I feel that my weary sleep deprived brain kept me from adequately describing these last four extraordinary days here in the Switzerland of the Andes.  Time and internet also limited the photos I could post.  If you would like to see some beautiful photos that may give you more of an impression of this area please look at Bike Dreams Facebook page.  Wilbert, Robert and Susanna have posted some great photos of these last few days there.  Well worth your visit.  I’m even in one of them.  I have three more days cycling in this area starting with a big climb today to one of the world’s highest towns at 4350 meters.

Since arriving in Caraz a few days ago we have been traveling in the famous Callejon de Huaylas region of Peru which includes the Cordillera Negra (Black Mountains) with peaks 4000m and larger and the Cordillera Blanca which consists of 16 peaks over 6000 meters and an additional 17 peaks reaching over 5500 meters.  We are following the route to the Cordillera Blanca.  The largest peak in Peru is Huascaran  at 6768 meters which we saw from Caraz and is in a previous photograph.  It goes out of sight as we move higher and further away beyond Huaraz, our last hotel night.  From Huaraz we climbed through country that reminded me of photos of  the higher regions of Mongolia – steep rolling vast  grassy yellow hills (each higher than any peak in Colorado).  We are following a one  lane paved roadway for 42K then leaving it behind as we turn on a rough single track pitted rock roadbed.  Halfway up the paved road a few of us decided to look for a cafe in a small village on the left of the road.  It didn’t lie on the roadway itself but required a drop below on a steep cobblestone.  Pedaling through the quiet narrow main street we came to the plaza and asked for a coffee shop.  Even the smallest villages have a central plaza with a church, perhaps a bank and a few shops.  This village had the church but not much else.  We were directed to a opening  which led to a meager courtyard with a tiny homemade wooden table and four cane chairs laced together with some type of fiber.  An older women was peeling potatoes and the old man greeted us with a welcoming smile on his craggy face.  He had lost one of his hands in some type of accident.  The courtyard was obviously also their home so we pulled the four chairs outside and asked for coffee.  After a small wait the old man came out with cut lime and a big bowl of soup.  Brandishing the same type of Spanish that brought us the soup we tried again.  This time successfully as the woman came out with a pot of hot water, a tube of instant coffee and five cups.  That made most of us happy but I still needed to convey my need for tea. I asked for Manzanilla tea which is a common type of non-caffeinated tea and off the old woman left at a trot coming back a few minutes later with a clump of flower leaves and a big grin.  She brewed the flowered Manzanilla tea for me and also presented herself and her husband for a photo which I really enjoyed.  After our hour long break,  off we went climbing through this ever higher undulating countryside till we found ourselves on the rough and dusty narrow track on our way to Huascaran Park where we will camp for the night.  It was a difficult climb, getting colder as we moved along.  We were presented with views of the Cordillera Blanca at every turn as we moved from one hillside around and into the next along with its new peak views.  The track zigged its way along.  I found myself climbing with Elizabeth  who joined us in Huanchaco and I believe  is riding as far as Salta.  My hour stop had left behind most of the other bikers but I  reached her just a few K’s before our camp.  We reached the Huascaran Park sign and stopped for photos then weaved our way to the park headquarters itself.   This  park is well used by clinbers but quiet as this time of year.  We camped in the high valley floor next to the headquarters with big views in all directions.  The altitude here is 4250 meters and is quite cold without the benefit of the sun.  It was a beautiful setting and a great reward for us all after a very big climb.  In these high bush camps we eat early (530) then get our collective and individual chores done as efficiently as possible to crawl into our tents with the arrival of darkness and its corresponding cold.  This camp was certainly no exception.  We have a very big day tomorrow.  A number of our members are having trouble with the altitude and have left their bikes on the top of the trucks while they ride inside.  Certainly no dishonor in that as this is serious altitude.  More will join them tomorrow.  Heading into our tents we will have about 12 hours before we arise and pack up before our breakfast and departure.  Breakfast is delayed here by an hour to allow the sun to penetrate the cold.

 

Huascaran Park was established in 1975 and is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  The glaciers located here and throughout the Cordillera Blanca provide the region with much of its water supply, irrigation, beautiful mountain lagoons and also support the hydroelectric power station of Canon del Plato.  There are 663 glaciers in the region and like most glaciers in the world, have been receding rapidly due to global warming.  We get to see some of them as we pass closely to some of the seven 6000+ meter peaks located inside the park.  Views of most of the 33 total white capped mountains in the regions can be viewed from different routes within the Park.  We will be climbing higher today to reach our two highest points in the entire biking adventure from Quito to Ushuaia.  This we will do in one day.  Today.

We left our high camp at around 9am.  We climbed steeply, weaving our way back and forth past shepherd huts and rock corrals, a few herders on horseback rounding up scattered cattle, small groups of sheep and goats, and the few shepherds who manage their small flocks as the sustaining part of their very simple lifestyle.  I will attempt to include a photo or two of these tiny homesteads.  The huts themselves have a base of rock, are round, and have a straw roof which cascades down almost to the ground.  They have one small opening for passage inside.  Not much room to even turnaround they are very efficient in holding heat.  There are no trees for firewood but lost of animal manure for heating material.  The huts would hold human heat very well.  The corrals are all created of the stones found scattered everywhere in this mossy tufted grass and lichen landscape.  I watched 3 herders with their shepherd dogs working their sheep herd into one of the rock pens on my way up.  I found myself biking with Michelle who is a very strong Aussie woman with the type of optimism and eagerness which makes hard things easier.  Traveling with a whiner when things are tough only makes it tougher.  We stop often because of the altitude and the need to keep drinking.  I find that trying to drink as I climb on the bike makes me breathe fast and get a little dizzy as I try to gulp it down.  Stopping is more efficient for keeping hydrated.  The views are astounding.  We discuss how lucky we are to be here.  Reaching the high pass we find some of our compatriots celebrating and join in with photos and congratulations.  No one in our group (as far as I can discover) has ever ridden a bicycle to this altitude before.  However, we are not done yet.  Even though this is the pass, we will drop a little then start climbing again to reach a high point of 4887 meters.  We have 20K’s to bike to reach this point and several descents and climbs to get there.  When we reached this rocky promenade it was again time to celebrate with another photo but a shorter visit as it is now snowing and windy -neither of us has enough clothes on our bikes to keep warm.  We began our descent on the rocky roadway – six K’s down we joined another narrow but paved roadway and the snow turned into rain.  We had 25 miserable cold wet K’s to  descend.  I got so cold that my hands refused to work and my core was becoming almost hyperthermic.  Despite a raincoat these temps are so close to freezing that getting wet plus the cold are a bad recipe.  We reached our new bush camp at Huallanca, a rocky pullover along the river with a farmhouse across the other side.  We have tents everywhere on this slope below the roadway – I got my tent up and headed for soup to warm my core then headed in to the sleeping bag to continue my efforts to be comfortable.  Tonight is my turn to be a kitchen helper – because of most of us arriving late in the day, I had little time before taking on my role serving meals to all.  There are six of us assigned tonight to serve and then to do dishes after our dessert has been consumed.  There are about 40 cyclists and seven staff including our doctor and Lucho the mechanic and renowned cyclist.  It’s quite cold even though we have descended to 3300 meters.  That is still high and the setting sun brings a chill to all.  I found getting my hands in the hot water to be better than I had anticipated my chores to be tonight.  It is an efficient process that Bike Dream has evolved – we also all work together to get folded tables and benches off and on,  our bags unloaded and reloaded on the trucks, bicycles secured and tents on top in dry areas on the trucks.  I struggled with sleep that night despite being so tired – sometimes things like that are hard to understand – I had been so anticipating the rewards of a deep sleep. Quite a  number of our biking troop succumbed to altitude problems by lunch time on our climb to our high point and another number chose night to ride in the afternoon descent due to cold and snow.

This next day we packed up our gear and headed from Huallanca to our new bush camp in Jivia  We had about 6K downhill to the village of Huallanca.  It was an amazing descent through a narrow cliff lined canyon. We were in awe. The river winding just below us. A turn in Huallanca has brought us back to a a rocky dirt single lane roadway.  We have really been traveling the back byways of Peru.   Then  some flat cycling to 27K followed by a very steep climb for 6K.  Since we had reached our pass the previous day, the waters now flow to the Amazon.  We have crossed the continental divide here and  are following the river.  Another steep climb from the little town of La Union led us to the Incan ruins of Huanuco Pampas.  An Incan king in the 1300’s had taken a wife from this area – he built the original town of Huanuco at this location.  It took sixty years to build.  Just as in Ingapirca, I was impressed at the cutting and fitting of the stone which formed the walls of all the quarters here that the king and his wives used – the more common quarters were formed by natural stones fitted as they were found.  The ruins covered a large area higher than the rest of the pampas (flat) around it.  The Spaniards found Huanuco in 1355 and conquered the city.  They left after only 3 years as it was too cold for them and was retaken but unlike the ruins at Machu Pichu (sp) which were discovered only recently (1911), these ruins have been plundered and only partially remain.  Suzanna from Bike Dreams gave us a personal tour.  This is a seldom visited ruins because of its remote location but there are guides and archeologists staying here in dormitory facilities.  There is no museum located at the ruins.  I will try to include some photos. The  present city of Huanuco which we staying in today (31) was built to replace Huanuco Panpas. The Pampast was a 5K round trip from the dirt road we have been biking so not all of our troop visited.  There were about 8 in the group I biked with.  Just before we found our lunch truck and then the path to the ruins we had come upon a school yard with children fascinated by us – stopped for photos and exchanged smiles and laughter.  Children are so rewarding everywhere.  After our visit to the ruins we had a tremendous stoney roadway descent that shook your entire frame yet again had unforgettable landscape features.  A bush camp in Jivia followed.  This was also along the river which allows us to clean the dust and dirt from our bodies.  There was a bridge next to our site and we found ourselves being photographed by people riding local tourist buses.  They would stop along the bridge and wonder at us all and our fancy trucks.  People also came to the bridge and the road way above us and watched us for hours.  It seems we are a real attraction.  I found it very hard to sleep here – awoke at around 2am and awake from then on,

Our next leg to the city of Huanuco from Jivia had a steep switchback climb in the morning up to 3900 meters again and wound through several villages.  We were treated to a festival happening at one village with the men and women in full costume and a full band playing.  They took up the roadway for most of the length of the village.  Gaiety and dance were the order of the day.  Again, I felt very lucky to be viewing this festival.  Before we had quite reached our high point for the dat of 3900 meters it started to rain.  The afternoon consisted of this unbelievable 53K downhill on a single lane paved roadway with hairpin curves and cars and trucks who needed to cooperate somehow just to meet each other.  There we were biking through this dangerous descent for, again, 53K’s to our hotel in Huanuco. In the rain on wet pavement in the cold.  Again, several opted for the truck after lunch.  Others had trouble with hyperthermic conditions and had to find rides.  I was once again cold, wet and tired from lack of sleep.  I heard of more than one close call with the steep drop-off roadsides and narrow roadway meeting vehicles on blind corners.  I was very happy to reach the warmth of the lower elevations and our hotel in Huanuco.  Here I hoped to catch up on my sleep.  Our hotel is located on the central Plaza de Armas in this busy bustling city.  There was a large festival happening last night.  A raucous night of celebration in the square left most of us sleepless or very deprived as the old hotel was almost like sleeping in the square itself.  Today Hardy, Joost, Patrick and I found our own hotel a few blocks away so that we can find quiet tonight.  Also I have internet in the lobby of this hostel and can write my last few days adventures.  I’ll now try to upload some photos.

My friend Terry has not ridden from several days.  Our doctor, Annelot, has told him to take a few days off to recover from what we all presume to be altitude problems. I hope he can resume on the bike tomorrow.   I have been lucky to stay healthy despite some rugged conditions.  Joost complemented me as we had lunch together on completing all of the cycling so far.  Any time you get a complement from these tough Dutch cyclists you have to feel good (and lucky) about your effort.

photo missing caption is at 4887 meters – our highest point in entire trip to Ushuaia

 

I am just attaching a few photos (I hope) while the internet is working.  I have 3 bush camps in a row and won’t be posting for awhile.  We will be biking on rough dirt roads up through what Tom Lynch has referred to as the Switzerland of the Andes with a pass of 4872 meters and surrounded by the highest mountains in Peru.  Today I will mostly rest The first photo is the fanciest motorcycle taxi I’ve seen.  They are everywhere.

While I’m waiting for friends – we are heading for the Plaza de Armaz here in Huaraz – I thought I would talk a little about food.  We eat four meals a day.  Breakfast usually consists of granola, yogurt, milk, juice, eggs and rolls with honey, jam or marmalade.  There are always bananas. Coffee or tea as well.  At lunch, which is served from one of the trucks about half-way thru our ride,  we have sandwiches, fruit, more bread and rolls, and a  gator-aide type of drink.  We fill up our water bottles, grab more energy bars and snacks and hit the trail again.  When we arrive we are greeted by these wonderful soups that our cook Ellen has prepared.  They are very conscious of vitamins in our food and the soups are full of vegetables etc.  Also there is a big bowl of cut up fruits which I love and like every meal lots of rolls and bread.  Recovery drinks as well.  If we are in a bush camp then Ellen prepares the dinner meal which I’ve described in a previous post.  We are so lucky to have her with us.  Desserts as well.  If we are in a hostel or hotel then we go for dinner to a restaurant of our choice.  I eat a lot.  Four meals and I’m still looking for ice cream after dinner.  They eat lots of chicken here in Peru as well as in Ecuador.  When you see the chickens in the small farms along the way the thing that strikes you is how big they are.  That’s reflected in the portions we find at local restaurants.  Pollo (chicken) is served in just about every way you could think of cooking it – my favorite is grilled.  Arroz (rice) , papas (potatoes) and ensalad (salad) are the usual sides.  Papas fritos are like a larger versions of french fries.  Last night I had these wonderful sweet potato fries which don’t resemble our orange colored version at home but are just as delightful.  The other real common dinner is bistec or lomo.  The beef in Ecuador and Peru is thin, not that tasty and quite chewy.   I know that when we arrive in Argentina that will certainly change.  There are also tamales, empanadas and many other smaller dishes.  Just as practically anywhere in the world, you can find Italian restaurants with pizza and pasta – we’ve sought them out on several occasions and they are very good.  We look for panaderias (bakeries) as we wander around for biking allows one to grab a great pastry treat just about anytime.  Beer is served very commonly in a liter bottle.  Most of our riders have no problem with the larger size.  I drink a small glass and pass the rest of the bottle on to one of many willing compadres.  I’m not much of a beer drinker.  I did have the first decent glass of red wine since I’ve been here last night.

Well,  friends are here and we’re off.  I hope to have something more substantial to write about after our trip up into the mountains – it will be a few days off because of our  three bush camps with no internet.

 

Since leaving Huanchaco and the sea we have been steadily climbing again towards the mountains along the spine of the Andes.  We have had two bush camps and now have arrived in Caraz and a hostel.  For this group the term bush camp merely means camping without facilities.  Some of the camps we’ll have down the road will be in campgrounds with showers,etc.  Last nights camp was actually in a gravel pit and an active one at that.  Dust, dirt and swirling winds greeted us as our little caravan settled in to the type of environment  which totally coats everything you present to it.  The grit even coats your teeth and your tongue and finds its way into your pores.  We left the Pan Am roadway two days ago and have been following an amazing river gorge surrounded by high desert eroded mountain sides.  Originally designed as a railway, this single track dirt road weaves its way through tunnels, switchbacks and twists and turns as it follows the sides of the gorge below.  One peers over the exposed sides of this undulating path and you quickly realize that sure death swallows anyone unlucky enough to catch the edge and plummet.  The switchbacks themselves have hairpin turns that defy the turning radius of the trucks and buses gutsy enough t0 take this route.  We have put on wider tires for this rough surface.  It more resembles pitted rock than the washboard bounce of many of our gravel roads.  Difficult to stay on any type of smooth surface for more than a short distance your core gets jolted and bounced as you attempt to navigate your way through the stony maze.  I enjoy the climbs on this surface but the descents will shake you thoroughly.  We haven’t had too many descents as we have gained 2300 meters of actual altitude since the sea breezes we had been relaxing in.  As we climb along in the river gorge the flowing waters rushing below and the undulating canyons play a trick on your senses.  It often  feels like you are descending even though you are actually climbing on much of the pedaling.  You have to look at the river to realize that yes it is flowing down and you are climbing up.  Of course on the steeper switchbacks there is no question which direction you are heading.  I do better on this surface than some of my fellow bikers because it is more of what I am used to cycling.  The gravel roads of Cook County don’t have the big climbs and deep descents but they do have the rough surface.  The morning biking is very pleasant but after the sun gets higher it gets very warm.  I don’t do well with the heat and try to get a good start to avoid biking very late in the afternoon  Today I arrived at our hostel by 1:30 and was very glad to be here as it started to warm up by 11 – I went through all of my water in getting here.  We had several views of the snow-capped mountains that we are approaching.  By Wednesday we will have more than doubled our actual elevation as we reach 4800 meters,  Prior to that we have a days rest in Huaraz.  My friend Terry has an interview to do in Huaraz the particulars of which I’m not certain but he wants to cycle in early tomorrow to get ready.  I will be interested in getting my gritty dusty clothes cleaned on our day off and a little time in the local square.  I’m hopeful that a good glass of wine may await me as well.  I’ll try to post a few photos.  I should mention that our cook Ellen, with help from Annelot our doctor, serves us wonderful meals during all of our camping evenings.  We all look forward to the healthy filling dishes and great desserts which help keep spirits high and memories of sore muscles short.

One of the recurring questions that I have paused to give thought to since I decided to embark on this venture is the obvious – why?  The question may seem obvious but the answer is not.  Especially as I talk with other cyclists here.  I had a nice discussion with Hardy about this very thing a couple of days ago.  The common denominator in this group is the pure joy of cycling.  That is exactly how we felt when we were very young and got on that red tricycle or the shiny new blue bike.  A great feeling of independence and freedom to move beyond what our little legs could imagine. The air moving past our hair and faces as we wobbled down the driveway.  No thought yet of how to stop.  No thought of stopping at all.  For most of the people on this trip that first journey has led to a lifetime on the bike.  For me it is something I’ve only lately rediscovered.  For my friends Terry and Barry, they have lived that life – competitive cycling as well and it’s definitely in their blood.  Terry sees the trip as an accomplishment – a goal of biking the length of South America, seeing what he can see and enjoying the cultures we encounter but mostly it is the cycling that drives him daily.  For Joost and Patrick it is a break in their productive lives – to refresh their perspective by doing something that relaxes them and gets them away from a somewhat stressful focused lifestyle.  Patrick loves to take photographs.  He, like many of these cyclists is sponsored and needs to show their sponsors logos off as well.   Toos and her husband Theo don’t appear to be competitive cyclists yet are very accomplished, they seem to me to just love to travel as most Dutch do – on their bikes.  It’s a true vacation to them.  They too will go back to their productive lives with a new zeal.  My roommate James is here to race.  He loves to push himself physically and mentally.  South America is just where this race happens to be.  That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t enjoy his surroundings – but there is no question that the race is the goal.  I believe he is alone in that complete focus.  Dedrick , a relatively young member of our group from Holland, is also focused and definitely racing but seems to have undergone a metamorphosis after making a wrong turn leaving Alausi and cycling all the way back to Riobamba before realizing his mistake.  That effort must have caused him pause.  He is still competitive in his approach but yet softened into our group as a true team member.  There are other people for whom the answer is less easy to perceive.  Alex, an accountant from Australia, has done bike trips previously but the biking seems very secondary to him.  He has a voice and laugh that fill the room.  Happy, very social and loves a beer, he didn’t appear to worry too much about training for this adventure, yet will put a full hard day in.  If he’s tired he’ll ride the truck just as happily as pedaling  the bike.  He’s fun and refreshing to have along.  Carmen was born in BC, Canada but has lived most of her life in Italy.  She is biking the whole trip then taking a boat trip to Antarctica following that with a flight back to Quito and time on the Galopagos Islands.  She is a very interesting young woman.  Doesn’t suffer any fools, always ready with a retort and very independent.  She probably struggles the most with the cycling.  Why is she doing this?  I’m not sure.  I hope to spend some time with her to hear what her answers will be.  I’m not sure that everybody here has delved very deeply into themselves before signing up.  Perhaps they don’t have to.  Just look at it as an adventure.  Maybe the answer to them is more “why not.”

Why am I here?  I didn’t really cycle other than as every child until two years ago when I saw  it as a good addition to running, kayaking and other sports that I’ve enjoyed during my life.  At 60, I thought that climbing was something to put behind me.  It is too all consuming in training, the climbing time, and then, for me, the lengthy recovery.  Running was starting to take a toll on my body after a skiing fall which wrenched my back.  I love cross country skiing and have found I love it even more since I quit racing.  No more worrying about how many K’s I have in or how I’m doing on the hills.  Just go out and ski.  I wanted to keep biking as a non-competitive sport as well.

The reason for me to be on this trip goes beyond cycling.  It goes beyond mountaineering,  It goes beyond sport.  Sport is just the vehicle.  It is simplifying my life through these types of activities.  Getting beyond the buzz of my daily existence into a place where I can truly live in the moment.  Some people use yoga and meditation, others get into a Zen type of zone through simple crafts, maybe even just knitting as a way to relax.  For me it’s getting into a canoe, a kayak, and going someplace outside of everyday life.  Simplifying my daily existence into a more natural rhythm.  Finding my being relaxed to a point where it is no longer a question.  It just is.

Sure, I am very interested in South America.  Seeing the cultures, meeting the people, feeling the landscape around me and beneath my pedals.  It’s all a very important part of this trip.  It really is not a goal for me to go the length of the continent but it is a nice result of this experience.  I don’t need to try to  prove anything physically or mentally by pushing myself too far.  I will happily get on the truck if I get too tired.  Or too sick.  I have a very active and social community at home – I’m not here to find that although again it is a great result of this trip.

There is another aspect  for me that  may be mine alone among this group.  I’m 62 now and looking at moving into another chapter  in my life.  This trip is a sort of transition  from my  38 years of  my productive life.  For me my career has been more of a lifestyle than an occupation.  It is a big part of my social life, my family, my friends, and of course, my security.  Transition to what?  It’s a big question for all of us as we approach  the last third of our lives.  This four and a half months may not give me an answer but it will move me beyond where I was before I embarked.

I’m going to enjoy the hell out of it.

I rolled into Huanchaco yesterday with a group of 12 riders in a peloton.  The coastal wind is best traveled with teamwork.  Again, we moved along a desolate track of windswept dunes and trash filled ditches.  We were warned to stay in a group while biking through one of the towns on our way.  I wouldn’t have been able to tell it apart from any of the other depressed communities we passed.  On my turn at the front of the peloton I got to ride with my friend Barry, the retired Aussie electrician.  He is a very strong man and loves to push his bike hard.  He also is very knowledgeable about techniques and I am learning much from him as well as many of the other experienced cyclists.  The day before I led for a time with Joost, a tall very strongly built Dutchman who loves to fly down the descents with abandon. I hit the brakes when I hit any speed over 55K/hr – I don’t think Joost ever brakes.  Joost works for a prominent Dutch firm who designs, builds and installs baggage handling systems for airports.  It’s a rapidly expanding firm and his work is stressful.  When he asked for time for a couple of legs of this trip, his firm told him to take the time to bike the whole length and come back refreshed.  He’s a very generous man and has found a best friend in Patrick, another Dutchman who was assigned as his roommate.  Joost is 48.  Patrick is 34 and one of  the youngest members of our group.  He will leave us in Salta.  Patrick is quick to take the lead when he sees others are tired and enjoys listening to his iPod as he pedals.  Yesterday I also got to talk with Toos, a Dutch university scientist who is currently researching genetic and environmental effects  on twins.  Her husband Teo, on the staff of a psychiatric clinic – they were able to both get time off together for this trip.  Previously they had done an unsupported Patagonian trip in Chile by bicycle and have extensive experience on other trips as well.  The peloton has been a good way to ride next to many different people and get to know them a little better.

It’s been nice to land in another seaside town.  We are right on the beach.  Huanchaco is just a few kilometers outside of Trujillo but it seems a world away from the bustle and fumes of the city.  Tonight we all clambered into buses and cabs to go to Lucho’s famous Casa de Cyclistas in the city.  Lucho is our mechanic on this trip but more importantly, is a former bicycling champion of Peru.  His shop is well known throughout South America.  He threw a party for us at his Casa tonight and what a great time we all had.  Lucho had set up colored strobe lights, disco colored wave lights, and loud Latin music in the small front of the shop.  Add to that the chips, cakes, beer and wine as well as a group of gringos starving for a loosey goosey rocking time and you can probably envision the scene yourself.   He even set off some kind of fake smoke into the room and surreal would be a proper description.  Lucho’s wife, Alicetto, plus his 20 year old daughter loved to dance themselves – even his young son was part of the party.  I feel very fortunate to get to know Lucho and his family.  It must be hard for him to travel so long with us and miss his wife and family.

There is surfing in Huanchaco – several shops offer boards and lessons along the beach.  The local fishermen use these odd shaped woven mat one man boats to cast their nets for fish.  Out they go twice a day with the changing of the tides. The small craft are square on one end and very pointed  on the other.  We’ve enjoyed the pescados (fish) at the local restaurants and other seafood as well.  Ceviche is served in most of the establishments up and down the beach.  It is off season here and quite relaxing.  Tomorrow I’ll put wider tires on my bike as we are headed back to the mountains on Thursday and will find ourselves climbing and descending rough loose gravel roads.  I look forward to the cool air and lush vegetation but maybe not the difficult climbs.  We’ll find ourselves at 4800 meters soon.  Thursday and Friday nights will be bush camps then back to a hostel on Saturday.  Internet will not be available till then if at all for a while so there may not be another post for awhile.

After two days of desolate scenery through litter strewn desert where not even sagebrush could survive, we sensed the sea air. What a change in attitude this nice little seaside Peruvian village brought to us as we rolled into Pacasmayo. Our hotel is right on the ocean – the moist air filled us with new optimism and life. With high spirits we settled on the verandas of each floor and enjoyed a few cervesas and also the Pesco sours the hotel management surprised us with. Strolls along the beach and hikes through the village filled the rest of the afternoon – then as we gathered to take in the ocean sunset a band
filled the air with Latino rhythms. We flocked the half block to the square and danced and cheered like teen-agers. The band really got into this crazy bunch of gringos – we had a great time. Our bike mechanic, Luchow, is well known throughout South America as a Peruvian bicycle champion with a cyclist oriented guest house in Trujilla. He loves to dance and does so with pure joy. the sunset was dramatic- I’ll try to include a photo. Again, the motorcycle taxis are ubiquitous here but a step up in style from what we have seen in our early days in Peru. If I ever get strong enough internet to post more photos I will include these taxis. It’s low season here right now – the beach is not busy. We feel very fortunate to be here. There are only two hotels of consequence on the beach – we are in one of them. They are both refreshingly modest and quaint yet very functional, friendly and comfortable. I went with a small group into town for pizza. We were looking for fish but as it was Sunday not every place was open. Those that ate at our hotel had very good meals.
Tomorrow we will bike to Huanchaco where we have two days rest. It will be a good time to catch up on clothes washing, exchanging more dollars for soles, and getting to know more about our surroundings.
Here is our typical schedule when cycling. Arise at 6, dress for cycling after shaving etc. Breakfast is at 7 and can be hit or miss depending on the hotel or hostel. When our crew makes breakfast it’s always filling and nutritious. Then we get our maps and profiles for the day’s ride. The truck and crew of Ellen our cook, Elena our doctor, and Robert and Walter our drivers, meet us about half-way with a great little lunch. We refill our water bottles and are off again. Most days we find ourselves at our new location by 3 or so, then usually find our bags, take a shower when available, and have soup, fruit salad, etc. before taking it easy for awhile. I like to hike through the town, find the square and watch my new surroundings. Then dinner and bed. Of course we squeeze in a lot of visiting amongst ourselves in all our activities. I’m lucky to find myself with such an interesting group.
Time for bed.
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We had two somewhat uneventful days after leaving Loja. A big climbing day then the next day brought the sun, lower elevations and unrelenting heat. I don’t handle the heat very well. We are heading towards the coast and finding a dry hot headwind as a result. On the ride to Macara, a dusty border town, I was riding with Michelle, the lively Aussie and Hardy, our German journalist. I like to ride with Hardy as he is always willing to stop for a photo or a small break. Michelle is a wonderfully positive person, good to have near when the going is tough. We came to a 600 meter climb and all of us really struggled with the sun overhead and temps hitting 100 degrees. When we finally arrived at our hostel, I felt like a dry hollow shell. I was helped putting my bike in the hotel garage and slumped over the soup someone put in front of me. Hardy didn’t ride for three days, for him the heat of that day was not recoverable without considerable rest. I also had problems with heat and dehydration on the following 127k day.
About 3k past Macara the following day brought us to a river dividing
Ecuador and Peru. 40 riders and two trucks descended first on the Ecuadorian side to get our exit stamps then to Peru to get our paperwork confirmed and passports stamped for a standard 90 days in Peru. We expect to be here for about 40 days. I’ll try to get some photos of this process added to this post. Our entrance into Peru was something of a shock to us all, from the lush bounty of Ecuador to the dry dusty littered towns and byways of our new temporary country. It was a stunning contrast and a wonder that such a line in the sand, so to speak , could create. We also picked up a convoy of police escort vehicles which followed each and everyone of us . It was amazing how they kept track of each one of us whether we were far behind our lead group or just stopped to urinate. They followed us all that day and into our first stop in Peru, the loud and raucous town of Chulucanas. I got a personal escort by a motorcycle policeman for the last 12K and right to the hotel door . Some of our lady riders were escorted to dinner and back again that evening. Our limited (by language) conversations with the police entourage revealed that they were concerned about us. A poor economy in this area has spawned a desperate segment of the population leading to bandits and motorcycle gangs. The police left us

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I spent my day off in Loja mostly resting as the past two days were taxing.  However, I did manage to get out to the Central Square in a city known for its culture and music.  As everywhere that I’ve been, the city landscape is dominated by its magnificent churches.  They are even more impressive to Americans and Australians then to the Europeans on the trip as there are even larger and older examples there.  Nonetheless, the buildings amaze me with their beauty.  I will try to attach a photo of my Aussie friend Terry in front of one of the churches front doors which are massive.   We wandered  the squares and were surprised at all the young to middle aged men hanging about with seemingly nothing to do.  I don’t know much about employment in this country but the cities seem relatively well off with very basic simple life in the countryside and villages.  We walked into an indoor market here and were simply stunned by the amount of vendors with meats and fruits and vegetables.  The market takes up a whole city block.  Vegetables and fruits are stacked up high in the tiered stalls, surrounding each vendor with a remarkable variety of lush produce.  Add a little steam and humidity and this interior block would be an Ecuadorean jungle.  The red meat area was a little less pleasant to the nostrils but yet clean and fly free.  Since my phone was at the hotel charging I can’t offer a photo.  I was also interested in the Musee Musica (Museum of Music) but failed to get there.

Tomorrow we are cycling another big climb but have some lighter days after that.