Erich’s Journal – Leg 18 –La Serena, Coquimbo, Chile to Puesco,
Araucania, Chile – March 9, to March 25, 2002 – 17 Days
Friday, March 8, 2002 – Day 267 – Hotel – La Serena,
I met a man named Jeff Davis, this morning at
breakfast. He worked for “The Lonely
Planet” guidebook. He was in the process
of updating the section on
It was interesting to hear about how he does his research and how the book is updated for each new edition. For example, the book is revised every three years. The information in each book is about a year and a half old by the time it is released. Each section has a different author. This would explain why sections differ with the type of information given. Some countries have bicycle shop information; some don’t. Some have Laundromat information; some don’t.
Another part I found interesting is that in the current
edition, the prices quoted are more expensive than what I am actually paying
for hotels and meals. That’s due to
inflation. The exchange rate was 500
pesos to 1 dollar at the time of print.
Now it is about 675 to 1. It was
a better deal for the foreigner. Heading
into
There were some British travelers at breakfast as well, who had
just traveled from
The day off in La Serena was needed. The ride in went quickly, as it was primarily downhill. I checked into a hotel called The Croata, which was recommended by the South American Handbook. The cost was $8000 ($12 US), but included cable TV. The room was big enough to fit the bike and all my gear. The shower had very hot water and the bed mattress was new. What a bargain.
La Serena was a very modern and touristy city. Prices there reflected it. After buying my groceries for the next few
days, eating out a few times, paying for the hotel and doing internet, I managed
to blow my budget easily. I think the
closer I get to
Getting back on the road again, after a break can be difficult. This morning, I had a tough time getting out of bed and turning off the television. After the conversation with the Brits and Jeff during breakfast, the delay was even longer. It was during breakfast, however, we discovered we needed to set our clocks back an hour due to the Chilean Daylights Savings Time going into effect. I gained an hour. Therefore, I did get on the road on time.
The
I think this highway will be like this until I reach Los
Andes, where I will be turning off the Pan-American and heading east over the
After about 50 miles of riding with either calm winds or a slight tailwind, a strong headwind hit. It was so strong it made the cycling tedious. This lasted the rest of the day. I went from cycling at about 12 mph to about 8 mph.
After about 60 miles, I found an exit with a sign that
indicated a campground at a place that had thermal
This was the first campground that I have camped at since
the
The weather remains to get cooler and cooler. Summer here is ending within 10 days. Now that I am in vegetation again, I can see the golden vegetation of a dry late summer. (See photo 2032)
I have traveled nearly 2000 miles in the past 5 weeks since Brian left. I have come nearly 20 degrees south since then as well. I am at about S31° latitude. I need to end up at about S55°. I do not much farther to go.
I left a little later today.
I took advantage of the water supply and cleaned some of my gear. I also cleaned my stove well. The soot had been making a mess with
everything that encountered it. I also
cleaned my chain well and adjusted some spokes.
After breakfast, I was on the road by
It was a long day today with a short amount of miles. There were many hills and a strong headwind all the way. It was tough to keep motivated to push on. I had less than an 8 mph average for the day.
The highway too was also a discouragement, with respect to the fence, which doesn’t allow one to pull off the road ever. I would have stopped much earlier today and camped, but there was no access with services and a fence along the highway.
About 30 minutes before sundown I managed to find an opening in the fence. I rode into the desert about 200 – 300 yards and pitched the tent. I’m sure I’m on private property as I see some ranch homes on the horizon, but no one has come out to yell at me yet. It did get dark shortly after I had the tent set up. (See photos 2033, 2034, 2035)
I had noodles and soup for dinner, with some chocolate for desert.
I am going to try to shoot for La Ligua tomorrow so I am going to leave before sunup to try to beat some of the wind. I am exhausted.
I left just after sunrise today. My ride off the road into the desert caused three flat tires on my bike. They were all slow leaks, though. I resorted to just pumping them up and thought I would change them later in the day after the wind picks up and when I am ready for a break.
The strong winds never came up today, however. (See photos 2036, 2037 and 2038)
Food was my main concern this morning. I hadn’t anticipated camping a second night in a row, so after eating a little cereal with powdered milk, I was out of food.
After 25 miles, I came across Los Vilos, where I found a Copec Station with a 24-hour fast food counter. Two sandwiches, some chips, some chocolate, espresso, and a coke later, I was ready to go.
I stopped a few more times to eat in the next few hours.
I left the
I will make a decision after inquiring in Los Andes to its possibility.
A strange thing happened today. After about 60 miles of riding, I was heading to La Ligua for the night, which was still about 15 miles away. A big truck pulled over and a man got out insisting I ride with him. He said there was a 4 km-tunnel up ahead that bicycles were not allowed to pass through. Being reluctant to get in, I was looking at my map and unable to locate it. He was very insistent.
There was a French backpacker traveling with him who was hitchhiking. Before I knew it, they were hoisting my bike into the back of the truck.
We conversed as we traveled in the cab. It didn’t take me long to realize the tunnel was not very close. I wondered if they just picked me up for conversation rather than doing me a favor.
A little later, I saw the turn off for La Ligua as we passed it. I tried to explain to them that I had planned to stay there for the night, but many things were lost in the translation. I had no map on me to show my intended route, but explained finally that I needed to go through Los Andes. The driver had a troubled look on his face, as he may have realized he was taking me on the wrong road. He stopped. He dropped me off along the highway. We said our good byes.
The GPS indicated that I had traveled about 15 direct miles
from where I had been picked up. I
opened up my BOB bag to search for the next section of the map. I discovered I had overshot La Ligua by about
3 miles. According to the map, I did
need to go on this road, but hadn’t planned on it until tomorrow. I didn’t want to backtrack either. The town of
Five miles later, I came across the tunnel. In addition, as warned, bicycles were not allowed to go through. I began to wonder if I should have gotten out of the cab of the truck at that point, as this was an inconvenience. I didn’t have a good feeling about being in that cab, though. There was a bypass around the tunnel, however. It was windy road that rose up about 1500 feet over the top of the range. It took close to an hour to climb the 4 km to the top, but with all the elevation changes in the past nine months, it hardly affected me.
A nice down hill and 15 miles of
gradual downhill later, I arrived in La Calera.
I cycled 83 miles today. I will be
traveling in the mountains and cross the
The view has changed.
I said goodbye to the
Toward the end of the day, I could see snow-covered peaks,
in the direction of where I will be crossing in the next few days. It is invigorating to be out of the desert
and away from the coast. Climbing the
I remember two months ago when
Brian and I left the
Now that I am in the small city of
I am staying at Residencial Italiana. This bed and breakfast is owned by a little old Italian woman who was quite helpful and respectful. For about $9.00 US, this place includes breakfast and cable TV. They also have laundry service here.
I found a bicycle shop that has a replacement cassette and chain for me. I will take my bike there today for a tune-up.
Los Andes, a small agricultural city, is located about 45
miles away from the Argentina Border.
Los Andes is situated at about 2600 feet elevation. The town of
So I changed my mind.
After talking to Eric Savard, the Cyclist-Chilean Veterinarian,
I have gotten some good route advisories.
I discovered that perhaps jumping across over to
Instead I went south on route 57 to
It actually was not too bad. There was absolutely no traffic, which was a relief. I spent the better part of two hours climbing, stopping often to eat some of the fresh baked bread and fruit that I purchased before I left Los Andes.
My slick tires did not work too well, though, coming down the other side, which was gravel. I wiped out and scraped up my knee.
In the late afternoon, I came across the dreaded suburbia
and industria of
At one point, I was on an 8-lane freeway, but not for
long. I hit some road construction,
which took away my nice berm that I had for most of the day. This was my undoing, because a bus hit
me. Although I lost my balance, I did
not fall off the bike. One of my
panniers came loose and I received a nice strawberry bruise/burn where the
plastic siding of the bus rubbed against my elbow. The bus then had the nerve to hit the breaks
in front of me, not to check on my status, but to drop people off that were
just staring at me. My first childish,
yet Alaskan instinct was to pull out my leatherman and slash a tire or
two. Then I had a vision of a Chilean
Prison cell and common sense took over.
I had two bruises in one day. I
think they are the first ones in
I rode right into the
heart of the city, where the South American Handbook, guided me to cheap
accommodations near the center. I was
amazed how beautiful this city is. I am
pleasantly surprised. I walked for hours
watching the people, the street venders, the street performers, the commerce
transactions, etc. It is quite
fascinating seeing this and comparing to other major cities that I have been
through such as
My new route will take me on the Pan-American a few more
days. I will then travel off to the west
on a road toward the coast on a road that was described as muy tranquilo. Then I will
cut to the east and cross the
Now that I have a definite route in mind, Marc plans to meet
me about 16 days prior to ending in the town of
Enough said. Life is good! No pain no brain. No hurries no worries. No rest for the wicked. Amen!
Who is Bernardo O’Higgins?
It is the name of every major street in every city in
There are a number of German and Swiss restaurants on this road. Most of the homes that I see now look like something one would see in the Swiss Alps. The wine vinards are also plentiful in this area.
Yesterday I traveled the most dangerous road for cyclists in
Today I passed by two Canadian cyclists that were heading
north. ( See photos 2057 and 2058)
They left Ushuaia in mid January.
They gave me much advice about the road ahead. They had strong headwinds most of the days up
to today. That should be good for me
since I am going the other way. They
also had a lot of rain. I have had no
rain since the mountains of
I have had more terrain and weather changes in the past three days, than I have the past 2 months. (See photos 2056, 2059 and 2060)
Today was cool. I
rode with my rain jacket on all day, but did not encounter any rain. It was just a rather cold day with lots of
cloud cover. It looks stormy to the
south. Last night I stayed in an
expensive hotel in the town of
Tonight I am camping in a campground by a beautiful big river. There are lots of evergreen trees and Eucalyptus in this campground. I am also the only one here. It must be after season. There is a restaurant up top by the road. I ordered the meal of the day Almuerzo. They delivered me a huge steak with fries, bread, and coffee. Was that ever good! (See photos 2061 and 2062)
My cycling clothes are becoming
shreds. The shorts are tearing everyday
in the seat and along the waistband. It
is a good thing that the weather is getting cold. It looks like I will need to get warmer
cycling clothes. Marc plans to bring
some for me, as I have ordered some on line from REI. It may be a little late though, since Marc
will not be here for another month yet.
I will have to look in the city of
What a cold wet day.
It is the first rain that I encountered on the ride since
Getting off the highway was a mixed blessing. I had no love for the Autopista, the mighty
Pan-American, in recent days, but it did have a wide shoulder and was
relatively flat. The alternate route I
am now on which will take me back to the
Loose tar and mud now cover my bike and gear. Some water had gotten into my bob bag, because I had not sealed it properly, (I guess I got lazy not having any rain for so long).
The Canadian Cyclists told me, that they had hit much rain
in the south and were looking forward to getting out of it. I was hoping that the rain would go away once
summer ended, but after talking to some people here in Cauquenes, it is like
this all year and heaviest in the winter.
This is a new kind of discomfort that I had not thought about in a long
time. Memories of
I was going to camp, for there are many forested areas along this route, but the rain did not seem to let up and a warm bed is relatively cheap and available. Getting all my gear that is packed away, wet, was not something I wanted to deal with. In addition, I figured I would be forced to camp soon enough because no services would be available.
The forests here are all reforested areas, for all of the pine / spruce here are in rows and the same height. They cover the rolling hills. At first, I thought it was some government owned land, but private farms are covered with these replanted trees. I began to wonder if this were some kind of program, spawned by the government to plant these areas that were probably clear-cut hundreds of years ago. Perhaps these are just tree farms for harvest later. I do not know.
I kept riding until I reached the next city, just shortly before dark, cycling 84 miles today. I found a Residencial in Cauquenes. The woman that ran the house was kind enough to give me a hose so I could rinse most of the mud and tar off the gear and bike. Although the house was dark and cold, the heavy wool blanket on the bed kept me warm and toasty.
After a delicious meal of hot soup and a pork chop with rice, I am ready for a long sleep. The ride through the road construction was some of the toughest cycling that I have encountered in some time. It perhaps began to prepare me for many miles of gravel ahead. (See photos 2063 and 2064)
It was a mixed day for my emotions. I woke up well rested. There is something about a cool house with a warm bed with a firm mattress that makes me well rested. I was reluctant to get going because it was so cold in the house. After a filling breakfast of all the bread and coffee I could consume for $800, I stepped outside. It was warm and sunny. Go figure!
I cleaned and lubed my chain out front of the residencial and soon took off. The route was windy and scenic for the entire day. It was rolling hills loaded with vinards, pine trees and small farms. (See photos 2065, 2066, 2067, 2068 and 2069)
It had warmed up so much, I wish I had not put on my long sleeve jersey. I am reconsidering getting rid of my shorts. At least I am for the short term. I cooked my own lunch and took a long break with a great view. This day was too good to be true.
Then the problems began.
Since the ride through the mud and tar, my bike had been making noises. Also after my accident a few days back, A fine tear in the back tire had grown such that it had developed into quite a wobble after four or five days. I was afraid that it was going to blow anytime and possible throw my wheel out of true. Therefore, I changed the tire.
I still had the noises that I could not quite pinpoint. It sounds like my bearings in my bottom
bracket are going out. There is a little
play when I peddle. I think I need to
get this checked out in Concepcíon.
Concepcíon is the third largest city in
I pondered over these small problems, realizing that they are just that. I just passed through the last town of significant size before Concepcíon. Coelemu had a residencial, but I chose to get some groceries and move on. It is too good of a day to sleep inside. Camping is preferable.
Then IT happened.
As I was cycling up a steep hill, my chain came off the large gear in the back and jammed between the cassette and the spokes. I am not sure if that is what bent my derailleur, but it was caught in the spokes and broke three of them on the drive side.
No problem, I am the spoke changing king. Unfortunately, 75% of my broken spokes were broken on the non-drive side. I need a big pipe wrench to loosen the cassette.
I managed to balance the wheel some with the three missing spokes so the tire did not rub against the frame. I think it will get me to Concepcíon. I had considered biking the 6 km back to Coelemu, but a woman passing by told me of a campground just 3 km up the road. I proceeded up the ridge to find it.
I discovered that they were closing up for the summer, but managed to talk them into letting me stay the night. I have this whole place to myself as I had the other one a few days ago. A beautiful stream flows near my tent.
I worked on the bike, the chain, the derailleur, the wheel. I hope I can make it 40 more miles tomorrow. Then I will take a day break. I figure at the worst, I will need to get my bearings done, a new back wheel and a new derailleur. No biggie. I still have about 2200 miles to go and would feel better about having some new components before I get out into no-man’s land. After about another 2 weeks, there will be almost no services except for the occasional small town every few hundred kilometers.
These problems give me more to think about, that’s for sure. It seems to make the trip more meaningful and educating.
I woke early in the deserted campground, for it was rather cold. I look back on the pictures and it is hard to determine that since the trees are still green and lush, but I would say it was close to freezing. Perhaps being right by the river in a narrow valley may have been part of the reason. I started the stove and warmed up some water for Nescafe. It was a three-cup morning. (See photo 2070)
I spun my wheel, satisfied with the truing job that I
did. I was impressed with the quality of
this wheel. It was built for Brian for
under $10.00 in
As for bike frames, the Novara Safari, classified as
“Adventure Touring,” was not prepared to do the
I had to stop a few times to re-true the wheel, for it had a tendency to pull to the non-drive side and rub against the fork. I also had to ride with no back breaks.
I had gone about 17 miles, when I was pulled over by tow
police officers. They told me that I had
to exit the highway because bicycles were not allowed. I could not understand it. I had traveled over 2000 km on the Pan-American within
They said they could give me a ride back to where the last paved turn off was which was 10 miles back, or I could take the dirt road , which just happened to branch off right there.
I chose the latter. Although they were very friendly about it, I was in a huff. Mad about the wheel and the bearings. They didn’t have much sympathy for me as I tried to explain to them about my problems – at least not enough to let me continue on my way. I left without much of a “Thanks and Goodbye”
After I went on my way, the dirt road was actually not too
bad. There was some walking and pushing
I had to do in the beginning, but I was mad so I did not notice. I climbed to a 1300-foot elevation and discovered
the most breathtaking view of the ocean that I had not seen in a long
time. I was happy I had been diverted to
this road. I saw a part of
I have another day off in a large city with all the luxuries
– nice bed, bike shop, stores, and restaurants – all within a few blocks
walk. I took a residenciál on the main
square up on the third floor. It is
actually quite quiet here. I think I
might be the only one in this establishment.
Below is a mall. Across the
street is the main plaza in the city.
This is a rather large city of several hundred thousand. It is the third largest in
I think I am quite fortunate to its location because I
needed some bike care. Currently my bike
is being worked on a few blocks away.
The wheel is being repaired (two spokes replaced trued, hub
packed). The bottom bracket also needs
some repair. He is also replacing the
crank set. The one that is on there does
not work with the front derailleur that I picked up in
One thing I noticed about bike shops in
I head out in the morning –
south and east. My next break will be in
It was kind of a bummer.
I had just read one of the last journal entries of James Middleton, a
guy who is near completion of his Bike Americas trip. He would cycle with someone for a while. He would spend time in other people’s
homes. He had so many different
experiences with a variety of people on his trip through
Just when I was really feeling sorry for myself, I met Jorge and Maria Victoria. I had been hanging out at the bike shops for most the evening, (Check out the corner of Maipu & Angol. There are a slough of bike shops) talking bike stuff to the various owners, when Jorge approached very interested in my trip.
Next thing you know he is taking me to meet his girl
friend. They are both University
students. Maria Victoria is studying
some kind of management for an at-risk or prevention program (I never could
figure it out). Jorge is studying Mechanical
Engineering. (I got that one right). We
went through my gear and technology.
They seemed to be interested.
Jorge is interested in traveling and kept inquiring when we were going
to do a cycle trip in
By the way, I need to thank Gil Blair of bicycletheamericas.com for connecting us. I learned much of the route to come -- some of it good.
My bike bill was a little heftier than I had hoped. They replaced both the front and rear
derailleur and the bottom bracket, in addition to the crank set I had
ordered. I guess all of those little
pings, snaps, and grinds that I have been hearing the past 4 days have been an
orchestra of different instruments going awry.
The wheel was fixed too. I rode
around the block. The bike rides tight. All gears work. I could not ask for a better job -- all for
about $75.00. (The crank set came to
almost half of it) I think it would have
been $200 in the
A different bike shop had some winter riding clothes. I am a proud owner of some tights, leg and arm warmers, and some gloves. They did not have any foot warmers or a hat. I will check, as I get closer to the cold weather. I am confident to move on with what I have though.
Today’s ride brought me up the Rio Bío Bío (see photos 2081, 2082 and 2083) and then south to the agricultural community of Renaico. This was my destination because the Copec Map I bought indicates that there was a campground there. It was actually a municipal campground -- one without services. It was just a river beach where one can pitch a tent. It was clean for the most part, but loaded with dog crap. I stayed anyway as it was nearly dark when I arrived. As I cooked there were many strays roaming around – a few in heat. They all seemed to want to hang out by my tent.
It was kind of a restless sleep, because after the dogs went away, the drunks came down to drink by the river. Although they left me alone, I had to sleep with one eye open.
Due to my restless night, I left early. After my morning Nescafe, it did not take me long to get the bike packed and get going. It was near freezing when I left. I tried out my new arm and leg warmers. They seem to work well.
The first twenty miles in my typical daily ride go a little slow. I guess when you are 37 years old and trying to live life like you are 20, it takes a little longer to get the blood flowing. Today was a little slow.
I stopped for breakfast and had a Churrasco and Palta
Sandwich (Beef and Avocado) in the town of
I also bought some batteries. I figured out that my battery charger has not been working properly. I suspect that there is no automatic shut off on it and I have been frying my batteries for leaving them in the charger all night. I had to replace the batteries in my GPS 5 times so far this morning. Duracells sell for about 70 cents for one AA. I bought four.
It was here, I met up with the
A busload of very white blonde tourists stopped as I was getting ready to head
south. Once they discovered I was
American, they spoke beautiful English. They
all were Chilean, but seemed to be more European to me.
It reminded me of the European busloads that I ran into in
It was now
I just began to cycle.
The wind was at my back. The road
was flat. Without even realizing it, I
was cruising fast. I completed 50 miles
in the next three and a half hours of riding.
I was not expecting that when I woke up this morning. Now I am in the large city of
Tomorrow I head for the Chilean Lake District.
It is somewhat funny when I talk to people on this trip
about the various places that I have been on this route. Almost all of them have given me warnings
about traveling in other places. “Well
the people around here are very friendly, but you have to watch those people
over in that part. They will rob
you.” Or “You need to lock up your bike
when you travel there because it is not safe, but around here it is fine.”
Better yet, “The water there is not safe to drink, but here the water is very
pure.” The warnings are always the same
no matter where I go. One person today
was telling me one of the most terrifying experiences was when he traveled to
the
I was wrong about heading into the Región de los
I left the Pan-American today. This would be nearly 4000 miles of following
it in
I made it to the resort town of
I met some more BikeAmericas fans today while stopping on a
bridge to take some photos. Pablo and
his family and an employee of his were heading to Pucón for the day to
sightsee. Pablo is a commercial
fisherman in
Tonight I sat in a log cabin restaurant sitting by the fire, enjoying some wine as I ate the meal of the day – Milanesa con Consumé, ensalada y papas. I probably spent a little more than I should have but the luxurious conditions will fade fast as I head south.
I am camping in a gorgeous spot just a few miles from the Argentina Border near the base of Volcán Lanin, (3717 meters / 12,200 ft). It is completely snow covered all the way down as far as I can see. The day was just awesome. The trees, rivers, and mountains just got prettier and prettier. (See photos 2108, 2109, 2110, 2111, 2112, 2113, 2114, 2115, 2116, 2117, 2118, 2119 and 2120)
I had hopes of making into
I am not sure how cold it is, but the cloud cover keeps it a little warmer than I expected. I still need to wear my gloves and llama hat though.
The last 12 miles of riding has been gravel. It is well graded, but due to the rain, it had some patchy spots. (See photos 2121, 2122, 2123, 2124, 2125, 2126, 2127, 2128, 2129, 2130, 2131, 2132, 2133 and 2134)
I am camping in Limbo, for I have already passed through the Chilean port and surrendered my Chilean tourist card but have not passed the Argentinean port of entry. The official had insisted that I should have had vehicle papers on my bike when I entered the country, but with a little discussion, he had let me pass without it. It is nice not having to bribe a border official. However, I do admit, if I were a border official at this particular tranquil crossing, I would not have a care to the world and the little things would not bother me.
In the past week or two, I have seen many berries. I am not sure what they are, but they seem
similar to raspberries and boysenberries.
I have also seen something that looks like salmon berries that one would
find in
I will attempt to make it to the touristy Argentinean city
of