once upon a rainy day...

Where I left off, I don´t really know. So much has happened. So many details to try and recall.

I haven´t really expressed what it´s like riding a bike day after day and the only reason i even think of it now is because we have been camping with other travellers and it is curious to see what rhythm people adopt. We usually rise at about the same time…leah (the rooster) gets up first, cari usually second, and margo and I keep our eyes closed as long as possible. We´ve treated ourselves to some coffee (ok, i have treated myself to some coffee) in the morning which makes waking easier. Unless we really have to make it through a section (there was a day when we discovered the road is closed for certain hours of the day for construction) we take our time in the morning and then begin our day. The first few kilometres hurt especially on gravel. We stop when we want a cookie, a moment to absorb a new vista, or because we thought of a new joke. Our tummies are on the same lunch schedule and we generally stop when it´s beautiful or there´s a river. Sometimes it isn´t possible and we take a little shade for a lunch spot as a consolation. The morning dew dampens some of our things and the hot afternoon sun is perfect for drying…we look like a gypsy caravan unpacking our clothing and laying it out to dry. Lunch is usually some type of bread with fixings...mayo is a new favorite and is packed with calories! We try to keep cookies on hand as a little treat. We snack often, ride happily and stop to find a camping spot when we´re tired. We have hopes of reaching certain destinations by days end but so often the road dictates what we´re able to do and when we´re tired, we just stop. Well, sometimes literally but most often we agree on camping in the next beautiful place. It´s not hard in these parts.

Chile is a wonder. There is more shade as we were promised…there is also more rain. For the last week and a half or two weeks we have been riding on gravel. All different kinds of gravel--like the inuit people who have many different names for snow we have many different names for types of gravel. When we see another cyclist coming from the opposite direction one of our questions is about the road conditions. But, as I have mentioned earlier, even a bad road is only temporary.

Back to the rain. It rained. It rained so much and so hard I couldn´t blink fast enough. Our first day of rain was still with plenty of sunshine as we met a solo woman traveller named eva from germany. We camped together in a field and exchanged stories about our travels. Though there aren´t many fool hearty souls on bikes travelling through these parts, the ones that do bike make a special sort of community. Everyone has a unique way of travelling. Some know everything about the road ahead of them and have every camping gadget while others just wobble along with an old bike. The lens in which we view the same stretch of road is as varied as our reasons for even being on the road. Regardless, each of these cyclists are incredible.

Back to the rain…again. We slept that night to the sound of the rain on the outside of our tent. There was rain that danced, rain the whispered, rain that bounced, rain that plunked and rain that splattered. There is nothing quite as comfortable as snuggling into your sleeping bag and just listening to the rain. But, then the next morning came and as we put on our wet rain gear and shoes our spirits were slightly dampened as well. We cleaned up camp quickly and got to our bikes…the only thing we could do was keep moving and this was the day of the ¨big hill climb¨.

Well, no sooner had we begun riding, singing, and embracing the rain did we meet another group of cyclists. Three fellas (two with the exact same frame as my beloved). They were three brothers stopped at the side of the road. One brother was going back because it was raining and the other two crazies were continuing on. We shared the road. We climbed that beastly mountain together almost laughing. And it was beastly…we hear it is a mountain of 15 switchbacks…but you can imagine that the clouds hanging in between the mountains, the big leafy vegetation and happy spirits made that climb one that will be long imprinted on the memory. In fact, that day we were on so many home videos and pictures…people couldn´t believe it. At one point the rain was so hard that I nearly lost my contact lenses. But, i think on this day it was nice not to have to climb in the heat. We ate lunch in a covered bus stop with the rain pounding against the corrugated roof. The cold gusts of wind blowing in were soon forgotten when the Agustin and Lucas made some warm milk and a little coffee. I have never felt so thankful for a cup of warm milk.

We weren´t a group of five for long…soon two more cyclists showed up and we were seven on the road. These two cyclists were a couple from seattle who have been riding down through the Americas for the last year. Their names: matt and cindy.

The sun poked out that afternoon and after a long day of riding we reached a little town with one tiny mini mart. We decided to invade a small hostel and cook a well earned meal together. We hung our things to dry around the oven and took warm showers. It felt like a dream to sip hot chocolate in a room full of cyclists.

Our group of seven continued on, braving the road together. That evening we reached manihuales and camped with another cyclist named pavel from Britain who was heading north. Pavel was a character. i say that with a slight smile on my face as i would need pages to describe him.

It was in this day that I think I officially became ¨hard core¨. My rear derailleur spontaneously combusted. really. The inner spring was completely gone and the rivets pulled out. I managed to piece it together with a key chain ring to keep some tension on the chain so I could use the front two chain rings (one for climbing and one for riding between the climbs). For two days I rode like this through the andes. Granted these were ¨flat¨days—only 3500 feet of climbing but most of it coming in one giant hill. I made it through trailing all my things. I think the only reason it was even possible was because I knew if I couldn´t do it I had six new friends who would have gladly helped me carry my things. It´s so funny to discover the things you didn´t know you were capable of and how a concept as complex and simple as friendship can literally flatten mountains.

For the last day we have been in coyhaique, chile. The two boys invited our troop to stay with their parents. Their home is in the most beautiful place i´ve ever seen a home. I feel as though i´ve only been here in my imagination…I didn´t think such a place was possible. The house sits on the edge of a valley and below us is the river winding through a patchwork of greens. The view of the mountains is not even something I can even begin to describe let alone the sunset, the sunrise, and the stars at night. Here again I will have to call on your imagination. But I can only say that after a long day of riding to come to a resting point here seemed surreal. Agustin and Lucas´ parents cooked for us, washed our clothes, let us take warm showers and in general cured all that ailed us. I feel content. These last few days have been simply sublime.

Tomorrow with our bikes repaired we will continue on. We´ll continue to flirt with the Chilean-Argentine border possibly taking a bus for one small section just to save time…or to give us time in a more beautiful place. We can see from the map that we have a few days of pavement before us. What a treat that will be. We have learned that on pavement we can easily accomplish 100 kilometers (60 miles) with hills and mountains but on gravel (depending on the type) we can only realistically accomplish about 40-50 kilometers. Since my cycling computer abandoned me I have not been able to keep track of the distance and in some ways, it has been incredibly liberating…though I do find myself wondering how fast we actually descend through the mountains…

Well, i´m sure i´ve left a number of things out…you´re probably still wondering about our bridge rapelling experience. Perhaps some stories are shared best over a cup of coffee.

Well, I have to leave now. The sun is setting soon and to miss it here would be a crime.

I hope everyone is doing well…I sympathize with my fellow Oregonians who are braving a winter of rain. After the rain we experienced here for just a few days I have never appreciated the sun more…

Cheers.

Jude.

Ps. A common game we play on our bikes is ¨if I could switch with one person…¨ in this game we say who we would switch places with for five minutes. I thought I would put some down here…

When I came to the most beautiful river i have ever been to i wanted to switch places with my mom for five minutes because i think it would take her breath away.

When I came to a big hill I wanted to switch places with Ignacio so he could climb the hill for me and I could work at the restaurant for him.

When I was watching all the stars twinkling over a river valley I wanted to switch places with Bethany so she could play her guitar in this beautiful place.

When I was going downhill so fast I wanted to switch for five minutes with my little sister so she could experience the joy of going downhill!!

When my derailleur was broken I wanted to switch for five minutes with guy larson so he could scratch his head on this one (and then leave me a note as to what his recommendations might be).

Pps. And when we were cold, tired and wet we wanted leah´s mom to come pick us up and make us some hot chocolate!