This 5-day stretch ended in the largest town (a city!) in the Aysén region, Coyhaique. We started out with a pleasant night camping followed by a very wet climbing day. A long dry day was followed by a rest day in Villa Cerro Castillo. Then we went over the largest pass on the Carretera Austral, climbing 3000′ of elevation gain in a single day. Let’s just say that kind of gain was only possible since we were on pavement! In this entry we feature the kids’ writing and supplement it with a few adult comments.

Day 47: Bahía Murta to Camping Doña Dora (20 km / 12 mi)

Ut oh, A forgot to write something today!

H: I helped pack up a bag. It was easy riding. We’re staying on a farm again.

We loved being in our warm, dry cabin for a couple days of pouring rain. But, once the rain stopped we were ready to keep moving. Our first day back on the bikes was short and quick. The gravel road was soaked from the weather and there was little dust today. We arrived at the campground around 1 pm (after a very late start) and had our pick of campsites. Throughout the afternoon different cyclists rolled in: a couple different solo cyclists from Europe, a pair from Europe, a group of supported cyclists, and a couple from Indiana. It was a great, fun group to spend the evening (and morning the next day) chatting with – of course everyone was in the shelter cooking and eating out of the evening rain!

Day 48: Camping Doña Dora to Camping Rio Cajón (45 km / 28 mi)

A: Today for breakfast I had cookies and eggs. Eventually we got on the road and zoomed to the base of the hill we were climbing today. It was raining. 😢. For a lunch halfway up the hill we had smoked mackerel sandwiches. Delicious. On the downhill I got frustrated because we weren’t here yet. The campground had goats, horses, turkeys, duck, chicken, and possibly cows. We decided to stay indoors. Me and H played video games while Mama and Papa cooked dinner (I think). Dinner was lentils and pasta. I didn’t eat much. I’m getting bored of this meal. Bye! That’s all for today! See you later! 😊. Oh, and for a bit a puppy/dog chased us down the road. It was surprisingly fast.

H: It was raining all day. There was a giant steep uphill. I saw a mouse shivering while we were riding. While the mouse was shivering, it had both of its paws like knuckles on its chest while shaking like crazy!!! (If you didn’t know that, give me double thanks for letting you know that information. It was really hard to figure out what the mouse was doing and what it looked like.) So this mouse looked like it had just fallen down a steep cliff right next to the road and then a car hit it and the mouse was in between its wheels cause the mouse was crying. Ha ha! Just joking! Because since it was raining, there were raindrops coming down the mouses face! So anyway we made it in the rain and we were supposed to camp, but got a room instead. I played video games and on Stardew Valley I made it to level 55 on the mines. I ate dinner but I couldn’t because I wasn’t hungry and I’m bored of having pasta and lentils for dinner and breakfast every single day.

A has a very consistent descriptive narrative of each day. In contrast, H will often just give a few sentences so we were tickled by her long narrative today. The girls had it right though that the climb was brutal and wet. It was a hard day of riding, but it had to be done: the only way out is through. The hill was so steep. There was one point where I tried to switch to a lower gear, but it wasn’t working. I thought it was because A was still pedaling (you have to not pedal when switching gears with a Pinion). We ended up stopping suddenly on a steep, muddy section. I looked down to see what gear we were in, and realized we were already in gear 1. There wasn’t a lower gear, ahhh! This was the first time I’ve wanted a lower gear, which is really saying something because the gearing on this tandem is great for carrying heavy stuff up steep hills.

After serving dinner tonight Daisy and I really got the message that we need to switch up the menu! The farm where we spent the night offers camping, or beds in a house. I was considering camping but luckily Daisy was thinking fast and quickly signed us up to sleep inside. We had a quiet night and no other cyclists joined us. We really enjoyed seeing the sheep herding dogs do their job to bring the sheep into the pen at night. Also a herd of 100(+) goats walked by. What a menagerie. One strange thing was that there were no sheets on the bed. It was wonderful to be inside and dry, especially as it continued to rain in the afternoon and evening.

Day 49: Camping Rio Cajón to Villa Cerro Castillo (38 km / 24 mi)

A: Today for breakfast I had eggs and cookies. I had a lot of fuzzes on my socks from the bed. Soon we left and started biking. The road condition wasn’t good, but then again it wasn’t bad either. We biked through the valley and climbed up a huge hill in the middle of an island in the river! (Wow!) We almost ran out of water but stopped at a construction site for lunch and more water. By the time we left the construction workers had arrived. There was a different cyclist. Finally we rode down a huge downhill into town. It was hot. Once we found our place we all rested and took a little break and eventually ordered pizza (vegetarian and ham/tomato) from a restaurant. I think I’m going to take a shower next. Bye! See you later!

H: Horrible gravel, pavement, nice cabin, and video games.

Today we reached pavement!!! But we had one more stretch of nasty gravel to get through first. The entirety of the 25km before pavement was through an active construction zone. The scenery was stunning – the mountains shot up the valley sides dramatically, up 1000 m (3300 ft). One had a high valley with a cloud trailing out of it like dragon breath. Yet the gravel was rough and somehow dry enough to be dusty already, despite the overnight rain. It was like riding on misshapen marbles, so in the afternoon when we reached pavement we really appreciated it.

It was dry enough that the little gulleys we passed all had no water and as we continued climbing we started worrying about running out. Instead of eating lunch, which would have also involved drinking, we pushed on hoping to find water. We were happy to find some at a viewpoint closed for construction. After the viewpoint the valley really opened up. The ‘Castle Mountain’ is very distinctive, a series of very sharp and pointy peaks.

We reached high speeds on our descent into the valley on a smooth road. As we rounded the final corner and saw town, we stopped to take a picture. Daisy and I took the same picture 11 years ago – you can see the town has grown! The left side of the road used to be fields and now it is has a gas station, houses, and a couple stores. All throughout the Carretera Austral we’ve noticed that the roads have more pavement and the towns are bigger and busier.

Our cabin is right off the main road. I took the time to bring our bags into the shower and wash them off. The bikes also got a (limited) bath. I’m sure we removed a couple of pounds of mud in total! For dinner we treated the kids to takeout pizza. It was very, very well received – and there were no complaints about it being a boring meal.

Day 50: Rest day in Villa Cerro Castillo

A: Today was a rest day. I practically just played video games and read all day. The meals were good. For breakfast I had egg avocado burritos, lunch – chicken avocado burger, dinner – potatoes (fried) and fish cakes. Mmmm…

H didn’t write anything today. Something unusual about today was that I went to the grocery store 4 times. We eat a lot, but that did seem a little excessive! Then again, Daisy told me she thought she ate 7000 calories today. A and I took a walk through town and played on both playgrounds. The clouds were very unusual today, looking like giant, smoothly-stretched fluffs. I think they might have been lenticular clouds.

Day 51: Villa Cerro Castillo to Camping at Laguna Chiguay (37 km / 23 mi)

A: Today for breakfast I had an egg and avocado burrito. It was delicious. Soon we started biking up the biggest hill of the Carretera Austral. At least it was on pavement, but wow it was still hard! For a snack on the hill we had gummies and oreos just before a set of switchbacks. We coasted down a bit on the other side and stopped for lunch at a trailhead. Lunch was avocado and tuna and mayo sandwiches. It was awesome. (I can’t believe we carried an avocado!) We walked a little on the trail and crossed a rickety wooden suspension bridge. It was fun. We then got back on the bikes and climbed the last 600 ft of climbing. The camping area was really nice. It was nestled in a valley beside a nasty lagoon with algae growing on its surface. Supposedly a special frog species lived there. I don’t see why they should have any reason to like it. There was also a special endangered deer species that lived in and around the valley. Me and H played with a koosh ball while Mama and Papa set up the tent (he, he, he!) and cooked dinner. Dinner was pasta, soy chunks, carrots and broth. I didn’t really like it. Me, Papa, and Mama took a walk down to the lagoon. The bathrooms here were really nice, they even had toilet paper! Yay! Bye! That’s all for this long day! Oh, we also climbed 3,000 feet today! See you later!

H: We ate breakfast, did a climb, and ate lunch. We went uphill, and got there. We played and we played video games. We climbed a total of 3100 ft.

We knew this day would be a big one, and it didn’t disappoint! The uphill started right away, as we climbed steadily along the valley. At the base of 7 switchbacks we stopped for our snack: a lot of chips, cookies, and gummies. (One of my bike-tour joys is eating junk food. With our elevated metabolisms we burn right through it all.) We entered the park and then reached the top of the pass. The mountain peaks here look different – dry, rocky, and barren. The contrast with the green valley was great. There is an endangered deer, the huemul, that lives in the area but we weren’t lucky enough to spot one. The descent through this high valley was something that stuck in my memory from 11 years ago and I was happy to repeat the experience.

It was like we were being followed by the paparazzi today. Cars kept stopping to take pictures of us.

After some more climbing at the end of the day, we ended at a campground in the national park. The girls and I played a ball game for awhile, and then they played more with their koosh. There’s nothing like the threat of throwing out toys, as extra weight that we don’t use or need, to get them played with! Daisy and I recognize this campground from being here 11 years ago, especially the old water heater and dish washing area.

Day 52: Laguna Chiguay to Coyhaique (62 km / 39 mi)

A: Today for breakfast I had coconut cereal and a spoonful of peanut butter. We soon left the campground and sailed down 4 or 5 kilometers of long downhill. Eventually I sadly realized we had left my water bottle (which I really quite liked, it had insulation,) at the campground. I was sad. There were a lot more up and downs before we made it to the teensy town of Blanco, where we stopped for lunch. For lunch we stopped at a restaurant and got delicious empanadas and we also refilled our water bottles. Then we finally started on the biggest hill of the day, a gradual 150 meter climb. It started raining and, apparently, the water we had gotten tasted weird. I didn’t try it myself, by the way. The wind was also like the winds of Tierra del Fuego. BOOOO!!! We stopped at a second small restaurant but decided to just push on to Coyhaique. Eventually we did after all make it to the city where we slowly made our way up the hill to our place. The house we were staying was really nice except it DIDN’T HAVE TOILET PAPER! We all couldn’t believe our ears!!?!? Me and H played video games while the parents made dinner. Dinner was teriyaki chicken (for me, beef for H) and rice. Also vegetables. It was good. Then Mama, H, and me (“us girls”) played Bubble Shooter on a phone. Me and Papa also took a short fun walk. Bye! See you later! That’s all for today!

H: Horrible wind and rain. Staying at place with no toilet paper. Mama mad at me for some reason.

This day was definitely harder than we planned! We came down into some rolling hills to see farmland with sheep, cows, and horses. Daisy spotted a puma (from quite a distance!) that we felt lucky to see. After lunch the weather really turned against us. The headwind and rain came and went as the traffic steadily increased. We arrived in town to realize we had ‘extra’ climbing to our AirBnB since the whole town spreads across a slanted valley. We finally arrived, soaked from rain, yet sweating in the sunlight, and definitely tired. The next day the clouds cleared and we could see the massive rock cliffs surrounding town.

Day 53: Rest day in Coyhaique

We spent our rest day exploring the plaza, finding a great playground, and getting some bicycle maintenance and chores done (including washing ALL our clothes). At El Escarabajo bike shop we had a great time meeting Nestor and his family – including giving them test rides on our tandems. And we are very thankful to the team at Co-Motion Cycles for responding immediately with help on our maintenance question. Our noises were ultimately coming from a sprocket with a loose lockring, and once we removed the caked-on mud we could easily see the pins to tighten it down. We also replaced some brake pads.

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.