Were having a great time! (three days in second gear) MAP -CHATIEN to COHIQUE

We have had a real fun time during the last week (seriously) We caught the last ferry out of isla chiloe, and spent three days in second gear on dirt roads. The scenery was awesome. Day one was no problem, we made great time. We tried to camp along side the road, but while we were setting up camp, the rain started. we beat a hasty retreat back to town in a downour, but didnt get too wet. It rained HARD all night. We woke the next morning and set out in the rain for then next town. It never stopped raining all day. not even for a minute. The road was turned to shit. We had to ford many spots in the road that had flooded as a result of the high water. The road made cambodia seem like a piece of cake. We made it to puerto cisnes on the coast, and realized we had made a wrong turn 20 miles back. We turned arounf and rode back uo the road, fording the river again in many spots. By this time I was soaked to the bone and shivering.

We made it to the correct road, and had to push the bike accross a mudslide. As soon as we had pushed the bike accross the slide and reattached the luggage, a caraven of busses and trucks appeared coming towards us. we learned that the road ahead had washed out, and the road crew was building a new road for thwe traffic. "Manaña" they said. We re-crossed the mudslide and rode back down the road to puerto cisnes over 20 miles of bad roads, fording the same streams again. We found a great place that had a fireplace, and val got busy drying our clothes. It was still pouring rain.

It rained HARD all night. Our clothes had dried by morning (thanks Val!). the weather cleared by 10 am, and the sun was peeking through the clouds. We saddled up and headed back up the road. I have never seen a road is as bad of condition. the "fixed" paret of the road looked like a war zone. we were rifing through deep mud, streams, sand, deep puddles, up steep mud hills. It was great. the road parraled a huge, crashing river - the meanest strech of water I have ever seen. We passed the bad part of the road, and headed the 136 k´s (some paved) to coyohique. We are resting today, and will cross into argentina tomorrow. It poured for 48 hours straight here - biblical proportions - i considered getting baptized before the ride...

The bike has taken all the punnishment we could give it. I am changing the rear diff oil today.
We have agreed that it is time to head north, boith because of the awful weather and because we both want to spend more time in bolivia, peru and ecuador than we want to spend in chile.

We are over chile. We bought a hairdryer today, and will use it to dry our gloves. Pictures tonight.