after so much time in the Andes, i was rather excited to ride my bike so I went off on a detour to the coast of Chile. The sad part was that my now, quite worn chain was skipping very badly on gears 1,2 and 3, meaning i can only ride in 4th. This limited the amount of hills I can do and I just had to walk it. It really wasnt that bad but there must be a better way!
So I hit the railroad instead. Really interesting and unique route that passes by some old train station and it is infact used by some of the locals for transport. There was excellent shade along the way during a surprisingly warm day.
most important of all, it is good to remember to…
I had great info from last year´s train schedule which was a bit off but people at the little houses knew exactly when the train passes. Its like the only thing that happens during the day.
The surface was good around some stations where some people have went by with moto but normally it was quite rough and there was high thorn count. Something like the goatheads you may find in Utah, Colorado… I was so glad to ride tubeless. At first I took them out as it was so satisfying, hearing the hissing and then the seal with the tubeless sealant but eventually I got tired and just left them on, as they would eventually brake off and the thorn would just be a part of the tire, no need to take it out.
this particular stretch had an excellent little trail along the left side and I soon found the creatures responsible for it. They saw me from afar and scattered away from me, making sure to poop on the way not in one spot but the kind that gets spread out over 20-30 meters as they sprint away.
weighing my options with the mine field ahead and looking to the side, the spot where the cows were hanging out seemed quite good!
It was much cooler and fresher near the water and I really wasnt in a rush so I rolled out around 10am. This is what bikepacking is all about!!! No trailless sandy passes to barely walk up on, no dwindling food supplies and no rivers to cross. Well we´ll see about the rivers…
there was some fire two years ago and with my spanish and the accent of the local I worked out the following. Keep in mind that it may be some wild story that span out of control. So apparently there was some bug eating the trees and the logging companies brought another bug to eat the first bug. But then the second bug ate the trees too after and they dried and there was a fire. Anyway, some train stations were a little burned.
there were a father and son who paddled across on their boat and were walking around, picnic supplies and shooting guns. I found it quite funny that they both ran away and hid off of the tracks when they saw me. Later came out to say hi.
Then about that river crossing… half way it was very pleasant going step by step and the bike on the flat side of the bridge
then I had to balance it on the rail and hop the wooden parts one by one, not too bad but just requiring a lot of concentration. No taking photos or anything, I wondered how bad it would be to drop a camera down there or something.
then I inflated tires and got ready for town. Its funny to see that these dogs were just lying around while i was crossing but when I got there they got around to playing. show offs.
I got some groceries for dinner and surprisingly against my first impressions from Santiago, found decent and well priced food. This was about $7CAD and also had quinoa soup and dessert after.
Running out of town was just perfect, the grade was in line with my 4th gear climbing and I rode all of it. I scrambled to get a simcard for my phone and its apparently quite complicated if your phone isnt from chile. I read once about the process of registering it but could never find that same info again (it includes photo copies and scans). So I just decided I will be on the quest to find wifi to get the final bits of episode 30 ready. German and spanish translations and uploading them.
I also didnt quite yet get to see the ocean, it was this rainy, drizzly but fresh weather looking back at the town of Constitucion
i thought these german shepherds looked scarry but sadly right after the photo they all limped around, skinny, probably hungry.
Chilean department of transportation and road works has a quirky sense of humor. Pasting 30kmh speedlimit signs all over. Really funny
On the map I saw something about Asseradero, confusing it with Asadero and instead of restaurants and grills, I found this:
I rode along construction sites and logging camps, really not that coast I was looking for. There were houses here and there but it seemed that everybody is a logger or has a gravel pit or a mine in their backyard.
this one car drove behind a pickup with two cows in the back. Big mistake buddy, cows are quite flatulent animals and although these looked calm it takes one bump and it can all change. Now imagine that at 80kmh
this one dog started chasing me and I got the timing right and told him no and then he sat there confused looking at me and wondering what had just happened.
eventually it was time to call it a day so I went off on a logging road and set up camp for the night. I was at least 1km from the ocean but the waves were quite audible, as if i was on the beach.
the morning was surprisingly cold and I went up and down (all rideable) until i spotted the police pulled over. Yes. Strawberries. Not doughnuts, strawberries! I rode down 1km, finished the little box and went back to get it refilled.
There was this city that had some sustainability project, mounting LED lights on obviously enormous solar panels and a wind generator… but they are all individual units and not connected to the grid.
dont enter with bags, backpacks or cars… (this was actually like an old garage ramp)
there was finally a good view of the ocean
camping was a breeze as usual, just find a logging road go up and this one actually had a turnoff to a seaside view but a safe distance from the waves. I cant understand people who want to camp on the beach, its so noisy and sandy.
I slept in until 9am again and didnt leave until 10. and then it was already time for lunch and then some coffee and wifi. Got episode 30 out today.
it wouldnt be a good evening if I didnt stop for some completos (hot dog with avocado, tomato and mayo) on the way.
but I was oddly missing the mountains, as nice as this was it was just okay, a little time off and it worked surprisingly well instead of taking a few days off to just ride easy roads and go on a feeding frenzy. Once I got on the dirt roads the whole coast had a different vibe.
next day I negotiated some road space with the logging trucks, somehow feeling like the little brothers of their canadian counteraparts.
and not for the first time, somebody caught me talking to their dogs. A man came out from the riverbank and said hi
Claudio has been living here in a cabin he built and invited me for lunch, a shower and with such a view it was hard to refuse. I wasnt in a rush after all.
4 days ago somebody had given him a kitten and the dogs at the road had shown up two months ago, effectively adopting him as their human. The white dog is Feyita and the black one we agreed should be Viejito (ugly and oldie). There were various hammock mounting options with great views and shade.
oh and what about cat belly massage??
The road is due to get paved in the end of the year and this would definitely make things easier. Claudos cabin is entirely off the grid, with 600ish W solar panels that keep everything running, water pump and filters and some trails around. He bought the land from the logging company which couldnt log it because there were native trees here. This is actually what the entire coast must have looked like before all the tree plantations.
in the photo, Viejito (the black dog) could not escape the wide lens of the camera even if he tried
The luxurious life of the Chilean flatlands continues with great shade, big lunches and somehow riding an old train track to somewhere.
Somehow always ending the day around friends (thank you Alejandro and family) and good food and animals. Up next is trying to figure out how this all will fit on the bike.
