Travel Journal
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Los Ñadis, CL to Lago Vargas, CL
A 37°F temperature when we woke up, following yesterday’s cool air, meant that we now had a trend. But with no wind, and the two “rooms” (delineated by large rocks) at our wild campsite, it was still a comfortable and easy morning. Then why did we get rolling 30 minutes later than Rett planned to? Read more…
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Cochrane, CL to Los Ñadis, CL
With Rett’s pedals now no longer “buzzing” from her worn-out bottom bracket, my freehub still spinning fine after I overhauled it in Coyhaique, a few new zippers pasted over the broken ones on our tent, and another stretch of clear weather, we were ready to tackle our final 5-day riding phase of the Carretera Austral. Read more…
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Puerto Bertrand, CL to Cochrane, CL
The roar of the churning Baker River was the only sound we heard all night. Even in the colorless pre-dawn light, it still glowed with an unusual brightness. We were up early as usual, but not as early as we would have been if our day-of-the-week timing hadn’t been as lucky. The Carretera Austral is Read more…
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El Canal, CL to Puerto Bertrand, CL
The alarm went off at 5:45am, and I crawled out of the tent to witness the barely-lightening sky on a perfect windless morning, with ripples from the lake quietly lapping on the rocks. Our hidden spot was just as peaceful as I’d hoped. With the water right there, it was easy to collect some and Read more…
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Puerto Río Tranquilo, CL to El Canal, CL
After four days off in Puerto Río Tranquilo, we had another clear window that would allow us to make it to the next proper town, Cochrane, in three days. It’s “only” ~70 miles from PRT, a distance that we have done before in a single day, but given the hills and gravel, accomplishing it in Read more…
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Puerto Río Tranquilo, CL
Days 2-5 One good thing about me occasionally riding Rett’s bike up steep hills is that it gives me a chance to notice any potential mechanical issues that might escape her detection. For the last few days, I’ve felt a sort of vibration, or “buzzing” coming through her pedals and into my feet when pedaling. Read more…
