the biking bug

Before I spill the beans about our new itinerary ideas, I am obligated as a daughter to assure my mother that the ever changing plans do not change my plane ticket home (for once) so no need to worry about that!

As it turns out, we like biking. It has been challenging and frustrating and I still don't totally feel like I can call myself a bike touring pro, so, we figure the best way to learn more about bike touring is to keep on touring. We arrived in Coyhaique just early enough to make the trek to Villa O'Higgins, the official end of the Carretera Austral a real possibility. And then, El Chalten and the stunning Fitzroy massive are just around the corner so why not go big?

We have spent the morning planning the new part 2 of our adventure: Pedaling from Coyahique to Villa O'Higgins and then hopefully crossing into Argentina and ending up in El Chalten. After that there are many options to get our bodies and our bikes back to the north, to Chile Chico and to Coyhaique but we will call that part 3 and leave our options open!

The journey means we bike 564km further south, passing areas we know, like Villa Cerro Castillo, Puerto Tranquilo, Lago Bertrand, and Cochrane but also areas that open our understanding of Patagonia and the Aysen Region, including Puerto Yungay and Villa O'Higgins. We have talked so much with the south bound bikers about the logistics of the ferries after Villa O'Higgins (there is no road connecting to Argentina) and the remoteness of the Carretera after Coyahique we couldn't help but ask why not keep going?


We still plan to meet up with friends and climb San Lorenzo, near Cochrane in mid December and then our plans for Christmas are up in the air. We may even keep out climbing shoes along for the bike ride and check out some of the world-class bouldering in El Chalten.

For now, we are enjoying our weekend resting, cleaning, and repacking here in the cozy, home that is NOLS. We arrived late last night and were greeted by warm showers and a full-scale Thanksgiving feast! With full bellies and tired legs, we are happy to unwind and looking forward to our next days on the road.

I am obligated to mention that the post title - the "bug" - is a bit of a pun as well. It appears some where along this crazy road I seem to have pick up fleas...we are hoping a good washing of all our clothes and sleeping bags will keep these little biters away for part 2...