June 30 and July 1st

Vallenar at last! A series of very tuff strenuous uphills after a quick tally this far it's only 7000 meters that I've climbed and this is just the start :) a ruff country for sure. 

My knee is not doing any better so I've stopped for a couple of days for r&r at the 

Hotel puerto de vega it's very nice and homely I recommend it to everyone who passes in Vellenar!

I've stocked up on six days worth of food and chocolate peanuts and sneakers not sure how I'm going to carry all of these things but I'll figure a way I suppose....

I'll look a bit at the town tomorrow and mostly rest and eat :) 

Here are a few pictures... Didn't stop much as I was digging deep to make it this far. What else the nights are cold in the desert this morning the tent was covered in ice and when I took my hand out of the sleeping bag it was steaming!! Inside the tent, glad to have a really nice sleeping bag for sure.

Taken right after a huge climb.

There working hard at making highway 5 a four lane road everywhere. I must say I'm impressed by Chilean roads there very nice and very well indicated kilometer markers and all.

What gets me is that it's still very much wild country people carry guns and anything goes more or less but I like that!