North to Copiapo

Chile by motorcycle,

I picked up the motorcycle (KTM 640 Adventure) on the morning of the 11th. and was given a few highlighted roads north to try. The major route north of Santiago and if it takes your fancy you can stay on a wonderfully smooth toll road that is designed to get people north and south as quickly as possible. While the mountains inevitably get in the road and there are some lovely curves it is a place for your rear end to get numb and there is a bit more to see than that.

Heading to Illapel Chile the guys from KTM Chile had highlighted a road that turned of the highway and became dirt. With no idea what either route would provide, my first Chilean dirt run was under way. The road was for the large open sections very good. The road did have for many places good signage and kilometres to go signs made the ride relaxing and able to enjoy the ride and the scenery. There were many small mines and the occasional 4WD coming the other way was the only traffic. The mountains rose and the the road got tighter and suddenly I was looking into valleys with snow topped mountains in the background.

After winding down the mountain the return to Bitumen was followed by an increase in pace when the occasional delivery van got out of the way. The farmland turned green again for wine and olives and a large river that was dammed further along the route.The regular stop signs for train tracks were disconcerting with many being paved over while the rail had had very little use recently.

After not finding the road for Pisco Elqui I rejoined route 5 for the run north to la Serena. The Map showed a road to El Higirio but there was little signage in the area. After noticing the distances and the River that followed the road I took to the dirt again. This was another enjoyable section of dirt road wth hard packed gravel and minimal potholes. It was rewarded with a herd of Alpacca and the occasional high road for views along the river. At Punta Choros the area became eerily familiar: the road had various hotels and camping places but the push for El Higirio by nightfall kept me going. Punta Choros was packed with hotels and camping and plenty of places offering to take you to se the dolphins, but it was not where I was looking to be.

After getting directions that I didn't understand "Primeras camino norte" got a nod and I headed north over the dunes. Good solid sand kept the progress coming and when the road returned to hard packed gravel the throttle was again opened up. El Higirio turned out to be a very small town and with no sign of a hotel, heading to one of the nearby seaside towns was my best option. Pulling into Caleta Chanaral, a sign for the tourist centre followed by one for "Hospedaje Don Juan" gave me hope for a bed for the night. One shop and twenty houses meant I was pretty lucky to find a place for the night.

Juan appeared to have converted the lower part of his two story into a 2 room 1 kitchen and 1 bathroom house and thus I was charged like a wounded bull. the local restaurant was feed fishermen when I arrived. but for around $8 for a 2 pieces of battered fish, salad and soup it wasn't to bad.

Heading off in the morning in hopes of finding a similar road north again had me slowly ploughing through soft sand. At less than walking pace I wasn't making good time and tried for El Higirio and route 5. Spotting a sign for El Morada and a well used road had me thinking of marked road to Vallenar. After half an hour and about 3 small mines the road disappeared. The thought of getting lost and running out of time had me back tracking to the road to route 5. The sight of two desert foxes that ran before I had the camera out made that little excursion worth while.

more will follow ASAP