Bienvenidos a Chile!

I made it to Futaleufu, a small town that is best known internationally as a premier rafting location. I cycled 50km through a wind and sometimes rainstorm yesterday, crossing through the gorgeous Paso Futaleufu amidst hovering clouds and puddles on the road. I cannot reallybegin to express all that I have thought along the way for the past few days, as there has been much happening around me. I rode out of El Bolson in the morning, up the hills to where my first serious dirt road began. 30km later I was in the small village of Cholila, where I camped with the German couple Dirk and Frederika, let the local kids climb around in my tent, and ate a parilla at the Butch Cassidy Parilla. Apparantly, Butch Cassidy lived just outside of Cholila when he was on the run from the Pinkertons, and so I visited his house and went for a swim in the creek nearby. Cholila had the feel of a strategically developed colonial outpost, which I think it sort of is.

The next day I entered the Parque Nacional de los Alerces, the road through which traced the eastern edge of three impressive lakes, was dotted with hitchhiking Argentine backpackers on vacation, and was frequented by vehicles that kicked up an enormous amount of dust. It was scenic and lovely, yes, and I camped at a free campsite by Lago Futaleufquen, but I was glad to leave the park the next day, especially as the 30km road to Trevelin was paved.

Trevelin was a nice town, with a feeling that people actually lived here on their own accord. The guide book describes it as the most Welsh of the cordillera towns, but apart from the tea houses it felt rather working class Angentinian to me. I spent one night at the campsite in town, where I was befriended by a family fromTierra del Fuego, a couple from Rawson, and a man and his two sons from Buenos Aires. January is the time for everybody´s summer vacations, so all these people are on road trips through the lakes region.

And then I left Trevelin for Futaleufu, through the uneventful customs and immigration offices. The campsite here is run by a very friendly couple that is feeding me homemade bread with jam, mate with sugar, and has been entirely welcoming. There is a rodeo today, so I am staying to build up calories and enjoy the sites. This is another quite wonderful place, and I think the next stretch of riding will be tough and far between rest stops for food supplies. La Junta, two days away, and Puyuhuapi, and then Coyhaique are my next goals.

There is certainly much more to tell, but the rodeo is calling me. Hasta la proxima! Here is a short clip of me riding my bike: