In this entry we spend four days riding the interior of Chile through incredible mountain ranges and along a historic rail route. We pass through tunnels carved through the mountains in the early 1900’s and still in use today. The four days felt much much longer, since each day involved a lot of climbing and most days we started out without knowing our destination. Without kids, it is absolutely typical to not know where our destination is. With kids… we try to know where we will end up most nights. They like knowing ‘how many kilometers more?’ and we like knowing there is food and water awaiting us at a set location! But in any case, we had a spectacular time. Here is the day by day.
Day 140: Cabildo to Palquico (31 km / 19 mi)
We chose to make this a rather short and easy day for us, since the lodging and even the campgrounds further along the route were full. The route is also very… slanted… so finding a flat campsite on our own would be a challenge. Jason worked some real magic texting various places along the route. If one place was full he would ask if they knew anyone with an available spot. Eventually someone gave him the number of the owner of a small minimarket that also had a small camping/party area nearby!
Anyways, back to the day. We dragged ourselves out of Cabildo and right away started climbing up to our first tunnel. The opposing traffic came through in bunches, which makes sense because the first tunnel was just above us. It’s a one-lane tunnel so a traffic light controls which cars go through. It wasn’t long before we were waiting at the traffic light too. We waited out a cycle to make sure we had cars ahead and behind us who were on board to make sure we didn’t get run over, then when the light turned green we entered the dark tunnel.
It was really dark! It was really long! We were racing through as fast as we could to make it in the designated amount of time. At first it was slightly uphill, so it felt impossible, but somewhere in the middle it changed to downhill, so by the end we were flying through the tunnel. On the other side we were delighted to see that the opposing traffic still (just barely) had a red light!
From there we descended quickly into the next town, then we cruised along a lovely valley with a tailwind. We stopped in a small town for sandwich supplies, since the restaurants weren’t open yet. A nice man came by to chat with us in the plaza as we ate. He told us all about the mining in the area (lots!) and the fruit (lots!) and the water (not much anymore). The rail lines came through in the early 1900’s and left behind station buildings and tunnels. Now the entire region is tourism and mineral extraction.
After lunch we pedaled away and up the next valley. It was easy, lovely riding on a quiet road. In the ‘town’ Palquico, which was more like an intersection, we found the minimarket (actually a small shack with just a few goods) that also would let us stay in their nearby camping/party space.
It was actually a delight! There was a large covered area with tables, an outdoor kitchen with lights and power outlets, and a bathroom with running water! We were in such good spirits as we set up camp. We ate instant noodles from the minimarket, munched on chocolate, and peeked at the goats and dogs next door. The dogs barked and barked. Three very friendly cats begged us for scraps, sometimes hopping into our laps to get close to the food. One of them peed on the tent (rude!). There were over a dozen barking dogs as we laid down, but somehow we still slept soundly all night long.
Day 141: Palquico to Tilama (25 km / 16 mi)
When we awoke the whole valley was covered with thick, low clouds. We couldn’t see the road above us or the mountains next to us and it felt cold. The only logical thing to do was wait. We ate a slow breakfast and packed up the tent. The clouds retreated just a bit, then a bit more. Eventually they were far enough away that we could confidently ride.
All morning we climbed. Slowly, for the most part, but the grade was gradual enough that we didn’t have to push. As we climbed we noticed more and more plant life. By the time we were nearing the high point of the road there were trees and bushes all around us. There were many Chilean Palm trees in the valley, which was a delight. These trees have teeny, tiny coconuts as fruit!
At the top of our climb was another tunnel, this one over a kilometer long and controlled by a shorter stoplight. We flagged down a passing truck and asked the driver if they would go ahead of us at the next light, then stop on the other side and make sure no one else entered until we had exited. The driver was happy to help! With this extra reassurance we really enjoyed the long tunnel this time. It was dark and full of echoes, and at the end there was a bit of a waterfall from the side of the tunnel!
We emerged into a bright day, a new valley, and a spectacular view. Each time we climb from one valley to the next we are greeted by mountains that are just a teeny bit drier. This time the view was truly spectacular.
The road descended just a bit to a little shop selling sandwiches and quartz crystals. We were cold and hungry, and the owners there were so kind to us. We ordered drinks and sandwiches, and when the noticed how starving the kids were they brought us slices of apple cake. They also gifted the girls some quartz crystals, which is so sweet and kind but also now we carry rocks I guess.
We zipped down the mountain, which was truly magnificent. There were big vistas and little one-lane bridges over a dry creekbed. In the ‘town’ we saw a small sign for a campground, which also offered geodesic camping domes. We followed a dirt track to a big field with quartz beds, a restaurant full of Chilean tourists, and two domes. We were absolutely delighted when we were allowed to rent the big dome for the night.
While the girls rested, Jason and I went in search of food. This town is so small that there is only one place to buy food. When we rang the bell an older gentleman came out and told us the owner was at mass and that we’d have to come back in a couple hours. Then he proceeded to ramble on about all kinds of interesting topics, including his aunt that moved to DC to work at the Chilean embassy there. He mused that we should go find her and tell her about him so he could inherit her money, since she never married nor had children. Odd conversation with that one.
We decided to take a little stroll up the street and back. By luck we found a very nice woman selling random things from her car. We bought avocados, strawberries, and a container with shelled Chilean coconuts!
We were treated to a fantastic sunset. In the evening we took the small telescope out of the dome. We looked at a few stars, the moon, and a distant street light.
Day 142: Tilama to wild camp north of Caimanes (26 km / 16 mi)
It was a cold night in the dome, so we weren’t moving quickly to get out of town. It was cloudy, with a heavy dew on our bikes, but no fog at least. When we finally got moving it was straight back up into another climb. This one was only half the vertical gain as yesterday, so it was over quickly. There were no Chilean palm trees or hidden lush ecosystems either. I suppose the high valley from Day 141 was truly special.
The next valley over was, as expected, just a wee bit drier. It was also a lot less lovely. The region is overtaken with waster processing from an immense copper mine in the Andes. We arrived in the main town, Caimanes, before lunch. The main road was under construction and the streets were teeming with workers from the mining companies.
We had already messaged about a dozen hostels asking if they had space, and not a single one had said yes. There was optimism that we’d find a place to stay once we were actually in town, so we started asking around. We asked at the minimarket, who sent us to a sprawling complex of accomodations. They didn’t have any space either, but sent us to another hostel that ‘might’ have space. Nope. We popped in at every place with a ‘lodging’ sign out front. Nothing. Every lodging was only for ‘la empresa’ (the company). We asked at the fire station if they had a place we could camp, and their only solution was a nearby parking lot. No thank you!
Finally around 3pm we gave up. We loaded up on water at a mini market near the edge of town (the owner was very curious about our trip but had no ideas about where we could stay in town). Then we rode out, looking for a safe place to camp on the next climb.
It didn’t take long before an opportunity presented itself. We found a sheltered spot between two roads (visible to neither) that goat herders clearly used to transit their livestock between locations. Lots of goat poop, cacti, bushes, rocks… and a nice sheltered flat spot for the tent. We dragged the bikes and gear up the path and set up camp. It was a peaceful, scenic night after all that.
Day 143: Wild camp north of Caimanes to Illapel (52 km / 32 mi)
We woke up to a sunny, warm day. We were running a bit low on food supplies, since it had been many days since we passed a proper super market. Remarkably, I had the supplies for pancakes still, so in our goat-poop wild camp we chowed down on fresh pancakes and coffee.
As is normal on this route, we started the day climbing. This time we criss-crossed the same mountainside overlooking Caimanes. When the road got steep and my legs got tired I would rant a bit about the town overtaken with mining.
We had three tunnels today, all with dirt road surfaces, all one-lane and built between 1910 and 1912. The first tunnel was short and straight. The second tunnel was a bit longer and also curved. That one was a bit spooky since there was a stretch in the middle when we could see neither the entrance nor the exit. Finally the last tunnel was very long, with a very rough surface. By the end of it the surface was actually cobblestones!
For all the tunnels we flagged down a passing vehicle to be our safety escort, and of course we had our reflective vests on and all our bicycle lights on bright. We felt very safe, so we could enjoy the unique experience of being inside these century-old tunnels.
Outside the last of the three tunnels we emerged into… yet another slightly drier valley. The descent was magnificent. It was a perfect grade on a smooth road with layers on layers of mountains stretching out to the north. We loved it.
We grabbed some lunch supplies at a minimarket then got on a very quiet side road for our approach into the city of Illapel. This side road was what we call ‘peak cycletouring’. It was narrow, with almost no traffic, with good views down the valley and farms around us. We eventually entered large groves of citrus trees before reaching the final approach to Illapel.
Illapel is the largest town in the region. We made our way to a hostel where we were welcomed with open arms. It was one of those places that cycletourists frequent and write their names on a wall. Flags from different countries hung in the courtyard. We decided to rest for three nights and two days here. After our long stretch of desert it felt like an oasis.
