Seaside

Disconnect. Learn. Cycling. Voyage. Outdoor. Chile. Success. Connect. 

After talking about the past of my cycling endeavors it's time to hit the present. Managing a bike rental makes it difficult to bike yourself, at least when it comes to longer rides during the season. But last Sunday the stars aligned, and I was able to take a quick break and head out west.

It was a late start from Puerto Varas on a unknown route, safe to say I did not even know where I would end up. It was the first time I was heading into that direction and the landscape reminded me a lot of Germany and Switzerland. Big farms and a lot of ups and downs. My last stop was in los Muermos where I bought all the necessary fuel to reach the coast, knowing that there won't be may opportunities to buy food.

After roughly 60km the paved roads make way to gravel, luckily it rained recently so the gravel was compact and good to ride on. My main problem was time, with the sunset approaching and still having to climb. The views from the top where priceless: Chiloe, the Cordillera de los Andes and the Pacific Ocean all from one spot.

But I did not have too much time to enjoy it, it was time to head down to the ocean while always having to climb a bit up again. After 6 hours I reached the beach and a sheltered spot for my tent. Luckily, I was able to sleep right at the beach – in the soft sand. Yes, I did forget my sleeping mattress… Shit happens, my biggest advice for any bike trip to have some sort of checklist. I did notice it when I was cycling out of town – and on top of that all my air mats have been rented out.

I never sleep to good right at the ocean, one eye open one could say. And especially with the moon shining as bright as a streetlight. I took my time in the morning, went for a barefoot walk on the beach even though it was not warm enough for that.

The way back was easier on the paper, winding along the Llico River. But having lived in Chile for a while I can tell you one thing – it's never easy to get to the coast by bike. The coastal range is present from North to South and makes any trip to the coast a real adventure.

On the way back to Puerto Varas i met another cyclist and enjoyed the incredible views of the volcanoes Osorno and Calbuco. I arrived safely in Puerto Varas with another adventure in the books. It felt like a very remote adventure within close distance of Puerto Varas. And yes there was a learning like always – maybe I should do that Checklist. I might even have one somewhere ;)