So we were in Cochrane for 3 nights. The last two we had rain and by the following morning it was no different. So instead of sitting around waiting for the rain to stop we decided to try and head out for Puerto Betrand, a small pueblo about 50 km from Cochrane. Well we rolled out in the rain and got up the first hill and stopped to fill up our gas can. As we continued to ride we soon realized that the rain was not going to let up and we were getting ourselves primed for getting nowhere that day. Thomas was weakened significantly from being sick the past couple of days and riding a bike through the pouring rain wasn´t going to help that. It was then, after struggling for 2 hours, that we decided hitching might not be a bad option. A couple cars passed and finally we decided to try flagging someone down. I saw a car with 3 people, including a child in the front seat and thought we had no chance. I was shocked when they pulled over and immediately began loading our gear into their small pickup. Only question was where we were headed. Turns out they were headed for Bertrand. Perfect! And so that was that. Insert end of rainy day ride here. In 45 minutes we were in Bertrand and soon thereafter we were out of wet clothes and relaxing with warm drinks on a comfortable bed. That was a good day.
The following morning was brilliant. We thought the weather might continue to be rain and cold but when we looked outside, we saw snow on the high peaks, and bright sun on the deep blue of the nearby rio. We loaded up and were riding up the hill and out of Bertrand by 12 pm. As we did so, we looked up ahead and saw two other cyclists. It was none other than Thaigo and Ralph! The ones we´d met in El Chalten and taken the ferry across Lago O´Higgins with! We couldn´t believe it! Just that morning we´d discussed where they could possibly be. Coyhaique, I´d said. It turns out no! They were in the same place we were! We discussed possible options, where we´d been, how we´d come to be in the same small place, and what our future plans were. As it turns out, about 15 km down the road they would be splitting off to head east to Chile Chico and cross Lago General Carrera, while we would head North on the Carretera and go through Cerro Castillo from Puerto Tranquilo. Going this way would allow us to see Las Catedrales de Marmol (The Marble Cathedrals). That day we thought we could make it all the way to the Cathedrals and Puerto Tranquilo, but Thomas was still weak and we decided to try and shoot for El Leone, a peublo situated at the west end of Lago General Carrera. The day was nice (actually any day with no rain on the Carretera is a nice one) and we arrived at El Leone in the late afternoon, early evening, to find that the pueblo consisted of two houses, one of which was occupied by an older man who was outside chopping wood. We decided to ask if camping was possible. We did so and he said yes, but that there was a location just down the way that offered paid camping. Apparently they allowed fires to be made and facilities to be used. So we said thank you and headed off that way. Once there it looked as if no one was home, and peering inside it looked almost as though it was some sort of community center, but for what community we weren´t sure. We looked around and decided on a spot for the tent that was out of the wind and had protection from rain. At about this time the man was walking down the road towards us. We went to meet him, and he looked displeased. We were confused when we seemed angry and told us to get out. When we stood there and stared back with bewildered looks on our faces he threatened to call the Carabiñeros. We just got on our bikes and headed out down the road. We´re still not sure what happened. He was either drunk or had it out for americans. That night we camped out under a bridge, near a river about 7 km from that spot. If you´re ever on the Carretera Austral, and your map shows a town at El Leone, don´t stop haha, just keep going.
The next day, we had heard previously that the weather would be good, and it was. It would be a nice ride down into Puerto Tranquilo and good weather for viewing the Marble Cathedrals. We rode up and down the hills next to Lago General Carrera, and had amazing views all day. I wondered where Thaigo and Ralph were on the other side.
Around 1 pm we arrived at a sign that said: Las Catedrales de Marmol, and rode down to the bottom. When we arrived we saw a boat heading out. A man came out to greet us, and he told us that the men in the boat were heading to Puerto Tranquilo, and he thought they would be back around 4 or 5 pm. That left us with about 3 hrs to kill. We did so by doing a combination of sitting around, talking with the guy, petting his dog, exploring, and hacky sacking. By the time 4 pm rolled around, the guy put his hands up and said he did not know when they would be back. So we said ok, and decided to head out while there was still daylight. Unfortunately at the top of the hill we saw the boat arriving. Bummer, but no worries. We had only 6 km to roll until we arrived in Puerto Tranquilo. Once there, we grabbed some food and discussed our options. For the day we´d only gone about 27 km, but with the daylight fading we decided to bunk down for the night in the town and head out the following morning.
From Puerto Tranquilo we had about 120 km to Villa Cerro Castillo. We figured we could manage that distance in two days. The day we headed out it was sunny and the barometer was up above 1000 mb. We rode out of town under pristine skies. That day was quite enjoyable. Lots of photos and we made good time as well.
At the junction with Puerto Murta we paused for lunch before continuing on away from Lago General Carrera into the mountains towards Cerro Castillo.
We cruised down valleys along rivers, and steep snowy mountainsides and had a relatively flat day. We were shooting for 60 km, but at 53 km we spotted an amazing campsite and we decided to call it and bunk down.
We made a fire and ate spaghetti. We had 67 km the following day to ride to Villa Cerro Castillo.
On our last day into Cerro Castillo we awoke to rain on the tent. Thinking it would be another rainy day, we lay inside the tent for awhile not wanting to get out. Slowly it began to let up. We got out on the road early that day, by 10 am we were riding up the road. I was geared up for the worst, rain pants, rain jacket, and shoe covers. By the end of the day i had shed all of it. We made incredibly good time. Initially we encountered drizzly conditions as we rode up through southern temperate rainforests to an adjacent valley. Austral parakeets, tall canopy-like trees, and thick mists were our morning. After the initial 10 km of climbs, we cruised downhill to Valle Rio Ibañez on exceptional roads. We had covered nearly 35 km in under 2 hours. After reaching Rio Ibañez we encountered the typical cruddy roads and that slowed our pace. By the late afternoon we were paused on a bridge for a snack with about 15 km left. The sun was still out. Not a single raindrop after the morning. Next we found ourselves on a steep climb that lasted nearly 5 km and was made more difficult by 2 inches of mud. Eventually we reached the top and I thought it may be all downhill to the town, but it was not to be as we had just dropped down into yet another valley, which we would have to climb out of. Being in that valley, it was very apparent that autumn had come. Riding out of the valley, the climb wasn´t very steep, it was just made more difficult by the thick mud. Eventually we reached the top and had a lovely 5 km descent into Villa Cerro Castillo. It was great to be reaching another town. It was incredibly small, but we found a cheap hostel. That night we drank microbrew and ate good food (the best Lomo Al Lo Pobre I´ve ever had on this trip) and chatted with an older couple from Australia. They told us they´d cycled across america in 1978, and the guy had just spent a month in antarctica. Definitely not your average older couple. We didnt know if we would head out the next day or not. It was a weather dependent departure.
All night it rained, in fact, all night it poured, and I was dreading the following morning if it was still pouring. We walked into town and bought bread, strawberry jame, butter, and honey and when we returned to eat it was still raining. By 11 am it seemed to be letting up. The barometer confirmed that It might be clearing out, so we geared up and headed out. We were on the road by 1230. Looking behind us we decided that we´d been duped as Valle Rio Ibañez was filling with gray cloud and rain. When we were 9 km outside of town the rain caught us I stopped to put on my rain gear. Thomas rode up, and told me he was feeling super weak, and his knee was shot. We decided it was best to try and hitch a ride. We pulled over and waited inside a bus stop for 3 hours. We´d seen cars coming down from the pass with snow on their windshields.
Maybe it was best we didn´t try and ride over the pass. By 5 pm we hadn´t been picked up. A gaucho who owned an estancia adjacent to the bus stop came out and offered us refuge from the cold and rain. We took him up on his deal and spent the night by the fire drinking coffee and eating homemade bread and jam. I am still amazed by the hospitality of some people down here. So quick some people are to offer all they have for complete strangers. We slept well that night.
This morning we woke up early and we were headed out to the bus stop by 8 am. The rain was all but gone and on the mountains, fresh snow and sunlight. The valley was beginning to show signs of fall; most of the trees tinged with red. As we stood at the bus stop, Thomas was ready to suck it up and head over the pass. I was ready for a ride to Coyhaique. One car passed, no stop. Another, this time a truck we´d seen yesterday. In the cab was a man and a woman and the truck pulled over. The man got out and asked if we were headed to Coyhaique. YES! haha and that was that, we loaded up and rode to Coyhaique in the back of a cattle transport! (I´ve got a sweet video and some photos from the pass I´ll post after this entry). By the time we got over the pass it was quite apparent that we made a good decision and lucked out by not having to ride over the pass there was still lots of snow and ice over the road heading over the pass.
The ride to Coyhaique was chilly, but amazing. Through the snowy pass we descended into the valley on the other side. Through small pueblos and estancias eventually arriving in Coyhaique, population 44,000. We found a nice hostel and now we´re here posting updates, and photos. We want to try and find Ralph and Thaigo and make plans to drive north to Chaiten, and ghost town now due to the multiple eruptions of the nearby Volcan Chaiten. We´ll see how that goes. In any case, I hope this entry is better than the last few :] Let me know if you enjoy the photos and video I´m about the post! Ok I´m out! Chao Chao!
Zach
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