January 23, 2018
Cerro Castillo: Cold headwinds and the most magnificent views
It was zero degrees on our little thermometer at eight o'clock this morning. Lord knows what it might have been an hour or two earlier. Despite this I managed to get uyp and have another walk down to the lake picking another new bird in Speckled Teal. It took three cups of coffee and a few hours before we got going. It was still freezing cold and Leigh stopped to put some socks over her gloves because her hands were so cold. There was a strong headwind and we had to pedal hard despite going downhill.
The route was downhill for the first six or seven kilometers. Near the bottom we picked up an American couple a few years older than us - Elizabeth and Jackson from Boston. We would spend the rest of the day leapfrogging each other as first one couple and then the other stopped for one reason or another. They had wild camped lower down the hill last night, not expecting that there would be an established campsite at the top of the hill. We climbed up the gentle climb to the highest point on the Carretera Austral - about eleven hundred meters above sea level - but it was slow going because of the headwind. It got even stronger as we reached the top at which point I realised I was in my second lowest gear pedaling as hard as I could barely managing seven kilometers an hour while on a level stretch of road. The drop down the other side was hardly an improvement. As we dropped from the top of the pass the wind slackened but we could still cruise down a steep descent without using our brakes. All this time we were freezing to death - I have never been so cold on a bicycle before.
Of course, what made up for it all were the absolutely mind blowing views of Cerra Castillo and the surrounding hills. We stopped at the Devil's Viewpoint above the town from where it seemed we could see for miles into mountain after snow-capped mountain. Jackson and Elizabeth and various other Chilean cyclists joined us here.
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On arrival in the village of Cerra Castillo we cycled around a bit, in two minds as to find accommodation or to look for a warm place to eat. Eventually we decided to stop in at the well-known and over-priced (that fact also well-known) restaurant in a bus in the main street. Jackson and Elizabeth had done pretty much the same on their arrival in town so we shared a table and had a good natter while we warmed up while waiting for our food.
The it was off to look for a place for the night. We ended up at the La Araucaria campsite on the eastern side of town at about the same time as Jackson and Elizabeth and we ended up pitching close to one another. After sorting out laundry and a hot shower, we stopped into the common area to enjoy a beer and shandy. A tour group had just finished enjoying a meal of asado (traditional lamb split into half and grilled over an open fire) and we were invited to enjoy the leftover. No second invitation was needed and so too no need to cook supper !
Today's ride: 43 km (27 miles)
Total: 705 km (438 miles)
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