In this entry we explore the big island of Chiloé.  This island is a continuation of the coast mountain range of central/southern Chile.  It is rich agricultural land, and also is well-known for extensive seafood.  We saw dozens of mussel farms, some salmon farms, and more fishing boats than we could count.  We enjoyed the differences from the Carretera Austral (especially the sunshine and pavement), but by the end we were ready to leave the wildly steep rollercoaster roads behind.

Day 64: Rest day in Quellón

After our 1am arrival off the ferry we needed a day to rest and recover our strength.  We did need to change cabins, since our landing place was only available one night.  Luckily we found a new place that was just a bit farther down the coast and so fun.  It was a house with one of the bedrooms lofted above the living room and also a little bit out above the yard! 

After we dropped off our stuff at the new house we went in search of a place for a big seafood lunch. Our first try was a bust (the restaurant listed on Google was a daycare in real life), but at our second try we ended up eating a huge delicious lunch of fish, sushi, and other assorted seafood.  It really felt like a day on vacation! 

We had other things on our to-do list, like finding a post office, that we didn’t get done, but then again we were tired.  What we really needed was an early bedtime!

Day 65: Quellón to Cabañas Ranchita del Trauco (54 km / 34 mi)

This first day riding was a perfect introduction to Chiloe:  wildly steep hills, serene countryside, colorful houses, and plentiful services. 

We started the day off riding along the waterfront of Quellón.  We passed many small fishing boats, little houses, and a multitude of barking dogs.  The dogs don’t seem intent on harming us, just being as loud as possible.  Eventually we turned inland on a secondary (paved) road.  It was busy with traffic to seafood processing plants.  H in particular loved the smells of the mussels and clams cooking as we passed.

Before long it was just countryside and we were confronted with the steep hills Chiloé is known for.  We have gotten over many a steep hill on the Carretera Austral, but the grade of the secondary roads in Chiloé finally convinced us to start measuring.  It turns out we can ride grades up to 12%, but once we hit 14% it’s too much.  On this first steep hill we hit today we had trouble even *pushing* the bikes up.  I believe it was around 20%, although we were unable to measure it at the time.  We even saw a car struggling to get over the top.

Shockingly, the top of the hills don’t always throw us straight back down.  We emerged onto a flat plateau of perfect farms.  It was only after a bit more riding that we zipped down to another bayside town next to shimmering mussel farms. 

We rejoined the primary highway (actually a quiet two-lane road still) in time to get a lunch of hot dogs.  We were shocked at how frequently we passed stores and super markets.  It’s definitely time to stop carrying so much food! 

We stopped for the night at an absolutely delightful cabin on a medium-sized lake (Lago Natri).  The owners were so kind – they gave us fresh eggs, watermelon, and a special kind of regional liquor they made themselves.  The girls were thrilled because there was a trampoline to play on, of course. We tried the liquor (it was actually really yummy) and then carried it to the next stop, a hostel, to share with others. 

Day 66: Cabaña to Castro (43 km / 27 mi)

We were lucky that the morning rain passed by the time we started riding.  Under beautiful fluffy clouds we undertook the mornings task: climb and descend and climb and descend, repeatedly.  We climbed the same 100 meters four times.  We mainly listened to an audio book (Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians!), shifted down, and carried on. 

We stopped outside the town of Chonchi at a roadside restaurant where all the construction workers were getting lunch.  Wow was it delicious!  The girls shared a huge plate of salmon with fries, while Jason and I each got our own plates of fish.  The people working there were so nice too.  We left full of protein and energy, ready for more climbing.

There were roadworks underway for the rest of the day, which could mean an unpleasant ride, but in this case we were instructed to ride on the lane closed to traffic.  It was actually pretty nice!  The traffic in each direction was delayed back and forth so we had a nearly traffic-free ride into the edge of town.

The city of Castro is mostly built on a big bluff above a quiet bay.  The lower part of town is famous for the buildings on stilts over the water.  To go from the lower part of town to the upper part… you guessed it.  Huge hill.  The road goes up, but we chose to take a pedestrian path that was even steeper.  I’m not sure why we make these choices!  In the end it took the help of BOTH girls to get each bicycle up the steep path.  While the girls helped one of us, the other would hold the bicycle steady on the slope using the brakes.  Even with both brakes on and the wheels fixed my bike tried to slide! 

As usual, we made it over the top.  Miraculously the town on top was flat!  We walked the rest of the way through the bustling streets to our hostel. It was such a busy city! 

Day 67: Castro to Dalcahue (20 km / 12 mi)

Most of this trip has been on roads with no viable alternatives roads.  Here on Chiloe we have had the option to try out little tiny alternate roads!  Leaving Castro we decided to avoid the major highway completely.  I’m so glad we did. Sure, there was a little bit of gravel/dirt (we started chanting “vote no to ripio”), but it was worth the excitement.  We saw some oddly terraced little hills at the edge of town, biked through some little towns with rainbow names (Llau Llau), and ended up at a dead end road with the only path forward as a narrow pedestrian-only (“closed”) bridge to a dead-end road on the other side. 

We cycled all the way to Dalcahue before we even ate lunch, then parked the bikes while we ate Sushi bowls and fresh juice.  We spent the afternoon relaxing in a cabin and decided to take a rest day.

Day 68: Rest (Rain) day in Dalcahue

The promised rain wasn’t as torrential as we had feared, but it was still good to have a slow day of tourism.  We bought magnets, fancy ice cream, and found a small shop that made delicious burritos.  We ate them for lunch AND for dinner!  It was good to feel like we were really on a vacation for a day.

Day 69: Dalcahue to Quemchi (38 km / 24 mi)

Have we mentioned the steep hills of Chiloe?  Well today we found more of them!  Right away we were hit with a big hill just to leave town.  We took the smaller, locals-only option (yup, more dirt/gravel) and it once again humbled us.  We pushed our ways up and over however, and on top was a smooth flat road!

It was peaceful and pleasant before screaming back down to a river and up again.  And then again.  At this point we took a turn for a dirt/gravel “shortcut.” At the end of the day we told our host about this road and she said that our phones betrayed us with the directions, but we actually enjoyed it!  Yes it was steep but it was also completely free of traffic and through beautiful farmland.  There were parrots (yes parrots!) flying overhead as we creeped slowly up and down the steep hills.

We finally hit pavement (and more roller coaster up and down hills) shortly before our planned accommodations.  The cabin wasn’t quite ready yet so we took a walk down to the water and got a big plate of French fries from a roadside food stand.  We also picked up some groceries from a minimarket.  The owner was really happy to chat with us and tell us about all the very interesting specialty seafoods the people of Chiloe enjoy.  We liked learning about them, and can confirm no such foods exist in the US! 

Our cabin was quite luxurious and on the second floor!  We could see the salmon farms in the bay below.  Most importantly, the internet was sufficient to watch the latest episode of Survivor 50!

Day 70: Quemchi to Pargua (51 km / 32 mi)

By the time this day dawned we were more than ready to see the steep hills of Chiloe disappear behind us.  In fact, the climbs were shorter today.  I’m not sure what got into us, but we just powered through the day.  We stopped only to eat lunch at a lovely overlook.  The road was rural and quiet; in short it was a nice day.

By 2pm we had reached the northern edge of the island.  The Chilean government is in the process of building a massive bridge to connect Chiloe to the mainland, but right now every single bit of traffic has to load onto a ferry.  Two companies run four boats each and it is a constant flow.  We rode directly onto a boat that left after mere moments.

The crossing is only ten or fifteen minutes long but the ferry takes longer because of the wait for landing space.  There are multiple landing locations (three) and we are pretty sure each ferry just goes to whichever is available soonest.  Yet our ferry still had to wait in a ferry queue and then two boats landed at the same time on opposite sides of the dock!  If you’ve taken a ferry in the states (looking at all you Lopez folks!) you are accustomed to a dock that is part of a large complex.  The boats arrive guided in by piers and dolphins (that’s the term for the big guide posts that help a ferry dock properly).  Not here!  There’s just a concrete landing area (a ramp extending into the water, like a boat launch).  The ferry rolls in, lowers the car ramp, and holds steady while the cars drive on and off.  The ferry operators here are excellent.

By 3:30 we reached our home for the night.  Luckily it included an attached garage for the bikes because you guessed it – the torrential rains returned overnight!! The next day the downpour continued and we took another rest (rain!) day.