Saturday May 21, 2016, 214 miles (344 km) – Total so far: 17,656 miles (28,415 km)
May 18, 2016 Total combined miles 21,405 (34,408 km). After a nice night in the La Serena beach cabana we got a lazy late start. For the past few weeks we have been riding long days in the Atacama Desert putting in lots of miles so once in a while it is nice to get a slow start for the day. After 35 miles we saw what appeared to be a small fishing village and decided to drop down to the water and investigate the town of Guanaqueros. The coastal road is very hilly and all the towns are a large drop to the seashore and climb out in the morning. We love to explore small old fishing villages so when we came upon another cabana we stopped and decided to spend the night after a short day. This cabana like others we have stayed in is a great place to put our bikes in. Plus, there is always a kitchen! It is the off season in Chile, as we were in Spain, so the prices are cheap and we are usually the only guests on premises. We enjoy visiting the local markets and cooking our dinner. Today was no exception as we found an excellent fish restaurant for a nice lunch.
When we crossed the U.S. we wrote in our first book about crossing the country “one taco at a time”. We are now riding through Chile “one fish at a time, and one glass of wine at a time”. The fish is excellent and the wine unmatched except in Spain. A large bottle of local wine is less than $3. The wine is not just cheap it is excellent. After a tasty fish lunch we spent a few hours strolling through the fish markets watching the daily catch being cleaned, boats readied for the night fishing, and nets being repaired. This is the kind of place I could spend a summer in, eating in the many seafood restaurants daily, enjoying the local wine and swimming in the bay. Maybe someday I will return here with my wife, Andee.
May 21, 2016 We made it to Los Vilos, Chile after several days! Last night I made the quote of the day, “This is getting tough…after almost a year on the road”. The ups and downs are really hard but we continue to pursue our goal as we continue to ride the coastal mountains.
This part of your journey is contrasted with the roughest roads, tough mountains, but the MOST gorgeous sunsets I’ve ever seen! You get to see them every evening, after a delicious supper of fresh fish. Your meals look SO yummy! Santiago is getting closer!
Safe cycling, and thanks again for being able to join you two. Esther, Nansea, Aja.
Thanks Bruce and Judy. Thanks for the compliments. It is getting colder as we move south and is very cold at night in the tent. I don’t have my good sleeping bag as I didn’t want to carry all the extra weight from it. Jocelyn has gotten lots of comments on the tumbleweed picture. We fly out of Santiago to Calgary, Canada with our bikes. We will then go to California for a week for my niece’s wedding. Andee and Cary will be out to. We then return to our bikes early July and start riding east to Maine or so then ride home down the east coast. We expect to be done around November. The Chile coastal riding is very very tough with mountains. Take care. Mike
Enjoying your trip reports as usual Mike. How very fortunate those guys warned you and helped you move. Is it getting much colder as you travel south and winter approaches ?
Really liked the tumbleweed photo! When do you expect to fly out? May your journey remain safe and enjoyable.