Day 10: Running out of gas

The 5am alarm seemed to come too early this morning. Ray said he didn't sleep a wink last night, his legs spasming until morning. He's exhausted - understandably after such a big effort yesterday - but he's still keen on pushing.

We start running by 7:30am on a quiet rural road. It's a beautiful morning with a warm breeze gently rolling in from the South and there's not a cloud in the sky but Ray is hurting. Yesterday's run aggravated a seemingly innocuous blister in his little toe and now it's infected. We make it through 20 km's and decide to investigate the toe a little further. We see streaks of red radiating from the toe and recognize the injury requires further care.

We head into town and have his toe checked out at the local hospital. The doctor on duty concurs with our observations and prescribes antibiotics to deal with the infection. The service is fast and efficient but we're shocked by the cost: free! Medical care in Argentina costs nothing, even for foreigners. It's a very pleasant surprise.

Coinciding with this hiccup, we're confronted with another surprise, this one, for North Americans anyhow, comes completely out of left field. This entire region of Argentina is out of gas.

Days ago, in the community of Uspallata, I was curious about the huge line-ups at the local gas station and attributed it to the remoteness of the town. I realize now it was due to the scarcity of the gas.

After countless calls to communities in the region, we discover there is no fuel anywhere save one gas station some distance away that might still have stock. We have no choice but to investigate. The running expedition is put on hold and our support crew makes the dash while we wait and worry. No gas means no movement. No movement means no expedition.

We wait at a local gas station watching with amusement as vehicles arrive at the pumps only to be turned away. It's a strange feeling, seeing this complete dependence on fuel, but there it is, our modern reality. I can't help but remember the Mel Gibson post apocalyptic film Mad Max where a world spirals into anarchy because of the scarcity of fuel. We chat with an elderly man from Arizona, traveling with wife, nervous and unsure what to do next. "It's not something I ever anticipated" he says. "Us too", we concur.

Good luck shines our way. Our fuel quest is a success. We're back on track for another few days anyhow.