The morning was wet and foggy and after a good breakfast – the waiter had found a jar of honey for me and then packed up rolls with ham and cheese for us and some fruit for our long trip which was very kind. When we checked out, we each got some Happy Valentine’s sweet treats which was a very nice touch. Andrew checked and inflated the tyres, I placed one of our stickers on the building next to the hotel which had interesting paintings on it and we lubed the chains and got ready for the long trip (358km) with strong wind forecast and a ferry ride across the Straight of Magellan ahead of us. We arrived at the end of the road at Bahia Azul and joined the queue for the ferry. Unfortunately, we did not make it onto the first one and had to wait until the second ferry arrived out in the freezing wind and we were told that you pay on the ferry but there were no signs how much the price was for motorcycles. The ferry is a drive through barge – much smaller than the one we took from Punta Arenas to Povenir. We rode on and got directed where to park the bikes – right behind a truck and the lane was filled up behind us with cars. The barge took off and the boat was rocking so much that Andrew was worried my bike that was in gear and on the side stand would tip over. He could not get off his bike as he could not get his side stand down – a recurring issue because the bike is so heavily loaded that the suspension is so low he can only park the bike if the road is sloping down at the side of his side stand – often he can’t get off at petrol stations but the attendants seem to be happy to fuel the bikes when you are sitting on them. So I got off my bike trying to find where to pay – there was a long queue, the boat was rocking and a gale- forced wind was blowing – I eventually got to the door which you had to enter into a small inside area where I had to pay cash – it was 9,000 Chilean pesos per bike. I paid, got a ticket with a bar code and just made it back to the bike when we had reached the shore and where about to disembark – I never get sea sick but I was close to it on this ferry crossing – the disembarking was interesting too with a very steep ramp to negotiate – we continued on Ruta 255 and stopped for a lunch break at the same place we had stopped on our way into Punta Arenas at San Gregoria – a ghost town with the shipwreck of the Amadeo steamship – we ate our bread rolls and Valentine’s treats and saw rain clouds ahead 😳. We continued on and got petrol at Puerto Sara and then the weather deteriorated – with rain squalls that felt like sleet and wind gusts of up to 53 km from the left that pommeled you around and then the spray and turbulent air from the trucks going the other way – it was turning into a real mind over matter continuing riding and trying to get through it – by the way what were you doing on Valentine’s Day? 😂 – put it in the comments and let us know 👍😉🤗 Still, I would not have wanted to be out there facing one of the toughest days riding with anyone else than my darling Andrew 🥰❤️ – we slowed down and rode to conditions even when that meant only doing 60km/hr at times – we had the accommodation booked in Puerto Natales and it did not matter what time we got there as they left the key in the door for us. We filled up one more time at Ruta 9 Norte where the sun had come out again and we ate some hot empanadas and I placed another one of our stickers and found one on the window from “compass expeditions” 😉👍 We got ready for the last 198km of the trip – Andrew was leading and after crossing the first huge valley with ridiculous cross winds, the sunlight was golden, the vegetation had changed and looked more like near Ushuaia with trees full of lichens and the mountain ranges in the distance covered in snow were greeting us – maybe it was the fever and exhaustion at this stage, but it was so beautiful and I really enjoyed the dramatic landscapes and skies with more rain clouds looming and the sun rays filtering through the dark rain clouds. We rode into Puerto Natales exhausted, cold and tired but glad we made it – a Valentine’s Day to remember 😂🥰❤️🏍🏍

After getting the bare minimum off the bikes and covering them, we decided to head to a nearby grill place next to a butcher shop which had good reviews for our Valentine’s dinner – after walking over 1km in the cold, the place was closed – we tried one other place which was booked out and had no tables for us before returning to our cabana and having a hot drink and collapsing for the night. I was totally spent, still sick with the cold that has been lingering for a week now and that was a tough day riding in extreme conditions – not quite what the doctor ordered or the way we hoped to spend Valentine’s Day but we were safe and warm (and hungry) and all ended well ❤️❤️🥰🏍🏍