Jirira, Bolivia
Tire tracks on wet salt look icy.
Cycling on the salt flats today reminded me of driving on an ice-covered lake. Salt has a crystalline structure, and so does ice. The Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt desert, is about 130 km long by 130 km wide ( 80 miles²). That’s twice the size of Lake of the Woods (the bump on the northern border of Minnesota), much bigger than Lake Mille Lacs. Watch out for slushy spots, water eyes (think ice fishing holes) and open water. Our bikes got covered in salt slush, just like winter biking in Minnesota, but today’s temp was 30C (86F). Other differences from North Woods lakes include: cacti growing on the islands, vicuňas grazing, flamingos in the open water, and volcanos on the shore. We got in early enough to do our laundry at the pleasant Posada Doňa Lupe, where we met Phillipe Boulet-Gercourt. He is the American correspondent for the French magazine Nouveau Observer, doing a story on lithium extraction from the salt flats. Lithium is the key ingredient for electric car batteries, and the world’s largest source is here.
Someone shoveled a skating rink out on the salar.
Derailleur coated with salt slush.
A water eye. (But this one looks like a mouth)
