El Bolson, Argentina

Dec 27, 2005

I left Valdivia and headed south, to Porto Montt. The ride was long and straight, and through what is like the central valley of Chile. First I encountered several of the wine producing regions, and on both sides were vineyards. Then, as I got further south, I looked over to my left and saw a perfectly shaped snow covered volcano , and the terrain changed to lush green forests and gently rolling hills. I began to skirt a lake, and passed another big town before entering Porto Montt. Porto Montt slopes drastically down to the water, and the houses remind me of old boomtown houses built on the hillsides. In the harbor, tugs were yanking a freighter into place. It was a lot colder than up north, and the people were rude, so I left and headed north to Orsono, where I spent the night.

The road from Osorno, in Chile, to El Bolson, Argentina, is one of the most spectacular ones I have ever been on, especially this time of year. As it climbs the Cordillera, the mountain range separating Chile from Argentina, the road skirts a large lake, and more snow covered mountains come into view. The pavement is in pretty good shape, and it is easy to get caught up in the road and forget to look around at the waterfalls and lush green forests. Both sides of the border is a National Park, and so the land is very well taken care of.

Once through the border formalities, and descending down into Argentina, the terrain is still forest, but not quite so thick. Purple and bright yellow wildflowers line the road, and the first town in Argentina looks like something right out of Lake Tahoe. In fact, the ride around the lake to Bariloche, a fairly well known town, is a lot like riding around Lake Tahoe, without traffic enforcement, and with very little traffic. Again, the roads are in very good shape.

From Bariloche south to El Bolson, the road levels out a bit, but is still very twisty. I passed a stream and stopped, went back and filled my water bottle. The water was rapidly moving, ice cold, and absolutely delicious runoff from the snowpack. El Bolson is a resort town in the mountains. There is a fairly successful MicroBrewed beer industry here, and a lot of people go on hikes in the National Park. This time of year it is full of European backpackers and the occasional family.

Camping is very popular, and there are several well equipped campsites lining the road through town. The beef in Argentina is delicious, and the people are a whole lot warmer in temperment than the Chileans. I am heading north, since it is my plan to see the northwestern part of Argentina, and then try to cross into Brazil. So this is as far south as I will go this year.

On a sad note, my camera broke yet again. If anyone can get a great deal on a cheap (since I´m mounting it on my handlebars and riding very fast with it) MiniDV camera with 2 or 3 UV filters and 2 longlife batteries and a charger, please let me know.