Santiago - Los Andes – 81 km (+3km through the tunnel)
After an entire week in Santiago, Ernest and I, finally, resumed our journey. Soon
after leaving, the landscape changed abruptly. Gone were the wooded areas and I
was surprised to find myself in a desert-like landscape.
The route north to Los Andes was via a reasonably steep climb over the mountain
in sweltering weather. Fifty-five kilometres after biking out of Santiago, a tunnel
prevented cyclists from proceeding any further. Tunnel staff quickly spotted us,
came to the rescue with a truck and dropped us on the opposite side. A pleasant
descent led to the Los Andes Valley, where a small roadside establishment with a
beautiful lawn got our attention. Seeing they had a campground out back and sold
homemade bread made staying a no-brainer.
Los Andes - Roadside camping – 50 km
The following morning our path headed mostly uphill. As expected, our pace
slowed considerably, as we stopped numerous times to snap a few pics and fill our
water bottles. By the end of the day, camping was on a hill above an emergency
truck stop with excellent views of the surrounding mountains.
The adjacent cascading stream from the snowy mountains provided fresh water.
Even without a single alcoholic drink, Ernest washed in the river’s icy waters. It
was still early and a relaxing afternoon was spent enjoying the sunshine. That
evening, while having supper, a jackal came trotting past. Soon it became pitch
dark and a zillion stars lit the sky—truly magical moments.