Los Lagos – Loncoche – 84 km
Once across the Rio San Pedro, Route 5 continued north through a eucalyptus
forest. A mild tailwind made it comfortable and enjoyable cycling. The weather was
warm, and the way gently undulating, past densely forested areas and vistas of
snow-capped volcanos. Needless to say, I was thrilled to be out riding. Roadside
cheese stalls made for convenient shopping, and the rest of the way was spent
dreaming up ways of enjoying it.
Eighty-four kilometres further was the tiny hamlet of Loncoche which boasted
excellent lodgings in the town centre (outside and ground floor). Loncoche was a
typical small Chilean town with a plaza surrounded by municipal buildings and a
church.
Ernest returned from the supermarket with a bag of salad ingredients and
proceeded to make a noodle salad, adding heaps of cheese.