zach
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Photos: Villa O´Higgins to Cochrane
and so here we go. not sure how many i just uploaded but i think it was quite afew. let me know if you like them, hopefully the answer is yes! im starving so i guess that means im out. catch you all lates! chao!!
zach
zach
Cochrane
Welp we just arrived in Cochrane yesterday evening. After heading out of Villa O´Higgins we had planned to stay in Caleta Tortel for a couple of days, and after reaching Fjordo Michell on the second day, we crossed by ferry to the other side. Caleta Tortel is a small city of about 450 people situated on an inlet, maybe 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean? Something like that, but don´t quote me. Their original economy was based on fishing, but has since converted to logging. They cut Cypress trees and supply most of the south with wooden posts for the estancias on the pampa. The entire city lacks traditional roads and are connected completely by over 7 km of wooden planks. It is a very unique and intriguing place to visit. Upon arrival we met two cyclists headed out of the city, which as it turns out, one of them was from Seattle, Kirkland no doubt. The first Washatonian I´ve met on this trip. We spent two nights and almost two full days there in Tortel. We took lots of photos, so be sure and check those out. I´ll be posting those immediately after this entry.
After heading out of Tortel we made good time, and were able to ride nearly 55 km. From Tortel to Cochrane it was apparently about 115 km and by the end of the first day we had about 62 km left to get to Cochrane.
And so we rolled out of camp at about 11 am or so. It was a slow start, but we reached the other side of a steep climb and it was 4 pm. We figured we had about 22 km left but we were getting to Cochrane no matter what, so we pushed on. After climbing some more, and enduring the badly washboarded roads, we paused on a bridge and we only had 5 km to go. After making the final push, we kept riding and riding and after 5 km, no Cochrane. Not surprising that the distance sign was wrong. We´ve found that it is an all too common occurence in Chile and Argentina. We ended up having to push 10 more km than we thought we´d have to, but we arrived in Cochrane and after stopping at a gas station we were referred to Hosteria La Sureña. After snagging a couple of beds, we headed out for a Lomito, Papas Fritas and a couple of beers.
Now we´re here, enjoying the sun, biding our time before we head north to Cohayique. I guess that´s it. We´ve gone over 1600 km, which means we´ve surpassed 1000 miles. Thats pretty spectacular I think :P haha anyhow, I hope you enjoy the photos. Until next time, chao chao!
Zach
After heading out of Tortel we made good time, and were able to ride nearly 55 km. From Tortel to Cochrane it was apparently about 115 km and by the end of the first day we had about 62 km left to get to Cochrane.
And so we rolled out of camp at about 11 am or so. It was a slow start, but we reached the other side of a steep climb and it was 4 pm. We figured we had about 22 km left but we were getting to Cochrane no matter what, so we pushed on. After climbing some more, and enduring the badly washboarded roads, we paused on a bridge and we only had 5 km to go. After making the final push, we kept riding and riding and after 5 km, no Cochrane. Not surprising that the distance sign was wrong. We´ve found that it is an all too common occurence in Chile and Argentina. We ended up having to push 10 more km than we thought we´d have to, but we arrived in Cochrane and after stopping at a gas station we were referred to Hosteria La Sureña. After snagging a couple of beds, we headed out for a Lomito, Papas Fritas and a couple of beers.
Now we´re here, enjoying the sun, biding our time before we head north to Cohayique. I guess that´s it. We´ve gone over 1600 km, which means we´ve surpassed 1000 miles. Thats pretty spectacular I think :P haha anyhow, I hope you enjoy the photos. Until next time, chao chao!
Zach
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Photo Post: El Chalten to Villa O´Higgins
so here we go with the new collection of photos. only a short distance covered so not many new ones, but i think theyre pretty decent. anyhow its waaaay late and im waaaay tired so im gonna call it a night. hope you enjoy the new photos. until later, hasta luego, chao!
zach
zach
Villa O´Higgins
hola! estamos en villa o´higgins and back in chile! we had a crazy 3 day trip from el chalten to our current destination of villa o´higgins. just one more story to chalk up on the board on the duration of this long journey. our first day out from el chalten to lago del desierto was quite enjoyable. we had amazing views of fitz roy, some wind, but it wasnt bad. we saw two waterfalls and ended up camping next to a river.
the next day we were on a ferry to cross lago del desierto. once across it was barely after 11 am and we had the entire day to get across the 5 km trail. we didnt really know what we were in for. we had heard horror stories, worried looks on peoples faces when they saw our trailers and we told them lago del desierto, but the day before a man told us it was only the 1st hour that was hard then it was ok. for some reason all the previous horror stories disappeared and we only thought of the man on the last day. we checked out of argentina and loaded our trailers, packs, everything excluding our bikes onto our backs and started up the trail. super difficult for me. i pushed my bike and carried my pack for 20 minutes before giving up and ditched my bike. thomas was just up ahead and the next two hours we struggled up the trail. eventually we came to a muddy creek and i stopped to drop my pack and return for my bike. we made 4 trips total. two for the packs and two for the bikes before we made it to the chile/argentina border. it was probably the most difficult thing physically i have ever done in my entire life. by the time we had our trailers put back together it was nearly dusk when we rolled down the less than adequate one lane road that would ultimately lead us to lago o´higgins. we made it to the washed out bridge, and found the small alternate foot bridge just up river. we crossed and camped about 5 km up the road beneath a tall forested section. we were both exhausted and fell asleep quickly.
yesterday, the 3rd day in this crazy escapade we had about 10 km to ride before we arrived at the shores of lago o´higgins. we did so on treacherous roads. steep loose gravel sections but amazing vistas, we slowly made our way down. about 1 km from the chilean border post i looked back and the right wheel from my trailer was almost falling off. we stopped and made a quick repair and after crossing into chile officially we arrived at the ferry dock on lago o´higgins. the ferry arrived at 530ish but then we realized the time change was one hour so we fell back an hour and it was 430. the lake was super high. and the dock was nearly covered over completely by water. once on the ferry we relaxed and took in the view from the bow until the wind was too strong and the water was crashing into the boat. we arrived around 730 pm and it was pitch black by the time we landed and were underway to the pueblo of villa o´higgins. it was an exhilirating 7 km ride into town, flying through the dark, along the lake and eventually into town.
now we´re here relaxing in the town of villa o´higgins. completely surrounded by steeo green mountains, under the all too common cloud cover and thick patagonian mist. we´ll leave tomorrow and head north to the next pueblo of puerto yungay, 100 km away. it should be exciting. haha id love to write more but im super hungry so i think ill grab some food. tonight we have salad, potatoes, and beef, prepared for us by the hosts of el mosco hostel :] delcious! haha ok chao chao!
zach
the next day we were on a ferry to cross lago del desierto. once across it was barely after 11 am and we had the entire day to get across the 5 km trail. we didnt really know what we were in for. we had heard horror stories, worried looks on peoples faces when they saw our trailers and we told them lago del desierto, but the day before a man told us it was only the 1st hour that was hard then it was ok. for some reason all the previous horror stories disappeared and we only thought of the man on the last day. we checked out of argentina and loaded our trailers, packs, everything excluding our bikes onto our backs and started up the trail. super difficult for me. i pushed my bike and carried my pack for 20 minutes before giving up and ditched my bike. thomas was just up ahead and the next two hours we struggled up the trail. eventually we came to a muddy creek and i stopped to drop my pack and return for my bike. we made 4 trips total. two for the packs and two for the bikes before we made it to the chile/argentina border. it was probably the most difficult thing physically i have ever done in my entire life. by the time we had our trailers put back together it was nearly dusk when we rolled down the less than adequate one lane road that would ultimately lead us to lago o´higgins. we made it to the washed out bridge, and found the small alternate foot bridge just up river. we crossed and camped about 5 km up the road beneath a tall forested section. we were both exhausted and fell asleep quickly.
yesterday, the 3rd day in this crazy escapade we had about 10 km to ride before we arrived at the shores of lago o´higgins. we did so on treacherous roads. steep loose gravel sections but amazing vistas, we slowly made our way down. about 1 km from the chilean border post i looked back and the right wheel from my trailer was almost falling off. we stopped and made a quick repair and after crossing into chile officially we arrived at the ferry dock on lago o´higgins. the ferry arrived at 530ish but then we realized the time change was one hour so we fell back an hour and it was 430. the lake was super high. and the dock was nearly covered over completely by water. once on the ferry we relaxed and took in the view from the bow until the wind was too strong and the water was crashing into the boat. we arrived around 730 pm and it was pitch black by the time we landed and were underway to the pueblo of villa o´higgins. it was an exhilirating 7 km ride into town, flying through the dark, along the lake and eventually into town.
now we´re here relaxing in the town of villa o´higgins. completely surrounded by steeo green mountains, under the all too common cloud cover and thick patagonian mist. we´ll leave tomorrow and head north to the next pueblo of puerto yungay, 100 km away. it should be exciting. haha id love to write more but im super hungry so i think ill grab some food. tonight we have salad, potatoes, and beef, prepared for us by the hosts of el mosco hostel :] delcious! haha ok chao chao!
zach
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Mount Fitz Roy
Today we woke up to clear sunny skies and finally, a view of Fitz Roy! It was amazing! It was like Christmas morning, looking outside, realizing what we had, trying to get shoes on and our camera´s in hand. We had a pre-planned hike, and after snapping afew quickies, we grabbed our gear and headed out. It was a long day, we hiked along the Lago Capri trail and arrived at the lago in about an hour and a half. We were rewarded with amazing views of Fitz Roy all day. We then hiked down to Laguna Madre, ate lunch, and hiked down to Laguna Hija where we paused on the shore. We then hiked down and met the Laguna Torre trail and that led us down back to town. I know these trail names mean nothing to you, but if you look it up, maybe it will help. idk. Anyhow, we hiked a long ways and ended up getting back a little after 5 pm. Now we´re uploading photos and planning our exit from Chalten. Probably we´ll leave on leaving town monday I think. We´ve got to get supplies, food, and other things and we´ll probably have to wait for a ferry across Lago O´higgins until next saturday. We´ll see how things go. Ok I´m out, hopefully you enjoy the entry and the photos, chao.
Zach
Zach
Thursday, March 12, 2009
El Chalten
So finally we are here in El Chalten. We arrived in town yesterday just after 5 pm. This last stretch was an enjoyable one. After spending two anxious extra days in El Calafate we rode out of town on monday a little after 2 pm. It was hot and the sun was out. The sky was perfectly blue, and there were very few clouds.
The first 32 km we had the wind to our backs and we were able to cruise down to the junction with the famous Ruta 40. Once there we had a slight sidewind as we rode up the eastern shore of Lago Argentino.
Most of the day the wind was slight, it was only near the end, as we found ourselves on a grueling 4 km climb that the wind grew stronger. once at the top we decided to call it day. Ahead we spotted a house and went to see if camping was possible. As we rolled up a woman came out to greet us, and she said it was indeed possible to camp. And so we did.
Later in the evening someone rolled up and it was the woman´s husband, his name was Simon. He came out to greet us, and explain that if we needed anything, he would be in the house. Even later, as we were eating dinner, he came out and shared maté with us. The first time either of us had tried it. I must say, now we´re hooked.
That day we rode nearly 80 km. It was a good day.
The following morning we again shared maté. Simon and his wife, Ana Lisa invited us inside for tea and coffee. Simon showed us photos of condors and pieces of petrified wood. We thanked them for their hospitality and were on the road by 12 pm. We began the day under clear skies and light wind but 20 km down the road we encountered wind, and the end of the pavement! I couldn´t believe it. For the next 15 - 20 km we were on gravel roads and in amongst construction crews prepping the gravel road for paving. We stopped about 35 km out at Hotel La Leona. A historic landmark of the region, where none other than Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid came to hideout from the law. For five years they evaded capture until they were killed in a gunfight in Bolivia. The prices were high and the service wasn´t as good as it should have been. We rode out over Rio La Leona and 5 km out we hit pavement, and for the first time we were able to see Lago Veidma. From there we continued down the road for 20 or so km until we reached Ruta 23 junction and that was our cue to turn left and head down the final leg to El Chalten. One sign said 94 km to El Chalten, another said 90, and yet another said 89 km. I think all mileage posts in Argentina and Chile should contain a +/- 5 km because they never seem to be in agreeance. At that point we were just hoping to roll another 10 km, that way we would have only 80 km to El Chalten for the next day. Well, we kept going, eventually the wind died down, and we both felt great, so we kept going until we rolled down alongside Lago Viedma. We ended up rolling an additional 16 km further than we had initially intended.
Just down the way we spied an estancia and we opted to stop and inquire if it was possible to camp there for the night. They said it was fine, and we spent the night beneath the tall pines of Estancia San Martin.
The following morning we were on the road by 11 am and cruising slowly, but steadily towards El Chalten. Barely 10 km out I spotted an Armadillo on the side of the road. Thomas and I both jumped off our bikes and went to photograph it. We must have spent 25 minutes there laying on our stomachs just feet from the creature. Really amazing to see an animal like that up close. Not sure how rare it is, but I consider both of us very fortunate.
Later in the day we were rewarded with amazing views of Mount Fitz Roy in the distance. That was something for motivation. Also at that point, the roads became very straight and flat and it seemed as though we were riding on a treadmill.
The winds picked up. And to pass the boredom we both listened to our ipods. In the distance we could see the road winding up into the mountains. A long climb was inevitable.
With 20 km left we stopped for a snack and then made the final push. Thomas and I were both pushing as hard as we could. We both wanted to roll into El Chalten first. It was quite the ride and we ended up rolling into town together.
El Chalten is nestled in the mountains at the base of Fitz Roy and its not possible to see the town until you´re 1 km away. The clouds have obscured our view of the famous peak, but we´ve been fortunate to see everything else on this trip, so it´s ok.
We´re camping at a free campsite now. We might stay here for a couple of days. Do some hiking. Then head out for Lago del Desierto and Villa O´higgins where we begin the Carretera Austral. There are trees here in El Chalten.
We´re hoping that signifies the lessening of the winds. But we´re not holding our breath. We´ve gone over 1400 km now. It´s really just good times now.
I think I´ll head back to camp and take some maté. I miss everyone and hope you are all well. Until next time. Chao!
Zach
The first 32 km we had the wind to our backs and we were able to cruise down to the junction with the famous Ruta 40. Once there we had a slight sidewind as we rode up the eastern shore of Lago Argentino.
Most of the day the wind was slight, it was only near the end, as we found ourselves on a grueling 4 km climb that the wind grew stronger. once at the top we decided to call it day. Ahead we spotted a house and went to see if camping was possible. As we rolled up a woman came out to greet us, and she said it was indeed possible to camp. And so we did.
Later in the evening someone rolled up and it was the woman´s husband, his name was Simon. He came out to greet us, and explain that if we needed anything, he would be in the house. Even later, as we were eating dinner, he came out and shared maté with us. The first time either of us had tried it. I must say, now we´re hooked.
That day we rode nearly 80 km. It was a good day.
The following morning we again shared maté. Simon and his wife, Ana Lisa invited us inside for tea and coffee. Simon showed us photos of condors and pieces of petrified wood. We thanked them for their hospitality and were on the road by 12 pm. We began the day under clear skies and light wind but 20 km down the road we encountered wind, and the end of the pavement! I couldn´t believe it. For the next 15 - 20 km we were on gravel roads and in amongst construction crews prepping the gravel road for paving. We stopped about 35 km out at Hotel La Leona. A historic landmark of the region, where none other than Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid came to hideout from the law. For five years they evaded capture until they were killed in a gunfight in Bolivia. The prices were high and the service wasn´t as good as it should have been. We rode out over Rio La Leona and 5 km out we hit pavement, and for the first time we were able to see Lago Veidma. From there we continued down the road for 20 or so km until we reached Ruta 23 junction and that was our cue to turn left and head down the final leg to El Chalten. One sign said 94 km to El Chalten, another said 90, and yet another said 89 km. I think all mileage posts in Argentina and Chile should contain a +/- 5 km because they never seem to be in agreeance. At that point we were just hoping to roll another 10 km, that way we would have only 80 km to El Chalten for the next day. Well, we kept going, eventually the wind died down, and we both felt great, so we kept going until we rolled down alongside Lago Viedma. We ended up rolling an additional 16 km further than we had initially intended.
Just down the way we spied an estancia and we opted to stop and inquire if it was possible to camp there for the night. They said it was fine, and we spent the night beneath the tall pines of Estancia San Martin.
The following morning we were on the road by 11 am and cruising slowly, but steadily towards El Chalten. Barely 10 km out I spotted an Armadillo on the side of the road. Thomas and I both jumped off our bikes and went to photograph it. We must have spent 25 minutes there laying on our stomachs just feet from the creature. Really amazing to see an animal like that up close. Not sure how rare it is, but I consider both of us very fortunate.
Later in the day we were rewarded with amazing views of Mount Fitz Roy in the distance. That was something for motivation. Also at that point, the roads became very straight and flat and it seemed as though we were riding on a treadmill.
The winds picked up. And to pass the boredom we both listened to our ipods. In the distance we could see the road winding up into the mountains. A long climb was inevitable.
With 20 km left we stopped for a snack and then made the final push. Thomas and I were both pushing as hard as we could. We both wanted to roll into El Chalten first. It was quite the ride and we ended up rolling into town together.
El Chalten is nestled in the mountains at the base of Fitz Roy and its not possible to see the town until you´re 1 km away. The clouds have obscured our view of the famous peak, but we´ve been fortunate to see everything else on this trip, so it´s ok.
We´re camping at a free campsite now. We might stay here for a couple of days. Do some hiking. Then head out for Lago del Desierto and Villa O´higgins where we begin the Carretera Austral. There are trees here in El Chalten.
We´re hoping that signifies the lessening of the winds. But we´re not holding our breath. We´ve gone over 1400 km now. It´s really just good times now.
I think I´ll head back to camp and take some maté. I miss everyone and hope you are all well. Until next time. Chao!
Zach
Sunday, March 8, 2009
stuck
looks like we´re stuck in calafate. wanted to leave yesterday but we´re having issues attaining the funds we need to last us nearly a month as we travel up the carretera austral. if we´re lucky we´ll be out of here tomorrow, but if we´re not so lucky then hopefully no later than tuesday. it all depends on a couple of things so we´re keeping our fingers crossed. tonight i think we´ll go out. maybe. we´ll see. catch you all later. chao.
zach
zach
Friday, March 6, 2009
small things
haha lots on my mind...trying to deal with things...mann the last leg of this trip we rode for 11 straight days it was incredible! lost track of time, no idea what day it was, and it didnt matter! its a mental battle sometimes to get back on the bike day after day, some days suck, other days are amazing, sometimes i ask myself why am i doing this? i would rather just hop on a bus and get there in a single day rather than ride my bike and take 4 days to do it. and i think about everything: home, friends, family, my dog, my mom, my jeep, vee and all that crap, i think about you, think about after the trip, going back to school, work, traveling elsewhere...i write poetry, take photos, make attempts to enjoy everything as much as possible!
one night when we were camping in the shadow of los cuernos in torres del paine, thomas, jacob and i were out in the pouring rain dicing up potatoes and we were cooking them until 11 pm! the only ppl outside of our tent and we had a great time! fuck the rain! we had a good time and it´s great and good times like that that make this trip amazing!
im out. hopefully in chalten soon. chao.
zach
one night when we were camping in the shadow of los cuernos in torres del paine, thomas, jacob and i were out in the pouring rain dicing up potatoes and we were cooking them until 11 pm! the only ppl outside of our tent and we had a great time! fuck the rain! we had a good time and it´s great and good times like that that make this trip amazing!
im out. hopefully in chalten soon. chao.
zach
Thursday, March 5, 2009
perito moreno
wow so perito moreno was incredible. if you search for it on google you´ll see what im talking about. or you could just check out the photos im about to post. anyhow, perito moreno, heres the basic run down. its part of the south american glacier, the largest glacier in the world. it just so happens santiago or buenos aires could sit on top of this glacier with relative ease. perito moreno just happens to 5 km wide, 60 meters high, and 30 km long. we took a boat ride up close and mann was it impressive. just breathtaking, massive, awe inspiring, incredible! those kinds of words come to mind when looking back on the experience. i took lots of photos so get ready for some sweet shots. hmm i guess thats about it. we´re still here in el calafate, which, as we found out today, just so happens to be the most expensive city in all of argentina. great news for us, not. haha the sooner we roll out to el chalten the better. that may or may not be this saturday. anyhow, im out, check out the photos and take it easy! until next time! chao!
zach
zach
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