(November 19 – written by Nancy)
It rained all night and was still raining this morning when the alarm went off – bummer. There is nothing romantic about the sound of rain on a metal roof when you planning to ride your bike the next morning…We looked at the weather forecasts for here and the next town for the next few days and nothing looked too great but it did look slightly better tomorrow (rain versus rain at times – or perhaps that is just wishful thinking). We debated what to do and eventually decided that, since we had a comfy warm place to hang out, we would put off the pain of riding in the rain for one more day.
So, we have spent the day in our toasty little cabin, watching TV and doing admin catch-up things on the computer. Fortunately the little market right in front of the cabaña is pretty well-stocked so we made a few runs over there for snacks and fresh-baked empanadas. The cabaña owners refilled our woodbox so we have kept the fire going all day – though it’s a bit hard to regulate the temperature in here so we are both now sweating as we sit here while it is about 13C outside (and raining). There have actually been a couple of minutes when we could see sun, though the rain hasn’t really abated. We did get a couple of glimpses of the mountains across the road, but only for a few minutes before the next set of clouds rolled in.
It’s always hard not to second-guess your decision about riding or not riding but hopefully we will have just a little bit less rain tomorrow. I am sure we will get wet, just as we would have gotten wet today so I am preparing myself for an uncomfortable day. There is a big cold front forecast for Southern Chile over the next couple of days, which is probably where the snow in the forecast is coming from. So we just have to get to the next town, about 65k or so from here, tomorrow where we will likely have to sit out another day to let the snow pass through.
Dave has been cleaning up the pictures on his computer and has selected his favourite door of the day pictures – enjoy!
Leave Without Pay 
Great doors! I began to write down #’s of my favorites but then realized how beautiful, in different ways, all of the doors are. You can pick out the church doors as well maintained & pretty. But all are interesting by their individuality! Thanks! Hope the snow holds off til you make the next stop!
Have you ever heard the old saying?
“The doors will be opened to those who are bold enough to knock”
All those doors made my day! Hopefully tomorrow will be less rainy!
If a door closes, build a window!
There is a coffee table photo book in those doors. I arrived back in the US today–sorry our paths weren’t able to cross while in Argentina. Seems like I was just a few weeks behind you everywhere. Happy travels to the bottom.
Sorry to have missed you Cheryl – it would have been fun to compare notes.
Riding in the rain, in the cold, on unreliable road surfaces, with full panniers is never fun. I hope the weather improves. (I wonder what is behind each of the doors.)
We have a debate today, as we rode the last 5k in the rain. Would you rather have rain for the first 5k or the last 5k? Nancy said first, as you’d arrive dry. I said last as you’d likely pull the plug if it was raining before you left. Discuss.
It depends on a few things, but Patricia and I would usually vote for the last 5K. We had a spectacular 85K ride in New Zealand, but it rained the last few kilometers to our hotel, and we didn’t mind it. We had a miserable rainy start of a ride in Vietnam, and we hated being muddy and moist for most of the ride.
It’s settled then, by a 3 to 1 vote, rain at the end is better. Perhaps, no rain is a better still. Vietnam rains would be warm at least, no?