February 6, 2011
I go South.
Saturday has been a glorious sunny day and the good weather has continued today. I started the day at the hostel in Trevelin where Vivian, the Proprietor has taken an interest in my bicycle and cycle-tour. The reason, she and her partner will go on their very first cycle-tour to France this coming April. She asked me many relevant questions; do I need to box the bike to fly, and I can get this at any bike-shop. I didn't quite get around to the why and motivation, but I'm sure it is perhaps seeing all the cyclists that have stayed at the hostel in the decade or so the hostel has been open that has inspired her on her first cycle-tour.
With all the questions the day was getting off to a late start which was more the fault of not getting to bed till after one and consequently not rising till after eight. In any-case, when not camping and staying indoors I find one o clock a reasonable time to retire to bed. I like to sit-up and read, besides last-night I'd to update this journal.
The hostel: La CasaVerde, is such a soothing place to stay. It a modern cleverly designed wood-cabin with gables sticking out of it on all sides. But the main gable, is one large window, faces North West and thereby gets the sun from mid-morning to sunset, and moreover has a fabulous view of the mountains. Behind this window is the all in one kitchen living room: so on colder windy days you can sit in and enjoy the greenhouse radiants of what sun there is. In all, the soft tone of the log wall interior and the abundant light provides a relaxing ambiances and many quests end-up staying longer than originally planned.
Thinking of the road ahead frightens me a bit. It's a long challenging stretch with no place to hid from the wind. But I've been down this road before, Ruta40 it is, and I know the places whence I can obtain water, and even the number of kilometres between places. I have not decided whether to cycle the whole way South: I decide that and where next when I reach Perito Moreno, a town midway. I won't go into why I chose this route rather than the popular Chilean route South suffice to say I don't mind meeting other cycle-tourers once in a while but meeting one every hour of the day somehow for me takes the magic out of an adventure. Besides I prefer the steppe if the wind isn't too much. Enough said.
It was after a eleven when I eventually got away and warm very warm cycling up the hill away from Trevelin on the way to Esquel. The road was the same road I rode the opposite way on Thursday last, narrow without a paved shoulder and all ridged-up at the edge by heavy-laden trucks pulling up that hill. Thus the road's edge that you need to stick to because of the fast traffic in both directions, isn't easily ridden with this ridged rut: the bike is difficult to steer in a straight line safe from passing cars.
A brief summary. I descended down to Esquel at 12.30, in time for lunch even-though I'd only covered 22km. There's a good bakery which I've earlier alluded to here. I bough a big egg and ham sandwich , lots of scones and two Alforjares which I haven't eaten since Uruguay. Cycling South the road climbed gently up with hills on either side past farms and fields of baled hay. Up to the top of a valley and past the mountains I past on the way into Esquel ten days ago. The road then crossed steppe for a few dozen kilometres with hills all around looking majestic in the bright afternoon sunshine. Or maybe it had such an effect on me as today was the beginning of a long road South without much of anything that it all looked somehow enticing. Eventually the road descends down to a valley with the willow tree lined riverbank. It was about this time that I had hunger-knock and had to stop to eat something. The place I stopped was on the riverbank and I thought it a perfect place to camp, it being 5.30 at this time. So camped I did.
Today's ride: 84 km (52 miles)
Total: 9,962 km (6,186 miles)
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