Today is a much needed day of rest in Puyuhuapi. We headed into the Visitor's Center to check email. (They have free WiFi). As luck would have it, 4 cyclists rolled into the main square. It was Shauna and Jullian --- the Canadians we enjoyed beer with about 9 days ago in El Bolson. They were traveling with two other riders; a guy from Chile and a guy from Austria. They called themselves a "posse". When we last saw Shauna and Jullian, we had all just finished a lousy week of weather and traffic. Shauna was talking about the beach and I was talking about backpacks. Today, we laughed and joked about how awesome the last 8 days have been. Shauna and I shared our loathing of the "final insult" hill between Futaleufu and Villa Santa Lucia. She said she rode out in front of the the "posse", so they couldn't hear the language she used to express her feelings about the road surface. We swapped stories about who we had met on the road. The Austrian guy had camped one night with the crazy German (the guy riding 125 miles in a day). He had to help the German set up his tent. We gave them confirmed sightings of the German by the guys from Finland and the UK. The "posse" is "wild camping" --- finding spots along the road and making camp. So, while we talked, they laid out their tents to dry in the main square. After photos and a stop in the panaderia for lemon pie, the posse headed south. It is doubtful we will see them again as our ideas for the next week will take in some options that will put us behind the posse on the road. Arn thought Shauna and Jullian would roll through town today and he was right.
Since our day was pretty slow and quiet, I thought I would change it up a bit on the blog entry and post a list of FAQs (frequently asked questions). Sources for these questions include family, friends, people we have encountered in Chile and Argentina, and fellow cyclists also touring. And of course, I as the author, have written a few questions that should be asked by anyone considering this adventure.
Q: Where are you going?
A: In general, we are headed south. However, we are starting to generate westbound and northbound options. We have no set schedule or destination. We will go no further south than Villa O'Higgins where the Carretera Austral ends. Other than that, it is unknown. Our route is determined by the fun factor. Fun factor is a calculation based on weather, scenery, traffic, roads, and the 'off the bike experience'.
Q: How does this compare to the other cyclists you meet?
A: We are pretty much alone with this particular "plan". Most have a target --- Ushuia, Villa O'Higgins, etc.
Q: How are you figuring out where to ride?
A: We have maps and have formed loose ideas. In some places, it is easy as there is only one road. We are asking people along the way. Once we arrive in a place, we gather information about what lies ahead, look at maps, check the weather forecast, calculate distances, and consider the options for accomodations and food. We usually have a loose idea for the next couple of days. For the next day, we usually have an A, B, and C Plan.
Q: Is your "A Plan" usually what happens?
A: Sometimes, it all comes together and we have something better than the A Plan --- like finding a woman that sells awesome sandwiches from her kitchen. At other times, we end up with the H Plan which then ripples forward and changes the plans for the coming days.
Q: Isn´t this really different than how you guys usually travel?
A: Yes.
Q: How is it working?
A: So far, it is working. Arn would laugh at my "so far". But really, we have had no stress between us with this approach. If we had done our typical thing of making firm plans, we would have missed a few great opportunities and we would have screwed ourselves with the weather.
Q: Are you riding with a group?
A: Yes. I am riding with Arn and he is riding with me. And really, this is already a lot of opinions to consider when deciding where to go and what to do. We have been lucky and have enjoyed riding with other riders for several days. It has been great to meet so many people from all over the world.
Q: How far do you ride everyday?
A: We only know the answer to this question at the end of each ride. Seriously, sometimes stuff is a bit further than we expected. Sometimes it is shorter. There is no "typical day" as it just depends on what the options are in front of us.
Q: How fast do you ride?
A: Okay, the guy that got stuck on this question was enough to drive me nuts. Yes, he ticked me off. He wanted to compare his riding at home on a road bike (unloaded) and on pavement to our "pace". Here is the best math I can offer. Arn and I have compared our "equations" and we disagree by a bit. As the author, you are going to get my math. This is a multi-variable problem taking into consideraton the following: distance, wind, road conditions, load and type of bike, single day ride versus tour, climbing and calories burned. Here it is...if you take our ripio ride and you want to compare it to "road cycling", you need to increase the distance by 75% and double the climb. The ride time for me would be similar. (40 ripio miles loaded with 3200 feet of climbing equals 70 miles and 6400 feet of climbing on the road unloaded --- based on my ride time and calorie burn rates). Okay dude from some ski town in the USA --- crunch those numbers and get back to me. Bottom line, ripio riding while fully loaded is hard and in the words of one man from Buenes Aires ---"you must be a hard woman to ride here".
Q: "From the blog, it sounds like there is a lot of bad with the good. Is there enough good to make it worthwhile?"
A: Well, it depends when you asked this question. After a bad week of weather, nerves and tolerance were worn thin. The one with good feet had dreams of a backpack. Then, there was the day where the one with bad feet was nearly killed twice. While this individual had shed tears after trips over the handlebars on said individual's mountain bike, this person had never shed tears on a road ride. Unbeknownst (really how do you spell that word?) to the other party on this "tour", the person in question who was a) nearly killed and b) has bad feet --- choked up and shed tears. They were tears of relief to still be alive. So, the individual with bad feet was actually first to bring up the "is it time to pull the plug on this before we get killed" topic. The person with the good feet, suggested we take it one day at the time. The person with the bad feet thought, 'hmm, this is interesting as the good feet person tells people he is doing this because it was his wife's idea'. Man, can you keep up with the feet and bad ideas in this story?!?! And then, there were 8 days of stellar weather, scenery, no traffic --- good feet and bad feet agreed: if it could be like this all the time, we could do this for months and months and months. Of course, as I write this, good feet is sleeping, bad feet is typing, and it is pissing rain.
Q: Are you from Germany?
A: No, we are from the United States.
Q: How do the people in your country feel about your president?
A: "Do you want him? We will send him to you!" So far, no takers. We can't pawn him off on South America or Europe.
Q: You guys are traveling light! Do you have a tent and cook kit?
A: Yes, we have everything we need to camp. We prefer to stay indoors. We didn't want gear on the front of the bike as we wanted a front shock. And yes, we know a broken shock would mean the end of our trip. Everyone has something in their set up that could be the catastrophic break. Riding with the shock is sweet on ripio. Other than the crazy German and a woman from Australia that was only out for a few days, we are traveling lighter than everyone we have met so far.
Q: How have the people in my country treated you?
A: People have been very friendly in both Chile and Argentina. We have had great experiences off the bike. Most people have gone out of their way to extend hospitality and to do anything possible to support a touring cyclist. While most motorists extend support with a friendly wave or slowing down, we wish they all would.
Q: Which do you like better --- Chile or Argentina?
A: Depends -- who is asking the question? We have enjoyed both countries a lot. This is our second visit to Argentina and our forth visit to Chile. Secretly, there is just a sweet spot in my heart for the Chileans.
Q: It sounds like you have met people from all over the world. What is the language of choice?
A: If the people are from South America, then the language has been Spanish. For the rest, it has been English with the exception of Alex from Barcelona.
Q: You guys must be finding Internet cafes everywhere to be blogging. Yes?
A: No. I am actually writing the blog notes on my iPod Touch. When we have WiFi, I cut and paste the text to the blog. You should see my thumbs type on the Touch!!! This works well and allows me to write from anywhere we are --- sleeping in a tent at Lago Verde or in Estel and Hugo's extra room. We have visited the internet cafes to upload photos and reply to email a few times.
Q: I see you heart rate monitor watch. Are you wearing a heart rate monitor?
A: Yep. The HR monitor captures speed, distance and climbing. I like to wear the HR strap to see calories burned and current heart rate. At the start of every ride, I pay attention to the number --- my standing heart rate before riding. This number is very helpful. If the number is elevated, it usually means a) I am slightly dehydrated, b) I pushed gears too big yesterday and I have not fully recovered and I need to increase my cadence for today's ride OR c) I have ridden enough days in a row that I need a rest day. Also, I can get a rough cut at any fitness gain if my standing heart rate is dropping. For the last week, my standing heart rate has dropped day after day. I hit a new low for the trip two days ago -- 46 bpm. I would love to know my real resting heart rate that day (laying down in the AM).
Q: From you photos, it looks like someone was not wearing a helmet. true?
A: The only consistent helmet wearing countries are the US, UK and Germany.
NOTE - I will probably do another FAQ later in the trip, so stay tuned!
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