Where's Punky & Lew now?
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Date: Wed. Nov. 13, 2002
Subject: Punky, Lew & Achi 2 report from Caleta Olivia, Patagonia, Argentina
Hi everyone: Hi everyone: We rode from Trevelin to Esquel and then southeastward across Patagonia to Sarmiento. On that route, coming out of the Andes, we saw Condors, Pink Flamingos, Guanaco and an Armadillo. Achi lost her gloves in Chile. I lost my balaclava in Patagonia. Critter threw the drive chain off the rear sprocket on the way to Sarmiento. I put it back on and continued to Sarmiento for the night. We were tired when we arrived in Sarmiento and I didn't pay close enough attention to the fact that there was no gate to secure the parking area. During the night a thief took the soft tank bag and panniers off and removed everything from inside. He took Achi's new rain jacket and a flashlight and left the rest on the ground. Next day we rode past many oil wells and Comodoro Rivadavia to Caleta Olivia on the Atlantic coast to spend the night. It was cool and a little windy, but not too bad. We've experienced worse winds. Sometimes the winds around here blow over 100km/h. The terrain in this area is desert scrub. In Caleta Olivia I had a shop mechanic change the oil, clean the filters and install a new drive chain. We rode south the next day. Critter was lacking power, hard to start and not idling properly. I thought maybe the mechanic sprayed too much oil on the air filter. We stopped to rest 78km down the road at a gas station that had no gas in a tiny little dot on the map, Fitz Roy. Critter's engine was dripping oil again from the air box drain tube, like it did in northern Peru, when it burned a piston and rings. Once Critter's engine was turned off, it wouldn't start again. I called the mechanic back in Caleta Olivia explaining we needed help. The mechanic, Diego Balboa, sent his father with a pickup truck to get us and the bike. We waited about 4 hours, but help finally arrived. Diego has been occupied with his pregnant wife ready to have a baby anytime. Baby girl arrived today. Diego immediately found the cooling system dry of coolant. I had been watching the temp gauge and it never went over half way on its scale. Diego checked the spark plug and found it to be in good condition and dry with a little black carbon. The plug was newly installed in Bariloche. Next, Diego checked the compression and found it to be very low (30lbs. instead of the normal 150). Diego tore into the engine today and found the rings broken and the piston and cylinder sleeve scored. He is ordering the necessary parts and getting the cylinder sleeve bored for a larger piston kit, installing new valve guide seals, timing and balancer chains and getting the radiator repaired. The valve clearances remain within spec. Diego will have new sprockets for the drive chain and a rear tire ready for me when we come back northward. This is sorely stretching my budget for the rest of this month. Other than that, all is well. At least, the longer we wait, the warmer it gets to the south. Summer begins here in December. Ushuaia is so close, but so far. Later, amigos.
Punky, Lew & Achi 2
Americas Motopaseo
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