Coyhaique: A few stiff climbs on a busy road

January 19, 2018

We only got going after ten thirty this morning. We both got some work done and we only had a short ride, although we knew it would be mostly uphill with a couple of stiff climbs at the end. At the end of yesterday's ride we turned up the valley through which the Rio Simpson flows and we continued up this valley today. It was really quite beautiful but the traffic was pretty manic on a narrow road with no shoulder. We had also experienced this yesterday when, for the first time in Chile, we were forced off the road by an overtaking car.

The climbs into Coyhaique really took it out of us and on arriving in the little city that is the capital of Aysen province we quickly found a mercado where we bought some cheese and ham empanades for lunch. It was a bit of a shock to discover that the campsite was at the bottom of a very steep hill up which would have to climb to get back into the city and also to start our planned exit in two days time.

Our road took us up the valley through which the Rio Simpson runs.

The view of the Rio Simpson at the start of the climb.

After setting up camp and having a cold shower (the hot water only comes on at 7pm) we walked slowly up into town to the Unimarc to stock up on some groceries and something for supper. We also picked up a bottle of wine - yes, a bottle and not the normal one liter tetrapac box of El Gato or Clos - with the hope that someone in the campsite would have a corkscrew we could borrow (we had lost our camping corkscrew somewhere in Asia last year). There was a large camper van, the owner of which had walked back from town with us, so I assumed that they would have one we could borrow. To my surprise he insisted that I take one of his as a gift.

The large camper van from which we got the gift of a corkscrew

There is a young Russian couple camping next to us who are cycle touring through South America with their two year old son having started in Ponto Arenas. Frank, the Irishman we had met earlier, had said he had heard of some folks traveling northwards with young kids and Alex, the Russian, said there is at least another couple (French) who are doing the same.

The campsite is full this evening and we are pleased we got in soon after three o'clock before the gates closed. On our trip to town we saw at least ten disappointed prospective campers of which four were cycle tourists who had to negociate the steep hill back into town to look for alternative accommodation.

Today's ride: 43 km (27 miles)
Total: 598 km (371 miles)

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