After bidding goodbye to John and Fruni,I was filledwith the now-familiar longing I experienced every time I
said goodbye to my traveling companions.
Once again my own thoughts were my only companion (if you don't count the BBC World Service from my short-
wave radio).
said goodbye to my traveling companions.
Once again my own thoughts were my only companion (if you don't count the BBC World Service from my short-
wave radio).
Soaking wet and kinda lonely.
This is the wild west of Chile. Everywhere I went along the Camino Austral,
there were pioneers eeking out a living from the land. With the minimal
amount of sunshine available, it seemed livestock was the commodity of
choice. I can't remember seeing any cultivated land.
there were pioneers eeking out a living from the land. With the minimal
amount of sunshine available, it seemed livestock was the commodity of
choice. I can't remember seeing any cultivated land.
At about 700 kilo-
meters in length,
through some of the
most remote and
wet real estate on
the planet, the
Camino Austral is a
feat of engineering that the Chilean
people take great pride in. Nowhere is this more evident than in the suspen-
sion bridges found up and down thelength of the highway-- each one a little reminder of my home in San Francisco.
meters in length,
through some of the
most remote and
wet real estate on
the planet, the
Camino Austral is a
feat of engineering that the Chilean
people take great pride in. Nowhere is this more evident than in the suspen-
sion bridges found up and down thelength of the highway-- each one a little reminder of my home in San Francisco.
After a night in the totally for-
gettable town of La Junta, most
notable for a gas station with a
well-stocked minimart, I made
my way to the most scenic town
on the entire Camino Austral:
the little fishing village of
Puyuhuapi.
gettable town of La Junta, most
notable for a gas station with a
well-stocked minimart, I made
my way to the most scenic town
on the entire Camino Austral:
the little fishing village of
Puyuhuapi.
"Track"
Rare pavement
I saw some other bikes
in front of a shop and
soon found myself in
the company of some
med students from
Concepcion, two hitch-
hiking and two cycling,
who by chance ran into
one another at in this
little town. We all set
up camp next to some
fishing boats.
in front of a shop and
soon found myself in
the company of some
med students from
Concepcion, two hitch-
hiking and two cycling,
who by chance ran into
one another at in this
little town. We all set
up camp next to some
fishing boats.
My new buds
bought a huge jug of cheap wine and we made
an evening of it, swapping stories and talking about Pinochet,
a source of pride to these guys. "He was a dictator but he spent his
money on things like the Camino Austral, not on things for himself."
bought a huge jug of cheap wine and we made
an evening of it, swapping stories and talking about Pinochet,
a source of pride to these guys. "He was a dictator but he spent his
money on things like the Camino Austral, not on things for himself."
The next day I rode into the Parque Nacional Queulat and set up camp
under an other-worldly landscape of mist and waterfalls. It had been
raining so much that my gortex jacket was starting to soak through, so
I just got settled in my tent and drifted off to sleep.
under an other-worldly landscape of mist and waterfalls. It had been
raining so much that my gortex jacket was starting to soak through, so
I just got settled in my tent and drifted off to sleep.
Horses were everywhere along the Camino Austral,
running wild. They didn't seem to know what to make
of me and my trailer.
running wild. They didn't seem to know what to make
of me and my trailer.
I was determined to get to Coyhaique after spending the night in the
national park. This was an ambitious plan, with Coyhaique some 150
kilometers away, but I was motivated to meet back up with John and
Fruni and also to just stay somewhere warm and dry.
national park. This was an ambitious plan, with Coyhaique some 150
kilometers away, but I was motivated to meet back up with John and
Fruni and also to just stay somewhere warm and dry.
PAVEMENT! KISS THE ROAD! ...then have a soda!
This was the one time on my trip when I totally miscalculated the
distance:time:speed ratio. I rode and rode and rode until I found my-
self in one of the most torrential downpours of my trip (and this was
a trip full of them, as you've guessed by now). Just as it was getting
dark, I pulled onto the main road between Coyhaique and Puerto
Aisen-- linking the Camino Austral's most populous settlement with
its only real port. Surely it would be a snap to just hitchhike from here,
I thought, and set up in front of a lonely bus shelter. No dice, I sat there
for hours and it looked like it was going to just be me and the pathetic
little mutt I was sharing the shelter with, for the night. But just as I
was scoping out my camping options, in the dark, a nice couple in an
extended cab Toyota truck gave me a lift into town.
This was the one time on my trip when I totally miscalculated the
distance:time:speed ratio. I rode and rode and rode until I found my-
self in one of the most torrential downpours of my trip (and this was
a trip full of them, as you've guessed by now). Just as it was getting
dark, I pulled onto the main road between Coyhaique and Puerto
Aisen-- linking the Camino Austral's most populous settlement with
its only real port. Surely it would be a snap to just hitchhike from here,
I thought, and set up in front of a lonely bus shelter. No dice, I sat there
for hours and it looked like it was going to just be me and the pathetic
little mutt I was sharing the shelter with, for the night. But just as I
was scoping out my camping options, in the dark, a nice couple in an
extended cab Toyota truck gave me a lift into town.
