Day 50, Futaleufú to Villa Santa Lucia

Today was well ... pure magic. What a great job mother nature did once again.

Rode through lush mountainous terrain, rich green trees starting to encroach on the road, with snow-capped mountains in the background, crystal clear streams rushing down from the mountainsides, lush pasture land with what appeared to be real cowboys herding sheep and cattle, rustic ranches. Deep blue lakes every so often.

This was all on a gravel road of pretty good quality (as far as gravel roads go). With that said, of course there were pot-holes, washboards, sections of deep coarse gravel as well. Progress was much slower than expected. I was limited due to the shaking, rattling, rocking and rolling. The bike performed admirably, however, I wouldn´t have wanted to push it any more.

The evening at Futaleufú was really cool as well. Stayed at a beautiful hostal called the "Antigua Casona" (The Big Old House). Spent the evening evening chit-chatting with the owners (Fernando, his son Fernando, and the Señor, Gladys). Also a marine biologist who is working in the area, Eduardo.

Total time 6 hrs 34 min, ride time 5 hrs 31 min, 76 km, elev gain 1,040 m, elev loss 1,130 m. Avg speed was 13.8 km/hr (by far the slowest all trip due to the bumpy gravel roads).

Day 49, Esquel to the "Fu" (Futaleufú)

Well, today was the easiest climb to the top of a pass I have ever had. It was downhill! Strange but true. Basically, head due West today and crossed back into Chile. The ride required about 45 km of riding on rough, Argentian gravel roads ... and into a head wind. Hence, had a very low average speed today.

Tot time 5 hrs 45 min, ride time 4 hrs 21 min, 73 km, elev gain 541 m, elev loss 761 m.

Coming up ...
Will head west tomorrow and after about 78 km of riding on gravel roads will intersect with the infamous "Carretera Austral" (Hwy No. 7). This highway is almost entirely gravel road and progress will be MUCH SLOWER. Please don´t expect any boomer days of 140 km. I think something over 70 km a day on this road will be a success. I have about a 1,000 km to cover on this beautiful highway.

Am hoping ...
Am hoping that the fierce winds I encountered on the Argentian Steppe (east side of the Andes) will be much milder. At any rate, eventually I have to cross back into Argentina once again near the very far south and apparently there there is absolutely no escaping the wrath of the winds. However, in the meantime,

ps. I am really happy that you like the clearer images through Picasa!

pps. Nola, will be spending Christmas riding the bike and sleeping in my tent. Hopefully, will be getting into the "deep south".

Days 47 & 48, El Bolsón-Epuyén to Esquel

Day 47, El Bolsón to Epuyén
Water was coming out of the sky. Very dark and blue clouds. Had to wait until things came into equilibrium (ie, waited until the rain stopped) before riding. Didn´t think I´d even ride and them .. POOM, it cleared up. I scrambled the troops and we left very late in the day. Made it a few kilometers south to a tiny village of Epuyén which is on the shore of a lake.

ps. Did get a little wet. Still gorgeous riding through the Lake District.

Tot time, 2 hrs 55 min, ride time 2 hrs 41 min, 57 km, elev gain 600 m, elev loss 610 m

Day 48, Epuyén to Esquel
OK, I wasn´t going to say it but I´ll come right out and say it. This was a real "bitch slap". I was warned though, so I had an idea. There were some SERIOUS winds happening. Tossing me around every which way but loose. Unfortunately, I think there is a LOT more of this to come. Beautiful riding but please, lay off the wind a little. I tried everything, "come on this is all you got Mother Nature!¨". Actually, in the big picture, I was probably let off easy. I had better toughen my hide up because this party has just begun.

Tot time, 7 hrs 15 min, ride time 6 hrs 38 min, 130 km, elev gain 1665 m, elev loss, 1425 m

Coming Up....
Will be heading west and if all goes well crossing the Chilean border (once again, making like a billy-goat and climbing over the Andes) and probably will stay in the small pueblo of Futaleufú which is THE South American MECCA for kayaking and rafting. Locals & "dialed in gringos" call it "The Fu". I was saying it all day today because I think it sounds cool. Try it if you like. Hey, I´m the bike a long time. My mind wanders and apparently, a lot of silly stuff is going through the noodle.

Shortly after that, will start to ride the infamous "Carretera Austral". Will chat more about that later.

ps. Didn´t camp as expected due to the rain delay throwing off my intended destinations. Probably a blessing in disguise.

Link to CLEAR Photos....
OK, here is the solution for the time being with respect to "blurry photos". You can visit this public web page and view the photos through "Picasa". All photos are stored there and are NOT blurry.

www.picasaweb.google.com/darryl.mekechuk

hopefully, this will work and you can enjoy the views of the Patagonia a little better.

Days 45 & 46, Bariloche to El Bolsón

Day 45. Rest & Chore Day
Got some parts changed out. New: tires, rear cassette, chain, brake pads.

Day 46. Bariloche to El Bolsón
Just to make sure everybody knows, I am in Argentina now. Now on the east side of Andes and heading south. Today, rode through the beautiful Lakes District of Bariloche. And yes it definitely rivals the beauty of our majestic Rockies. Just a lot more lakes around here! Big and blue.

It is very interesting to be on the east side of the Andes. It is quite noticeable that the winds can really whip up in a hurry.

Tot time 7 hrs 15 min, ride time 6 hrs, 124 km, elev gain 1340 m, elev loss1820 m

Coming Up.....
Will head south for about another 200 km then head back west into Chile over a pass called "Futaleaufú".

I will definitely be camping tomorrow night. The towns are quite sparse for the next few days and may not be "ideally located" with respect to maximizing distance. Therefore, I could be doing a LOT of camping in the next few days. Hoo-rah! I´m trying to get excited about being in dirty cycling gear for the next few agains.

PLEASE NOTE: In other words, will likely be out of contact for several days.

ps. Erik, that is funny, I bought a pair of those knee highs in Bariloche as well! However, I made a nice pair of "booties" with them.

pps. Ana, sí, consigo la receta para los empanadas Chilenos. Son bien ricos. Me gustan los de horno en vez de aceite. Hay que tener cuidado porque siembre hay una semilla grandote adentro (de la aceituna). He estado comiendo muchos cuando sea posible. Buean suerte con tus examanes. Qué disfrutes el tiempo en España.

Days 42 to 44, San José to Bariloche! A Lot of STORIES...

Now, where did we leave off? My mind and legs are a little mushy and I have a bit of a runny nose. Please bear with me, I am going to tell the tale of the last 3 days of riding. There are a few tales to tell. No taddling though please.

Change of Route Again ...
Well, I was talking about heading to Puerto Montt and them taking a ferry directly South to the village of Chaitén which would be the start of the Carretera Austral (roughly translates to the "Far South Highway"). This would have meant about "chopping off" 200 km of riding due to the ferry. Well, instead of zigging, I decided to zag at the last minute and head east to Argentina such that I would ride the entire route. No "cheating" with a ferry ride.

Here´s the tale ...

Day 42 San Jose to El Crucero
Left the small village of San José on Dec 4 and everything was "OK" but ran into a stiff headwind and rain soI came up with the grand idea of "angling" away from the wind and taking a shortcut into Argentina via some "back roads". Well, this landed me in the teeny-tiny village of "El Crucero". And what else it landed me was a night shared with the a small family run restaurant-bar-pensión. An all-in-one affair. Spent the evening in the kitchen with the owner, who is a grand lady (however, I am speaking of size) and helper trying to understand some very strange Spanish (words like "sipo", ¨nopo¨) and of which I was at the receiving end of constant jests. I bolted my room very tight during the evening, I was constantly reminded at which room I could find the "grand lady". Now, "add in¨ an 85 year grandfather, about 6 cats, about 3 young kids and a host of drunken guest at the bar and that just about describes things.

tot time 7 hrs 2 min, ride time 6 hrs 11 min, 128 km, elev gain 680 m, elev loss 543 m.

Day 43 El Crucero to Villa La Angostura
The day started off with 36 km of gravel road due to my "brainchild" of taking the shortcut. I got one flat tire but was able to test the bike on gravel roads. In general, it performed well but max average speed is about 16 km-hr. Also, I put a lot of weight on my back (with a day pack) in order to reduce vibrations on rear pannier assembly.

OK, we´re just getting started, as I had to cross the Andes into Argentina which involved a lot of undulating terrain. When I finally reached the height of the pass at about 1340 m there was still plenty of snow at the top of the pass (starting elevation for the day was 110 m). I was greeted by rain and blustery winds on the descent. I bundled up well, winter gloves, jacket, windbreaker. Passed through the Argentian border without problems. Managed to smuggle in a small quantity of fine Chilean homemade cheese. Yummy! Finally got to the hostal about 11.5 hours after start. It was a long day.

tot time 11 hrs 42 min, ride time 8 hrs 36 min, 150 km, elev gain 2235 m, elev loss 1475 m.

Day 44 Villa La Angostura to Bariloche
Today was an easy day. Finally arrived at one of the main focal points of the trip. You can find it on the map (at the top of the blog). This area is called "The Lake District". It is part of the Patagonia. The city itself actually is not pretty but the surrounding area is very beautiful. It is similar to Banff but with huge, blue lakes smattered across the area.

tot time 4 hrs 28 min, ride time 3 hrs 52 min, 90 km, elev gain 925 m, elev loss, 950 m

FUNNY ANCEDOTE ... for those who haven´t nodded off ...
So, when I was in Pucón arranging the ascent up Lanín with the guide Rodrigo we had finished business or so I had thought and we were chatting. Anyways, he looks me straight in the eyes and says boldly, "do you use toilet paper?". Well, I began to feel somewhat uncomfortable, thinking, that I had a real problem with personal hygiene. I guess, well, I felt somewhat embarassed at the potential repercussions of what he was implying (or maybe that there was some "cultural thing" that I didn´t know about). My face was starting to turn a little bit red at this point ... trying to think up the appropriate answer. Anyways, he repeated the question, "do you use toilet paper?¨. At this point, I finally answered and said, "well yes" (thinking OF COURSE ... don´t you?). He replies, "well, we use snow." He was referring to the practice on the mountain. He further went into great detail about how this feat was accomplished. It´s one of those things that really does not need a diagram for instructions.

Upcoming ...
We'll be heading south through Argentina for about 200 km and then darting back into Chile through a pass called "Futaleufú". Will take me about 4 or 5 days to ride this section and will involve going through some gravel roads. Will definitely be test for the gear. I'll go through towns of: El Bolsón, Esquel, Futaleufú, Villa Sant a Lucia.

Note: Day 45 will be used to rest, shake this cold, and take care of some vital chores.

Much Colder than I Thought ...
As I travel South I am finding that it is much colder than expected. At times I am riding in winter gloves and three layers up top. Will try to fashion some "shoe covers" out of extra large socks. I have a feeling it is only going to get colder.

ps.
Erik, as you can see I will be riding through the towns that you mentioned. Also, nice to hear from everbody!! All messages are read and thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you.

pps.
Have purchased more disk space on Google. Hopefully future pics won´t be blurry.

Day 41, Pucón to San José de la Mariquina

OK, I was a little fatigued today but that was partly due to sharing a few celebratory brews with Rodrigo and Cristian (Guide & assistant) the day before. Hardly drank but enough to throw the engine off a little. As a result of everything I think I am catching a cold (ok, yes, now I would be whining. sorry).

Ride was uneventful with the exception of a "rain delay". First serious rain of the trip.

Am staying in a very old beautiful house which has a few nice rooms that they rent out to travellers. The pueblo is tiny.

Tot time 6 hrs 45 min, ride time 5 hrs 6 min, 109 km, elev gain 590 m, elev loss 811 m.

ps. It was pointed out that the photos are now turning out blurry. I am not sure why. I will try to figure this out.

pps. Am thinking of changing the route again. Might just go through Bariloche, Argentina ... will add a little extra jaunt through Argentina. Would add about 400 km. Still undecided.

Days 39 & 40, Ascent of Lanin ... Made It!

Day 39 & 40 ... Ascent of Lanin
On the first day we hiked up 5 hours and encountered some pretty brisk winds at where the high camp normally would be, however, we descended a little and found a nice little "nook" in the rocks and made some comfy snow caves in the side of the little crag that we were in.

The next day we woke up at 4 am to a starry sky which meant clear skies. All went well. The view from the top of Lanin is amazing. It is the highest volcano in the region and the panorama view is quite spectacular. My very competent guide, Rodrigo, could name all of the prominant landmarks, mountains and volcanoes.

It was a very worthy trip. I am glad that I took time off the bike for this side trip. The company, Rumbo Sur, which I used provided awesome service and company for the trip.

Total time climbing over two days was 14 hours with about 2,500 m elev gain.