In this update we don’t make too much forward progress because we are forced to wait out a many-day rain storm with cold temperatures.  We do sneak in two days of almost-perfect riding in glorious scenery, and luckily we find a wonderful cabin in a lovely town to wait out the rain. To put the amount of rain in perspective, the forecast was for 3 inches (76 mm) of rain over 6 days.

Day 54: Coyhaique to Camping Las Torres del Simpson (45 km / 28 mi)

Leaving Coyhaique was not easy.  We woke up and readied our things, then headed straight back to the bicycle shop for help with another issue on Jason’s bike.  One of his front sprockets was loose and we didn’t have the tools needed to tighten it.  Luckily our new friend Nestor was undaunted by the task.  He flipped Jason’s bike upside down, pulled out a hammer and a screwdriver, and delicately tapped everything until it was right.  Jason said it was ‘better’ and Nester said ‘No, it’s perfect.’  Then Nestor and his family took turns riding the tandems around town for a while. 

By this time we were actually hungry for lunch, so we stopped at a burger place for American style burgers.  YUM. Then we finally left town.  Or tried to.  Now it was Daisy’s turn to stop and adjust her brakes, which were rubbing something awful after getting new and thicker brake pads.  We weren’t able to get it perfect, but good enough to ride.  We finally left town in the early afternoon.

It was a substantial climb to leave the valley that houses Coyhaique, so we shifted into our low gears and got to it.  By the time we reached the top we were hot in the sun.  We stopped to admire some wind turbines then started the descent.  For this section of road there are actually two choices: a shorter gravel route with more climbing that goes up and over a mountain valley, or a longer paved route that follows two rivers around the mountain.  We are sick of gravel for now, so we chose the longer paved route.  11 years ago Jason and I took the gravel side, so we can definitively say that both options are spectacular.

The road went steeply down towards the river, including a fun tunnel.  Once we reached the river it was excellent riding on a false flat downhill.  We stopped to see a couple of beautiful waterfalls, and for the first time someone actually offered us a ride!  Of course, we said no thank you and carried on.  The driver was concerned about the traffic on the curvy road, but we found the traffic to be polite all day and had no issues.

At the end of the day we reached the Simpson Towers, an impressive series of steep mountains above the Simpson River. The girls, oblivious to the natural beauty surrounding them, ran off to play on a teeter totter.  We rode 2km down a farm road to our campsite.  The campground had excellent facilities – a beautiful common room with kitchen, a covered spot for the bikes, and a flat grassy area for the tent.  It also came with ‘mate classes’ included. 

What does this mean, you ask?  It means that the extremely friendly campground host sat us down and explained the history and traditions of the mate drink.  We learned that the cup that holds the herbs is called the mate, and the herbs are called, well, the herbs.  The host brews the herbs and makes sure it is good, then passes the mate around to the members of the group.  Yes, the straw is shared between everyone and in fact you are not allowed to move the straw around or else you’ll mess it up.  Between people the host adds more hot water.  When you are done with the mate and don’t want anymore you say gracias.  You do not say gracias until you are ready to be excluded from the mate rotation.  It was helpful to learn these small details, even if the girls were mortified about sharing a straw with a stranger.

Day 55: Camping to Villa Mañihuales (51 km / 32 mi)

After a peaceful night we returned to the main route and carried on down the rest of the Simpson River Valley.  The best part of the day was when we turned to start riding back up the neighboring river valley on the River Mañihuales.  The conditions were just about the best we could have: no wind, gentle sun, almost no traffic, and smooth pavement.  We happily pedaled all morning.  One highlight was getting cheered by a family sitting on their porch as they watched us pass.

Eventually some climbing came for us, but like all the other climbing we’ve done we just shifted down and kept going.  We stopped for lunch at a covered bus stop, where A and I left Jason and H to prepare sandwiches while we walked down to the river for water.  We walked all the way across a narrow suspension bridge, then followed a trail to the riverbank.  We have grown used to the milky glacial rivers of the extreme south, but now we are far enough north that the rivers are clear and beautiful. 

We rejoined the other route and finished out our ride into the village of Mañihuales.  This town is a bit long and spread out on either side of the Carretera Austral.  It has a beautiful wooded park in the middle and more mini markets than you could visit in a day.  In theory it even has an ATM inside the gas station, but it wouldn’t work for us.  No matter, we had enough cash to pay for the next four nights in a lovely little apartment.  That’s right – we stayed in this town for four nights.

Rest days in Villa Mañihuales

The rain came to Mañihuales with a vengeance. For three full days it rained and the temperatures dropped.  It would have been miserable if not dangerous riding, so we stayed put.  We slept, made chicken stew, watched Survivor, and played video games. We did Spanish practice and video games, and we ventured out between the downpours to buy bread and groceries.  A and Jason both filled their journals so we had to buy new notebooks for them.  Jason got to put his new mate skills to use with our wonderfully friendly host Ignacio. We also visited a small local festival about a native berry called the maqui.  The festival was in the local rodeo barn and was pretty subdued in the pouring rain.  No matter, we bought and enjoyed some maqui juice anyhow. By the morning of the fourth day we were bouncing off the walls and ready to ride.  Of course we woke up to… more rain!!!

In this stretch of five days we ride 150km between the ‘big city’ of Cochrane and the tiny hamlet of Bahía Murta. We follow the mighty Baker River upstream until it becomes the massive General Carrera Lake. In the journey we do an unexpectedly long day through a huge construction zone, camp on bucolic farms, and experience a beehive of tourism in Puerto Río Tranquílo. The reason for such a long stretch of riding (we prefer to ride 3 days then rest 1 day) was an approaching cold rain storm. We are currently waiting out the storm in a cozy cabin enjoying a wood fire and roof.

This covers five action-packed days of riding, so pace yourself. It’s long. I made the decision to include so many photos, but if everyone hates it I can scale back.

Day 40: Cochrane to Puerto Bertrand (50km / 31mi)

Today was accidentally much longer than we had planned! Our intention was to camp 18km into our day, before a 17-kilometer stretch of construction. Unfortunately the visitor center’s information about where the construction started was off by five kilometers! Instead of being before the construction, our intended campsite was inside the construction zone! Anyways, back to the beginning.

Because we planned a very short day, we were slow and lazy getting out of our cabin. We rode a kilometer back to town to buy groceries. We were not in a hurry. The smooth pavement extended several kilometers north of Cochrane as we descended down to a river valley and then started the many steep climbs and descents along the Baker river. The pavement came and went, but the scenery was dramatic and the traffic was sparse. This road is completely closed to vehicle traffic from 11:30 to 3:30 each day due to the construction blasting, so our ride that started at 11 was very quiet. Honestly, it felt pretty dreamy.

Around lunchtime we descended to where we planned to camp, thinking it was still 5km more to the construction zone. OOPS – the visitor center gave us wrong information! There was a line of cars waiting right before our intended camp area, and a flagger informing us that there was no way we could camp in the area. It was a dispiriting moment, as we had all been looking forward to a lazy afternoon in camp.

The flagger informed us that the blasting was done for the day, so it was safe for cyclists to pass and climb slowly and carefully through the construction. We passed the cars then sat down for a lunch near the river before a long, steep climb. It took a bit, but we rallied and recalibrated our day’s expectations. Then we got on the bikes and climbed.

After a kilometer of climbing we realized H had left her helmet at lunch. OH NO! I had H hop off and walk uphill with Jason and A, then I rode all the way back to the river to retrieve the helmet. By the time I caught up to them they had walked another kilometer! The climbing was very steep (which at this point is the defining characteristic of this route), but at least it was also traffic free! That is, until the line of 43 cars was allowed to go! Then it was dust city.

The road undulated up and down through the construction zone. The surface was good for riding, but there were no water sources. We asked for water bottle refills from construction workers and they were happy to help out. Everyone was friendly and encouraging to us, but we were still very happy to leave the construction behind.

Immediately after the construction zone we reached the confluence of the Baker and Neff rivers. Both rivers are impressive, so we left the bikes in the care of a very friendly couple selling handicrafts at the trailhead and hiked down to see the sight. At this time we were only 13km from town and I had enough service on my phone to confirm that we had a room waiting for us. We made the decision to power through!

It was up and down along the river to town, of course, but the road was once again magically paved (or close to it). We were able to fly on the downhills and power over the following uphills. We rolled into Puerto Bertrand at 6:30pm and were immensely pleased with ourselves.

We stayed in the lower portion of town in a room behind a restaurant and next to the minimarket. It was actually pretty ideal for our family. We met a very friendly and chatty Chilean woman in the shared kitchen who shared information about the next section after the Carretera Austral. She seemed very displeased about the cold nights in the area! Honestly, she’s not wrong. The nights have been very cold (in the 30s), but the days heat up quickly!

Day 41: Puerto Bertrand to Camping Cerro Color (15km / 9mi)

Finally, an actually short day! We had a lazy start in the hotel and then walked down to the river for some pictures. The higher part of this town is waaaaay higher. We pushed the bikes up the steep curvy road to the central square, where the girls found a playground.

While the girls played Jason and I noticed that part of his bicycle drivetrain seemed a little loose/wiggly. We decided to try and tighten it, but didn’t have the correct tool. There were three local guys sitting and chatting nearby, so we asked them where we might find a tool. They directed us to ask ‘Angelo,’ who works on cars and lives in a green house nearby. So we did! I knocked on door and asked for Angelo. He was eating breakfast, but was happy enough to come out and show us his toolbox full of random tools. He reached in and took out one handful at a time, laying the tools on the grass for us to dig through. We didn’t find exactly what we needed, but we found something close, and in the process we realized we didn’t really need to make the adjustment we were trying to make.

We thanked Angelo very sincerely, then headed back to the main plaza where we adjusted something else. By that time it was lunch! We got sandwiches from a food truck, but there were too many yellowjackets trying to share our meal. We ate quickly then got on the bikes and headed out. It was steep uphill from town.

At the top of the climb we stopped on a river to collect some water. That’s when we realized that I had left my safety vest at lunch! It made H downright gleeful to see that I also forget things. There was no way I wanted to ride back down this time though, not for a faded old safety vest. We will simply buy one in the next bigger city.

We cycled along a gorgeous blue lake, then climbed out of that basin and into the next. That’s where our intended destination was – Camping Cerro Color. It was tucked away 300m off the road and at the end of a lake. There was a cabin, camping, and simple rooms. We chose to camp, with access to an indoor kitchen and dining area. A German couple was there with the same drivetrain as Jason! We were able to compare notes with them and were very reassured with our own. This was an incredible stroke of luck, as Jason’s bicycle uses a Pinion gear box – perhaps the most niche and specialized (but also maintenance free) way to change gears on a bicycle. It’s not common to see them, and most folks we meet have never seen any in person.

We had a relaxing afternoon in camp, chatting with other campers and enjoying the day. I saw the woman who runs the place setting up the dining room for maaaaaany people. I asked her if she was planning for a party and she replied: “The party started when your family arrived!” It turns out that the dining area was for everyone camping to use. That night there were seven cyclists and four overlanders in camping vans.

Day 42: Camping Cerro Color to Camping Los Ciogues (28km / 17mi)

Despite the dust and somewhat heavier traffic on this stretch of road, today was a gorgeous and fun day. Shortly after leaving the campground we descended down to the immense Lago General Carrera – a startingly blue lake shared by Chile and Argentina. It is the largest lake in Chile and the second largest in South America. We spent the vast majority of the next three days riding up and down along its shores.

Not long into the day we saw a sign advertising an upcoming restaurant/resort.  Among many other things, it promised ‘Cakes and Juices.’  Intrigued, we decided to stop.  Well it turns out that to even visit this restaurant you have to register at the reception of this fancy resort, so after several false attempts to get food we ended up at the front desk where we learned the restaurant didn’t open until after noon!  Disappointed, we carried on.

The road surface was good, so we had a good day dipping up and down along the lake.  In the early afternoon we reached the turn-off for our intended destination.  It was 4km up a side road along the glacial Lion River.  The map did not do justice to the size and force of this river.  It was immense!  The road was a poorly maintained track that would have been very difficult in a car, but was actually very fun for us to ride. 

The farm offering camping was perfect.  Huge shade trees surrounded the camping area, two dozen chickens wandered the area, and a field of sheep and cows was right across a fence.  There was a small creek running through the property that provided water and dishwashing facilities, and even a nice building with bathrooms and electricity. We had such a lovely afternoon relaxing.

Day 43: Camping Los Ciogues to Puerto Río Tranquílo (37km / 23mi)

As expected, it was a perfectly peaceful night on the farm.  The side road was fast and fun to ride out then we were back on the Carretera Austral, dust and all.  We all have wool neck warmers that doubled as effective dust filters today.  We wore them over our noses and mouths to keep the worst of the dust away. 

For the first time in a long time we had a bit of a tailwind for about 3km.  We were all shocked to be blasting along the gravel at 20km!  It didn’t last long, of course, but wow was it great while it lasted. 

There was one main climb today, but the road surface was good so we were at the top by lunch.  On our map the top was marked as a ‘viewpoint’ so we expected something somewhat formal.  Nope.  It was a tiny pull off and very sketchy overlook with no infrastructure.  (And no fence to protect you from falling off the cliff!) Oh well, still gorgeous so we stopped for lunch despite the wind blasting through. 

From there it was a bumpy, dusty descent to the tourist town of Río Tranquílo.  It had been very difficult to secure a place to stay here, but we had supposedly gotten a room in a hostel.  Problem: the owner hadn’t told us the name of the hostel.  Problem: our phone didn’t work in town.  Problem: the tourist office was closed and the tourist wifi required a password.  Uh oh!  We spent some time trying to guess the password, going to the library (also closed), and finally ended up going to the gas station for wifi.  That worked!

In the end the hostel couldn’t accommodate us after all, so we spent an hour wandering town looking for a place.  We ended up in a rundown campground behind a small shop where we knew some other cyclists were staying.  It ended up having everything we needed: a flat tent site, wifi and power, and a place to wash and dry clothes.  There were also a dozen young chickens for the girls to herd around. 

Day 44: Puerto Río Tranquílo to Puerto Murta (30km / 19mi)

A fifth consecutive day riding is not typical for our family, but a big two-day storm was coming and we wanted a cabin to weather it.  Since nothing was available in Río Tranquílo, we had looked up the road to a small hamlet off the main route.  The owner of the village minimarket offered us a cabin for three nights, so off we set to reach the cabin before the storm.

Before leaving town we hit up the grocery store for a few items for lunch and dinner. It is important to be prepared when heading to small towns on Sunday afternoons when every store (really, everything) is closed. While chatting with some cyclists that have lived in Daisy’s hometown (yay Bellingham!), a strong gust of wind blew over Jason’s bicycle. The handlebar hit A in the head (oh, no!). Jason ran in to buy a bag of ice while I comforted A. Luckily there was no lasting damage and A quickly recovered.

We thought it would be a quick 30km ride along the lake but we were wrong.  The incoming storm was blowing in with a mighty headwind, and we spend the entire day climbing the same 200 feet over and over again.  Also, the road was horrible and at times unrideable.  Unlike earlier sections of rough road, this time the problem wasn’t washboarding.  The problem was large, loose gravel.  The bikes were slipping all over.  We had to walk several sections… but we made it.

The girls were such troopers.  When we turned off the Carretera Austral to head the 4km off route to town we found the route to be gloriously smooth pavement.  We zoomed along deeply relieved.  It was so fun!

In town my phone didn’t work again, but we were able to ask around and find our cabin.  It’s a paradise.  Three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, wifi and a wood stove.  Even better – this town has three different playgrounds!  The storms are rolling in and it’s been raining huge amounts.  But, we are warm, snug, and dry in this cabin.

The Carretera Austral, or southern highway, is among the most famous of all roads for cyclists. Jason and I rode it eleven years ago when it was almost completely unpaved and relatively quiet, at least on the southern end. Now it’s halfway paved and even more popular with cycletourists, hitchhikers, overlanders, and adventurers in rented SUVs. This entry will cover our first three days on the famous highway, which down this far south is actually still a dirt road with barely enough space for two cars to pass each other.

Day 36: Caleta Tortel to Camping Patagon Baucha (56km / 35mi)

We’ve been told that the stairs of Tortel are “character-building” for cyclists, and those folks weren’t wrong. To reach the road from our cabin we needed to traverse 204 steps. We walked up with the girls and all the bags (split between the four of us), and left the girls to guard the bags while we went bag for the bikes. (Guard is likely too strong of a word here as really they just sat next to the bags while reading their Kindles, oblivious to the world around them.) Each tandem required us both, and by the end of it we were tired before pedaling a single stroke!

Leaving town we were shocked to find that the first 2km were paved. I had assumed that there would be zero pavement for the next several weeks, so even a couple kilometers here and there feels like a gift. The road leaving Tortel was pretty indicative of the next 100 kilometers: spectacular scenery on a poor road surface. We were torn between annoyance at the washboard and marvel at the mountains.

You’ll have to forgive the many photos; hard to describe today without them.

We bumped along slowly (8-10km/hr) all day. In the afternoon it got surprisingly hot and we were flagging when something miraculous happened: a food truck appeared! We ate hot dogs, French fries, soda, and coffee. Not exactly the healthiest ‘first dinner’ but exactly what we needed.

We bumped along to our intended destination, a campground run by a small family. The family had an 8-year-old girl that was so sweet and outgoing. She invited our girls to play and they spent well over an hour kicking a soccer ball around and laughing delightedly. Our girls were completely exhausted by the time we called them in for dinner and bed.

Day 37: Camping Patagon Baucha to Wild camp in a field (36km / 22 mi)

Today the Carretera Austral showed its true character: STEEP CLIMBS! We spent the morning riding along a river valley with some steep climbs but about the same amount of descents. The washboard of the gravel was bad. Even on the flats we couldn’t find a decent bit of road and our speed stayed very low. We stopped for lunch at a lovely spot along the river.

In the afternoon we hit our main climb for the day. We had heard it was 7km of climbing, so when it was extremely steep for the first 0.5 kilometer we thought it was going to be wildly difficult. We were glad to find that the road got a little less steep and there were several flats and even downhills in that 7km that were actually only 6km! There was some walking near the end when our legs were too tired to continue, but we made it!

After we finished the climb our plan was to camp at the first spot we found. It was a glorious first stop too! A side track led us to a huge open field nestled against a steep hill. It was raining at this time so we ran to assemble the tent and get the girls snuggled in and warm. Of course, we failed to notice there was no water source! Oh well, I jumped back on the bike and continued on the road to find the nearest water source. We need about 6-7 liters for an overnight camp. I brought back 8 because I hate the thought of running low on water.

No one else joined us in our meadow paradise, except for small horde of goatheads that tried to hitch a ride on our clothes. It was a peaceful night in the drizzle.

Day 38: Wild camp to Cochrane (38km / 24mi)

The rain was gone by the time we woke, and sadly so was its effect on the road dust. We bumped mostly downhill for a while, but a few medium climbs were on the route too – very characteristic of the Carretera Austral. Steep steep ups and downs, over and over again with almost no flat.

It’s almost boring to say that the scenery was spectacular at this point, so I’ll just let you know that at our snack we ate an entire bag of cheddar flavored potato chips. And some cookies.

There was a whole lot of whooping and hollering when we reached pavement 15km from the town of Cochrane. It was actually just a thin layer of blacktop but wow did it feel amazing! It felt so good to race down one hill and power up the next that we didn’t even stop for lunch until we reached town.

Cochrane is one of the biggest towns on the Carretera Austral. It has a large, beautiful central square where the girls first chased and then fed pigeons. We visited several grocery stores for fresh bread, jam, and butter for lunch. It had been very difficult to find a cabin in town, so I had rented one about a mile from the central square. We loaded up supplies for dinner and rode to our cabin.

I regretted not being in town, since Cochrane is fun to walk around, but our cabin was extremely nice. We particularly enjoyed the small herd of sheep wandering around the property. We settled in for a calm evening doing absolutely nothing but reading and video games.