Cycling in Chile's wine regions (after overcoming some serious travel hurdles)

This trip almost didn't become reality after all my worries and misgivings ahead of my departure. I know that I am a true worry wart, but this time things were a bit different as my general plans for Chile were more up in the air than my worry threshold allowed. Initially I had planned on a true bike tour, but then it became clear that the distances between accommodations would be too large to pull off a pack-it-all-on-the-bike trip. After that, securing a rental car became an issue, and the question arose where to store my bike case and duffel bag so I wouldn't have to play Russian-doll-packaging every day in the rental car. Enter my friend Esteban, who lives in Santiago de Chile and offered to help out, but often his messages were not as concrete as I might have liked. "All will be OK" is sometimes not reassuring enough for a gringo.

Alas, I did leave Lubbock on the scheduled date, a Friday. My award-miles flight was to take me to DFW and then Miami and onward on the overnight to Santiago. That was the plan, and it didn't work out with a nasty t-storm front moving through Dallas and canceling or delaying most flights. I had even rebooked to get out of Lubbock earlier to have a longer buffer for my connection, but it wasn't enough. I got stuck in DFW.

Thanks to my good friends Keith and Cindy I didn't end up stranded in the airport but enjoyed their hospitality after they generously offered to put me up for the night and half of Saturday. Bad things can turn into something good, and we got a chance to reconnect after we hadn't seen one another for almost two years. Still, worries continued weighing on my mind as my bike and other luggage had somehow made an earlier connecting flight to Miami and were now sitting somewhere in Florida while my rescheduled flight was taking me directly from DFW to Santiago. Believe me, I spent quite a bit of time with the Executive Desk and Baggage Service and still wasn't assured that I'd be reunited with my stuff on Sunday morning. 

Finally sitting in the plane I was thinking about the explanation that one of the Flagship Lounge agents had offered: Baggage cannot be sent to another country on a different plane until the passenger has physically left the US, which happens when the plane takes off. My DFW to SCL flight was scheduled to leave at 7:30 p.m., well ahead of the 10:30 p.m. MIA to SCL flight, but sitting in Dallas on the tarmac for an extra 45-minute delay wasn't good for the nerves. You can drink only so much pre-departure bubbly....

But Esteban had been right: All will be OK. We arrived a bit behind schedule, the Miami flight arrived an hour or so later, and not only did the AA app show that my baggage had been scanned as loaded onto the plane but it actually arrived on the carousel. I don't think I've ever been happier to see my bags. Onward to the rental car counter where they did have my car but would not rent it to me without my taking out what they called "mandatory" CDW coverage—no mention of that when I made the reservation, no help that I had a letter from AMEX that my credit card would provide primary coverage, nada. If you want the car, pay the extra $300, or otherwise find another car. This was Budget. Ouch.

And so, 48 hours after Smitty had driven me out to the Lubbock airport, I finally sat in the car and drove to Esteban's dad's house in Santiago's Las Condes neighborhood. Thank goodness for my GPS. Esteban was working a race and was out of town, but his dad was expecting me, and in their yard I assembled the Ritchey, repacked my duffel into a soft bag, and stored the hard luggage with Esteban Senior. And then I was off to my first domicile in Los Andes, not quite two hours north of Santiago. The trip had finally started.

Since then a week has gone by, and it seems like a month. Los Andes is located in the Aconcagua Valley wine region of Chile, and my first ride showed me how gorgeous that part of the world is. As the name of the town suggests, these are the foothills of the mighty cordillera. Even though the snowpack is melting quickly going into summer, there is still enough white stuff to contrast the blue skies and the budding greens of the vineyards. My first ride covered about 41 miles of narrow, undulating roads through the Valle de Aconcagua, and it was a fabulous introduction to cycling down here. The gravel bike is definitely the right choice as it allows the tires to soak up some of that oft-broken pavement and the occasional gravel shoulder or other impediments to road cycling. Thanks to my Locus app I was able to stay mostly away from traffic, and I even happened across several dedicated bike lanes, always painted in blue to mirror the sky.

Before going on my first ride I had embarked on a four-mile hike up to the Cerro de la Virgen that overlooks the town of Los Andes and provides an amazing panoramic view of the area. Mountains encircle the valley, and it becomes clear how arid the area is and how important irrigation is. Those vistas! I wish I had had a chance for another ride in Los Andes, but I had booked another Airbnb ahead of time and so didn't get a chance to ride into the valley that leads to the pass that connects Chile with the Mendoza area on the Argentinian side of the cordillera. On the other hand, I wasn't too sad to stay only two nights in the outrageously priced Hotel Genova Chile where a tiny windowless room (it did have a skylight) set me back $95 for two nights.

Onward I traveled, to a much nicer Airbnb in Viña del Mar, just about 10 miles north of Valparaiso. Along the way I paid a gas station attendant 2,000 Chilean pesos (OK, $2) to securely park my Peugeot while I went off for a ride through orange and avocado groves. The oranges emitted such a strong, lovely smell that riding here was like being in paradise. I didn't see many grapes grown here, but apple, cherry, and mango trees were also part of the agricultural mix around La Calera.

My Airbnb in Viña del Mar was located on the sixth floor of a condo building, overlooking the Pacific. The host, Nelson, had been very accommodating in many ways, and that made me forget the Los Andes experience. I spent the evening walking around, first along the malecon and then in search of food. Damn, that coast is fine. Lots of people were strolling along the seafront, and hawkers and hustlers were everywhere. Really impressive was the fellow who balanced rocks on top of one another. After the sun finally set I finally found a restaurant where I had some tasty chicken. Another successful day was in the book. 

The view from my condo in Viña del Mar

I went for two rides from Nelson's place, thanks to a generous super-late check out. I went up the coast one day, and the other day down south, to Valparaiso. While the first was incredibly scenic and had lots of sun and some great ceviche, it was the second loop that was staggering: I did not expect the sea lions! The local fishermen dump whatever offal they have mere feet away from where their boats are moored and they clean their catch, and those sea lions aren't dumb—and neither are the gulls and pelicans. Valparaiso was colorful and busy, and don't ask me why the street was burning.... Lots of pictures coming from these two days of riding.

Once again, departure time came too early. I had to head to my next Airbnb, on the coast in El Quisco. The room was OK, and sitting on the porch and listening to the not-so-distant rollers thundering in was soothing. Unfortunately, it took a 15-minute dirt road walk into town for overpriced seafood. It's really a letdown to see menu prices that are higher than in Lubbock for seafood that is pulled out of the sea just around the corner. 

With only two nights in El Quisco there was time for only one ride along the coast, to the port of San Antonio. Once again there were some spectacular views of beaches and rocks, and the Pacific just kept rolling in. With only one road available I was glad that the traffic was relatively light and that there was a semblance of a shoulder. Overall, the drivers are fairly courteous, but beware of buses as they don't take prisoners when stopping or pulling out from the side of the road. Scary moments come when oncoming traffic is overtaking another vehicle and a car is on direct collision course unless you go off the shoulder. During yesterday's ride I had several encounters of this type, and they are unnerving.

Even though I have seen only one accident so far (a pickup rear-ending a much larger vehicle) there are enough roadside memorials to remember those who lost their lives. I have seen numerous small shrines that display some memento of a lost loved one, such as a baby carriage or, like yesterday, a BMX bike and the kid's helmet and even a photo. So, obviously I try to stay safe and out of trouble, be it on the bike or in the car.

For the past 48 hours I have been staying in my nicest Airbnb so far, with Aida and her husband and visiting daughter, Gemita or Gemi for short. I have a clean, bright room with direct access to a large garden with a pool and a beautiful terrace, where I need to sit for Wi-Fi access. The place is about 10 minutes from the center of Santa Cruz, in the Colchagua Valley. My car is securely parked within the property, and it is quiet. Aida serves me an extensive breakfast, and yesterday afternoon about 20 family members (more if one counts the kids) came to visit. After my ride I was invited to join them for cake and guacamole. Yes, you read this right: They were serving cake and freshly made guaca! Add to that cups of tea and Nescafé and you have one happy family on your hands! Gemi, a pediatric dentist who has lived in Australia for a year, speaks good English, and we had a nice conversation. It's not that my Spanish is totally worthless, but once people realize that I speak some of the language they talk rapidly and in their vernacular and suddenly I no longer understand much. Also, the Spanish spoken down here uses many different words and expressions from other regions of the Hispanic world, which doesn't make things any easier.

So far I have ridden twice here in Santa Cruz, and especially my Saturday afternoon ride (after my arrival) was memorable. I had mapped out a 34-mile ride that stayed mostly flat but was just skirting the many cerros southeast of town. For the most part, the road was impeccably paved with the smoothest asphalt of the entire trip so far. I passed many small farms, and there were sheep, horses, chickens, and horses everywhere. Saturday afternoons have a certain magic about them as everyone is home and is looking forward to Sunday. Hardly any cars are on the road, and there's a certain peacefulness. I've experienced the same in many other locations, and here it played out in the same way. Had it not been for four unexpected miles of the deepest, nastiest gravel I would have given this ride an 11 on the scale of 10!

Before joining the family yesterday I had gone out for a long Sunday ride into the other direction of the Valle de Colchagua. I ended up with 50 miles that took me past endless vineyards and orchards. Oddly, one hardly sees a marked winery, and so far all of them have been closed. Apparently the pandemic has taken its toll on wine tourism as one needs to make reservations for tours well in advance, through commercial operators. Maybe I luck out today and come across an opportunity for a tasting, but I'll be fine if that doesn't happen. So far my evenings have all included a bottle of vino that I have picked up in a store. 

So, a week into my trip I have to say that I am very glad that I made it down here, even with some of the obstacles along the way. The riding has been almost exactly what I had hoped for, only better and more varied. Tomorrow I will head to Talca, about one-and-a-half hours south of Santa Cruz, in the Maule Valley, yet another Chilean wine region. May the weather cooperate!

Jürgen