Distance to Date: 2319 km , 1391 miles

A clear day, and the road ahead. Water is all over the Carretera Austral! And the sun is shining. Life is good. Snow covered mountains near Villa Santa Lucia. We arrive in Villa Santa Lucia, a tiny settlement at the foot of a huge mountain pass. We get food at this town market and then camp across the street in an unclaimed feild used primarily for soccer. Leaving town the next day means traversing that mountain pass - 10km of up, up, up! (followed by a steep and bumpy down, down, down!) The glacier-topped mountains peak through the trees. Another soccer field makes for our home tonight. This time, we are camped at a fish cultivation center! Here, they raise baby salmon to repopulate the heavily-fished river near Chaiten. We meet Eduardo, who's on a six-month contract to oversee the project. He takes care of us for the night and lets us use his shower (it's been 10 days since our last!) and then cooks us this delicious "tricha" for dinner. Thanks!! Yum!! He gets busy and removes the scales like a professional. He shares his simple recipe: fish, onion, garlic, salt, oregano, spices, and amor. Time to put the fish Into the pot! Eduardo is from Puerto Montt, the city that marks the finish of the Carretera Austral - our goal, for now. You see? This is what good living is all about! We are used to eating just a little fish with some rice or side dish, right? Not with Eduardo! Christi gives a thumb-up for a massive bowl of fish. Fish, fish and more fish. The next morning we do some laundry and dry it on the bike. Tauru hangs it on the handlebars as we take a lunch break. But wait... What is that you're standing on, Tauru? Pavement! Asfalta! No more ripio! Time to fly over the road! Finally in Chaiten. A volcano hit this town a few years ago, and they are still trying to get things cleaned up and back in order. It tells of days when it was a beautiful city, but for now it's a bit of a ghost town under construction and slowly re-populating. What? $950 a liter? WHOA!!! (pause) Oh, it's in Chilean Pesos (486 CLP = USD $1) From the port town of Chaiten, we'll take an 8-hr ferry to Puerto Montt. There, we'll work on the bike and stove issues. Looking back at Chaiten, our last view of the Carretera Austral before starting new scenery, new adventures and new bicycle parts! Patagonia, you sure are beautiful. So long, for now! Page 1 Page 2