To the Bottom of the World

January 10, 2020 Tortel to Rio Resbalon 82.09 km Ride Time: 8:55:00 Pedal Time: 6:29:16 Tour Total Pedaled 1107.86 km I slept reasonably well at Tortel Camping hemmed in between three other tents on a wooden platform situated above a stream. There was a canopy above us that kept our equipment reasonably dry. It wasn’t raining at 7:30am when I awoke. I packed my tent before the others got up to create some space. I put on fresh underwear and clean socks and then packed my panniers. I transported my bags followed by my bike in two trips up the hundred or so stairs to the kiosk at roadside. I was ready to go by 8:47am. Caleta Tortel is a labyrinth of slippery wooden stairs, boardwalks, and planks that connect the town’s buildings to the sea and the road above. It’s tucked into a deep fjiord where the mountains meet the Pacific. It was cold and drizzling and we were looking for food. Everything was closed. One place wasn’t quite open yet, and told us to come back in an hour, s

January 11, 2020 Rio Resbalon to Villa O’Higgins 55.81 km Ride Time: 4:30 Pedal Time: 4:00 Tour Total Pedaled 1163.67 km I slept reasonably well alongside the roaring Rio Bravo. It rained during the night, and the wind finally settled down. My tent didn’t break, and my Thermarest didn’t deflate. My poor frozen feet finally de-thawed and I stayed warm.  At times during the night I was even hot. At 7:30 I was awoken by someone outside my tent. I did my best to apologize and explain that it had been dark, rainy, and windy when I arrived. It was a campesino, ostensibly the land owner, along with his two dogs. It was absurd, because we were literally in the middle of nowhere. Yesterday we hadn’t seen structures or signs of human activity for hours. He wanted CP$3,000  (roughly $4) from each of us, which we gladly forked over. It was worth the story of getting caught stealth camping, and in addition he let me take his photo. The man acknowledged that it was still early, and suggest

January 12, 2020 Villa O’Higgins Forced Off Day due to Ferry Schedule Tour Total Pedaled 1163.67 km I slept alright in my tent camped out on the grass at El Mosco. I woke up at 7am. I could hear people stirring, and had to use the bathroom. I was surprised to see the kitchen and dining room empty. Taking advantage of less people using the WiFi, I edited  and posted reports from the past few days. Scott eventually appeared. We talked with other travelers, two German backpackers who were going all the way to Ushuaia. Stores in town didn’t open until 10am, and Scott wanted to make French toast. The WiFi was interminably slow. Internet here comes by satellite. At 10:30am we went to the store and bought milk, eggs, bread, and orange juice. We returned to the hostel and Scott cooked French toast. Each subsequent batch was better, and Scott finally nailed it. He should open a breakfast place. We used the hostel washing machine and hung our wet clothing in the sun to dry. I cleaned

January 13, 2020 Villa O’Higgins to El Chaltén, Argentina 62.8 km Ride Time: 13:15 Pedal Time: 6:27 Tour Total Pedaled 1226.47 km I slept reasonably well in my tent last night at Mosco hostel and campground. The four beers I had before bed meant that I had to get up twice during the night. It was cold out and the moon was almost full. My alarm went off at 6am. Our aim was to be on the road by 7am. My tent was wet, so I hung the fly on the laundry line. My breakfast consisted of Frosted Flakes with bananas and a hard boiled egg. It was partly cloudy with nice light. Yesterday’s sunset had produced amazing colors.  We left the hostel at 7:30am and rode out of town. We crossed the Rio Mayer on the Puente Augusto Grossei, another kit construction suspension bridge similar to the one we crossed on our entrance to Villa O’ Higgins. The road was 7km of ripio and we arrived at the ferry at 8am. We had been told to be there by 8:15am and that the boat would be leaving at 8:30