Waking up at 5:30 am due to another mattress deflation, I realised I hadn’t heard my alarm, Which I had set for 5am in order to make the early morning ferry. Cesar, who’s tent was on the pitch next to mine, hadn’t woken up either. A mad dash ensued to pack up in the dark and get to the ferry, which departed at 7am. We all made it, though it looked like touch and go for a while for Joaquin and Anna, who arrived shortly before the ferry cast off. We grabbed coffee and cakes, and stood on the deck watching the scenery for a while.
The ferry trip was great, the scenery spectacular. The ferry arrived into Galeto Gonzalo at 11:45 am. I said goodbye to the cyclists. I’m really impressed with all the cyclists I have met so far. Every single one of them have been really cheerful, in contrast to a few grumpy motorcyclists I have met. It takes a level of commitment, never mind fitness, way beyond what a long distance motorcyclist needs. Then it was 42 km of very loose gravel, so I dropped the pressure in the tyres to 25 on the back and 22 on the front. After joining tarmac, with only about 30km to go, I took the lazy option, riding a bit slower, and using a pump at a gas station in Chailten instead of my foot pump, bought to replace the totally crap Motopressor unit that packed up after three uses (Marcello, the guy who serviced my bike, pulled it to bits and said sand had wrecked it).
I actually thought the majority of the Carreterra Austral was dirt, but in fact it’s mostly paved in the north. There were a few more dirt bits today, but it was mostly tarmac, through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery I have ever seen. Being a bit knackered, due to the early start, and knowing it was most likely to rain in the late afternoon, I decided I would stop early. I also wanted to try and fix my leaking air mattress. I had a place in mind mentioned on iOverlander, but a stop at a particularly scenic spot next to a river for a photo led to another option. A cyclist, Pablo, and his girlfriend Francesca, cycling north up the road, saw my bike and pulled in to say hello, as did a polish woman, Alexandra. Pablo told me that the previous night they had camped on a beach next to a river on a farmers land. He told me how to find it and said ask for Carlos.. So I did, and found Carlos herding cows. He showed me to the riverside spot, said feel free to make a fire, and wished me a good stay.
After putting up my tent, finding the hole in my mattress and repairing it with JB Weld, which was the only method available, it and started raining and carried on for several hours. No point waiting for it to stop, I thought, so I got a fire going, starting it with cotton pads covered in Vaseline, cooked a meal, tried to dry my clothes. It’s nearly 10pm, and just getting dark. And it’s been a pretty amazing day, even though I only covered 249km.
