A little snow to feel at home

Dec 18-19 Angustura to San Martin de Los Andes

The famed 7 Lakes Route was definitely worth the ride and we were glad we did it, there were numerous cyclists on this route as well. We later found out it is one of the most popular roads for cyclists in all of Argentina. The distance is not very far either at about 100km, and there is only about 10km of gravel left to pave and the guys are currently working on that.

We realize rather quickly that San Martin is very much like Angustura in that there is hiking, skiing, mountain biking, and a lake to provide all kinds of outdoor activities. You guessed it the Swiss have also drastically affected the architecture here as well, the only thing missing is a bunch of tall blonde people.

We once again use the tourism booth to assist with finding accommodations as the choices are endless. They are very helpful because they have a list of places and the prices so it is just a matter of asking for a place in the desired price range with the desired requirements of breakfast and parking. Sure enough the first one we check is exactly what we like.

During our walk we see another Xchallenge parked in front of a mountain bike shop. Well, we have to go in and see who own it as they are not very common bikes. The guy in the store, Matias, informs us that the bike belongs to the store owner but he is out wind-surfing at the moment. Did I mention the wind, it is fairly constant at about 25mph, but also warm at 18C, so great weather for wind-surfing. We chat for a while and discuss Matias’ plans to work in Whistler next summer. He says he did not know much about Canada growing up but in the last 10 yrs has been falling in love with our country, mostly due to the mountain bike lifestyle and of course Whistler is Mecca for many riders around the world. He as already started his work visa applications and has a job lined up if it gets approved. He was so excited to talk with Canadians about it because we actually know a bit about Whistler. Matias says that Falvio the owner should be back around 6pm so we continue on our walking tour of the town. 

We enjoy the tour then return to the shop with our bikes to see if Flavio has returned, we just missed him by 10 minutes as he had to go home to see his kids for a bit. Oh, well maybe later after supper we can catch him. He told Matias to take pictures of the bikes in the meantime. Persistence pays off and we finally get to meet Flavio and as expected he is very excited to see two other bikes like his. He is also very helpful with route suggestions and tells us of a Canadian couple from Muskoka that come to San Martin every winter. They own a bicycle shop in Muskoka and because it is very slow in Dec/Jan they close their store and snow-bird down to Argentina. Sounds reasonable to us.

The weather over on the Chile side of the Andes does not look very good so we decide to stay put for another day and see if it clears up bit. We had also made plans to go for a ride with Flavio, unfortunately the rain moved in here and delayed our ride plans but no fear we find some things to do around town between rain showers and naps. We touch base with Flavio and make plans to go for a ride the next day at 2:30 when the shop is closed for siesta.

Flavio is ready to go when we arrive at the shop, he has picked the trail to Laguna Verde (green lagoon) because it has a nice mixture of terrain and it is popular for swimming in after what would be an arduous mountain bike ride. We have motors so it makes it easier, and this early in spring the lake is still very cold so we would not likely go swimming. The road/trail into the lake is a mixture of dirt and shale rock that weaves its’ way through forests and farmland. At one point the ski hill can be seen along with some larger homes that are built in the ski village.

View of the lakefront

View down the lake and valley

One of the rocky sections of the trail

Flavio said something about a friend joining us but until now it is just the three of us, he rides very well considering he said he only started riding motorcycles three years ago. His style of riding is more enduro racer than GS touring so he waits patiently at any forks in the road to ensure we don’t get lost. We later find out that he has been modest in his riding history, he was on the national mountain bike team for 10yrs and competed all over South America and a couple times at Vail Colorado. These riding skills transfer well to motorcycles.

Then the fun starts, we stop to take a couple of pictures at a shale slide and it starts to snow. We all joke that it has to snow to make us Canadians feel at home, more local hospitality. We scope out a tricky downhill section of larger rocks and Brenda decides she is not willing to ride this, actually down would have been fine but we were both concerned about traction on the way up as it was quite steep with loose rocks, oh ya and did I mention it is snowing.

One of the water crossings

At this point Flavio’s friend Martin catches up to us, he is riding a Yamaha WR250R, so he is on a much smaller bike that makes all this technical riding very easy. He just hits the throttle and goes flying down the rock section then does some circles at the bottom while he waits for us to ease down the hill. Brenda walked down this section then jumped on the back of Flavio’s bike for the last kilometer to the lake, which is a short walk off the trail. There is a fire pit nestled under the big trees that must be used by the mountain bikers who decide to either cook lunch or maybe even camp overnight. The lagoon is not very big but is a pretty green color and makes a picturesque scene with the snow falling.

The time at the lake is cut short due to this but we have a bit of riding to do in order to get back out of the bush. The rocky climb is not as bad as anticipated even though it is now thoroughly wet, Brenda is re-united with her bike and climbs the rest of the way up without issues. Hindsight says she could have made it all the way to the lake but rather safe than sorry, we are a long way from home after all. Martin and Flavio are familiar with the trail and they seem to be racing out as Brenda and I putt along enjoying the scenery, especially now that it has stopped snowing. There is a definite snow line up this high and we are glad that it is not snowing or raining in town once we make it back.

We stop at the store to say our goodbyes to Flavio, Martin took off on another trail somewhere on the side of the mountain. We also exchange photos and videos of the ride and learn a bit more about riding in the area as more stories are shared with us. Flavios family shows up and we get to meet his wife and children, his son is 18months old and really enjoys his push-bike, or maybe he just likes his Dad’s helmet.

After a short visit it is time to let the guys close up shop and get on with their evening, we head back to the hotel to clean up and go for supper as it is now 7:30. We find a Mexican restaurant and decide to take a chance, it turned out to be very good and on par with any Mexican restaurant we have visited in Canada. Same recipe’s I suppose.