Somebody Had A Very Bad Day!

I wouldn't want to be this guy!!

No idea what happened to the driver, hope he's OK!

Sat. Jan. 24 PM

After this mornings the battery incident, I continued on to my intended destination which was the Ferry landing in Pargua, on the mainland just this side of the island of Chiloe in southern Chile. I hit it just right! I arrived just as one of the vessels was docking, and in just a few minutes, I was on the Ferry waiting to head across the Chacao Canal to Chiloe. There were two large trucks and a half a dozen cars and vans on board and one motorcycle. As we headed out into the open water you could spot the occasional group of sea lions with their heads sticking out of the water and once in a while you would see one jump out of the water then disappear again. The weather on the crossing was windy and it was sprinkling on and off. In about half an hour, we were docking on the other side. As I exited the Ferry I immediately drove thru the little hamlet of Chacao and then on to Ancud about twenty minutes away. In Ancud, I stopped at the Shell station to gas up because I’m getting in the habit of filling up as soon as the gauge reads half. They say that once you start down the Carretera Austral (the primitive road on the Chilean side that leads south) you don’t want to pass up a gas station, or you might be sorry. That is the reason I am carrying a 10 liter gas container. After leaving Ancud, I headed toward the Capital city of the island of Chiloe, Castro, about half way down the island. On one stretch of road I came upon a very serious accident that had occurred hours before. A large truck came down a long hill and missed the curve and went over the guard rail and rolled several times. I have no idea what happened to the driver, but as you can see from the pictures, it wasn’t good. Chile doesn’t seem to have the world’s best drivers! I continued on to Quellon where I managed to find a room right next to the Ferry company office. Now they tell me that the ferry will not leave until midnight Sunday because of bad weather. It’s pouring here at the moment. This is just like going to Alaska in summer. Cant’ wait to see what awaits me as I push farther south. I must say though, that I was very comfortable riding in the rain and cold today thanks to the heated clothing I brought and the very good rain suit I have. Thanks again Don!!