Loaded to the brim with supplies to get us to Cochrane we set out on a sunny day. We revelled in each paved kilometre because we knew it wasn't going to last. Infact, we got up to our old tricks and managed to hit the 90km marker flying down some hills. A little bit naughty! However, once back on gravel and faced with sharp gradients 100 kilometres down the road it was back to 10kms per hour or even less at times! With our bums bouncing on our seats like hot potatoes we made our way around Lago General Carrera, the 2nd largest lake in South America (the first being Lago Titicaca).
Not trusting the weather forecast one tiddly bit we took refuge several times overnight in abandoned lodges and bus shelters. One perfect spot was on the shores of this famous lake (which is also shared with Argentina but called Lago Buenos Aires) where we had front row seats to rainbows materialising over the water and the calming trickle of a river flowing nearby to send us off to sleep.
One of our favourite rest stops on this stretch was in Puerto Bertrand overlooking Lago Plomo where we had two dogs keeping us company while we munched down on sandwiches and several chocolate bars. This was the last of the good weather for us and the final two days on the Carretera Austral proved to be difficult and uncomfortable but also our favourite part! However, we were pretty pleased with our investment of red PVC ponchos that kept us surprisingly dry and warm in rain, hail, sleet, snow and big puddles. Not only that but they were a great distraction as we looked pretty silly with the ponchos flailing around in the wind. At times, It could be compared to when the bonnet of a car suddenly pops up and you find yourself driving blind!
Unbeknown to us, there was four other cyclists fairing no better waiting for the ferry at Puerto Yunguy. There is no charge for this service as there is no road alternative and has two crossings daily (and depending on who you ask, sailing times vary!). Although the weather didn't improve there was a lot of comfort in knowing that other cyclists were out here, that they were also finding the conditions tough and that we would have some company for the remainder of our time in Chile.
Yes, it was certainly hard yakka (with even blowing out a tire and snapping our chain twice) it was an enchanting place to cycle through. The further south we cycled, with traffic almost non existent, we were surrounded by some of the most pure and quiet landscapes we've ever encountered. It's really hard to summarise how special it felt going through this section as it will all sound very cliche. But basically it was damn cool!
Arriving into Villa O'Higgins (the end of the road) we found the perfect digs to spend two nights waiting for the ferry to Candelario Mansilla. After being in the cold elements all day we went primal making our first order of business to find fire. This was closely followed by a hot shower and locating certain food items we had been deprived of for the past three days (as all the yum food is usually devoured in the first day of a cycling stretch). Camping Ñires was a family run business and besides being the cheapest place on offer it was probably the most inviting. We were the only ones there the first night and so they invited us for dinner as their guests. Asados (BBQs) are one of Patagonians favourite past times and we were presented with a mountain of cordero (lamb) and good Chilean wine to wash it down.
In addition to the four other cyclists (who we shared a night with in the ferry shelter at Rio Bravo) we were nicely surprised to see another cycle touring couple (Bart and Griet) who we first met in Copacobana, Bolivia. It was shaping up to be quite the cycling crew to cross the horse trail over to Argentina. All in all, there was nine of us: Dave and Linda from the USA, Michael and John Marc from France, Bart and Griet from Belguim, and Pedro from Spain. We decided we could have had a UN meeting right then and there! We really had a great time getting to know these guys a little bit over the next few days and hope to see them again somewhere down the line.
The morning of the ferry was a stunner and the short 7km cycle to the ferry terminal was in stark contrast to the previous cycling days. After a pleasant crossing of Lago O'Higgins we cleared customs and set out on a 23km adventure. On the Chile side we still at least had a road and was mostly rideable but immediately crossing the invisible border line the road vanished. The final kilometres were a mixture of pushing, pulling, dragging, and lifting our bikes through mud, streams, fallen logs, narrow deep ditches and steep ascents and descents. It really was a team effort with us all staying together helping each other through the most difficult bits. We would really like to thank the other cyclists for helping us to negotiate Big Bird through a couple of really hairy parts, it really made a huge difference to us! It was motivating and encouraging going through it together but Belinda still managed to have a little meltdown when the bike had fallen on her one too many times. Even almost a week later she still has war wounds! We wanted to hire a horse to carry our trailer and panniers but they were unavailable as the owner was busy skinning a cow! So with Roland's Superman powers he carried the entire Bob trailer on his back while Belinda steered the bike with the help of Roland steadying the bike from the back. With this kind of thing not normally being Belinda's forte it was quite emotional arriving to Lago del Desierto and clearing Argentine customs knowing the most physically demanding bit of the trip was finally finished. Once again as we have mentioned several times before, the scenery was simply magical and that much more special knowing no vehicles can travel this route. We also got our first glimpse of Mount Fitz Roy that stands at 3441m and is not only astounding to simply view from afar but is world famous amongst climbers.
We jumped on the Lago del Desierto ferry with 5 minutes to spare everyone wrapping up warm and shedding their wet shoes. Forty five minutes later we were on the south end of the lake and back to a gravel road. All weary from an action packed day we were keen to find a camp spot ASAP and settle in for the night. In celebration Bart and Griet pulled out an instant chocolate mousse mix they had bought in Belgium and we savoured the chocolaty goodness, did a few rounds of congratulatory high fives, warmed our toes next to the fire and hit the sack.