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Chasing Summer p.030
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March 21 - Valparaiso to Victoria - 750 km
Interactive maps: http://www.gpsxchange.com/phpBB2/download2.php?id=1870
Based on our emails exchange yesterday it looks like Andy and Teryk who are both (separately) in Santiago need a bit more time before heading south. For my part I still want to spend a few days in the lakes region and so I leave this morning, but not too early.
Valparaiso is still sleepy though. It’s a holiday (Santa Semana / Holly Week) and there were many people going out late last night...
I go along the coast for a bit but if it seems beautiful it’s also foggy so I head inland instead. Even what looks like a secondary road on the map is in fact a 2x2 freeway. Or I should say toll-way since there are so many of those here. Even if the bikes pay 3 to 5 times less than the cars it’s still annoying to struggle to get cash at every tollbooth.
I do find some nice roads though and it’s great to see some forest and vines. Before mid-day the fog clears and I try the coast again. The beaches I see are nice, but with many people, even though I don’t see anyone in the water. There is also a lot of traffic!
Eventually I end up on the Panamerican that is, for hundreds miles a 2x2 toll-way. It’s just the rather boring ride that most freeways have to offer. The landscape is flat and what I see around me could be in any place in Europe or the US. It’s nice though to see once in a while on the far left the snowcapped summits of the Andes.
Not much going on and no pics either today. The only thing that broke the monotony was to be pulled a side by a couple of cops at a toll booth. They didn’t even look at the papers they had asked for and were only interested on the bike and the trip.
Not as innocent, I saw 2 different groups of cops with radar guns in the section Chillan-Los Angeles. Since the speed limit is 120 km/h that was not an issue for me anyway.
It’s only south of Los Angeles that the landscape slowly gets hilly and greener too. There are even a few curves! Soon I enter the Araucania which is the lakes region of Chile.
But it’s getting dark and so I stop at Victoria, a place with not much to offer but a bed is enough for me tonight.
March 22 - Victoria to Conaripe - 300 km
Interactive maps: http://www.gpsxchange.com/phpBB2/download2.php?id=1871
Now that I’ve arrived in a nicer region I want to take a bit more time and do some exploration. In a way Chile has been a bit disappointing to me. Besides the 2 bright highlights of the San Pedro area and Valparaiso the ratio ‘interesting sites / mile’ has been pretty low. Even the Araucania region, despite being scenic suffers in my eyes to be too close to what I’ve seen in Europe. Nothing wrong with looking like Europe of course
but it's just less interesting to me. Even the people seem to close to what I know with a 'perfect' integration of races and cultures. Sometimes integration means disappearance of differences I'm afraid...
The Chilean economy is very developed and I’m happy for them but if you are looking for a contrast of cultures and customs than Chile might not be the best place in SA.
What has been very nice in Chile though is the weather! After the intense rains in the previous countries this is very welcome. In Valparaiso I even heard that the region is ‘officially’ in a drought, with no rain since January and none expected until June.
I finally leave the Panamerican south of Temuco to head SE towards Villarica the town, but also the volcano, the lake and the National Park! The town has nothing special but the arrival with the view on the lake with the perfectly conic and snow capped volcano behind is spectacular. As you can see it was quite windy.
The road follows the south shore of the lake until Pucon. I had read that it was very touristy but I thought that it would be at least attractive. The location is indeed great between a lake and a volcano but the town itself is not my cup of tea: only square streets with a kind of modern ski resort look and of course most businesses are catering to tourism. I saw many Europeans, especially Germans and I’m sure that this place is very popular winter (snowboarding and such) like summer.
I’m planning instead to stay at Conaripe a small town on the Lake Calafquen south of Pucon. What attracts me too is that there is a 4x4 only road that join the 2 lakes. It’s small enough to not be on most maps and it’s not either on my Chile Streets GPS maps so I end up missing the road the first time and it’s only when I see on the GPS that I’m getting really close to the Argentinean border that I realize my mistake. U-turn, switch the GPS to ‘Viajeros Mapas’ and here we go…
The road serves a couple of Thermales (hot springs) and so the first km are just a narrow gravel road.
Then, at the entrance of the Villarica NP it becomes rougher and indeed only suitable for (regular) 4x4.
On the 950 it’s a bit difficult at times but it’s mostly fun! It has been so long…
Of course things might be different with the rain as this is one of the rainiest areas of the country with 4 meters/year! I still manage to mess up on a root and end up on the ditch
Oh, that reminds that I forgot to precise that I also have a TKC80 on the rear now! I changed it in Arequipa when I had my puncture. The Scorpion still had a bit of mileage left but it had so many cuts that I changed it anyway. For the first time since Oregon I’m riding without a spare tire and that feels good! What’s great too is that since I put the TKC and the Michelin HD tube I had not puncture. Knock on wood but it’s true that the roads here are better anyway.
The park has 2 volcanoes and even a glacier and they can be hiked. However it’s still too early for my ankle and so I continue on the trail where sadly there is no 'open view'. I see some interesting trees though:
Details...
At the last minute I decide to stop however in one the hot springs at the south of the Park. It's hard for me to stop and get out of my gear, boots etc. to put them back on again in the middle of the day. But I thought that it would be a shame not to try one of the local attractions... The one I pick is supposed to also have a nice waterfall. Nice indeed!
There are artificial pools at the entrance and natural ones closer to the waterfall. The water is not very hot but it’s still a nice relaxation.
It seems that the mud has some beneficial properties too but I didn’t try…
Conaripe is definitely on the quite side but hey, that’s what I’ve asked for. I walk around, spend some time on the lake shore...
Quiet and peaceful...
I taste some local (and tasty) cheese...
... and wait for the sunset to snap a good picture of the volcano. (can you see the smoke?)
What’s impressive about it is that it’s still active (one can see the smoke from here) and Conaripe is right on the path of the lava in case of eruption! The last one was less than 40 years ago and open a 4km-wide fissure spurting out 30 millions cubic meters of lava
. One flow was 14km long, 200m wide and 5m high...
March 23 - Conaripe to Valdivia - 250km
Interactive maps: http://www.gpsxchange.com/phpBB2/download2.php?id=1869
We had good discussions last night and this morning with the owner of the hostal. He owns a Honda CR250 and has traveled extensively in South Chile with his car so he gives me some good tips. When I ask him about the volcano he tells me “Every morning when I wake up and see the smoke coming out of it I see that as a good day!”. Of course, if there is no smoke it means that the exit is obstructed and that the pressure will build up…
Connecting with him and being in a nicer are makes me feel better about Chile. The people are honest and seem genuinely kind, everything is clean and safe... not a bad place to visit!
There is no hurry this morning so I go back to the lake Calafquen hoping for a better light...
There are many birds sounding almost like a flock of parrots but they look very differently...
The same ones flying
Leo, the owner, recommended a dirt road going south to Puerto Fuy. The scenery is nice even if it's stay at low elevation (100-300m)
Forest, cows, lakes... good thing that they are snow capped volcanoes to highlight this beautiful but classic scenery...
I momentarily leaves the lakes region to head west towards Valdivia at 15km from the coast. Getting closer to that city, I take a dirt road following a river. Based on this domain and boat, it looks like there are some rich people in this region...
When I arrive in Valdivia I'm surprise by how quiet/dead it is with 90% of bar and restaurant closed and all other businesses closed too. It's true that it's the Easter Sunday... I go and check this hostal recommended by a French guide book. Despite its rundown look it has its charm and is actually full!
It seems to be one of the very few houses that survived the biggest earthquake on the planet
that destroyed most of the city in 1970. There is not much architecture left from the German immigrants who came in big numbers starting in 1850 but they left what is probably the best Chilean beer: Kuntsmann, still based in Valdivia.
The main street, by the river front...
Same spot, from the bridge
They are called Sea Wolves here...
I hook up with Teryk later in the afternoon and we manage to find something open for dinner and to enjoy the local beer.
March 24 - Valdivia to Osorno - 430 km
Interactive maps: http://www.gpsxchange.com/phpBB2/download2.php?id=1941
It’s cloudy this morning and even misty at times. We wanted to try a coastal road still in construction on the map but it’s not worthy with that weather. We decide to check the Todos Santos Lake instead as well as the Volcan Orsono.
The North Shore of the lake Llanquihue is nice with some amazing houses...
We find dirt road and even beaches to ride on.
We finally hit Petrohue on the shore of the Todos Los Santos Lake. Here the river coming from it...
It’s the most beautiful lake we’ve seen so far in Chile but unfortunately the light is really bad for pictures.
From there the view on the Volcano Osorno is striking though.
It's not only a perfect cone, it's also rising impressively from about 100m of elevatiopn (where the lake is) to 2,650m at the top. We decide to get closer to it via a very fun narrow road that goes to about 1250m to serve a ski ‘resort’ on the slope of the volcano!
We go trough the cloud layer on our way and it’s very spectacular with those 'islands' popping out in different places
Above the clouds it’s of course very sunny and enjoyable. We’re even tempted to go on a ski lift for a tour but only one of the 2 is open in summer and the price seems too high for us.
We do however enjoy a nice lunch on the terrace from there and the view is great, especially when the clouds open to let us see the lake Llanquihue underneath.
We go back to Osorno by the Panamerican and check Dirk’s hotel. Good news: he’s here and with all his luggage. It’s almost a miracle considering that he stopped in LA, Lima, Santiago and Valparaiso before finally landing in Osorno 24 hours later!
It's funny: the last time I saw Dirk I was on the passenger seat of his 950 with my crutches in hand. This time he’s the one on the passenger seat
.
The 3 of us go for drinks and dinner and park our bikes in the main plaza. After a good time and a few beers we head back to the bikes and to our surprise there is Andy’s KTM there parked alongside! A note says where he’s having dinner and soon the 4 of us are reunited… cool!
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