Bahia Murta to Villa Rio Tranquilo (2/27 Sat)

Stats:
- 15 miles
- 1100 feet
- time...  2 1/2 hours

In a nutshell, ditto yesterday....beautiful scenery, crappy surface, asshole drivers (not a lot of them, just all of them bad).  We had one truck head on that was moving so fast he could never have stopped if we had been a car. I mean seriously, is this a one way road and we don't know. We have stopped waving. If we don't get a good pass, we don't wave. These people don't get it. There are crazy with how they drive and they smile and wave.  We are not playing nice anymore.  Yes, our attitudes kinda suck. 

While this ride was expected to be short, it featured the steepest grades of the trip. Arn finally used his granny gear!  At one point, he passed me and said, "This is really tough. I will be really impressed if you make this".  Then he stood at the top cheering, "Si se puedes!" or "You can do it!". I made it.  The nastiest section featured swithbacks, steep banks, blind corners and the constant threat of assholes on the road. Getting to the top first, Arn got out and blocked the road. Once I reached the top, Arn asked, "Did you make it?" I replied, "Yes".  He clarified, "You rode the whole thing?" My answer was the same, "Yes".  

The setting for Puerto Rio Tranquilo is beautiful. It is set along the shores of the second largest lake in South America. The water is a beautiful aqua blue. The mountains are stunning everywhere. If you have seen Bariolche, this is an even more spectacular location. The town is small, but larger than where we have been the last two nights. There are the occasional chickens and roosters running around. We saw one horse tied up in someone's yard. Things seem better cared for and some even have lovely gardens. 

Arn found us an awesome place to stay. It is a super cool room --- beautifully done in wood, super high celings, no head smacking options, nice sized private bathroom, and towels that smell so fresh I just want to hold onto them. We are staying two nights and plan to do an out and back ride tomorrow (more on that tomorrow).  

After arriving today, we tried to use the WiFi in the place we are staying. This is when we learned of the earthquake in Chile. The lines have been damanged outside of Santiago, so the internet service is not available. We are a very long ways away from the earthquake. I registered us with the American Embassy and they contacted us in email with offers of assistance. We are glad to not need it. We had homemade empandas and french fries for lunch. During lunch, we saw television coverage of the quake --- pretty scary stuff.  We have passed through some pretty rural and basic communities. Things would not fair well in an earthquake of that magnitude. Our thoughts go out to the families that have lost loved ones and that have had their lives literally shaken to the ground.