Today is a rest day in the town of Cochrane, Chile.
Cochrane was founded as a hub for the ranchers in the area, and being next to the Rio Baker (Baker River), was conducive to the ranchers’ activities. Today, it is the farthest south most tourist cars go before turning back around. (Some might venture to the town of Tortel further south, but for all intents and purposes, Cochrane is the final stop. To go further south, cars would have to cross over to Argentina and head south from there.)
Cochrane is still a sleepy little town. But we enjoyed good food here, the last week have for a week.
Bicycles and backpackers do head further south until the Carretera finally ends in a town called Villa O’ Higgins. We are planning on taking a desolate 7-day trek to get there. So today we are shopping for 7 days of food to carry with us. I’ll fill you in on what we’ll do when we get to the end of the Carretera Austral. (An outline is given here.)
But, as usual, the ride to Cochrane before this day was delightful and stunning. The views however, never get old.
Amazing views of the water ! So blue…
I was told that the minerals from the glacier melt is what causes the distinct blue water. And in real life, they are very blue!
Glad you’re still around. Hope you’re doing well.