In this section we ride some small days, some big days, some windy days, and some rainy days from the big city of Punta Arenas to the tourist outpost of Puerto Natales. Jason and I rode this stretch 11 years ago in a quick 3 days, but this time we lingered in the tiny hamlets and spent time in isolated refugios. We saw an incredible amount and variety of wildlife, we battled overwhelming sidewinds, and we ate so many potato chips. We also achieved our first 500 km of riding and took a celebratory photo. This is another long entry, so pace yourself.
A wants us to use her writings again here, and H also asked to be included. To really round out the story, I also include a parental note each day.
Day 19: Punta Arenas to Chabunco Camping (27km / 17 mi)
A: Today was a very hard day. We left early but the wind was *way* too strong. We made it halfway before the wind kicked up and became dangerous. We tried to wait it out on the beach, but when we went back up the wind was the same, or worse. Then we actually went back two kilometers to a safe but dirty place to camp.
Papa took an Uber back to a minimart to get water while me, Mama, and H got the tent set up. Well, tried anyway. We were forced to take the tent down because it was too windy. Then when Papa came back we managed to set the tent up.
For dinner we had eggs and pasta and we accidentally spilled some on the sleeping pad.
Today I have now told you about all the rudely disappointing things that happened today. Bye! See you later!
H: I played video games. It was awesome. When we were riding the wind blew us over. It was scary. We walked around our campground. It was tiring.
Parental note: Today was what we called ‘full of pickles’. Similar to our very first day of riding way back in Ushuaia, we left our lodging a day early to catch a weather window, but the first day wasn’t great. At first the wind was at our backs as we flew out of the city, but after lunch it became a raging, unsafe sidewind.
We stopped for a rest on the side of the road. A boat operator docked nearby and came to speak with us. He shared that just over the fence there was a sheltered spot on the beach where we could rest. He showed us how to walk through the gate and past the small pier that the penguin tour company uses. When we asked if we were going to get trapped there by someone closing the gate he told us not to worry because ‘todos somos hermanos aqui.’ We are all brothers here. It was such a nice thing for him to do, to help us.
We spent the next couple hours sitting in the sun on the sheltered beach, playing in the sand and skipping rocks. A nice tour bus driver gave the girls some fresh bread filled with savory ham. The wind continued to blow. It was over 30mph all afternoon. Reluctantly we looked at our options and decided we had to turn back.
A free camping place 2km back had enough shelter to spend the night, but no water. We walked the two kilometers back up the hill.
In the end we spent a free, peaceful night overlooking the Strait of Magellan. It was a good lesson in making the right decision, even if that meant turning around and walking back. We called it a day full of pickles. We got ourselves into many a pickle (raging sidewinds, no water, nearly broken tent), but we also got out of them all.
Day 20: Chabunco Camping to Sheep-herding refugio (53 km / 33 mi)
A: Today was long and hard. For breakfast I had 3 breakfast cookies. We got on the road by 7:30 o’clock. There were tons of cars and trucks but almost no wind. For lunch we stopped at a gas station and got empanadas and sandwiches. I got chocolate milk, and both me and H got ice cream sandwiches. Then we got toilet paper and left. You had to pay to use the bathroom here!
After lunch we kept riding except the wind was worse, but again the traffic was also better. Before lunch there was a big gravel stretch and I think we all hoped there wasn’t another one.
Finally we made it to the refugio and it was pretty/super clean and didn’t smell at all. We set up the sleeping pads and then me and H played while Mama and Papa cooked dinner. Dinner was lentil, carrot, and rice. It was okay. I also had a Nutella and cheese sandwich. That’s all for today! Bye! See you later!
H: I woke up really early. It felt bad. I read Diary of a Wimpy Kid: the Getaway. It was amazingly awesome. We started riding into a NorthWest wind. It was awesomely hard. We rode into a 23 mph headwind for 20km and got to this amazing refugio. It was super hard. I played Stardew Valley video games. It was so awesome. I had to hand it to A.
Parental note: Overnight the wind stopped completely, and when I woke at 6am it was incredibly peaceful. The sun was up already, but the waters of the strait were still. It was tough to get the girls up and moving, but we were on the road by 7:15am to take advantage of the calm before the wind picked up again.
Unfortunately, there was a long stretch of roadworks that slowed us down. For about 10km we bumped slowly along a dirt side track, uphill, into the headwind. We were covered in dust and exhausted by the time it was over. Our dreams of a fast morning road were well and truly squashed.
We rolled into a highway rest area after 30km and immediately purchased everything we saw. We also saw some of our first rheas: a flightless bird that lives here on the Patagonian steppe. The males raise the young in large groups, and we watched such a family wander past the rest area.
It was only 20km to the next opportunity for rest, but it was almost entirely uphill and of course the wind was raging. It was safe to ride however, so off we went. As the girls noted, it was really tough riding. Our destination was a small refugio built by the Chilean government. We think its main purpose is to shelter sheep herders on long sheep drives, but cyclists use it in the summer months. It was in perfect shape: clean and cozy. It made for a perfect and peaceful night.
Day 21: Refugio to Morro Chico (75km / 47 mi)
A: Today was hard. We had breakfast cookies for breakfast then got on the road. Soon we made it to Villa Tehuelches. It was nice there. Me and H played on the giant playground and then we all had empanadas. There was a cute black and blanco cat that really wanted to eat some of our empanadas.
Since the wind was going to be strong tomorrow we had to go forty more kilometers. That was hard and boring. Near the end we saw a giant lump of land that looked like there was supposed to be a castle on it. We rented out a room in a restaurant to stay the night. There were only 3 beds so H and Mama had to sleep together. Before the person cleaned the room there were a bunch of dead flies on the floor. Gross.
That’s all for today! Bye! See you later!
H: Today we biked 30km to a town, played on a playground, but it turned out we had 47 more km. It was hard that the next day mama had leg pain.
Parental note: Obviously this was a hard day, but it was also an excellent day. We saw a lot of wildlife (rheas, flamingos, guanacos), we chatted with a lot of cyclists, and we took advantage of a weather window to get past the worst of the windy places.
As the kids said, we rode 30km to a small village before lunch. There was a lovely playground where the kids played while we ate large quantities of empanadas from a nearby food stand. It was a popular stopping spot, and we chatted with motorcyclists from the US, a lone cycletourist from San Francisco riding south, and another from France riding the same direction as us.
We also were able to check the wind forecasts. The afternoon had ok wind and the next day had positively awful, unsafe wind. There was no choice for us but to ride the remaining 47 kilometers to the next place with indoor lodging. You see, we really require a strong windshield for our tent to survive, and in these barren pampas no such thing exists. We knew from another cyclist’s blog that the lone business 47km to the north had a room for rent. A quick message to the owners confirmed it was available and off we went.
The 47km were challenging but safe riding. The restaurant owner showed us the rental rooms that hadn’t been used in some time, so there were many dead flies on the floor and it was generally unkept. She spent an hour cleaning it and making the beds for us. The girls were very mature to recognize that despite the dead flies that were there originally, this was a good place to sleep after a clean up. In the end it was very comfortable and we even took hot showers and recharged our devices.
Day 22: Morro Chico to Villa Renoval (35km / 22 mi)
A: Today was pretty good. We had breakfast cookies for breakfast then got on the road around 8. We were only going 35 km today! Yay! Mama’s legs hurt. She was slower than usual. We had to stop 5km away from town for our snack, oh gosh! We rented a little cabin and got lunch at the restaurant while they were cleaning it. For lunch at the restaurant Mama and Papa got Menu, which was soup with beef and fried potatoes. H got a giant ham and cheese sandwich, and I got eggs with fries. It was yummy.
Next we relaxed in our cabin since they had finished cleaning it and eventually went out to get fry bread and muffin. Me and H also tried ice cream but I’m pretty sure mama and papa actually ate most of it.
Me and H played on the playground a bit and me and H never really had a real dinner. But for dinner mama and papa had lentils. That’s all for today! Bye! See you later!
H: Today I woke up the second Mama was about to wake me up, eat breakfast, and started riding. For the first 20km it was pretty easy, but the last 15 were harder. We got there, ate lunch, and got our cabin.
Parental note: After yesterday’s hard push, my legs felt like ground meat. I was also exhausted, so we limped the 35km to the tiny hamlet of Villa Renoval. The hamlet is built around a central grassy park with a small playground. The entire area was extremely overgrown with tall grass. A crew of workers spent the day (it was Saturday) weed-whacking the entire thing minus the playground area, which of course delighted the children.
The hamlet has only two businesses: A mini-market that rents rooms and a cabin, and a restaurant. We of course spent time at both! Our cabin was a rustic little two bedroom with a gas stove that sheltered us from the afternoon wind that came through with huge gusts, and from the rain that came overnight. I took a two-hour afternoon nap, then slept a long night too.
Day 23: Villa Renoval to Puerto Natales (66km / 41 mi)
A: Today we made it to Puerto Natales. We went 65 km today. For breakfast we had French toast. I also had chocolate milk cold. We started riding and zoomed past the first half of the day. We stopped for snack around 30 km in. I had Cheetos and fake oreos and a chocolate coconut bar. Then we stopped in the grounds of a fancy hotel to filter water. Then we biked some more of the gradual hill and eventually stopped at a border station for lunch. For lunch I had two canned tuna and mayo sandwiches. They fueled me just enough to get to town and our place. By the time we made it down the rest of the hill it was raining so hard it felt like hail on my cheeks. It was frozen out. But when we made it to town the rain stopped! Uhhhggrr!!!
Our place is nice but the view out the window is horrible. Me and H played videogames while mama and papa went to the store and made dinner. Dinner was meat mushroom sauce with pasta. The meal was okay.
Now I’m done writing, bye! See you later!
PS me and H practiced washing the dishes.
H: I woke up at 8:00, ate breakfast, and started riding. We had a lot of downhill, then uphill, then it started raining. It was a false flat uphill with a headwind with rain for 10km. Then there was downhill. We made it to town, got our hotel, and I played videogames.
Parental note: We made a family decision to push all the way to Puerto Natales today instead of splitting the distance over two short days. The morning was glorious: we slept in until after a rainstorm had finished, then rode mostly downhill in calm conditions through an interesting landscape. There were trees and hills and fields with horses.
Halfway through the riding day we got water from a small stream at an extremely fancy hotel called ‘Llanuras de Diana’. We enjoyed the climb into the hills afterwards until the afternoon. That’s when the wind started up, then the rain. We descended to town (a port town) with pouring rain and of course, a headwind.
Because we had waited until the last minute to secure lodging, our choices were pretty slim. We could have wandered around town looking for a room in a hostel, but I chose to book a small apartment during lunch to give us a destination. It was the right choice, since we arrived cold and wet, but as A mentioned the views out the window are pretty abysmal. Just a gravel parking lot with a house under construction. But hey! It’s warm, safe, clean, and just a few blocks from a grocery store.
Tomorrow we will try and get on a ferry heading north. We have reservations for the same ferry a week from today (it only goes every six days), but cyclists are often able to travel on standby. Since we are here early, we are going to try!
