January 6, 2018
Caleta Gonzalo: Ferries, a short ride and lots of rain
We were hoping to enjoy the views from the two ferry rides lined up for today but the weather had already closed in by the time we had boarded the first ferry to Lepetu. We started off on the deck getting some nice birding done before retreating to the warmth of the seated area inside.
From Lepetu it was a short but enjoyable ride to catch the ferry to Caleta Gonzalo. There had been sixteen cyclists on the ferry, including us, and we all had to wait for the second ferry to Caleta Gonzalo - the cars covering the ten kilometers faster than us and catching the first ferry. Even so, the cars at the back of the queue just managed to fir onto the second ferry. I'm not sure what they would do if they were to overload the larger ferry from Hornopiren to Lepetu. Most of the cyclists were Chilean but there was a German, a Swiss couple and Swiss fellow on his own. The Swiss couple had cycled all the way from Cuba. The German guy was rushing to make his flight home from Porto Arenas on the 13th of February with some hiking booked in Torres del Paine in between. So he didn't have time to stop and had to hit the fifty five kilometers of rough road to Chaiten in the pouring rain - at six o'clock in the evening !
It was raining even more heavily by the time we docked at Carleta Gonzalo. All the cabanas were booked up so the only option was to camp. Hikers who were in the campsite alresady had taken over the shelters, even setting up their tents in them, so we had no option but to get even wetter. Nonetheless, we managed to cook up a pretty good supper of chorizo and pasta. A couple of mugs of red wine also eased the discomfort. In the end we slept warmly and soundly.
Today's ride: 12 km (7 miles)
Total: 148 km (92 miles)
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