El Calafate - oil changes and glaciers

The spring flowers on the edge of the pampas and in the Andean foothills are beautiful. Reds, yellows and purples plus all the shades in between. The ride, on pavement, into El Calafate is stunning and the landscape reminds me of what I learned in my Geography classes about glacial valleys. And Lago Argentino is stunning in foreground with the snow capped mountains in the distance finishing off the perfect picture.

We opt for a day off here deciding the bikes need some TLC. A wash and oil change are in order. Clean bikes, it's oil change time. The wind is picking up again and if we thought we we're dirty and dusty before, it's about to get worse. My advice to anyone doing an oil change on a bike, don't do it in the wind. The bikes were fine, but our bike kit didn't fare so well. We managed to get oil splashes all over us, not a problem until we hit the next bit of dirt road and the dust stuck. Our trousers look permanently filthy now. And yes Mum, we have washed them. Anyone know how to get oil stains off Gortex without ruining the waterproofing?

'The left half of the glacier'

El Calafate is very touritsy with its draw card being the Glacier Perito Moreno. It is amazing. We spent about 2 hours captivated by the 50m high, 5 km long face of the advancing glacier. The noises and crashes as the ice advances, falling into the lake is something else. And the colours on blue and white are beautiful. Once again, loads of photos that don't do it justice. You'll have to come and see it for yourselves. And don't be put off by the amount of tourists. The viewing platforms are so well laid out that you hardly notice anyone else.