Mountain Biking—Laguna Rosales to Town

Feliz Año! This was a great way to start off the new year. We and our mountain bikes were driven about 20 minutes out of town to a lake (Rosales). We set off with our guides, Julian (owner of AndesTrack) and Erica, through the trees for a 3-4 hour bike ride. The soil is very sandy because of all the former volcanic activity in the area (Lanin is not the only volcano around). That loose soil made it a little tricky at times but we got used to it. Nearly everyone had a fall, but nothing serious.

The weather was a bit rainy and it is always windy here, but with our workout, we were comfortable in the 50-ish degree temperatures.

We rode on mostly single track trails, never meeting another soul. Sometimes we took off through a scrubby meadow. Yellow alstroemerias were in abundance, as were purple thistles. We ended by winding our way back to town through a pretty residential area that reminded us of the Berkeley Hills neighborhoods (but with unpaved roads). Everyone was a bit challenged on this adventure, and we all had a great time!

We have lots more photos from the day, but they are on Julian’s phone, so check back later.Read more