After an early arrival to our little cabins in the country, we enjoyed the sun and happy hour. The next day, the sun rose early and gave us a cool, four-degree morning. Then, 40k on Freeway five and a left turn took us through dairy cattle land. I have never seen so many Jersy and Holstein cows in my whole life. The pastures were green and lush, and the cows were happily grazing. About 1/2 way, we discovered the Nestle plant where maybe a dozen milk trucks were waiting to turn over their thousands of litters of milk so I could enjoy some Nestle milk chocolate.

An hour or so later, we arrived at Puerto Octay, a very pretty small town on a large lake surrounded by three snow-capped volcanoes. At least that is what the locals told us, as once again, we had thick, low-lying clouds that covered the volcanoes. The town has a lot of charming old wooden buildings and is a famous tourist town on the weekends. Since leaving Santiago, Chile, we have heard and seen a lot of birds: swans with black knecks, ducks, a few parrots, and some boisterous birds that were hard to see, but you could hear their call as it is very distinctive, a cross between a honk and a squeal. Here in Puerto Octay, there are hundreds of these noisy creatures called Bandurria.

Tomorrow is the last riding day for Laura and Donna, and I will then be riding by myself for the previous month to Ushuslia. Of course, Gloria and Johanna will still be here as support.