The intrepid trio of Karen Darke, Jaco Van Gass and Steve Bate continue their journey through Patagonia.

We spend a day exploring Puyuhuapi enjoying a well-earned rest. We try and hitch to the local, over- priced hot springs but are denied because of a road closures with road works so we buy some supplies and head back to the camp site to chill.

Caroline heads to the fjord for a dip in the sea while the rest of us hide from the sun, crawling under rocks like lizards. We dine on pizza for dinner from a lovely little caravan shack which looks like it’s seen better days, however turns out an amazing pizza! It’s a fine way to finish the day - drinking a couple of local beers and eating local street food.

Good morning from Patagonia pic.twitter.com/KdMzQowUK3

— Stephen'Stanley'Bate (@kiwistevebate) December 6, 2016

We get on the road early the following day to try and avoid the road closures, which we manage to do. All the workmen stare at us as we ride past like we are some sort of freak show, but they often wave and cheers us on, yelling and clapping as Karen cranks past them with her arms. It must look strange, Karen pedalling with her arms and then me riding by with a wheelchair on a trailer but using my legs. I often wonder if they put two and two together as I smile and wave back, wobbling as I do with the weight of the trailer.

We have been warned that there are two closures on the stunning road that follows the green blue fjord but we are unable to make the second in time. We stop with a friend of a friend after only covering 35km. It’s a short day but we have no choice as the road is closed until 5pm and we have a 500m gravel climb over the pass to Cisnes Junction.

We camp on the bank of the fjord, and are told to watch the high tide and not camp too close to the water - after much debate though, we decide to risk it. This ends with all of us out of the tents at 2.30am watching the tide rise to only 3 feet from the girls’ tent, reaching out like a pointy witch’s finger trying to lure the tent into the dark water. However, it starts to drain away – like someone had removed a plug at just the right time – so we head back to bed.

With an early start we tackle the pass; there are many switch-backs and the sun is in full swing making our job of helping Karen climb switch-back after switch-back harder. They are steep and rough with plenty of loose gravel, but we get a small break in between them as the gradient backs off to around five degrees.

It’s tough work, but after an hour and a half we passed the summit sign and not long after stop for lunch with amazing views making the hardship worthwhile. We are running low on food and end up with a bizarre lunch which included wraps with peanut butter, chorizo and mayo! Not recommended – let’s leave it at that.

Patagonia is starting to open up to us now; in the early days the mountains were off in the distance hiding from us like a nervous child hiding behind their parent’s legs, whereas now they show off - they are big and bold and no longer afraid of us tiny wee cyclists passing through this remarkable landscape.

The tight wooded valleys have opened to wide open spaces with green lush farmlands with a back -drop of snow-capped mountains. The last 15km of the day is hard, a snaking concrete road carved out of the mountain side makes us work to the bitter end as we arrive into the village of Villa Amengual, where we camp in the village green.

The following morning we are met by Steve and Andrea, the British couple we have been leap frogging since Villa Saint Lucia. Karen had brought a part for their camera from home as Andrea is an old friend. Then we are also joined by Jessie and Corrine who are also travelling by bike. We sit in the square eating breakfast trading stories of climbs in the sunshine before riding out of town like a group of hard-core motorcyclists.

The day is a good one and we cover 57km before we stop for lunch. It’s tarmac all the way and lovely rolling roads which allow us to eat up the miles. We stop for lunch and are joined by three youngsters who try and ride our bikes and eat our lunch - they are cheeky little monkeys but provide some great entertainment.

We collect custard buns from a roadside cafe for a treat later and get back on the road heading to a secret wild campsite next to a river. The miles are easy and the campsite is not a disappointment. The large flowing river invites me in to freshen up and feel almost human again after our longest day on the bike. We dine on pasta again before tucking into our buns which taste as good as they looked.

The only problem we have had so far is Karen has a filling that has fallen out, so our goal for the day is to find a dentist in Coyhaiquie. We are rolling by 9:20am on a mission to get to the hospital before it closes. After a tough day of long drags on the concrete roads we hit a 400m climb and strike lucky as a third of the way up a man stops in a pick-up and produces a rope. Before we know it Karen is sailing off in the distances behind the large red pick-up as we push on up the climb.

My knees feel the weight as I rotate my 180mm cranks, but cars whizz by tooting and waving out of their windows cheering us on. We are met at the top by Karen with two bottles of Coke for our troubles, which we down and hit the road for the final 10km of the day. It’s far from uneventful as we are stopped by two police men for a reason unknown to us but after a few questions are sent on our way, but not before a quick photo opportunity with one of the officials.

Only 30 metres after leaving them Karen’s bump bar, on which she is carrying her dry bag, fell off In the road leaving bag, bar, water bottle and bits all over the road. Rattled loose from the rough roads the police are not impressed and want us moved on quickly to find a better spot to make the repairs.

Coyhaique has grown in size over the past few years and it’s a bit overwhelming to be in what seems like a small city. Busy with cars, we navigate the one-way streets trying to find somewhere to stay and a hospital for Karen.  We split up and arrange to meet back at the hostel we have passed.

I go with Karen following a local’s directions which work out well and before I know it I’m helping Karen into the back of a police car as they are kindly taking her across town to a dentist. I wave goodbye and then go through the motions of strapping her handbike to my trailer and attempt find my way back to Jaco and Caroline in the hostel.

I negotiate the one way streets, turning people’s heads due to the strange looking contraption, and after a bit of following my nose find the hostel. I have a proper shower for the first time since leaving Puerto Montt, instead of a hot bowl of water. I want to stand there for hours. Karen returns and we all head into the square where there is a live band and a party atmosphere. It seems so far away from the lonely, dusty gravel roads we have travelled but I don’t think about it too much as we roll into a local steak house and tuck into a piece of steak the size of a Mini Cooper!