Perito Moreno – Estancia Telkin 45 kms
Total Distance So Far: 2,746 kms
Perito Moreno was not all bad, as I sneeked out of town this morning a couple of traffic officers gave more a stern telling off, for my traffic violations. I have to say I have never been scolded by two such lovely police officers before. I promised to be a good boy and they let me go without further punishment.
The day must was a balmy 12 degress and sunny today, and without wind. Wonderful, I took of a couple of layers. Less than an hour along the road, I notice a signpost pointing right towards Estancia Telkin. Now I had tried to call Telkin Ranch but had failed. It had been recommended to me as a place to stay, but I was warned it was still a working ranch so I might be expected to help out with the livestock! Traveling down the track the ranch came into view, with a meadow full of horses in the front. It looked idyllic. A friendly young chap came out to greet me, with a big smile. “Hello, I’m German from Buenos Aires and I manage the hospitality side of the ranch”. I jumped off the bike and introduced myself. “Do you want to stay?” he asked. “We have no guests this week as all hands at the ranch are involved in the annual sheep shearing, but we can put you up”. I had only done an hour and it was not my plan, but it seemed interesting to check out a real Patagonian livestock ranch, so I said sure I’d love too. He helped me to my room explaining the ranch was one of the oldest in Patagonia, being built in 1917. It’s main job was horse breeding, providing lamb meat and wool production, and he and his wife Nadia had been hired to manage the guest lodgings. He told me they offered a 5-star ‘real’ ranch experience with guests having private rooms, but sharing the lounge areas of the ranch and eating together on one large dining table, with multi course meals cooked by a talented chef from Buenos Aires by the name of Marcello.
Herman and Nadia, who luckily both spoke perfect English, took me on a tour of the ranch. We ended up in the middle of an field full of sheep crying and bleating, at the back of the main house. It was deafening. He said this week they had to shear over 5,000 sheep – 1,000 per day. I was shown the whole ‘military style’ operation, from rounding up the sheep into batches, herding them into one end of the long shearing shed. Then a production line of 8 men shearing working in a pattern of six stints of two hours shearing, followed by a 20 minute break from 6.30am until 8pm. Each man had to shear 125 sheep a day. When you saw how the sheep kicked and struggled you would have thought it to be humanly impossible. After the sheep was sheared it was sent out to play, minus a coat! Then the wool had any large dirty bits taken out before being compressed in 200 kg bails. The wool was then graded. It was fascinating, deafening, and very very fast. In then end that day the eight men sheared 1,640 sheep just over 200 each.
Herman introduced me to the ranch owner, Daniel who had his sleeves rolled up mucking in with the rest of the ranchers. He was a very friendly chap. I asked him about the number of livestock they had and he just said many thousands. Sometimes too many to know, and it is very hard to find all of the animals. He said the land spread out for as far as you can see, so it is just impossible to get a precise number, as many sheep move to different parts. He said it’s a days ride to get to the edge of the ranch. The horses were his real pride, so I told him I used to ride back in the UK. He asked me if I’d like to see some of the ranch on horseback. He called over his son, Facundo who was 14 and asked him to pick me a horse and show me the ranch. Facundo and Herman to me to a field with about 40 horses in and asked me to select which horse I’d like to ride. I sheepishly said ‘you choose”, adding “make it a docile one’. Once we were mounted and away the ranch soon disappeared from view as we headed off into the steppe. Facundo's was an excellent guide, even at 14. It was the best ride out i have ever had by far. The feeling of openess was overwhelming. The lands of the ranch went on ‘forever’, or as Daniel aid, as far as the eye could see. There were no roads, no footpaths, no telegraph poles, no houses – nothing. Just this huge expanse, with distant mountains stretching along the horizons. It was an incredible experience, and one I had not experienced before. I have been to some remote places before, but there was always usually some sign of man’s hand - whether a distant line of electric pylons, roads, farms etc. On the ride I saw more guanaco’s roaming in packs, and Facundo also saw an armadillo which he chased and tried to catch, losing it after it darted down a hole. We also saw hare darting about, and eagles swooping down trying to catch them. Facundo said they were also trying to catch a puma which had been killing and eating sheep, after we stumbled across the remains of an half eaten sheep. I said I did not think the puma’s came this far south. He said it was only in the last few years, but it had become a big problem. That evening over dinner Daniel told me the size of the problem. The year before 30 pumas had been shot and over 500 sheep lost to them. Nadia added, that one puma was shot just a few meters from the ranch after it had attacked a young horse.
The ride ended too quickly, and we soon arrived back at the ranch, I could have gladly gone for a few days. After being served tea in the garden soaking up the last of the days sun, Marcello announced dinner would be served at 8.30pm. With the fires blazing, the ranch took on a real cosy feel, and Herman, Nadia and chef Marcello made me feel extremely welcome. The dinner was excellent. Fillet beef and onion apitisers, followed by cheese, ham, potato and onion croquettes and spicy sauce. The main was a nice tenderloin with asparagus sauce, followed by an apple strudel. Daniel, did not join us for dinner as he was still sorting out issues with the shearing, but joined us for an after dinner drink and we soon got maps out for looking the best options for the next 800kms of tracks to El Calefate. Daniel confirmed the next fuel was in 515kms but sometimes there is a chance to get fuel at a trading post 100 kms further south, but not to bank on it.
Daniel was an interesting chap. As well as the ranch he owned a newspaper on the east coast, and had traveled extensively throughout South America. His advice was very helpful (especially in Boliviar!).
German said on Saturday there was to be a big ‘asado’ to celebrate the wool crop. An asado is a Argentinean institution. Huge sides of lamb and beef are be cooked over open fires. Then with a gaucho’s knife you then slice pieces off as it still cooked. It sounded fantastic, but I said I had to leave in the morning to catch up a day.
I turned in, thinking how fortunate I was to have followed the long empty-looking track earlier that morning. I slept very well, and needed to get my mind back onto the ride tomorrow. I seriously ducked out of it today, although I am glad I did. Daniel told me the tracks heading south are in poorer shape than the ones going north. Most ‘sensible’ guests arrived at the ranch by small aircraft using the ranch’s airstrip. Next time I thought.
After a tasty breakfast of just-baked bread made in the shape of dog bones (as Marcello missed his dog!) and fresh eggs just collected from the run, I was about to go when Daniel turned up and gave Nadia a lamb who could not find her mother. I left Estancia Telkin watching German trying to devise an artificial teat for the poor little thing. I thought it had better quickly learn to suckle, otherwise the mint sauce would soon be out!
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