and be able to make the ferry back to the mainland before it stopped for the night.
Here is a portion of the road on the Chilean side of Tierra del Fuego, looking rather scenic. The road is indeed quite pretty, but it’s also deceptively dangerous. The quality of the gravel is generally decent (with washboarded portions here and there), but due to the high winds and the lack of friction of gravel, there are quite a few accidents caused by cars being blown off the road. On the way in, we saw a recently overturned truck (lights were still on). On the way back, we saw a few frames of cars that were long abandoned along the side of the road.
When we were driving in this area on the previous evening, we asked our hitchhiker Sebastián why the Chilean side of the road isn't paved yet. His answer was that Chile has no incentive to do so. While this road is a major truck route, it is only in Chile briefly, and there are no large towns on the Chilean side of the island. Chile doesn't benefit much economically by paving the road. However, while on the way up, we did see some paving work taking place, so maybe Chile and Argentina worked something out.