Salar de Uyuni and beyond

After tracking down Butch and Sundance we went on to checkout the Salar de Uyuni  - a salt flats so large you can see the curvature of the earth.  And, you can create interesting illusions in photos that defy the senses - Yup, and people come from all over the globe to take part in this childish fun.  Then we headed for Chile again.  We stopped south of Antofagasta at the "Hand of the Desert" for obligatory photos.  After getting out of the mountains and back down to sea level, my bike ran much better. But, we had some problems with wheel bearings on both Patrick’s and Brian’s  bikes - probably due to all the water and very fine sand in Bolivia. We also started camping when we left Tupiza because there were no places to stay along our route.  And, after we crossed the border into Chile it was much more expensive than the countries we had been traveling through so we continued to camp out.  We had gone 9 days without showering when we eventually made it to Santiago where we checked in to a hostel - we also needed to fully service the bikes again with some needing more work than others but all needing something.

 

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

This ended up being one of the more exciting legs of this trip as we set out on the trail of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  We left Potosi headed for Tupiza - an old stomping ground for Butch and Sundance.  Relaxed for a day and visited the museum there before heading out to the tiny town of San Vicente, where legend has it the two famous outlaws met their fate at the hands of the Bolivian Army. The ride out was an adventure in itself.  And, the scenery was absolutely incredible. But, the small dirt road was flooded in numerous places.  So, water crossings became a big part of the journey.  One small river had the road under water for nearly 100 yards.  But we managed to cross or find a way around each one.  We finally reached San Vicente after an exciting but difficult days ride only to discover they had no hotel or hostels.  So we dried our feet as best we could while we had a cup of coffee at the only restaurant in town.  Then we checked out the museum and were shown the actual house where the two outlaws were killed in a shootout with soldiers of the Bolivian Army and the Police.  We got the feeling that not many folks make the trip out to San Vicente.  It sure wouldn’t be mistaken for a tourist trap.  But, the folks we talked to were friendly and seemed genuinely interested in being as helpful as possible.  It was definitely worth the trip.  But the road out of  San Vicente was as bad as the one going in.  So, it provided even more entertainment with water crossings and mud - the road that keeps on giving.  We heard that Bolivia would destroy our vehicles.  Of course we ignored the warning - we were on an adventure!.  But two days after leaving the country, Patrick's rear wheel bearing disintigrated in the middle of the desert. The next day, Brian's did the same.

(the house where the two famous outlaws were killed in a shootout with 2 soldiers and 2 policemen)

(the graveyard where they were buried)