From Puerto Montt I can't go any farther south without taking one or more ferries. It was difficult to figure out a route because all of the ferry lines are independent and they sail from different ports on different days or different times of the day. With the help of Tameka, I finally decided to take an overnight ferry from Puerto Montt to Chaitén. And since that ferry didn't leave until 11PM, I had a day to kill.

I made Stan a cup of coffee and we shared some sliced ham and bread for breakfast. We exchanged our WhatsApp contacts and wished each other well. I watched him pedal off into the morning traffic with his helmet flashing and his colorful flag bobbing along behind him. I fired up the bike and set out for Chiloé island.

I read about Chiloé many years ago in the novel Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende. It is pronounced "Chee-lo-ay" and I always loved the way that sounded. Mystical and exotic to my ears. I have to visit that!

I had to take a small ferry to reach the island which took about 30 minutes. It was a beautiful day for a ride so I made for the town of Castro. I admit, Castro turned out to be a sleepy fishing town but it did have a lot of colorful shacks on stilts along the wharf. I wandered around for a bit and had fresh muscles for lunch. Returning to Puerto Montt the way I had come I enjoyed the ride through the rolling hills with periodic views of the archipelago.

As the sun was setting, I arrived at the ferry terminal and met another rider named Franco. He came rolling up on a very clean Royal Enfield Himalayan with Colombian plates. It turned out that he is from Spain and has been exploring South America for the last few months. He bought his bike in Bogota and plans to sell it when he departs. I really appreciated talking with Franco because he was over-the-top enthusiastic about his adventures. He spoke English, but with me he stuck with Spanish. If I didn't understand something, he would just slow down or rephrase it more simply. He never reverted to speaking to me in English which was really helpful.

When we talked about camping he went on a diatribe about how he's 54 years old and he can't possibly be sleeping on the ground anymore. He said he would leave that to young men like me. Ha! He never did ask how old I was. Besides, I like sleeping on the ground.

After getting the bikes tied down on the ferry I found my way to my assigned seat. It was a very comfortable reclining chair with a foot rest. It was kind of noisy in the salon but I managed to get a few hours of sleep.

I went out on the deck to watch the sunrise. The crystal clear skies indicated that It was going to be a really nice day and started to get excited! Finally Patagonia! And Patagonia did not disappoint.

The ride today was like that tasty delicate chocolate indulgence that sits on top of the butter cream which sits on top of the delicious cupcake. In other words the icing on the icing. All day long it was just one stunning view after another. Snow capped mountains appeared from every angle and glacier blue rivers cut through the valleys. The road was delightfully curvy, narrow and very lightly trafficked. There were several long sections of gravel and from what I understand, I'm almost at the end of the pavement. The next few days will be more difficult.

I found a nice place to camp. For $9 it included a fresh cup of coffee, a hot shower and a spectacular sunset on the mountains. What a bargain!