In this entry we leave the metropolis of Santiago behind us to venture into the mountainous interior of northern Chile. This is the beginning of what we are calling our ‘victory lap,’ that is, the bonus miles we get to ride past our original goal of Santiago. So far, the north of Chile has been absolutely incredible. It’s dry, mountainous, full of miners and people growing oranges, persimmons, walnuts, figs, avocados, and lemons. We have been climbing up and over impressive mountains passes most days.

Day 135: Santiago to Colina (41 km 25 mi)

We were all a bit nervous to leave the giant city, and it didn’t exactly help when we awoke to a flat tire on my bicycle. It appeared to be a slow leak, so instead of patching it in Santiago we just pumped it up and headed out. This might seem like an odd choice, but that wheel is actually particularly hard to manage for my bike. When we had the couplers installed several years ago we also got it repainted the lovely lilac color it is now. The paint went on a little thick around the rear fork, so it takes serious muscle to move the wheel in and out. We avoid it whenever we can.

Once the tire was inflated we rolled the bikes into the street… and immediately Jason’s front brake started making a horrible metal on metal noise. It didn’t take long to discover that the front brake pad was getting low and a little piece of metal was sticking out where it should not be. We took care of that and rolled towards the river that bisects Santiago.

To our utter delight one of the huge boulevards along the river was completely closed to traffic. Thousands of cyclists were enjoying a summer ride, car and worry free. Comically, we had another mechanical issue almost right away. Jason had made some adjustments to his rear wheel and the whole thing was crooked and making a horrible noise… back to the side of the road and after flipping his bike upside down, we fixed it.

Third time is the charm, right? Today it certainly was! We finished the length of the car-free boulevard and turned north to cross the river. We were feeling a bit melancholy about leaving the city (gosh those bagel sandwiches were incredible), but as we crossed the river we spotted a giant protest and what appeared to be a dark cloud of smoke from something burning. The melancholy left us and we pedaled away fast!

We stuck to a main street with a wide cycle lane for the next bit, until the cycle path disappeared and then the road did too! The last ten kilometers or so were under construction, and based on what we saw in Google StreetView, they had been under construction for well over a year. The neighborhood looked pretty rough, so we got on the mostly-dirt track and carried on as quickly as we could. Before long we were crossing under the perimeter highway and officially out of Santiago!

A nice cycle path appeared next to the main highway leading north, but even better was the multi-lane service road right next to us. There was almost no traffic (yay for leaving on a Sunday) and we cruised away from the city. Right when we started to get hungry we saw… a McDonalds. This has never happened before, but we all started dreaming of soft serve ice cream and french fries. H begged for a cheeseburger. Obviously we couldn’t say no, and it ended up being such a celebratory stop.

I was shocked at how quickly we went from mega-metropolis to industrial outskirts to small town feeling. As we reached the edge of the town of Colina we began seeing an unusual amount of people on horseback. Actually, by the time we finished our day we saw easily more than a hundred horses. At one point, the horses were trotting along both sides of the road and we were pedaling through the middle. Apparently it was the town’s festival to ask a saint for rain.

We settled into our room on a hill overlooking the city with a view back towards Santiago. We were tired from the day’s ride but deeply relieved to have escaped the city successfully.

Day 136: Colina to Los Andes (54 km / 31 mi)

Today was the first of many incredible mountain passes. We climbed about 900 m total (3,000′). The climbing began right as we were leaving Colina on a quiet side road. We joined a larger highway as we reached the top of that climb and then we flew downhill in a wide shoulder. Sure, bicycles were technically not allowed on that road, but there was no alternative! It was fine.

The highway goes through a giant tunnel to reach the next valley over, and there was no way we could ride that section. Instead we were able to pedal the old road up and over the ridge with almost no traffic. After a huge and delicious lunch at a roadside restaurant we turned off the highway and started climbing. It was hot. The vegetation was sparse. We switchbacked up the same hillside all afternoon at 5 km/hr but we made it!

At the top we had views in all directions. A and I even hiked up to the (massive) cross located at the summit. Then we bundled up and headed down. At first the descent was steep with wild curves and switchbacks, then we met up with main highway again. The ramp to the overpass was just about the steepest thing we climbed all day – it was so steep the car behind us stalled out and couldn’t get going again! We kept pedaling though.

When we rejoined the road we were dismayed to see that the wide shoulder we had ridden in the morning was gone. We had no choice but to take the slow lane and start the descent. In the end traffic was both very light and exceedingly polite. It helped that we flew down the road at 50 km/hr! By the time we turned off, at the first opportunity, we were all ready to be off the main road.

We rolled into the city of Los Andes a little dazed from the big day. A nice guy stopped his car and welcomed us to the city, telling us that the community of cyclists there was small but always willing to help. He gave us some recommendations before we rode off to find our hostel.

Day 137: Los Andes to Putaendo (34 km / 21 mi)

We didn’t know this when we arrived, but Los Andes is the last big town before the famous high pass between Chile and Argentina: Christ the Redeemer of the Andes. This pass sits at 12,572′ and although I personally would be delighted to ride it… we don’t think the kids would be thrilled with the effort. Reluctantly we pointed the bikes downhill and rode away.

It was a fast morning into the gritty town of San Felipe, where we tried and failed several times to find an open restaurant with decent visibility for the bikes. Eventually we gave up and headed out of town. We stopped at the edge to buy sandwich supplies and eat a picnic.

The afternoon’s ride looked easy on paper: a gentle uphill into the countryside. However the road was narrower and busier than we expected, so the traffic was heavy and stressful. Even when we were far enough away that the number of cars went down, it was still uphill and HOT. We were baking in the sun! This was pretty new for us, after so many weeks and months of clouds, rain and chilly weather conditions.

We were tired and a bit cranky when we rolled into Putaendo, not expecting much. We were very pleasantly surprised when we reached our cabin near the edge of town: it was practically a tropical paradise! The owner had built this area to be a place for parties and tourism, with old arcade games, picnic areas, bright beautiful plants, and even a pool. We were delighted to arrive and occupy a little one-room cabin.

Rest day in Putaendo

I don’t know how we do it, but it seems like we choose the perfect rest day by chance more often that not. We rested in Putaendo on the same day that the town was having a festival. The historical center is full of colorful mud-brick buildings and a leafy plaza. When we took a walk to check it out we found the place packed with a marching band, a farmer’s market, a big group of people on horseback, and local school kids lining up for a parade.

We joined the fun for a bit, buying popcorn and local produce. We even got a pound of fresh goat cheese.

After that it was time to finally fix that flat tire from Santiago (yes, we’d been pumping it up every morning for three days). Jason and I both changed our front brake pads and adjusted our brakes as well. In general, I dislike bicycle maintenance, but on tour it is unavoidable.

Day 139: Putaendo to Cabildo (72 km / 45 mi)

Today was a very long day for us. The morning was a long (but beautiful) climb in the bright sun. Over the top we had lunch enjoying the incredible mountain scenery. This scenery isn’t something we have found in the US – it just feels like these mountains go on forever. They are higher than the Rockies or the Cascades and stretch all the way north to Peru, then Ecuador, then Colombia. It is so incredible to be among these mountains again.

We had planned a long day because of the long descent towards the town of Cabildo. We plunged down along a river as the mountains around us got higher and higher above. What we didn’t account for was the headwind. It was actually very strong and slowed our progress substantially.

When we finally limped into the town of Cabildo we were tired and night wasn’t far away. We were staying in a hostel near the far edge of town, which didn’t help our morale. Luckily it proved to be a lovely house with a third story ‘lookout’ room on top! We got a couple of huge pizzas from a nearby restaurant and were ready for sleep. The next day we would be starting the ‘ruta de los tuneles,’ the tunnel route.

When we started this cycling trip, our main hope was to make it to the central heart of Chile: Santiago.  This massive city is home to 40% of the country’s population, or 8 million people.  It felt like a bit of a victory just to navigate safe entry into the sprawling metropolis!  We had expected the approach from Santiago to be a bit boring at best, but it turned out to be varied and lovely, with the exception of the chaotic final approach.  In this entry we will cover the days from Pichilemu to the heart of Santiago.

Day 125: Pichilemu to Litueche (62 km / 39 mi)

Between Pichilemu and Santiago lays the coastal mountain range, and today we got to climb up and over.  The main event was a 2,000’ (650m) climb that wound through tree farms and past fields, with good views back down towards the coast.  We were dreading the climb a bit, but in the end it was fun!  The grade was gentle and at the top was a pizza restaurant where of course we stopped to eat lunch.

We flew back down the other side with Andes in the far distance.  The scenery immediately changed from vast tree farms to big open ranges with dry scrub brush.  We passed many little settlements and sheep farms.  We even randomly saw an emu in a field! 

It was difficult to find a hostal to stay in the town of Litueche.  Apparently the nearby highway is undergoing an expansion, so most of the hostels are full with workers.  We ended up in a place that was safe and friendly, but noisy.  Our rooms were above the kitchen of the bar next door, so the music and the smell of fried food wafted over us during the night.  It ended up being definitely in our bottom 3 hostal experiences.

Day 126: Litueche to Lingo Lingo (45 km / 28 mi)

Despite being tired from lack of rest the night before, this was a good day.  At the top of our morning climb we saw a small parking lot and stopped for a quick rest. Jason made a joke about the empty picture frames being some kind of modern art exhibit. Then I confirmed his suspicions by explaining that yes, it was! You stand in the middle and different wind turbines are viewed through their frames.

After that, we descended down to the famous Rapel hydro-electric dam.  As we flew down the road we saw a group of two dozen day riders on an organized trip riding up, complete with support vehicle. 

We rode across the massive dam looking down at the drop-off on one side and the reservoir on the other.  Jason had a good time explaining power generation to the girls. 

On the other side we wove through huge expanses of avocado and lemon trees.  We stopped at a small minimarket for ice cream, soda, and avocados from the area.  It was exactly what we needed before the last push to our hostal in a very small rural town.

The final roads were small and beautiful, winding along through small farms and homesteads.  Our destination in the tiny settlement of Lingo Lingo was a family-run hospedaje and greenhouse.  We were welcomed with fresh juices made of raspberry and strawberry, and we met a whole pack of the family’s dogs (from naughty puppies to senior collies) and cats (at least 3 or 4 kittens)!  With the headlines about hantavirus in South America the owners wanted more cats to keep their home free of rodents. It was a very lovely opportunity to chat with the owners about life in small-town Chile.

Day 127: Lingo Lingo to Melipilla (51 km / 32 mi)

We chose a longer route on a side road for this approach to the city of Melipilla, and it really paid off.  We spent a delightful morning riding alongside the river Maipo and passing hillsides full of huge cacti.  It was almost surreal to be there riding past the cacti when we had started so far south in Tierra del Fuego.  We really felt that huge distance as we passed the desert flora. 

It was a Saturday, so we expected to find lunch spots along our route, which went through many small towns.  There were certainly parties happening, and soccer games being played, but no open restaurants!  In the end, starving and hot, we grabbed sandwich supplies from a minimarket and turned down a long driveway to have a little picnic.  A geriatric and friendly German shepherd watched us hungrily until we finished.  Then we gave her a stack of cheese leftovers as a reward for her patience.

One big hill remained between us and Melipilla and the road was busy with no shoulder.  We managed to find an alternate road with a wide bicycle lane that took us right to the top before rejoining the main highway.  Once we were flying down the descent we had no choice but to take the lane and slow down traffic.  In the US, this would mean angry drivers. Somehow though, no one honked in anger and when we eventually found a place to pull of and let traffic pass everyone smiled and waved at us as they drove by.  What a difference!

The city of Melipilla is only an hour’s drive from the huge city of Santiago.  About 60% of the residents commute to Santiago for work.  Jason managed to track down a house to rent for a couple nights in one of the fancier suburbs.  The owner met us at the house and invited us to eat lunch with his family the next day.  Of course we said yes!

Day 128: Rest day in Melipilla

Our typical rest day is to do whatever chores or tourism in the morning, then relax all afternoon.  We had to flip the routine for this day though, since we had the invite for Mother’s day lunch. 

It was an absolute treat to be welcomed into a Chilean family home.  We met the three kids (ages 6, 8 and 18), talked about the schools in Chile, and about the ‘hustle’ of Chileans to figure out ways to make money.  They made ‘Pastel de Choclo’ which translates as ‘Corn Cake’ but is actually akin to Shepherd’s pie with polenta in place of mashed potatoes. (And it is delicious!) By the time we headed home the girls had ridden scooters around their cul-de-sac and we were all tired.

Day 129: Melipilla to Lonquén (41 km / 25 mi)

We had very carefully planned today to stay on separated cycle paths for nearly the entirety of the ride.  It was flat and boring, for the most part, but it was very safe.  There was a lot of traffic, and the cycle path fluctuated in quality, but it brought us through increasingly busy towns in the periphery of Santiago. 

We stayed the night in a countryside AirBnB that was behind not one but TWO gates, neither of which we could open on our own.  People around this area are very concerned about the crime in Santiago, so security is a top priority.  We felt a little bit like hostages, but safe and comfortable hostages at least! 

Day 130: Lonquén to Santiago (44 km / 27 mi)

This was the big day!  We had again planned a route of separated cycle-paths for all but a few kilometers. 

The morning dawned…  foggy. It wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t bad enough to stop us either.  We rolled through the last of the countryside on a separated bike path.  At one point we saw a truck take a turn too fast, and because it was piled high with wood pallets they spilled out into the road.  At another point a truck carrying fruit blocked the cycle path completely, and the owners kindly offered us a handful of grapes for each girl. 

Soon the countryside feel evaporated entirely and we were in the industrial outskirts of Santiago.  The cyclepath continued, but factories lined the road on both sides.  We stopped for a quick lunch at a busy empanada stand.  One of our tricks in choosing where to eat is to go where the local workers are.  It hasn’t failed us yet.

The true ‘city’ started when we crossed the perimeter highway on a pedestrian overpass and dropped down the other side.  Remarkably it was a 3-revolution spiral bicycle path that led us into the city.  We started to cycle past more and more apartment buildings, and then eventually we were in truly chaotic and hectic commercial areas.  At one point a street market took over the cycle path and the street nearby was filled with cars parading by (honking) as part of a funeral procession.  We turned around and skedaddled.

Finally we entered the true center, complete with busy bus stops and cobblestones.  It was with great relief that we finally turned down the street where we were staying.  By good luck and persistence on AirBnB we had rented an apartment in a small historical building on a quiet sidestreet in the area of Providencia.  It was close to many of the city’s hospitals and thus had so many options for food.  There was also a secure parking area for our bicycles!  The girls quickly collapsed on the couch to play Zelda while Jason and I went downstairs for cookies and a latte.  We made it! 

In this entry we ride a long section of the Chilean coast from Cobquecura to Pichilemu. Our riding days were necessarily shorter in distance because of all the very, very steep coastal hills. Initially we were dreading these hills a bit, but in the end we enjoyed the interesting riding in this area. It was much easier to find places to stay, just as we had hoped. We also haven’t had any unpleasant weather, and we even had one day with a raging tailwind. What a new and wonderful experience that was!

Days 111-113: Rest days in Cobquecura

We spent three rest days in this little town eating sushi and walking the sandy beach. We honestly didn’t do much else! There is a big sea lion colony on a rock that we walked past several times, but the ocean was always so wild we had little interest in getting close to the surf.

Day 114: Cobquecura to Rio Chovellen (40 km / 25 mi)

It was hard to pull ourselves out of our lovely little house by the sea, but the road is always calling to a cycletourist. Our first stop of the day was just north of town in the ‘Iglesia de Piedra,’ or ‘Stone Church.’ It’s a huge rock on an even bigger beach, and since it was low tide we could run through the big empty spaces and passages within. It was pretty magical and a little spooky.

Back on the road it was up and down and up and down all day. We climbed the same 300-400′ over and over. The climbs were pretty steep but short and the descents were fun. It helped that we had a strong tailwind that pushed us up and sped us along the flats.

During one flat stretch between climbs Jason pulled out his phone to take a picture… and threw it into the air on accident! I saw it fly through the air and hit the sidwalk with a loud THUNK. Then it bounced into the grass. Alice hopped off and grabbed it, then handed it back to Jason to inspect. It was unharmed! I didn’t believe this news and insisted on inspecting it myself. Sure enough, the case had protected the phone completely!

Right before the final climb we saw a stand selling strawberries. I pulled over and bought a huge clamshell with about six pounds of berries for $5.50. Luckily it even fit into one of my bags! That evening we ate well.

Day 115: Rio Chovellen to Los Pellines (60 km / 37 mi)

We were expecting another day with tailwind, so when the tailwind didn’t appear the day felt harder than we were hoping. It didn’t help that the morning’s ride was full of very steep, short climbs right next to the ocean. This region is quite heavily built up with vacation homes from the very, very fancy to the downright ramshackle.

We stopped at a beach boardwalk to take our 3000 km photo. The girls ran around on the sand making shapes with their footprints. H drew a heart and A drew a star. It was a pretty wholesome little rest stop, overall.

Despite begin hungry for lunch pretty early in the day, we pushed on until the afternoon when we reached the town of Chanco. It is a smaller, agricultural town a little inland from the beach. It reminded us of some small towns in Spain. We stopped for a lunch of chicken sushi bowls and sushi burritos that we ate in front of the municipal building. The various politicians coming in and out were all extremely friendly. One of them even offered us a place to sleep inside free of charge. They are trying to encourage more cycletourists to stay here. We had plans though so we carried on.

Thank goodness the road leveled out after lunch. It was more boring but also a lot faster as we zoomed through tree farms back down to the water. We stayed in a little cabin in a tiny town. It was in a backyard and the owner told us she didn’t have any cats… but every time we opened the door a big fluffy cat was sitting right outside waiting to be let in. Eventually we relented and gave her a big bowl of milk. Oops.

Day 116: Los Pellines to Constitucion (30 km / 19 mi)

We accidentally took the ‘hill’ route this morning instead of the ‘flat’ route, but honestly it was kind of nice. I think we are getting good at the coastal hills! Some of our riding today was right along the water, where we found a lovely little pull-off with big swing.

Our main even was a larger climb south of the city of Constitucion. It was hot and steep. By the top we were starving and sweating profusely, but there was a lot of logging traffic and no pleasant place to stop. Eventually I threw a small fit and demanded potato chips outside a wood pellet factory. There was no way I could go any farther without more calories!

We turned off to enter the city from the south, thinking it would be a nicer option than staying on the highway until we were in town. I’m not sure it was better, but it sure was interesting. First off, the road was in awful condition. It plunged straight down towards the coast and then wove through the very populated hills of the city. The coastal fog was literally pouring over the hilltops and spilling over the buildings. Alice was amazed and honestly that makes the bad pavement and death grip on the brakes worth it.

The city was lively and there wasn’t a tourist in sight. We went straight through the central square and got surrounded by high school students on their lunch break. It was a bit overwhelming so we jetted right to our destination: an old house we had rented by the river. It was a super interesting place to stay because it felt like a grand old museum that we could sleep in. One of the rooms had enough beds for all of us, so of course we had a Philtron slumber party.

Day 117: Rest day in Constitucion

I’m certain there were sights to see in this busy city, but our main focus was getting some bicycle maintenance taken care of. We spend over an hour at a repair shop while the guys there tightened everything and replaced brake pads and fixed a seat and a bottom bracket. They did such a nice job and were so friendly with us. They were also super excited to see the tandems and our particular gear set up. It’s fun to see bike professionals take in the set up.

We ate pizza for lunch and took advantage of the more varied grocery options to make a coconut curry for dinner. Overall, a very good rest.

Day 118: Constitucion to Rancura (59 km) / 37 mi

After all those coastal hills, you’d think we would love a flat day. Turns out that the flat days are more boring! We rode fast down the coast with the ocean to our left and tree farms on our right. In between there was sparse vegetation and sometimes sand dunes.

Near the end of the day we turned towards the ocean while the primary road turned inland. The traffic had been sparse all day but now it became very quiet. The strip of lodging and fish shops was about one block wide and felt very still in the off-season. There was almost no one around.

As we waited for the grocery stores to open the girls stopped to play at a beach side playground and we marveled at how far we’ve come. The first playgrounds we encountered were in Ushuaia, which now seems impossibly far away (and cold!). Now we are riding along the beach and watching the girls run around palm trees.

Day 119: Rancura to Llico (29 km / 18 mi)

29 km doesn’t seem like very many, but they sure felt like it today! We had 15 km of truly lovely riding along the water. It’s the start of a three day weekend, so the little towns were setting up for a party. It made for an interesting ride past little booths and people getting parked. We had no problems with traffic, since the pedestrians were causing the cars to go just as slow as us anyhow.

There were two roads away from the coast and towards the next town over a 1000+ foot hill: a paved climb and a dirt climb. The paved climb was 4 km longer and more trafficked so… we chose the dirt. We went into it planning on mostly walking, and yup that’s how we did it! Several locals looked at us sideways and warned us of how steep it was. A couple of women in a truck offered to give us a ride several times. But… it was so pretty and we were all glad for the quiet and steep route.

Going back down the other side was a different story. There’s something that we all dislike about a gravel road that is too steep to ride down. It’s like… we earned the descent! But it just isn’t safe for us to tear down the steep routes with all our gear on loose gravel. We ended up walking at least a kilometer on the way down too. The important part is arrive safely at the end, and at least we accomplished that.

Our climb and the resulting views really made me realize how odd this stretch of coast is. The ocean of course is lovely, the towns are welcoming, the food is good. Just inland however are tree farms for way farther than you can see. And that means unnatural straight lines of a single species of tree, and lots of clear cuts. We are enjoying ourselves quite a bit, but the scenery inland isn’t very appealing. We stop and awe at the overlooks, especially when we can see the ridges of a dozen hills, but then we look closer and realize how different the scenery is than what it would be naturally, or even if it was wheat farms.

Day 120: Llico to Bocalemu (37 km / 23 mi)

Today we opted for the longer, flatter, and more paved route after yesterday’s experience on the more direct and steeper road. We zipped around the coastal hill instead of brute forcing up and over! It was a full 7 miles longer, but still we had a short day.

Around the hill we reached an area of salt production. It is a big flat area where the seawater comes in and then can be trapped in small rectangular pools. As the water evaporates more saltwater is let in. Over time the water in the squares gets saltier and saltier, then thick with salt chunks. Eventually they shovel the salt into little piles, then scoop it out to dry. We stopped to take in the whole scene and the girls found it very interesting.

We rolled past the salt flats and into town, starving for a decent lunch. We ended up at one of many places selling fresh plates of fish along the water and had a big lunch of salmon, hake, and a Peruvian dish called ‘lomo saltado.’ We had difficulty finding lodging because it was a holiday weekend, but we ended up in a cabin perched above town on stilts. There was a lovely view, but it was stressful to think about how underneath us was just air!

Day 121: Bucalemu to Pichilemu (35 km / 22 mi)

The scenery today wasn’t grand, but the riding was interesting. I woke up very relieved that the cabin stayed intact overnight! We woke up very cold in our house perched above town. This is a summer destination, so there wasn’t any heat available. We just covered the children in blankets before we got on the road.

It was a short day, but there was a 1000′ climb waiting for us at the edge of town. At this point, such a climb doesn’t bother us one bit. We were up and at the top within an hour. Incredibly, we could see the Andes mountain range to the East. We were surprised and amazed that we could see all the way across the country.

Back down the other side we stopped in the town of Cahuil for a pizza lunch. While we ate a local came by to congratulate us and tell us about his coin collection. Apparently he is teaming up with a Chilean that lives in Kansas to write a book about colonial Chilean coins.

From lunch it was a fast ride to the city of Pichilemu, a surfing town with lots of six-way intersections. Shockingly, we even passed a day rider on the flat section! We settled into our cabin for the evening, which was close enough to the beach that we could walk the boardwalk before bed.