January 2, 2020
Villa Manihuales
We were awake early this morning and had eaten our small breakfast of queque and biscuits soon by seven o'clock thirty – no time for a bowl of hot oats porridge if one needs and early start. The reason for the early start was that the first twenty five kilometers of today's ride included a few small climbs and we didn't want to do them in the heat of the day. As I moved my bicycle away from the tent so that we could start packing up, I noticed that my front tyre was flat. I changed the tube as quickly as I could although, disturbingly, I couldn't find the cause of the puncture.
Despite the setback, we were on the road at about a quarter to eight, close to the earliest we have ever got away in Patagonia. A climb of almost two hundred meters over three kilometers starts straight out of the campsite at Rio Cisnes. In the coolth of the morning and the shade of the mountain it was quite easy work.
Then it was a short downhill in Villa Amengual.
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We stopped into the nice supermercado we had bought from two years to buy grub for the road. Incredibly,the shelves were almost empty but we managed to stock up with enough food to get us to Villa Manihuales. A big drop, a steep climb followed by another drop took us to the beautiful Lago Las Torres.
Then it was a few more kilometers of rolling hills before we started dropping down do Villa Manihuales. We passed an elderly German couple cycling north from Caleta Tortel and they said that it was already thirty degrees. Thank goodness for the early start. The swirling wind that had bothered us at times started to blow more directly from the north and the last twenty kilometers sped by. An enjoyable way in which to end a ride.
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On the northern side of Villa Manihuales we stopped in at a really nice supermercado and stocked upfor tonight and tomorrow. At the parada outside were three cycle tourists, one from Barcelona in Spain (Carlos who is heading for Ushuaia as well) and two Brazilians. Soon after pulling into the Border Rio campsite on the south end of town we were joined by Carlos.
The campsite, wonderfully green and grassed and has a great refugio. We spent two days here two years ago sheltering from the bad weather. The last few days have been so hot that I can hardly imagine the weather then. The campsite is next to the river and I was tempted to go for a swim but it was just a bit cold. I guess I'll be bathing in much colder as we go further south.
Today's ride: 67 km (42 miles)
Total: 549 km (341 miles)
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