Cerro Color

January 14, 2020

With the proprietor arriving last night it meant that the refugio was now unlocked and available. Eventually all the cycle travelers gathered there and we enjoyed a long and leisurely breakfast together. We ordered some pan and huevos from the owner so we fried up the eggs and plonked them on top of the breads while Philipe tucked into cereal which he claimed he could happily eat three times a day. Bronwyn was the first to get going, heading southwards, followed by Philipe and Isabel heading up towards Rio Tranquilo. It was close to eleven o'clock when we slowly dragged ourselves out onto the rough track leading back to Ruta 7.

Our route today was barely twenty five kilometers so once again we took it slowly and easily. It was a lot cooler than yesterday with patches of light rain but the wind was on our backs as we rode down towards the south-western corner of Lago General Carera. The road was pretty much as I remembered it - rough and corrugated - and even with the wind behind us it was slow going.

What is Patagonia without a horse or two ?

At the junction of Lago General Carera and Lago Betrand.

Where Lago General Carera flows into Lago Betrand.

As we approached the junction to the road to Chile Chico I spotted a more upmarket resort on the edge of Lago Negro. The sign listing their facilities included the word "bar" so on a whim we popped in to see if we could buy a bottle of wine. We struck up a conversation with the front desk lady while she organized our tipple and she told us that their bookings were dramatically down with the unrest induced tourist slump. In fact, they only had one couple currently staying there and there might be another arriving tomorrow. Despite this, she was, like many other Chileans we had chatted to regarding the current political turmoil in the country, quite upbeat and made it clear that she believed this year's sacrifice would make it possible for things to be better for the general populace in the long run.

There is quite a climb just passed the junction of Lago General Carera and Lago Betrand where the road from Chile Chico joins Ruta 7.

After the stiff 100 meter climb up the hill we had to quickly put on some extra layers as an icy headwind sprang up. However it was only a kilometer or two to Cerro Color where we are the only campers for the night. A fire was lit in the excellent refugio on our arrival and we warmed up with the help of it and a hot shower. After that I squeezed in a bit of birding before supper and bed.

Today's ride: 26 km (16 miles)
Total: 918 km (570 miles)

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