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.

In this entry we brave the morning rain to ride through another round of beauty between villages before we shelter from more torrential rains in a simple cabin.  Then on the next sunny day (which is the kind of day cycletourists dream of) we flee the cold and rainy Carretera Austral and reach the coast.  Finally, we take a ferry to the big island of Chiloé.

Day 59: Villa Mañihuales to Villa Amengual (59 km / 37 mi)

After three days in one place, we woke up on the fourth day to see more rain coming down.  However, a close reading of the weather forecast (actually, a close reading of four different probabilistic weather models), showed that there would be a good riding window in the afternoon.  We rallied as a family and packed our bags, waving goodbye to the little apartment and the village of Mañihuales.

The road undulated through small farms in the shadow of huge, deeply forested mountains.  We were clearly in a temperate rainforest based on the flora, and also based on the cold drizzle that was all around us.  The riding wasn’t fast, since it was uphill most of the day, and into a stiff headwind.  At this point in our journey we generally don’t remark on headwinds except to say…  this is nothing compared to Tierra del Fuego!

By lunchtime 20km into the day we were wet and cold.  We stopped the moment was saw a sheltered bus stop.  As we ate our avocado-tuna sandwiches the rain poured down, but miraculously it stopped as we began riding again.  For the rest of the day we were under a pocket of sunny skies with rain clouds ahead and behind.  It was an amazing afternoon in spectacular mountain scenery.

At one point we were riding on a long steep uphill when I looked up and saw a huge, sheer rock face right next to the road.  I gasped and said “Look, there’s half dome!’, referencing the extremely famous landmark in Yosemite National Park.  Of course, here in Patagonia it was just a sentinel to passing soggy cyclists. 

Our patch of sun followed us all the way to the very tiny hamlet of Villa Amengual.  This little village is perched on a hillside above a river, with towering mountains in every direction.  The girls stopped at the central square to test out the playground equipment and greet the local dogs.  As we rested there it started to rain (of course) and then the woman that runs the cabins in town came to find us.  We had been chatting with her to make sure a cabin would be waiting for us, but she revealed the other cyclists in town had decided not to vacate the cabin!  No worries, she had called around to find us another cabin up the road.  She said ‘Go knock on the door of the two-story white house.’ 

We found the two-story white house and someone quickly came out to welcome us. She took us to a very simple cabin down a soggy mud driveway, where a warm fire greeted us.  We were very happy to have a home out of the rain! The hosts were so friendly to us.  They brought lots of firewood (it was cold!) and shared many local history stories.  We learned about the priest that set up home in Patagonia in the 70s and 80s, connecting communities and facilitating trade (and many marriages).  We learned about the road construction, a mudslide disaster, and the giant satellite dish that made TV possible in the 90s–but only a Mexican TV station. 

Day 60: Rest day in Villa Amengual

Oh my gosh the rain would not stop!!  It must have rained 1.5 inches in a single day, just nonstop.  We only went out to track down food, which was actually difficult.  The village has three places to buy food, in theory, but one was closed and another was ‘open’ but no one was there.  The final store was on the other side of town along the highway.  It was actually open!  It was also the meat / butcher shop, so we were able to get what we needed for dinner.  It didn’t have vegetables, but we had inexplicably carried huge pieces of squash, cabbage, onion, and carrots from the previous town. Who would have guessed?

Day 61: Villa Amengualto Refugio Rio Cisnes (7 km / 4 mi)

We thought the rain had cleared up enough to make at least some forward progress, so we decided to ride a very short day to a nature preserve along the mighty Rio Cisnes.  We left town in a spot of sunshine.  It felt like an enormous privilege to be riding through the rainforest and past many rushing streams.  It was a bit of climb leaving town, and by the top of it… the rain returned!

As we crested the top and began the quick descent towards the river the beautiful sun spot became driving rain and dangerous gusts of wind.  We carefully descended, concentrating on keeping the bikes upright around the curves and through the gusts.  A couple of French travelers pulled over in front of us and lifted our spirits with balls of Lindt chocolate!  This was unexpected but delightful.

Shortly after the road straightened out we reached our destination.  It looked medium abandoned, but we stopped at the small building labeled ‘café’ to find a warm fire and a lovely spot to sit out of the rain.  Soon we were eating a delicious lunch of hot dogs and ham/cheese/egg sandwiches while our cabin was prepared.  When we finished eating we headed down to the cabin/lodge, which is set up to have rooms rented separately for up to 8 people.  We correctly had guessed that no one else would visit on this rainy day, and we got the entire picturesque cabin to ourselves.  It was lovely!  But also cold.

It took Jason four tries to get the wood fire started, since the wood provided was soggy and too green to really burn well.  Eventually he scavenged for better (older) wood under the cabin and soon we were in business!  We spent the afternoon reading, taking a little hike along the river, and preparing a surprisingly yummy chicken and green bean pilaf for dinner.  We all decided to sleep in the loft, occupying four single beds in the warmth above the stove.

Day 62: Refugio Rio Cisnes to Puerto Cisnes (55 km / 34 mi)

We awoke to perfect sun and blue sky. The mist was rising off the hillsides as we set out for a spectacular day of riding.  After so many cold and rainy days, we had made the decision to make a run for the coast and hop a ferry to the warmer island of Chiloe.  It was wonderful to have one perfect day of riding in this area before we left the rainy coast entirely. 

We rode in the shadow of the steep cliffs all morning along the beautiful Rio Cisnes.  It seemed that every hundred feet we passed another small stream/waterfall as it crossed the road.  We were in excellent spirits.

One noteworthy part of our route was passing the Piedra del Gato (cat rock) which is a sheer rock face above the river.  The road passes it in a raised section, and before the roadworks it took an entire day to get around this bottleneck.  I could see some of the ropes used by construction workers, still hanging abandoned on the rock face. 

In the early afternoon we turned off the Carretera Austral.  This was a big moment after nearly 800km on this one famous road.  It is one of the most famous cycling routes in the world, and for good reason.  Jason and I of course have already cycled it in its entirety, but we were delighted to turn off and pedal towards new routes.

The spur road to Puerto Cisnes was absolutely delightful as well.  There was almost no traffic and the grade was gentle as we zipped along the river valley.  We were delighted to reach the small port town at the mouth of the river.  We dropped our belongings (and the kids) off at our cabin and went to make sure everything was in order for the ferry to Chiloe. 

The ferry takes 12 hours and was scheduled to depart at 11am the next day.  We had already purchased tickets for the humans, but needed to buy tickets for the bicycles.  The bicycle tickets were surprisingly expensive, about $50 per bicycle.  Humans were $35 each, except H who was inexplicably free.  In any case, we got our tickets printed and paid for.

That evening we ordered pizzas and wandered town as they cooked.  It was such a nice town!  A lovely park straddled a stream in the middle of town, and there were all services you could need (including playgrounds).  We bought fruit at the fruit store, visited the ATM, and the pizzas were incredibly delicious when they were finally ready.  We took them back to our cabin where we ate and watched the second episode of Survivor season 50 (which is excellent as well!). Jason and A took a trip to a grocery store and were completely tickled to see a cat eating out of the sold-by-weight cat food bin inside the store! He asked the lady if cats eat free, and she said ‘Yes, this one does, it lives here!’

This is the kind of day that erases the previous 6 days of rain and cold.

Day 63: Ferry from Puerto Cisnes to Quellón (1 km)

The person that printed our tickets told us to arrive for the ferry two hours early, so around 9:15 we arrived at the dock… and there was no ferry.  Huh.  We asked around a bit and learned that the ferry wasn’t expected to arrive until 11:30!  We lamented a bit that we had arrived so early, but then we just settled in to wait.  The girls played Nintendo and Jason and I enjoyed chatting with the other passengers.  It was a mix of local people moving around the area for work or for family, and some tourists.

When the boat finally arrived the pedestrians and cyclists were allowed on first.  We settled the girls into our seats, then Jason and I set off to watch the cars load.  The boat has only one way on or off, so all the trucks and cars had to back onto the ferry.  It took a long time!  We finally pushed off from the dock at 1pm. 

The rest of the day was spent admiring the scenery, playing games, and just waiting. We were all reminded of Washington state and the waters around Lopez Island.  It was a perfectly calm and sunny day, so no one was sick.  The boat didn’t arrive at its destination until after midnight though, which was very late!  Luckily we had a small cabin reserved close to the dock.  It was an exciting and short ride in an unknown town in the middle of the night.  I bet the kids will remember this!  In any case we safely reached a small yellow house, parked the bikes and went straight to bed.