Ruta 40 and Larry the Lamb

'Rest stop on the easy part of Ruta 40'

Next adventure is the infamous Ruta 40. A major route north on the western edge of the Pampas. It's still flat and still very windy. And the road is of varying quality. Some of it is paved, some under construction to be paved and it seems to someone on two wheels, an awful lot still ripio, at least in the south where we were riding.
Now you all would have heard the saying 'Survival of the fittest'. Well on Ruta 40 it is also a case of 'Survival of the smartest' and Larry the lamb didn't quite make the grade. But with a mum like his, it was hardly suprising.
The section of Ruta 40 we were riding at this particular point was about 140km of ripio and not much else. Its flat and windy. So why then would two ewes decide to cross the road right at the moment that the only traffic on the road for probably the last two hours is passing? One of the great mysteries of the world. So the one tourist bus in front of us barely misses the two mums and the first lamb to cross. Larry is a bit slow so he doesn't realise mum has crossed the road just yet. Well not until Mike is passing. The brake lights come on, there is a bit of dust. Mike's bike is sliding down the road on it's side and the little lamb is also on his side. Not looking to well. By the time I get there, Mike is up and in one piece but the lamb isn't. We lift up the BMW (bikes tend to leak petrol when laying on their sides so it's best to get them up as quickly as possible) and then inspect the damage.
Unfortunately it looks like game over for Larry. There is still a bit of movement from him but while we are trying to figure out what to do with him, it seems he has taken his last breathe and we are saved from having to do anything. I'd like to mention that Larry took a major blow to the head so I suspect it was rather quick for him.
The worse thing for us was the fact that his mum kept looking back over at us from a distance, waiting to see her baby come over and join her. Why didn't she 'Stop, look and listen'. It was very sad and I nearly cried at the unnecessary death.
After a few minutes, when Larry's mum has wondered off a bit further and stopped looking back at us, we pull ourselves together and ride on up to El Calafate.
That night we had a drink for Larry, stupid as he was.