(October 31 – written by Dave) Today was a long day, but a lot of it was ridden on Ruta 5, what we have been calling “I-5”.  It is not technically an interstate but that’s our story.  I-5 riding was not overly exciting except in perhaps the stressful way.  I-5 is a dual carriage way … Continue reading Highway day – Santa Cruz to Talca (132k/23,529k, 1,350m)

(October 30 – written by Dave) On our rest day today, we had to very simple goals.  Number one, build Nancy a new kick stand for her bike.  Number two, find a vineyard where we could sample some of the area’s Chilean wine varieties.  I am happy to report that we were successful on both … Continue reading Wine tasting and “kicking back” in Santa Cruz

(October 29 – written by Dave) We got rained on!  Stop the presses.  Last night at camp, we had about 20 drops on the tent, creating a flurry of “get everything under cover”.  Then the rain stopped.  It rained several times overnight, at about the same level.  Then today riding we had about 1 minute … Continue reading Rain day, sort of – Lago Rapel to Santa Cruz (64k/23,396k, 650m)

(October 28 – written by Dave) Last night, as expected, our neighbours kicked on with the karaoke machine.  But honestly, they didn’t have the volume overly loaded and they seemed to tire pretty quickly.  This morning I had vivid memories of a really bad falsetto rendition of the Bee Gees “More than a Woman” rattling … Continue reading Re-routing – Melipilla to Lago Rapel (61k/23,332k, 1,600m)

(October 27 – written by Dave) I am happy to report that we only used two of our six beds last night, temping as it was to hop around a little.  The hostel was quiet and we slept well.  This morning we had brekkie in the hostel dining room and visited more with Daniel and … Continue reading Backroad Chile – Casablanca to Melipilla (68k/23,271k, 1,500m)

(October 26 – written by Nancy) We were up relatively early this morning to try to get out of Valparaiso before the morning rush hour traffic got too bad.  Well, maybe not as early as Dave wanted, since I was in charge of setting the alarm last night – actually I only gave us an … Continue reading Backtracks – Valparaiso to Casablanca (56k/23,203k, 2,500m)

(October 24-25 – written by Dave) We’ve spent the last couple days relaxing and being tourists in Valparaiso, Chile.  It’s a pretty interesting city with an eclectic edgy feel to it.  Until the Spanish arrived in 1536, the area was home several nomadic native populations that didn’t really have the need for a port or … Continue reading Valparaiso, Chile – graffiti city

(October 23 – written by Dave) Today we reached Pacific Ocean.  The last time we saw the Pacific was on April 8th of this year, up in Panama City.  It is hard to imagine that we’ve ridden nearly all the way down South America and this is our first trip to either coast – but … Continue reading To the sea – La Calera to Valparaiso (68k/23,147k, 1,450ft)

(October 22 – written by Dave) Today was all about getting chores done, while still trying to have a normal riding day – always a challenge.  The morning started great as Berta let us use her normal kitchen to cook up some eggs.  Today was a holiday so no one in Berta’s house was up.  … Continue reading Adapter day – Portillo to La Calera (97k/23,079k, 400ft)

(October 21 – written by Dave) Today was such a great day for so many reasons. I’m honestly not sure where to start.  For example, I could stop writing now and just post the photos – we crossed the Andes through a spectacular high alpine pass today.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, … Continue reading Chile and a great day –Penitentes ski hill to Portillo (76k/22,983k, 2,400ft)