“Sometimes, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.”
Patagonia, from the famous Fitz Roy to the rural and rough Carretera Austral, has been one of the highlights of our tour so far. It was beautiful and remote, with mountains, rivers, camping, and fishing around almost every bend. It was also easy cycling (except for the dreadful headwinds) as Patagonia is all near sea level with very few or no passes.
We started out in Ushuaia, a town considered to be the bottom of the world.
Talk about a beautiful valley!
We then started our South American journey with Mike and Emily, two Oregonian friends who happened to be cycle touring as well! We headed through rural Tierra Del Fuego on some backroads which led us through the dry nothingness of the pampas. Thankfully there were many curious and hilarious guanacos all around to keep us entertained.
Mike, Emily, and Kevin cycling into Tierra Del Fuego.
A French couple (traveling for three years already and will go on for many more) we met along the way.
We really enjoyed the few shepherds we met along the way.
Swimming in a sea of sheep.
The headwinds down here weren’t a joke even if this photo is.
These little guys are super curious which makes them hilarious to interact with because whenever you talk to them they look at you as if they are listening.
Cycling through the sheep.
Crossing the boarder into Chile.
Kevin’s boot wanted to stay in Argentina so it jumped ship!
Mike and Emily, our two Oregonian friends.
This use to be a front rack. Mike and Emily had a fair bit of bike troubles, though thankfully there was always a creative solution to be found.
We then headed up and into Torres Del Paines, which we found a bit too crowded to our taste as we were there in the high season. We ended up doing a short hike before refinding our bikes.
Headed into the peaks!
Emily taking in the view.
One of the bluest lakes I’ve ever seen.
Cycling into the park.
Mike and Emily being cute as always!
Cycling hard against some insane head/side winds which literally knocked us off our bikes constantly.
After cycling through some more pampas (the dry nothingness) against ferocious headwinds, we ended up at the next iconic mountain in Patagonia, Fitz Roy. In Chalten we stayed in a casa de cyclista with over twenty other cyclists!
Need a tent anyone?
We then left Argentina by a rural non-car accessible road where we pushed our bikes up a section before riding onwards. We certainly had some great views throughout our two day crossing!
Yoga in the mountains.
Beautiful mountains equals one happy girl!
The road to the end of Argentina was beautiful as we circled around Fitzroy.
Kevin starting the uphill.
Mike and Emily working together to push one bike, and then the other, up.
Team work!
Fitzroy!
The lakes here in Patagonia are simply stunning.
And then we officially entered onto the Carretera Austral, a 1,200km mostly unpaved road which connects very small rural villages throughout Chilean Patagonia. We loved this section as the roads were deserted, the camping was magnificent, and there was never a shortage of water! Plus, Kevin finally got to put his fishing pole to use.
There was wonderful camping almost every night!
The beautiful forested road.
Our favorite kind of camping!
Kevin being silly.
We met hundreds of other cyclists, including this Italian couple who recognized me from my blog!
Though we had some sun, we also had a whole lot of rain.
Catching a trout.
Cleaning dinner.
I can’t even begin to describe how many beautiful rivers we passes. Dark blues and bright ones alike!
The white capped mountains were also wonderful to follow.
A small paved section which we quite enjoyed, even though we were going up.
There are so many beautiful waterfalls throughout this region as there are glaciers all around.
Definitely one of our best camping spots! Especially since the fishing was great.
The end of the paved road, it was a nice break from the washboard!
Fly fishing in Patagonia, Kevin has already dreamed of this!
Rain, rain, and a bit more rain.
We finished Patagonia with Tim and Jordi, two friends from Idaho who we keep leap frogging every few weeks.
Great camping as always!
Of all the old car parts, broken bungees, and single shoes Kevin has found by the side of the road, this hat was definitely his greatest one!
Kevin’s last Patagonian catch.
Though my pictures certainly don’t so this place justice, we really enjoyed our time through the rural parts of Patagonia which we have always dreamed of visiting. Now, we just can’t wait to keep following the Andes as they grow taller and more impressive as we make our way north.
For a photo of the day and other updates follow me on facebook here, and for some awkwardly cropped photos from our journey, follow us on Instagram @awanderingphoto!