#1400km

[pengillys]

having anxiety over like, everything is the worst thing ever. my mind never gets a moment to relax lol

[thisisnotadreamvincentlaw]

Got my class list for next year NO ENGLISH

[submalevolentgrace]

"safety is our top priority" says corporation that exists to first and foremost make profit, from the inherently unsafe and highly destructive practice of mining, who also somehow managed to lose a moderately radioactive pellet just.... somewhere....? along a stretch of 1400km road, maybe? very safety

[wingingitonwheels]

Day 1: A change of plan: Santiago - San Fernando - the green valley

Go Day

There’s nothing quite like cycling through a city to get the heart going. The population of Chile is 19.63 million. 50% of them live in Santiago. So whilst I made a decision to delay Carretera Austral accepting too it would add around 1400km to the overall journey, a city start didn’t make it easy! The weather was perfect and I avoided another wait and another flight, and watched as a group of Americans collected their bikes for my missed onward leg. One chap sidled up to me as I collected mine asking quietly, “Are you doing the Austral?” To which I quietly answered “I sure am…see you on the road”. He probably expected to see me on the plane. I’m now picturing how wet they’re all getting as they set out today.

For me, Puerto Montt is now anything up to 9 days and now 750 miles down the road, having ridden 108 miles yesterday. I don’t think there can be any rider in the world who says “City cycling: Ace!” It’s been a long time since I’ve inhaled so much crap. Fumes, dirt, the stuff that came out of my nose when I reached San Fernando was black. It will take my lungs a week to recover. It’s also interesting that my highest heart rate was achieved whilst continuing to run the gauntlet in the city boundaries, which took 90 minutes to escape. It’s not too often I can feel palpitations, but yesterday my heart took on its own “rhythm”, like a crocodile playing the drums.

Because of this decision, Olive is now a full pannier which won’t be opened until Puerto Montt, most likely. She contains all my wet weather and cold weather gear, tent pegs and frame, sleeping bag and mattress. Espresso contains my daily essentials and has just enough room to stuff in food bought on the road. My tent is bungied to the top of the rack along with my trainers and one book I HAVE to read (and as soon as possible) so I can donate it to someone. It’s something I always miss when I’m doing these trips…a real book rather than a phone.

Whilst the weight of my bike and gear is soul destroying, I thought my biggest regret in this decision would be my tyres. They are bomb proof (I hope) and made for serious gravel, and just not what I’ve ever contemplated for any trip previously. But with much of the route between Puerto Montt and Ushuaia loose gravel or mud, they’re a necessary evil. I didn’t expect to be so grateful in Santiago, but with badly maintained and potholed roads and serious amounts of traffic for much of yesterday, I could ride in sections of the road unthinkable on my normal set up and stay more out of trouble. So whilst I’m slower both because of weight and tyres, I’m more likely to make it to the end! I’ll also be honest and admit that not carrying a backpack for 9000 miles and a titanium frame makes for a comfy ride. I’m definitely getting older. It will be cleats on crocs next.

The route I took was made up as I went along, as the hotel WiFi set up didn’t allow me to download any route to my bike computer. So winging it I was once again! Mountains on my left, ocean on my right and aim to have the sun on left shoulder, then back, then right shoulder. This largely worked except for Chile’s arterial road, Ruta 5, the Pan American Highway. This cuts through every possible plan of going south safely. At one point, I was forced onto it due to a wide river delta. I held my breath and went, praying to the Bike Gods to spare my life. A few miles later, I was directed again. I refused to go, and instead prepared some Spanish to plead to ride through a private residential estate because Autopista no bueno.

Whilst the roads surrounding Ruta 5 are lush and green, it feels so entirely different to Argentina, stone’s throw away over a mountain pass. Perhaps as I get further south, the busy to intermittently quiet roads will become tranquil and I’ll feel carefree. Mark reminded me that within 100 miles of Lima on the coastal road it was the same. So I look forward to progressing south to feel the romance of Chile in I hope the same way as Argentina. In terms of density of population, Chile looks quite good: 69 per square mile compared to UK: 740, USA: 98 but most impressively, Argentina: 43. The thing with Chile is because it’s so narrow with the Andes on one side and Pacific on the other with around a maximum of 75 miles between the two, it has created a fertile valley which runs north to south where it seems EVERYONE lives. So some creative thinking may be needed.

For many, many years I’ve wanted to ride the country. Its 3 geological zones have always excited me. End to end it’s 2647 miles long and covers 38 degrees - 17 degrees south to 58 degrees in the north. This trip I most likely won’t visit Cape Horn and won’t do Chile/Peru border crossing (I feel like I rode some of Atacama in Peru last trip). But I love solitude and remoteness. It will come, I’m sure but I may have to wait until Puerto Montt and beyond. In the meantime, I’ll experience people, culture and dogs!

I met some beautiful people today but I’ll save that for another day, as I need to let off some steam about an article I recently read and some of the regular comments I get about cycling in South America. That will take some time and probably needs a trigger warning. Instead I’ll focus on the animal related events of the day.

My first dog chase was within the dirt boundaries. But being well-acquainted with these events now and having panniers for extra protection, I was cooler than previous trips. The dogs are everywhere and as chilled as those in Argentina. Just that one mental dog was perhaps an escapee from Peru or Bolivia. My one Attenborough moment was watching a snake just in front of me with his head high, gunning it across the road. The sun bounced off his skin as he slithered elegantly but with purpose, unaware perhaps of the speeding car approaching. I tried to wave the car to stop but alas, Sylvester the snake was obliterated, his tail still wiggling after his head was decimated. I was truly sad. I get I’m not Chilean and perhaps he was deadly, but surely, left to his own devices, harmless to humans and not looking for trouble.

One of the best things about coming away is when you can finally hear the countryside, listening to how the bird song changes, dependent on country and in America, region of country. Right now, I’m surrounded by parakeets and other sub-tropical birds. I wonder how that will change as I ride south.

Now, I wake up on my second morning, warm, dry and rested. I’m staying with Joanne, who has 6 dogs and 2 cats. She renovated her place herself and is a beautiful and peaceful human of about 40 years. She and her place of loving animals is quite different to the wrong place I turned up to down the road: a love shack hotel. I was pretty tired by then and would happily have taken a cottage and observed all the shenanigans going on. I wouldn’t have lasted long though as I passed out around 8pm!

I’ve managed now to get a route on my computer. I’ll follow it for now, but if it doesn’t get quiet enough for my liking and Ruta 5 continues to blight my dreams, I’ll be heading over the Andes for a while so let’s see! Hasta Luego, Amigos!

[amwult]

if i vanish over the weekend i died in a car crash btw. putting ~1400km on the odometer through snowy mountains.

[reportsofawartime]

速報: イランはファッタ極超音速ミサイル発射場面を初めて公開した。 航続距離: 1400km 速度: マッハ15

[oxalis-triangularis]

They found the lost radioactive capsule!!!

2 meters from the road, it was 6mm by 8mm and lost somewhere along its 1400km journey. Honestly surprised they found it this quickly, yet good going.

[kojidesu]

hey uh, im not from australia but im making this post in case some of you following me are:

theres a capsule of caesium that was lost in transportation in the australian outback. if you find any unindentified capsules report them immediately!! dont touch tha capsule and for the love of GOD dont attempt to open it in case its the caesium.

i cannot stress how dangerous caesium is and how much damage limited contact can cause. it is incredibly radioactive, it will make you sick, and can severely disfigure and/or kill you.

if you dont already know about caesium and dont believe its that dangerous, heres what happened to a city in brazil when it fell into the hands of unsuspecting civillians. i will warn that it is very graphic at points but radioactive materials are no joke. stay safe, australia!!!!

[grub-s]

i tell you what: it’s no slug-gate, but losing a caesium-137 capsule 6mm by 8mm somewhere along a 1400km stretch of remote highway is pretty fucking close

[agaapesblog]

아이슬란드 브롬톤 자전거여행ㅣ드론으로 담은 대자연과 라이딩ㅣ링로드 1400km 일주 Iceland Ring Road Brompto...

[tsllogisticsvn]

Logistics Việt Nam và những lợi thế về mặt vị trí địa lý

Việt Nam với lợi thế về tuyến đường bộ

Việt Nam tiếp giáp với Trung Quốc

Theo VNExpress, Trung Quốc là nơi có nền kinh tế lớn thứ hai trên thế giới, chiếm 18,5% nền kinh tế toàn cầu (2021). Trung Quốc là quốc gia hơn tỷ dân, không chỉ có nhu cầu tiêu thụ sản phẩm lớn mà còn là khu vực trung tâm trong việc sản xuất và xuất khẩu hàng hóa quan trọng, là một trong những quốc gia cung cấp nguồn hàng lớn nhất thế giới.

Việt Nam tiếp giáp với Trung Quốc về biên giới phía Bắc với độ dài hơn 1400km. Phía Bắc Việt Nam hiện có 7 cửa khẩu quốc tế, 6 cửa khẩu song phương và 21 cửa khẩu phụ với một số cửa khẩu quan trọng bao gồm: Cửa khẩu Hữu Nghị (Lạng Sơn), cửa khẩu Móng Cái (Quảng Ninh), cửa khẩu Lào Cai (Lào Cai), cửa khẩu Tân Thanh (Lạng Sơn).

[catonoire]

TOTOミュージアム

TOTOミュージアムを訪れた。トイレで有名な会社の企業ミュージアムである。ミュージアム公式サイトには擬似的に展示室を見て回れるバーチャルミュージアム / TOTO Museum: Virtual Museum (in 16 languages) も用意されている。

展示品はトイレにとどまらず多岐に渡っているのだが、個人的な好みと画像の枚数制限により、もっぱらトイレの写真を載せることにする。

下の画像は建築設備技術遺産の便器や便座、そして国産初の腰掛式水洗便器。

製陶会社なので食器もたくさん作っていた。

映像視聴コーナーの椅子がパステルカラーの便器型になっていて、とてもかわいい。中央から左手の奥に見えるのは便座製造のプロセスを解説するコーナー。

トイレ関連書籍などを読めるコーナー。

下の写真は、その名も「トイレバイク　ネオ」。エコで未来的な宣伝カーというふれこみで、座席に便座を載せ、トイレットペーパーも付け、バイオガスを燃料にして走る。2011年10月に小倉のTOTO本社を出発し、約1か月かけて東京のTOTOテクニカルセンターまで約1400kmを走破したとのこと。このことは全���知らなかったので、宣伝効果がどの程度あったのか少々疑問ではあるが……伊達や酔狂を真剣にやる感じがいい。

時代の変遷に合わせてトイレの変遷を見せるコーナー。展示には他社製品も使われている。

大便器の歴史。

小便器の歴史。

水洗タンクの歴史。

水洗タンクの水量の違いを示した展示。こういう視点はさすが本業のものだなと感じる。

温水洗浄便座の代名詞ともなったウォシュレットの歴史。

トイレまわりに欠かせない、水栓の歴史。これも自分のような素人にはなかなか気づけない視点を提供してくれる展示。

手洗い場、洗面所もトイレに欠かせない。

変わり種の衛生陶器。いちばん左は日本では馴染みのないビデ。残り３つは日本の事情に合わせて開発された、和風腰掛便器、女性も立って小用をたせる小便器、和風建築と調和するように作られた筒形小便器。ビデは知っていたが和風のあれこれは存在すら知らなかった。

サイズの異なる便器に腰掛けられるコーナー。お相撲さんサイズの便器は当然ながらその体重に耐えられる作りになっているそう。

トイレの展示が充実したミュージアムの来館者用トイレは果たしてどのようなものか、期待が高まる。

トイレへのアプローチ。人がいないときは明かりが消えており、人が通ると点灯する。この写真は自分が通って明かりがついたところを��影したもの。

手洗い場が壁際でなく中央にあり、水栓もおしゃれっぽい。

個人的にはこれまで見たことがないような、丸みを帯びたデザインの便器。

左は、節水型大便器と省エネ型ウォシュレットを使っていますよという表示。右はトイレ川柳大賞の紹介。ドア裏に貼ってあるので便座に腰掛けて読むことができる。

最後にミュージアムショップで便器型のアイテム（陶器のミニチュア便器と、便器型のホワイトチョコ）を購入。トイレ関連グッズはとてもTOTOらしいので、自分の楽しみ用途だけでなく、シャレの分かる人向けのお土産用途にもいいと思う。

[ladymalchav]

Good news, everyone! They found it!

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/feb/01/tiny-radioactive-capsule-lost-in-australian-outback-found-by-side-of-1400km-stretch-of-road

a tiny problem

this probably hasn't made the news in other countries - huge mining company Rio Tinto managed to lose this little capsule (8 x 6 mm) somewhere in West Australia:

it's caesium-137, the stuff that has made Chernobyl uninhabitable, and you don't want to be standing within 5-10 meters of it, because it's blasting out beta and gamma rays. you REALLY don't want to pick it up, because it'll give you radiation burns.

what's nuts is it seems to have somehow escaped from its "secure" container and fallen out of a bolt hole while being transported, and then nobody noticed for TWO WEEKS.

anyway there are fire fighters on their sixth day of scouring 1,400 km (!) of desert road right now, but it's so small that it may never be found (I think the detection radius with the equipment they're using is maybe 20m). it's so small that it could have stuck in a car's tire treads, or been picked up by an unfortunate bird or other wildlife. it has a half-life of 30 years, which means it'll be dangerously radioactive for centuries.

it's just an incredible fuckup on so many levels.

[agtv7004]

(태풍 6호 카눈은 강풍역 1400km 대형태풍입니다에서)

[joshuawithers]

Sitting in a Starbucks in Kona just now and a family of four Brits fresh off the Quantum of the Seas cruise ship which just arrived in town. That’s the ship that lost a passenger overboard 1400km south of here. Apparently the person’s nickname/codename onboard the ship is “Old Mate”. I guess this is what it feels like to be a minority.

[petnews2day]

A 1400km drive to save a puppy, 3 legged dog epidemic + a quick peek into our team's homes | Vlog 22

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/4MEvz

A 1400km drive to save a puppy, 3 legged dog epidemic + a quick peek into our team's homes | Vlog 22

Feb 16 00:00 – Raaja And Choo choo Won’t Allow Robin To Enter Animal Area 00:26 – Lavaris, The Unlucky Pet Is Now The Leader Of All Chickens 00:37 – When Robin Almost Stepped Over Choo choo 00:50 – An Important Message Feb 18 01:14 – Summers Have Already Started In Himachal 01:22 – Lavaris […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/4MEvz #CatCareVideos