January 24, 2020
Caleta Tortel Junction (Wildcamp)
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It rained for much of last night and was still drizzling this morning. So much for the weather report's suggestion it would be a dry night. With only a short, and easy, ride planned for the day it was already midday by the time we got going. Marlon and Lauren had left about half an hour earlier, heading for Carleta Tortel where they hoped to be able to catch the ferry to Puerto Natales. If they could, it would give them a free day in Carleta Tortel otherwise they would have cycle back to the inter5section and then to Puerto Yungay the next day.
With the rain over the previous day and night, the road was much softer and easier on the body. The dust had been dampened and the corrugations seemed less vicious. It was also pretty flat for much of the way and we enjoyed a peaceful and easy ride with not much traffic with which to contend. We were heading for the gravel pit where we had camped two years earlier but on our arrival there my romantic notions of how it had been were brought down to earth. After the warmth of the bright sunshine in which we enjoyed then, it now seemed much colder and less inviting in the grey and windy conditions that we were experiencing today.
iOverlander showed a possible alternative at an abandoned road workers' camp a few kilometers further on. So, after another look at the dark sky and strengthening wind, we carried on to find a rather bleak row of huts. Thankfully, the second one from the left, as noted on iOverlander, had been cleaned out and had been kept clean by passing cyclists and it would make do for the night. There was enough room to pitch the tent and a rude table and chairs made it quite comfortable. The one short-coming of the huts was lack of water, so I cycled back to the gravel pit to get as much good water as I could carry.
Today's ride: 32 km (20 miles)
Total: 1,069 km (664 miles)
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