| Distance | 57.00 kms | 35.42 miles |
|---|---|---|
| Climbed | 692 meters | 2,270 feet |
| Ride time (hours) | 4.34 | - |
| Avg speed | 13 kph | - |
| Avg climb | 3% | - |
| Max grade | 14% | - |
| Distance | 906.00 kms | 562.96 miles |
|---|---|---|
| Climbed | 9,075 meters | 29,774 feet |
| Ride time (hours) | 81.83 | - |
Friday, December 21st, 2012
Breaking down camp in the rain was a bummer but I had a banana to put into the oatmeal so all was not lost. The day started with a stiff climb up a small pass then a long descent down to the Seno Ventisquero. I stopped briefly to have a look at the Bosque Encantado (Enchanted Forrest) which did look like something out of a Grimm story. At the top of the pass it got down to 5 degrees with rain and strong headwinds so the name of the game was keep moving. On the way down I ran into a bunch of cyclists all headed for Ushuai. An Italian man traveling with two German women, and a young Dutch couple. Stopped to chat for a bit with all of them. They had all been in Chile for a while and had had nothing but rain.
At the turnoff for the ventisquero (not sure why they call it that, it's a glacier) it was raining hard so I stopped at the café for coffee and ended up staying for lunch. I watched part of the Transformers with a pair of 6-8 year olds while warming up by the wood stove. Lunch was a huge pork rib with potatoes. I polished it off in a heartbeat.
On the way out I stopped to talk to three young Israelis who were hitch-hiking at the corner. I had heard from some other travelers that hitching was difficult here but these three said that they had had good luck.
The rain just poured down from here on out. When I reached Puyuhuapi I was soaked to the bone. I couldn't resist the call of the hospedaje signs that were in front of practically every house. I asked the woman (or man, I'm still not sure) at the tourist office which one she/he recommended and went from there. Hung up my dripping clothes and made dinner. Feels like a luxury to be typing this in a warm bed while the rain pounds on the roof. I didn't get in much riding today; the long lunch coupled with the rain turned it into 4 hours of actual ride time.
