Along the M5 from Marker 1249km to 1122km (127 km)

We get out the WhisperLite liquid-fuel camp stove (thanks for the loan Richard vdH). We could not find any appropriate burning fuel so we had to resort to the next best thing, diesel. Diesel is not the cleanest fuel to use for the stove but we needed to make some food. We are very pleased with our supper which consists of 5minute noodles and tuna with coffee. Our tents are useless on the lunar landscape surface. Tents in the open also draw too much attention.

By now, just after 8 o' clock the truck traffic on the road starts to slow down and we settle in after watching to moon rise over the Atacama. Tonight’s the first time we are sleeping in the car and it reminds me a bit of sleeping in an airplane. But wait ….this is our first time sleeping in the desert and boy-O-boy did we get it wrong. At 3 o'clock in the morning we are physically throttled by the cold. It must have been 2 degrees out there. We share Curt’s sleeping bag and salvage whatever sleep we still had left.
By 6h30 the next morning when I leave it is still bloody cold. I prepared myself for this as I brought along some cycling clothes to combat some of the cold. Thirty (30) km down the road it starts to heat up and I peel off the layers. The truck traffic picks up and is no different than before. In some places it can become just a tad hectic. The road shoulder is wide enough and there is ample space for all road users including me. Meanwhile Curt goes ahead and gets us breakfast. It is not long before we are having coffee and rolls on the side of the road. Soon its back to the road.

At the truck stop,  Agua Verde, we have lunch and after 14h30 I am back on the road for another2 hours before we stop and find a place to sleep at one of those truck stops on the side of the road. Its another night in the car but this time we are prepared with both our sleeping bags.