CHILE AND THE CARRETERA AUSTRAL
Curtis Shaw, a retired paramedic/firefighter, and Jenny Shaw, a retired business owner, decided to travel the world after spending way too many years merely existing and following dead-end paths. They were both in desperate need of change and once that change started, there was no looking back as they head down ONE new path together. It was time for them to start truly living again. So, loving the freedom that cycling gave them, they set off on a cycling adventure that would stick with them forever.
July 24, 2018, day 786 of our journey, we rolled south across the border leaving Peru behind. Our sites were set on the much-anticipated Carretera Austral at the far southern end of Chile. The two inexperienced cyclists who had embarked 2 years ago from Anchorage, Alaska were now well-seasoned travellers with many stories, experiences and adventures behind them. Chile was our 13th country.
We were advised by other cyclists we had met along the way to avoid the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, there was nothing to see. Deserts are incredibly beautiful; the beauty is just different from the high mountain passes of Peru or the rainforests of Central America.
Many hours were spent in hotel rooms, scanning Google maps and examining satellite imagery to find our route south as very little had been documented for cycle touring in Chile. Street view was better in Chile so we often cruised down the roads virtually looking for water resupplies and wild camping potential areas. By now we knew what to look for on
satellite. Cities found us in hostels or hotels for the Wi-fi, showers and a/c. The local markets resupplied our food rations but with each hostel bed or hotel room, we found ourselves longing for the quiet and peace of the wild camps. We found amazing, lonely places well out of sight of passing cars or people. Our tent was our favourite place to sleep and wow did we ever stay in some crazy locations!
We left Arica, Chile, and headed for the Atacama Desert. This is the driest desert on earth and there are literally no living things, no plants, no animals, no reptiles, nothing but sandscapes as far as the eyes could see. Our first wild camp in the Atacama Desert was at the top of a truck runaway lane. This sounds odd but it was an incredible place, even if a truck had been barreling down the highway at top speed, it would never have made it to the end of the lane. At the top, there was a flat area that overlooked the roadway that we had been climbing. This was the first day into the desert and we climbed 3,795 ft in 36.9 miles and saw such
amazing things, like the Presencias Tutelares or Guardian Spirits which are a collection of concrete sculptures on the summit plain of the Cuesta de Acha.
Even the best of planning can fall apart and our water resupply at a restaurant that we had located on Google earth was closed. Problemsolving takes energy and getting upset or angry about a change in plans or a closed business robs one of precious energy required for dayto-day survival. We continued down the road to find a fruit stand and were able to get water from a lovely woman there. She did warn us that there were parasites in the water, not a problem we boiled it with our Trangia alcohol stove.
The views and vistas of the desert displayed amazing pastel colours. We continued to find ourselves at amazing wild camp locations, like at the base of the Geoglif Chiza, an abandoned rail station (this was our first abandoned building of MANY to come in Argentina), El Castillo de Huanillos which we called our castle in the sky. Some places were more
enjoyable than others but each day we woke to the world and kept rolling forward.
A VW van pulled around us and stopped, a man hopped out and said, “HI!” The license plates were from Washington State, USA!
Tom was all smiles and wanted to know all about our journey, standing there on the side of the highway, with the desert all around us. He told us that he owns a sheep ranch off Chiloe Island on a smaller island and that we should visit. We told him it would be months down the road and without a beat, he said, “great! Here’s my card with my email address, when you get closer let me know if you are coming.”
Rather than head for the Carretera Austral via Puerto Montt, we would go by way of Chiloe Island and ferry over to Chaiten and pick up the Carretera Austral from there.
Because our plans for Chile were unknown, we would hole up with Wifi in cities like Iquique, Antofagasta,
Caldera and so many more. We would map out our next 2-week “leg”.
Cycling the coastline of Chile was strenuous, hills were long and daunting. But the beauty of this country was magical. We travelled along the coastline and then into the wine regions near Santiago.
Huge fields of grapes lined the roadway. Volcanoes loomed into the blue skies as we cycled through the Lakes region. Nights were cold, winds were harsh and at one point we ended up staying an extra night at a campground due to really strong winds and icy cold rains. We huddled in a community room that had walls to protect from the bitterly cold wind, but this was all part of the magic that is living life on a bicycle.
Normally, we cooked all of our own food, stopping at markets for produce and supplies.
The incredible roadways of Chile brought us something new. We called it Roadkill Veggies. We often found heads of cabbage, celery, carrots, onions and so much more
that had bounced out of the back of vegetable trucks. When we did go to restaurants, we ate amazing seafood at little diners that looked more like shacks.
It took us about 3 months to arrive in southern Chile. Day 873, Oct. 19, 2018, we ferried over to Chiloe Island and spent the next week enjoying Tom’s hospitality on the tiny island of Anihue.
We continued south to Quellon, KM 0 of the Pan American Highway where we caught the ferry to the mainland.
We picked up the Carretera Austral in Chaiten. This road that we had read about from other cyclists was now beneath our tires. We were finally here. Day 885, Oct. 31, after much anticipation, research and planning, the CA began for us. We met travellers, cyclists, skateboarders, walkers and even marathon runners along the way. We initially met the marathoners Via Panam in Alaska and then again in Baja. Each traveller was out exploring this incredible planet in their own way.
The CA was paved in the northern sections and then changed to gravel.
Day 886, Nov. 1, we met hitchhikers from Europe who were camping along with us at an abandoned campground. The next morning, they went on their way only to meet up with us at a clifftop overlooking an incredible Fjord. Locals were there fishing and rather than take their catches home, they gave the fish to us. We built a small campfire and pan-fried the fish, sharing a meal with our newfound travellers. Our route took us through an area devastated a few years back by a massive mudslide.
We took advantage of campgrounds when they were available. Each time we rolled into a city like Coyhaique or Cochrane, we met new friends and fellow travellers. We rode together with a young couple from England, sharing stories and meals at a campground called Refugio
Rio Cisnes. The rains that soaked us on the road were cold and the winds howled, but our spirits never dampened. This was cycling at its very finest. The mountains were
exquisite and we spent many hours in awe of their sheer beauty.
We primarily wild camped in some of the most incredible locations. Abandoned buildings were a refuge from the cold and wind.
We overnighted at one point in a restaurant that had closed long ago. Cattle had broken in and the place was a shambles of cow patties and wind-blown leaves. It was out of the wind and we pitched our tent inside. Opportunistic at times, we had no plan B, so we either had to make it work or quit, which was never an option.
The hills were steep and long but the views more than made up for it. We ended the CA in O’higgins on Day 909 and caught the ferry to Argentina the next day. There is a well-known hike-a-bike section that we decided to tackle taking us into Argentina. It was tough, and we found ourselves alone making crazy water crossings with fully loaded touring bikes. The younger cyclists that were with us on the ferry were much faster than us. The afternoon ferry at Lago del Desierto was long gone by the time we arrived so we had to wait for the ferry the next day. Our campsite view made up for it as we were able to relax and truly enjoy Mt. Fitzroy in all of its splendour.
We had cycled the entire length of Chile and then conquered the Carretera Austral.