San Sebastian (Chile) - The eighth step ... Patagonia etc once more. - CycleBlaze

February 14, 2020

San Sebastian (Chile)

It is Valentine's Day.  Two years ago we woke up in a tumbled down house full of human faeces next to Ruta 40 on the Argentinean pampas.  The refugio seems like a five star hotel to that place.  When we woke up we could hear the wind howling but at least the sky looked bright and rain free.  It all depended on which direction the wind was blowing.  It turned out to be from the north-west so we would only have a bit of work back to the junction from which point it would be in our favour.

The ripio back to the junction seemed gentler today with the corrugation having softened after yesterday's rain.  It was also very quiet.  We encountered only six cars and three cyclists in the hour and a half it took to cover the sixteen kilometers back to the junction.  The cyclists were in a hurry and we didn't get more than a quick greeting.  

One of the cars heading southwards suddenly did a U-turn and came and stopped in front of us.  To our surprise and delight out stepped Henri and Hennie.  We had no idea that we would see them again.  After having bicycle problems (they have some fancy hydraulic brake system can couldn't get repaired) they hired a car and have been driving around Patagonia since we last saw them

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Once we got to the junction we hoisted our spinnakers and sailed effortlessly to San Sebastian on the border with Argentina.  

With a shower being very necessary after four days on the road, we checked into the Hosteria Frontera.  It's a bit of a dive and we probably should have carried on to the settlement with the same name in Argentina, just fifteen kilometers away, but it will do for the night.  A Valentine's Day celebration will just have to wait until we get to Rio Grande.

Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 1,602 km (995 miles)

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