It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 5 years since I embarked on, and survived (barely) my little bike adventure down in Patagonia, Chile. The route, a whole lot of kilometers from El Chalten, Argentina, to Puerto Montt, Chile, would eventually take me just under a month to complete (with 2 rest days.) It was to be an epic adventure.

(If you want to skip the story and just see the bike tour photos, click here)

From the moment I made those first pedal strokes leaving El Chalten, a small outpost located in the shadow of Mt Fitz Roy, I knew I was in for a challenge.

Leaving El Chalten, Argentina for somewhere further north

Below are some photos illustrating what I perceived, once I was done, to be one of the best bike tours in the world (I of course haven’t bike all over the world, not even a small percentage of it, but…that’s what I read on the internet.) I wouldn’t be at all surprised if in many many years, this route, named the Camino Austral, Carretera Austral, La Ruta Austral, is paved over. I encountered numerous sections that were indeed being prepped for pavement, which was actually brutal because golfball-sized rocks were scattered all over the road, making for, I can now admit, hell on wheels.

I encountered every type of weather imaginable, from the infamous Patagonia winds to searing temps. Truthfully I didn’t encounter all that much rain, relatively speaking. Matter of fact, I would later overhear many claiming it to be one of the warmest Februaries on record. I wasn’t complaining…

Unfortunately at the time, I wasn’t into adventure travel photography as much as I am now. All photos were taken with a Canon point and shoot. For my bike, I pieced together a beat up Specialized Stumpjumper mountain bike frame that didn’t fit me very well. Attached, was my trusty B.O.B trailer which, thankfully, was my closest friend and never let me down. (I did almost break Him on my second day bushwhacking from El Chalten, but we won’t bring that up.) Not sure how much weight I had in the trailer, but it never felt light, even on my last days near Puerto Montt. The road north was a constant, relentless up and down dirt road (with mind-altering sections of pavement) that meandered through remote homesteads and rural outposts.

When I reached Coyhaique, about halfway, I was elated. Why? Because I made it halfway. I started to put in some big days as the weather was beautiful. Thankfully this weather held as I rode through Parque National Queulat, a stunning kaleidoscope of deep, dense evergreen forest, massive nalcas plants, hanging glaciers and nearly zero visitors.

Parque National Queulat

In Chaiten, I ran into a problem though. It was end of the February, which meant their summer (and apparent ‘tourist’ season) was coming to an end (umm…how about over.) Nearly all campgrounds, parks, etc. were closed. This was great for me as the roads were nearly empty…of everything…people, cars…Unfortunately, upon arriving in Chaiten, I found out the ferry that was supposed to shuttle me across one of the many inlets south of Puerto Montt, was shut down for the season. Ooo…bad. I was bummed, because although I spent three days riding south from Puerto Montt upon my original arrival many many weeks ago, this meant I couldn’t ride all the way north to Puerto Montt. What’s a poor, starving cyclist to do? I was forced to hop an overnight barge back to Puerto Montt. In the end this turned out to be ok. After a day cleaning up in PTO Montt (which at this point almost felt like ‘home’) I enjoyed another 4-5 days cycling around the island of Chiloe, visiting the only place in the world where Humboldt and Magellanic penguins coexist and camping on the beach.

Cycling the Camino Austral was extremely challenging. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I would much prefer to bring a partner though. It’s get quite lonely in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in Patagonia.

View photos at SmugMug

View the entire Camino Austral Slide Show.

Certain photos are available as fine art prints. Or, you can download a digital copy of any image for only $1.25. Simply CLICK HERE to browse and click on the BUY link if you find an image you want to use as wallpaper, desktop background or even small prints!

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I’m not sure I could survive without my bike. From short rides along the shore of West Seattle, to epic month-long bike tours in Chile, I love to ride. Here are some photos I took along the way.

Fine Art Photography Prints are available, as are digital downloads. Contact me for further details. Click HERE for print pricing

View photos at SmugMug

Watch a slideshow of these and additional mountain bike & cycling tours photos HERE

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I love B.O.B … or B.A.R.B (depending on who’s asking.) He/she never complains, doesn’t need to be cleaned up after, doesn’t eat a lot and most importantly, no matter what I do with him/her or whereever I go, she/he obliges without a peep! Sure she requires some basic maintenance, but don’t they all! After years of trouble-free companionship, I dedicate these cycling tour photographs to B.O.B…I mean B.A.R.B

But at the end of the day, what are my real feelings about my trusty BOB trailer? Sure it works perfectly for trips to the grocery store or quick rides through the city to the local bike shop, but how does it stand up on a long bike tour and, more importantly for some, is it easier to tour with a trailer versus panniers?

First and foremost, almost ALL my extended bike tours have been with this trailer. I’ve done some short jaunts with panniers but I cannot compare the two on long bike tours.  So, that being said, I truly do love my trailer…most of the time.

While I managed to (somehow) escape major damage dragging it through remote sections of trail in southern Patagonia (as I made my way towards the beginning of the Carretera Austral in Chile) I encountered numerous folks with bike panniers trying to jerry-rig their broken bags/racks.  Of course, that was a pretty extreme case. On your ‘average’ bike tour (read: pavement) I still think a trailer offers certain benefits that may outweigh riding with panniers, such as:

• BOB trailers are super easy to attach/remove. Remove a couple pins and your bike is free to go
• Everything goes in one place, one bag, one trailer. This is good and bad because it is very easy to over-pack BOB. Consider BOB your porter. He’s very content hauling big loads. The waterproof duffel bag that comes with the trailer is big and we (I) tend to fill it, regardless of how long the tour is
• Hills kind of suck. There is no denying it…BOB does not like to really climb. He’ll do everything possible to slow you down. So yeah, the trailer surely adds ‘drag’ and friction. I was in pretty good shape when I embarked on my solo journey in Chile and, surprise surprise, because I over-packed, hills were, in some cases, brutal. (Granted, climbing dirt roads covered in baseball-sized rocks is never easy.)
• BOB is built tough. He can take (almost) what ever you throw at. Nothing on my trailer has broke.
• You don’t need rack attachments. The thru-axel works on just about any bike (I’ve some issues using it on my road race bike)
• Definite CON: the trailer is another piece of gear you have to deal with. If you’re traveling with your bike via bus, train, etc. this means you need to consider how you’ll pack the trailer (and the now-removed bag.) Not the case with panniers.

This isn’t to say bike trailers are better. Just about all my experiences bike touring are with B.O.B. I actually am looking forward to a future tour using panniers. Unfortunately…none of my bikes have rack attachments…

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