January 2nd. started off dull and cloudy and eventually descended into drizzle and finally proper rain. The advantage of this was that the horseflies decided to take the day off and we could finish the ripio at our own pace. At the tiny hamlet of Puelche, which has a ferry we picked up the asphalt again. Continue reading
30.12
From Entre Lagos we headed south to Lago Llanquihue. This lake is so enormous that it is difficult to see the other side in some areas. It is home to large tourist centers such as Frutillar and Puerto Varas but we decided to give these a miss and take the quieter (hopefully) road on the other side to a small town called Las Cascadas. Continue reading
We started cycling back to Chile on Boxing Day passing Bariloche then backtracking to Diana Haupe. Again once we had passed the residential build up we noticed the strong westerly wind coming straight off the lake Nahuel Huapi. Continue reading
8th. December
The route from Temuco to Villarrica was very a scenic pastoral one. There were cows in fields, farmhouses and the houses of the rich with large gardens. We had hoped to ‘wild camp’ along this stretch of road but it was all fenced off as private property, even taking a comfort break proved difficult. Continue reading
26.11 – 11.12 And now for something completely different… After the Lagunas route we had originally intended to cross back to Argentina but the cost of coach travel there was very high. With the added complication of having to send the bikes separately and at extra cost we decided on continuing our journey through Chile. Continue reading
While waiting for our various flights we had been able to establish that we could not change our flight from Santiago to Calama in northern Chile. As buying another one at short notice was expensive, we decided on a different strategy. We would stay in Santiago to rest for a couple of days and see the city and then make our way to Mendoza in Argentina and start our cycling there. It would be easier to start with than the Andes pass we had planned originally. Continue reading
Fourteen years ago Rob and I cycled the ‘Great Divide’ off-road cycle route in North America. The route follows the water divide as much as possible through the continent starting in Glacier National Park in Canada via the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to the Mexican border in New Mexico. After finishing the ride we planned to tackle South America next. Continue reading