Time to head out of Argentina for a bit – to Santiago for some bike servicing and to sort out whether we can ride south on the west side of the Andes to Osorno, Chile’s lake district. With the aftermath of the quake being public disorder in the southern towns, stories of it taking 48 hours to do trips that normally take 8, and of serious fuel shortages south of Santiago – it may be an exercise in futility. But we need to get better intelligence than we can from this distance. Besides – we get to go up the Andes again, this time from Mendoza up Ruta 7 – supposed to be one of the most scenic journeys and a ride to match anything anywhere. That’s enough temptation.
The road is totally sealed so it’s easy & I’d describe it as a couple of Arthurs Pass’s with a couple of Wanaka to Haasts – all rolled into one. 400kms and twice the ascent of Arthurs, it certainly rates as one the world’s best rides. Let’s hope we don’t have t come back in a couple of days, that the next time we see this road will be the final leg from Cordoba to Santiago. Photos of the ride can be seen here.
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