Tue 25th Oct: Lago Rividavia to Punta Mattos, PN Los Alerces

October 25, 2016

There would be no hurry today. I would remain in the national park two nights more. And from last I's here, it's a long ride to the bottom end of Lago Futalaufquen near the park's southern entrance. The aim is to split that into two days and enjoy the nature.

So with stopping late yesterday evening, it is half seven when I wake up, and eight when I've coffee on the go.

The morning starts hazy, but by eleven, the thin cloud has cleared leaving blue sky and a fairly warm day.

I was thinking I'd have the day to myself. The stony gravel road through the forest. The only vehicles that I meet or pass are park rangers' pickup trucks. I think I saw three cars all morning until I m met by a mountain biker: the wheels buzzing on the gravel road.

Later though, coming up on midday, as I'm stopped admiring the view of an old wooden farmhouse in a forest clearing, the same mountain biker returns with a touring cyclist, a Japanese man called Kazu, the other Carlos, a local doing a loop on his mountain bike in his free time from driving an excursion tour mini-bus, which he'd parked further on by Lago Verde, in which he would later remove the bike's wheels and pack both wheels and bike in the rear of, to await his national park tour-goers to return.

I meet Kazu from Japan, and Carlos, a local.

Carlos´ bike has 29 inch wheels, which he says makes him go faster, except they´re harder uphill. Congratulations to me for taking this photo while keeping pace.

At Lago Verde, we cross a footbridge to an island in the lake to lunch. I tell Carlos about my planned route south, he being a local he might be able to give me a few tips. I am interested in knowing if there is a road or track going south from Rio Pico to Apeleg and on south to Old Route 40, which would keep me off the busy new Route 40.

He isn't sure, but when we return across the footbridge, he finds a tourist map in the mini-bus which clearly shows a provincial road.

I thank him for his help and we say our goodbyes. Me and Kazu would continue on together. Kazu's aim today is Esquel, a little over ambitious as it's a long way, while I plan to stop early at a free campsite twelve kilometres on.

We arrive there at four and Kazu says I'll have a look and joins me as I ride off the road down a track to the free lakeside campsite. I think he realised at this point he was never going to reach Esquel today.

The campsite is an open green up from the lakeshore, about an acre in size. Kazu suddenly says "Oh! A great place to camp." And so decides to stop too.

The free campsite at Punta Mattos, by Lago Futelauquen.

I write my journal before taking a walk down by the lakeshore. By now the wind is picking up creating choppy waves on the lake and making it too cold to go far, so I return to the tent.

I had been dreading losing my solitude when I met Kazu earlier today, but it hasn't turned out that way. He's good company as he comes over to my tent and asks what I'm cooking for dinner. "Spaghetti." He replies "Oh! I cook egg noddles and cabbage."

We will split up tomorrow as Kazu will push on to Esquel and I remain in the park another night.

As I write he is poking in the stones of an old camp fire when something jumps out. He shouts "Oh! A moose!!!" that runs toward my tent and disappears. Thanks, Kazu. So now I'm paranoid about the moose coming into my tent as I listen to every rustle of the fly-sheet.

I will dream tonight about struggling with a moose that has its teeth locked in my wrist.

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