Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
I am now in Argentina again and have left the Carretera Austral behind me in Chile. It was an amazing five week journey through some awesome scenery. I really can’t believe how beautiful it was throughout the whole length of it. It rivals parts of many other countries I have visited. This part of Patagonia makes up for the other parts where there is only wind!
I am kind of sad to be done with the Carretera but kind of happy too as finishing it represents completing another part of the “big journey.” Being on the Carretera was like being in a microcosm of sorts. It felt like being in a little world protected from the outside where only certain people were allowed in. Since the Carretera is not a through-road only those who lived/worked there or others who were tourists like me were there and there were fewer of those because of the strike. The food shortage added to the feeling of being inside of a bubble isolated from the other parts of the world. I’m dating myself now but leaving the Carretera felt like the opposite of leaving the bubble in the movie Logan’s Run. The Carretera was Sanctuary inside a bubble.
Since a picture is worth a thousand words I will let the photos speak for themselves. Lots of mountains, glaciers, and rivers. If the photos seem redundant of these subjects it is because the beauty was that way too, over and over again.
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| I passed this guy and he ended up riding his horse alongside of me for a couple of kilometers. When I was going downhill the horse was getting a workout and when I was going uphill he would slow down to stay with me. It was kind of fun. Wish he could have towed me instead! :) |
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| This guy is definitely the closest zorro I saw. I eyed him on a hill while he was crossing the road. Since I was going so slow he didn't hear me coming and I had time to take out my camera. Then when he noticed me he just kind of watched me so I crept closer and closer getting better photos each time. He let me pass him straddling my bike and walking it while he sat on the roadside and just watched me. He definitely did not seem concerned but foxes can be like that, used to people easily. Beautiful creature as long as he isn't stealing my food! |
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| View from Juan's cabana in Puerto Berttand, Chile. |
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| Wine in cabana with Juan and Sandra; two Chileans I met. Sandra is the one I rode with for a day and a half and Juan was a local we stayed with-super cool people. |
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| Sandra and I as we left Juan and the cabana. By then we were like sisters and squabbling the same way too, that is why I am holding my hand in a fist! |
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| Condor |
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| A Chilena girl and a Spaniard guy, Indira and Marc. I met them on the road and we talked for about 45 minutes exchanging information as cyclists do. They have been on the road for 3 years, basically doing my route but from the north to south. Maybe 20 months is a little over ambitious? |
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| What did I say about the Chileans stating the obvious...? |
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| Hike I did in the "Bosque Encantado" or Enchanted Forest along the route in Parque Nacional Queulet. This was such a cool place I decided to camp here even though I had only ridden 4 miles by the time I stopped to do the hike. |
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| More Bosque Encantado |
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| Trees make me happy! |
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| Someone pasted these stickers on a few of the road signs in this part of Chile. For those of you who don't know, the Hood River is in Oregon, USA. |
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| Necessity breeds invention... |
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| This was the parting road that took me away from the Carretera Austral. I actually couldn't believe this road when I was riding it~err, falling over on it. I laid my bike down at one point and a guy in a truck stopped and asked me if I wanted a ride. I told him "no gracias, esta bien" (no thanks, I'm okay) like a fool. He asked again with a knowing look like "Are you sure?" and I refused politely again. As soon as he drove away I regretted having said that. I thought immediately that I am such an idiot to have refused the ride. I mean look at this road! I had a lot of emotions going through me then but the one that prevailed caused me to laugh out loud! Laughter is the best medicine after all. Fortunately this road condition only lasted for about 3 miles (5 km) and then it was back to a normal dirt road albeit crappy. |
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| This group was a tour group that passed me on the road in a van and stopped. The guide (the only male in the photo-the only other one was the driver who took the photo) got out of the van and gave me an apple and a kiss on the cheek (very Chilean/Argentinean custom even with strangers). The next day after both of our different stops for the night they passed me again and honked. Shortly after they passed me I caught up to them at a viewpoint and I stopped to thank them. All of them were gathered around asking me questions and oohing and ahhing. They were taking turns getting photos with me and by the time we had gotten through all of the preliminary stuff about how long my trip was etc they were like good friends and were taking turns feeling my leg muscles to check for themselves (with my okay of course!). The guy tried my bike for a spin and was surprised at how heavy it was. They gave me more apples and a cheese sandwich to go! |
