Patagonia

Coyhaique was a nice break from Route 7 with its fancy restaurants and big grocery stores. I got lost in the Super Todo store wandering through all of the aisles of stuff. It was well named because I do believe they actually had everything. It was tempting to buy a ton of food but I have pretty limited space on my rig and kept it to the basics. I just have one gripe with Chile – no peanut butter! This is a major kink in a long distance cycling plan. I can’t find it anywhere. There was a report of it at a mini market just out of town but it was closed when I got there so I bought local honey instead.

I played with Gigi’s dogs Luna and Marta in the backyard for a bit in the morning and then headed out for my ride to my next campsite. Gigi was such a great host – we bonded as dog lovers and recyclers. She noticed my WhatsApp profile picture of Chuck and we had a good time exchanging dog photos. Las mascotas son familia! She had set up an extensive recycling station in the back of her hostel and I marveled at how much material she was able to capture for reuse. She even had a huge jar of batteries that she had been collecting over the years from travelers. I left with great vibes from the connections we made and she offered to help me during my trip. The traffic out of Coyhaique was pretty intense but it dropped off to nothing once I got about 20 miles out of town. There was quite a bit of climbing on this section so I stopped for a long roadside lunch at a bus stop and then into the Cerro Castillo National Park and the beginning of Patagonia.

The route through the park was stunning! The river alongside the road was running strong and the mountains were still covered in snow. The road wound through some pretty narrow canyons and the wind was pretty intense. I was pushing pretty hard to keep going forward – even on the downhill sections. I was pretty spent after about fifty miles so I found a secret camp spot in the woods and set up my gear to spend a lazy afternoon reading and catching up on my hydration.

The next morning was an easy quick finish over the summit and then a screaming fun downhill into Villa Cerro Castillo. I got into town way too early and all of the stores were closed. I was able to pick up some bars and a coffee at the gas station and then headed out for a long remote stretch due west into the stiff wind. A few miles out of town, I came across a sign warning of the end of the pavement. This was the last bit of asphalt that I would get to enjoy for the rest of the trip – the remaining route will be gravel. I enjoyed the last few moments of smooth sailing and tried to keep my head down and fight the wind.

The headwind was going to be pretty intense for the next twenty five miles so I put on some music and started my Garmin to keep track of my progress. I started taking mini breaks every five miles or so to refill water from the stream and give my legs a chance to recover. As I was stopped getting water out of a small waterfall, I met some really friendly cyclists from Italy. They were on their second day of riding and eager to chat. We road together for most of the rest of the day. Since we were planning to end in Villa O’Higgins around the same time, we exchanged WhatsApp contact information so we could stay in touch.

I was planning to stay at a nice resort along the river but it was closed when I got there. A nice man that was helping out with construction came out to the fence and explained that they were closed until December but invited me in for some water and an apple. It was just another ten miles to the next small town so I got back on the bike and headed down the road. I found another great farm stay at a place called Residencial Patagonia owned by two very sweet women. They had a tidy room ready for me and made me a great dinner. I was pretty wiped out after the nearly eighty mile ride in headwinds and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

My legs are screaming for a day off so I have booked a place in the next town for two nights. I’m ridiculously ahead of schedule to get into Villa O’Higgins and I’m looking forward to finding some good hikes and swimming in the next town. It’s time to do laundry again and take a long nap. I spent some time with the sweet cats outside of my hostel this morning and packed up by rig and headed back onto the gravel.