SANTA CATARINA
Well, we had finally come to our final stretch before reaching the long sought Atlantic coast. Planning a route across Brazil is a very different task than any of the other countries we have visited in South America. There are many more roads to choose from opening up the opportunity for bad decisions, especially when your Portuguese is very limited. The scale of agriculture changes drastically from one side of the border to the other therefore, potentially, greatly increasing the amount of heavy transport you could encounter. Another difference is that Brazil is a more developed nation than its surrounding neighbors. Its road system is more modernized with considerably better surfaces as well as more of its population is the proud owner of an automobile. What all of this means is that there are more cars on the road and those cars are driving faster which is not good news for a touring cyclist.
We entered the country in Barracão, Paraná then quickly crossed into the state of Santa Catarina. We passed through Flor da Serra do Sul, Campo Erê, São Lourenço do Oeste, São Domingos, Xanxerê, Joaçaba, Campos Novos, Lages, São Joaquim, Tubarão, and finally the coastal town of Laguna. These routes were almost exclusively paved with the exception of a few side roads we opted to take. They ranged from major through highways to quiet country back roads. Fortunately it wasn't harvest time for the expansive wheat, corn, or soy crops we saw along the way therefore reducing the amount of transport. There were beautiful rolling countrysides of grazing cattle and sheep and swaying wheat fields. Timber was also a prevalent industry with large swaths of pine and eucalyptus plantations. The route was never flat, with one roller, or sometimes legitimate climbs, after another. In general there was a decent shoulder with the exception of when a lane was added on the climbing side therefore losing the shoulder. This made for awkward crossovers and the disturbing sight of oncoming traffic by having to ride on the left side of the road that didn't lose its shoulder. Unlike the previous Brazilian stretch, Santa Catarina offered endless bandit camping locations from wheat fields to the soft bed of straw under the canopy of pine plantations.
We also encountered many wonderful people along the way that were always excited to see and hear about other people traveling through their country. They also seemed to be much more knowledgeable about routes and attractions than what we had experienced in other countries. People were always eager to hear our story and of course take a selfie. Just to name a few, Gregor and Josi at the bakery in São Domingos, Proner Bikes in Joaçaba, Cycles Beto in Lages, and a special shout out to our friend Valdir at the Lages Plaza Hotel.
In terms of ridding, it became more interesting starting at Lages and extending until the coast. The section was characterized by bigger and longer rollers, less traffic, and more pleasant scenery. Although we did not get into any sort of "high elevation", we got enough elevation as well as far enough south for apple orchards to be a success. In the same area where they were cultivating apples there were strawberries and vineyards. Very beautiful. The towns and their architecture started to show some of the german influences as well as the names of towns, streets, shops, and foods. There were two climaxes to this section, the "Serra do Rio do Rastro" and reaching the ocean!! The Serra do Rio do Rastro is twisty and windy 10 km (aprox.) descent, from which at the top, and on a clear day, one can see the Atlantic Ocean. This view and pending down hill had us stoked, we knew we would have our toes in the ocean the next day!
