The Big Big Trip Journal! If you want to make the man (or woman) upstairs laugh, just tell him your plans!

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 803, Wednesday, November 24, 2021, Tesalia to La Plata 31 km Total KM 14306
Min meters 806, Max Meters 1019
Total Climb 439 Total Descent 263
Min Temp 22 Max Temp 35 Ave Temp 27

The Third Way Part Two

The Towns along the way

The wonderful, wonderful church (320 years old I was proudly informed!) in Paicol

The Plaza. I left my bike there and went awandering without a care in the world

I spent so long there that they opened the church

A typical street

A statue celebrating a native dance in La Plata. They had the "wavy" tiles on the ground here too!

The mountains are practically a part of the town!

Horses and carts outside the market

Peace has the face of a woman (I think!)

Arty farty shot of the church (may be a Cathedral!)

The Plaza

​

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 804, Thursday, November 25, 2021, La Plata to Garzón 56 km Total KM 14362
Min meters 740, Max Meters 1743
Total Climb 969 Total Descent 1157
Min Temp 19 Max Temp 29 Ave Temp 22

Wussing out!

A decent night's sleep and I woke up not too long after 4am. I was fired up! With an early departure I could make a good stab at going the backroads instead of the main road. I got dressed and went outside not bothered about the "rushing" noise I was hearing - that'd just be the river.
Ha! Dumbass!
It was rain. Pounding down. Time to think again.
It gets bright about 5am so I decided to wait. Still raining at 5 and still at 6. Not light rain either. At that point I opted for the main road. Google was showing me landslide warnings and while today would be a toughie on the backroads, tomorrow would be worse.

With rain falling, mist shrouding the views and a steep climb from the get go it could have been a miserable old morning but Mother Nature supplied me with lots of interesting trees that had interesting things growing on them

​

Then it was just a case of waiting out the rain. I wandered out for some breakfast, a disappointing "huevos rancheros". If that was served in México the Mexicans would be donning their pistol belts and starting a revolution!
Wanting another coffee I wandered over to the Plaza and experienced a little sample of what I like so much about this place.

I spied some flasks sitting on a low wall but with no-one around. The "proprietor", an older lady, had been chatting with a neighbour and instantly stepped over to take care of my coffee needs. Decked out in a transparent, pink rainjacket she had a smile that cut through the gloom of a wet, murky morning in a way that would make the sun jealous.

A few kms in I came across this ferocious waterfall. The water was travelling at a huge pace, the noise was shattering and the force very, very impressive

​

It's quite interesting. My breakfast was served by a young woman that would tick off pretty much all the boxes on a list of conventional beauty. She had it all. But her face would turn milk. Not fifty yards away, working in the rain, bedraggled and wet, with a few more decades under her belt a beaming smile knocked the young one out of the park.

I wandered off, coffee in hand just enjoying the park and then sat down on a bench. My raincoat, a gift, (thanks Big Fella) is several sizes too big for me having been worn by a giant of a man in the Durch army but in these situations works great - I can sit on it!
Spying me sitting down my coffee lady zooms along the 15 meters or so to me with something - a strip of cardboard wrapped in a plastic bag to put under my ass!
I watched moments later when an old man also got a coffee and perched himself on the low wall - her homemade waterproofers fit the wall perfectly.
I was sitting there watching this lady go about her work, a smile for everyone, a quick chat with most and found myself wondering just how she can be so happy and cheerful.
Coffee finished she came back to me for the empty cup (unusually, there are no bins in the park) but I wanted another.
I was her last customer because a young man showed up, presumably her son, and she packed her flasks into two big shopping bags, two more large ones were placed over each shoulder before climbing onto the back of a motorbike to be brought home. A big smile and a wave to the stranger in the park before she left.

That's my road down there!

​

The rain in the mornings seems to be following an erratic pattern. Rain. Stop. Rain some more.
The problem is that the rain can be relatively light or very, very heavy. When it does eventually stop it stops for good. But which "stop" is the last one?

As always the variety of the vegetation is mind boggling

​

I got fed up waiting so headed over the bridge and up. There was light rain and I had my jacket on but my legs were bare. Once over the bridge the climbing started. I'd have more than 700 meters climbed before it levelled off.

Rounding a bend my first sight of coffee in a while. I love my Palm trees, I really like the clusters of bamboo trees, I'm intrigued and inspired by the mossy trees but coffee plants just make me excited! I must be a real addict!

​

It didn't take long for me to start to overheat so I pulled in and removed the jacket. Still raining lightly though.

The road might be crap, the weather could be kinder but this is still a good day's exploring!

​

Up and up and up I went. My views were limited by mist that was always on the move and low clouds that hovered in front of the mountains. However, Mother Nature laid on a fabulous selection of trees for me to enjoy along the road. Lots and lots with moss growing all over them. Trees with atmosphere!

Coffee country!

​

Bird sounds are becoming more varied. Car alarms and trucks reversing were heard today several times and once, I'm pretty sure, R2D2 was somewhere in the trees!

Roccado in the clouds!

Passing through a few houses these were painted on the walls of the football/basketball court

​

To be continued.....


Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

Edited to correct silly spelling error (and Mod Edited to correct the link )

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 804, Thursday, November 25, 2021, La Plata to Garzón 56 km Total KM 14362
Min meters 740, Max Meters 1743
Total Climb 969 Total Descent 1157
Min Temp 19 Max Temp 29 Ave Temp 22

Wussing out! Part Two

The road though was variable. There were several different warning signs covering all the bases from subsidence to landslides. At one stage I stopped the bike and in front of me was a landslide, half the width of the road lost under mud and clay while behind me were a series of rocks from the cliff beside the road.
At least the road had a surface - most of the time. It could disappear randomly for anything from ten to several hundred meters.
This was not a road for the feckless bike tourist!

Today's río....... is in the road

​

But it was pretty, and quiet, and friendly. Most of the traffic was motorbikes then a few cars, the odd truck and after noting their absence jeeps were back! Slightly different models and brands but doing the same work. The rain stayed, usually light, but sometimes a bit harder.

I must be a real coffee addict because as I climbed coffee became more abundant and my spirits soared. I don't know what it is, but there's something about seeing coffee in the wild that excites me.

Never a dull moment! I wasn't looking forward to the descent and found myself wondering what this road must be like at night

​

Near the top of the climb I started to feel hungry and started looking for a place to pull in to eat. There would be no places to eat until well on the other side of the climb. I found a spot and pulled in. Lunch was the last of my peanut butter on tortillas with some arequipa added to soften up the butter. Arequipa is very sweet and I didn't know how well it would go down - surprisingly well in fact!

There's nearly always a splash of colour

​

Once I'd reached the top the road levelled off and the surface disappeared. I bounced and splashed along slowly hoping for the surface to reappear - I'd a steep descent coming up and I didn't want to do it like this! I'd wrapped up before setting off and even though Gizmo read 19/20C it felt cold.

The mighty Magdalena, the calmest and most serene that I've seen her. A huge floodplain stretched out from the river and the bridge was more than twice as wide as the river today

​

Then the road dropped away and the surface stayed away. Oh dear!
Great fun though!
The water is incredibly destructive and add in rockfalls and landslides trying to keep on top of maintenance must be a lot of work.

I passed through a little settlement spread along the dirt road, the bright houses and flowers a strong contrast to the muddy road. Then, out of nowhere the surface came back and I could start to make some serious progress. Carefully!

​

I arrived into the small town of Pital - two churches, two small untidy plazas - and went looking for coffee. I was feeling a chill. Coffeed up I set off again and got sidetracked a few minutes later in the town of El Agrado. I nearly had another coffee but decided to push on.

That ridge of mountains was captivating and I was running parallel to them for a long time

​

The descent finished here which was just as well because the surface went to pot. Parts were totally gone which meant I had to weave over and back - traffic permitting. Rolling hills added to the fun!

The highlight of this stretch was another crossing of the mighty Magdalena on an incredibly long bridge. Then uphill into the town of Garzón. I'd had an idea to head south from Garzón to a town and get a head start on tomorrow but when I looked at the elevation profile and the time I decided to be lazy.

Roccado, Río Magdalena and cloudy mountains.

​

I headed to the Plaza, stopped for my customary photo at the town sign and was about to grab a coffee when I was accosted by a pleasant young fella for a chat and a photo. He makes videos on Facebook and started showing me. I was polite but after ten minutes I made my excuses and rolled over to a coffee lady. I got my coffee but another customer paid for it. He had no interest in having a chat just wanted to welcome me to the town!

I sat and enjoyed my coffee and the hustle and bustle going on all around me then rolled back to an "hostelería" I'd spotted. Booking was ridiculously expensive. An old, old man looked me up and down before letting me in, took an age to check me in and then when formalities were out of the way became a fine conversationalist. I wanted to get out and explore but instead found myself having a lovely chat.

All in all not a bad day's exploring

​

When I did get out I found that there wasn't much more to see than I had already seen!
I'd a bite to eat, another wander and then back to update this.

To be continued....

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

Edited to correct silly spelling error (and Mod Edited to correct the link )

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 804, Thursday, November 25, 2021, La Plata to Garzón 56 km Total KM 14362
Min meters 740, Max Meters 1743
Total Climb 969 Total Descent 1157
Min Temp 19 Max Temp 29 Ave Temp 22

Wussing out! The Towns along the way

The two churches in Pital

Street art in Pital. "We who go, go with the hands of God"

Do I need to?

I fell a little in love in Agrado. While I don't consider myself religious I do think that Christmas is a real holiday for kids. Unfortunately, it seems to be little more than a commercial experience and there's little left of the origins of the holiday.
At home in Ireland I'll attend Christmas Mass (a great way to see everyone!) and am usually bitterly disappointed at the inability of the priest to connect with the children.
Then I saw these child friendly "statues" in the Plaza - these are presumably Mary with the Baby Jesus on the donkey and Joseph. I was smitten.
I've no personal interest in spreading the story but respect those that do and I think these are just fabulous for connecting with kids. Of all ages.

The church in Agrado

Guess!

More of these guys!!! This is one of the three wise men, the Magi. The other two are elsewhere in the Plaza heading towards the church. Delightful!

All the Plazas are being decorated for Christmas, typically quite simply.

​

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 805, Friday, November 26, 2021, Garzón to Timaná 54 km Total KM 14416
Min meters 736, Max Meters 1055
Total Climb 878 Total Descent 691
Min Temp 20 Max Temp 38 Ave Temp 30

The last days of the Magdalena

My lodgings last night were simple but comfy in a Colonial era building. Like a Roman villa a rectangular living area enclosed a very pleasant, and quiet garden. That's where I got to update this before retiring. One of the nicest places to do so.

I woke up at three, then four then half slumbered, half dreamed until 6am. I got up, packed up and rolled back up to the Plaza for a coffee. No rain!
I wasn't on form at all.
I had my coffee, a chat with the coffee lady who wanted to know where I'd be spending Christmas and the New Year (I have no idea!) and set off out of town.

Once out of town the day settled down remarkably quickly - a decent road, decent scenery but quite a bit of traffic.

​

These busy little towns are great for getting the adrenaline pumping! If it's not the hills it's all the motorbikes weaving and swirling around. Soon I was out in decent countryside with the sun rising in power. It had rained during the night but the morning had been rain free and judging by the sky today was going to be a scorcher. Had I taken the more adventurous route I'd have had the perfect day!

A tributary to the mighty Magdalena. Looking pretty small in comparison to what it can be!

​

Distracted by a church spire I detoured to the small village of Jagua. It was almost the picture perfect little village! On my maps it looked like nothing but in the flesh it was very pretty, if quiet. I visited the Plaza and then had to hunt out a coffee and a slice of cake - it was all they had. I hadn't felt like eating in Garzón and a stiff climb had corrected that state of affairs!

Lots of mountains with lots of detail

​

I set off again still in a ho-hum mood. The road was decent, the traffic heavier than I've had for a while but typically bunched, the views were pleasant and there were lots of interesting trees. I've just been spoiled really. A perfectly good touring road was just ho-hum. Ho-hum with a lot of hills!

Hitting the roadside town of Altamira I pulled in for a decent breakfast and a rest. I could have pushed myself yesterday and spent the night here - I wasn't disappointed - other than a few shops selling artesan products there wasn't much here. Coming up to noon and the sun was getting hot!

A sudden drop in standards! A comfortable shoulder becomes very rough and the road narrows. With regular waves of traffic I find the easiest thing to do is just pull in, let it pass then resume

​

I set off again and still wasn't right. For a short while I was travelling along but well above the Magdalena. Its source isn't too far away actually, over in the mountains to the west. Rolling hills gave way to a white knuckle descent which led into a long, slow and hot climb again.

The Magdalena from up high

​

I mentioned the new bird sounds recently. Well today, at times, it seemed like I was riding through a high crime city! I could hear alarms everywhere! At first it was strange since to date there's only been one or two but today there were multitudes and it rapidly became annoying. There was regular birdsong too, but it was swamped by the "alarm birds".

Look closely - a tree and a cactus embracing! There's inspiration in a troubled and divided world!

​

Spying a stall set up outside a house I pulled in to buy a couple of bananas. A wonderfully pleasant young woman came out, toddler in tow, commanding two yappy dogs to be quiet. She handed me three bananas when I asked for two and would take no money. At all. Her freckled (yes! freckles!) face beamed at me and after I'd popped them in my handlebar bag gave me two more. She wanted to give me more, all without charge, but I had no more room! Even that wonderfully pleasant experience wasn't lifting my spirits to where they normally are.

The Magdalena flowing to the sea......

​

Dogs have been more of an issue the last couple of days. The more dangerous ones are tied up but the loose ones are barkers and chasers. Most are cowards that will hightail it away if I stop. A few are actually quite friendly and will trot over tail wagging if I stop. Jumping up is common. Not a problem today on a good, dry road, messy yesterday in the mud.
Yesterday, or the day before, a jack russel was a part of a posse of dogs who set off after me. One in particular was snarling, teeth bared but ran away as soon as I stopped. The smallest of the pack the Jack Russel had a smiley face and wagging tail but seemed bound by peer pressure not to get too close. Snarly kept giving chase until I stopped then ran back only to resume when I moved on again. That wears out my patience and I tend to swear at the feckers who do this!
Today, a big dog on a chain took off after me and I got a fright when the chain went with him! The chain wasn't fixed to anything solid but to a steel cable giving the dog the full run of the front of the building. He couldn't get to me but it took a few frantic heartbeats to figure that out!
Earlier in Jagua while wandering in search of a coffee I set five dogs of various sizes into a barking frenzy. In such a small, quiet place it was one hell of a racket! When I got my coffee and sat down most of them came over to make friends. Back on the bike? It started all over again!

Looking towards the source of this great river and we can see how she's carved her own way through the landscape

​

I came to the small town of Timaná and pulled off into the pleasant Plaza. The one coffee stall was unmanned but spotting a decent sized supermarket I popped in and found more peanut butter! Score! A different brand so hopefully less oily. I also bought a coke and some crisps and picnicked in the Plaza. I'd 20 odd km to go to the next town and that would be bigger so on a whim decided to stay. I tracked down a pleasant place to stay and checked in. Small town Colombia will restore my spirits!

The descent was ...... Fun! Fast but I never know what's around a bend. That drain has its full cover bit I've seen them uncovered or half covered. Never a dull moment!

​

After my shower I toddled back to the Plaza for my coffee and was entranced watching a grown man play hide and seek with his white poodle. Standing on a raised area (too high for the pooch to climb) he was hiding behind a tallish stone. Poodle knew he was up there but couldn't see him, trotting around in a large circle, jumping up on benches for a better look, giving the occasional bark. This was clearly a well practiced game and I could see no distress in the dog. After a little while a young girl lifted Poodle onto the raised area and master and dog were reunited.

Back on rolling ground there are stretches of road that are just enchanting

​

Even after dark the town remained busy, especially with the motorbikes. Young fellas pulling wheelies around the Plaza impressing the young ones and scaring the bejaysus out of wandering bike travellers.


Other than the Plaza there was little to see so after a bite to eat I retired for the night.

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 805, Friday, November 26, 2021, Garzón to Timaná 54 km Total KM 14416
Min meters 736, Max Meters 1055
Total Climb 878 Total Descent 691
Min Temp 20 Max Temp 38 Ave Temp 30

The last days of the Magdalena

The Towns along the way......

Typical street in Jagua. The cobbles were brutal meaning the dogs had a great time! Note the two tone colour schemes of the houses

The church from the Plaza, Jagua​

I am so loving these characters!! This can only be one of the Three Wise Women!

The church and a bit more of the Plaza. There was no-one around!

Jagua - a bright, friendly, quiet village

Welcoming me to Timaná

Timaná's church

An impressive tree and an impressive lady, La Gaitana. You can read more here

And La Gaitana with the church

Inside the church. The influence of the dome is pretty clear

​

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 806, Saturday, November 27, 2021, Timaná to San Agustín 56 km Total KM 14472
Min meters 1040, Max Meters 1676
Total Climb 1051 Total Descent 411
Min Temp 20 Max Temp 46 Ave Temp 31

Up and up into the mountains

Ah for crying out loud! More feckin' rain this morning thwarted an early start again. I ate a breakfast of banana, peanut butter and tortillas with a cup of coffee from the hotel. The lady refused me sugar, telling me that her coffee was so good it didn't need sugar! It was good coffee but I need my energy!

When it lightened I set off in my rain jacket. Straight away into a double digit gradient! That'll get me going!

Ahhh! Coffee country! I love it!! There's a wildness to it that speaks to me. Banana trees are common mixed in with the coffee plants. Apparently they offer a canopy of protection to the coffee plants. Other trees will work too. In any case after years of living in NL and tre neat ordered lines of fields and crops (you should see the tulip fields!) this is a welcome dose of chaos.

​

Being a Saturday traffic was heavier than usual. I've noticed a deterioration in driving standards at the weekend. One thing for certain there were a whole lot more motorbikes on the road than usual.
There were other cyclists something I haven't seen in a while. With one exception none acknowledged me.

My day was going to involve two biggish climbs of 400 meters each - one up front and one at the end. I'm not a fan of climbs at the end of the day. I'd no option but to hit my target, San Agustín, today since I'd made a reservation. Booking had nothing much last night but passing the rainy dawn I checked again - bingo - a bargain!

No point in throwing up a load of dull, gloomy photos so here's the disappointing church in Potalito. There's a shop in the bottom of the tower! (Selling religious artefacts)

​

I was still feeling a bit off, a bit grumpy. As I cycled slowly up the hill I had a bit of a think. I'm a bit lonely is the problem. I'm spending too much time on my own. I can understand more in conversations, I think I can communicate better but that just seems to be highlighting the fact that after the conversation I'm back to just me for company. It'll pass, especially now that I know what the problem is. Mind you, leaving my fags behind me on a wall after stopping for a break didn't help my mood!

The rain eventually eased off but the sky remained cloudy, dark and misty with few views worth speaking of. The roadside though was another matter, filled, as it was with interesting trees and lots of coffee interspersed with mainly banana trees.

The very busy Plaza in Potalito

​

I stopped at a roadside store for a cold drink and to replace the lost ciggies. The shopkeeper was all chat asking about my trip. He got that look in the eye that suggested he was imagining himself inserted in some of my stories. At one stage he said that he'd love to do something like that himself - forgetting, it seemed, the little girl beside him who called him papa!

First up after the climb was the town of Pitalito. On the level now the sun came out and everything started to look better and brighter.
Along the road were placed paintings, presumably by local artists. An interesting place to locate art, distracting to most traffic I'd have thought, but not so much for me.

Roadside art. There was a lot in different styles with a sign identifying the artist. Interesting!

​

Pitalito was quite big and very, very busy. I travelled down a very busy street with small stores, street vendors, horses and carts and all the usual mayhem of these towns in full flow. There were also a lot of women strikingly dressed standing around in ones and twos and threes. Given the styles that can be worn here I could be completely off base but combined with the number of cheap hotels on the street I think they may well have been hookers. A strange place to solicit business and certainly not discreet but it was similar in CDMX.

I found the Plaza, a busy riot of activity, had a coffee, noted the disappointing church and rolled back out of town, stopping for a pastry on the outskirts. Then back on the road to San Agustín. I didn't have the feeling that I was missing too much.

Coffee country looks so much better in the sun!

​

The "flat" road that I had been expecting was steeply rolling but more importantly it was in a pretty atrocious condition, especially along the edges. A lot of traffic made life difficult and progress relatively slow. Bright sun and shade from the trees made for a perilous combination at times and my poor ass was taking a beating.

Mi amiga, río Magdalena

​

Up high though I had some great views, the highlight riding beside but way above the mighty Magdalena. The problem was that I swept down to cross it and faced into another 400 meter climb in the hot sun! Thankfully, most of the heavier traffic turned off to cross the mountains leaving me to contend with packs of motorbikes and the odd impatient SUV.

A surprisingly loud waterfall given the distance. The water fell in waves, falling free for a long distance before hitting a hard part of rock, jumping out then falling again.

​

It was tough but immensely enjoyable, traffic, especially motorbikes, being the only negative. Ascending slowly the poor surface was less of an issue. Turning back on itself several times the road offered wonderful views of coffee country - it looks so much better in bright sunshine!
Some of the gradients were double digits and a bit too long for comfort. Thankfully, as I rose the gradients reduced.

Magdalena carving her way through the valley

​

Often there was little between me and a sheer drop to the valley below except a low kerb. The kind of low kerb that a tired cyclist might wobble in to. The bike would stop but the cyclist? He'd be flying!

A looooooooong way down!

​

My arrival to San Agustín was in a wave of motorbikes. I passed a little park being decorated for Christmas, detoured to a church with an unusual sculpture in front then rolled up to the small, compact but busy plaza. A potato cake slathered with butter and salt and a coffee got me settled in my new home.

It is pretty impressive country to be biking through!

​

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 807-8, Sunday/Monday, November 28/9, 2021, San Agustín


The hostel/hotel is very pleasant if quite empty.
I'd a cold shower (mountain water is cold!!), chatted to Jay from South Dakota here on a motorbike. He flew into Bogotá with his bike, is touring Colombia then going to fly to Chile and try to get into Argentina. He presumed I was on a motorbike too. He wasn't quite sure how to react when I pointed out Roccado!

Literal street art in San Agustín

​

And here we go again! Covid is kicking off ....... again! Borders closing, countries blacklisted, quarantine kicking in again.
It's infuriating really. The rich parts of the world are rolling out booster shots when huge portions of the poorer world have minimal levels of vaccination at all. A mutation in the virus is hardly a surprise under the circumstances.

Sometimes I think the human race is so dumb that we deserve to be wiped out.

Lots of conventional street art too

​

I inadvertently joined an anti-vax group on Facebook when this first started thinking it was a group for sharing info on rules in different countries. It's full of nutters! Absolute nutters! I've stayed a member because it is really, really interesting to see attitudes that are so, so different to my own. This new variant has inspired a whole new crop of nutters.

A statue of Christ with the broken teeth!

​

Similarly, a Mexican traveller's group I'm a member of (mainly for RVs) is full of angry, anti-Mexican rants because the Mexican immigration folks are upping their game* and not automatically giving people 180 days on entry.
A lot of people have been living here for years, crossing a border every six months and getting another six months on re-entry.

​

*This is relevant to bike tourists too! I would expect the system to be flexible for bike tourists but it may mean having to apply to extend the permitted time en route.

I just ❤ these figures!! And Santa is very tanned!

​

I took a wander around the town as darkness fell - there's really not much to it - and had a bite to eat. I was feeling very, very tired so had an early night.

The "main" church from the small and compact Plaza

​

Sunday would be the day for visiting the pre hispanic statues that this town is famous for. At least that was the plan!
A terrible night's sleep brought on by really bad leg cramps left me exhausted in the morning.
I wandered out for a coffee then back to lie down for a while. Finally I psyched myself up to visit the park 3km away but faded at the packed Plaza. A little people watching instead. It was sunny, very hot and I could summon no motivation to do much more.

Yep! More art! The cat is on a garage door and the circle is a mosaic as taller than me

​

San Agustín may be a renowned tourist town and there is much evidence around for that; interesting murals, a town sign in the style of the statues the area is famous for, lots of hotels and "Tourist Information" signs (in reality tour operators), the consistent colour schemes and signage of the buildings but it is also a lively town in its own right and that was what was on display on a Sunday in the overcrowded Plaza.

A store. The green and white colour scheme is standard for the town, the painted kerbs common too. They really brighten up the place

​

For (Covid) safety's sake I took a seat on the terrace of an empty café and watched.

Guess!

​

Compact is the word that keeps coming to mind. It's not a big Plaza, squeezed in front of the church, the usual stalls on one side, traffic on another and two quieter streets finishing off the rectangle. And it is packed! Families sitting, eating, vendors selling their wares, a small band starts up and people start dancing.
It wasn't all peace and quiet though. A disagreement between three street vendors/musicians turned a tad nasty until the troublemaker was driven away.
Unusually for a Sunday there was a wedding in the church. A simple affair the bride left on the back of a motorbike! I'm hoping the driver was the groom!

There was a lot of art!

​

I wandered around some more, down to the first little park that I had passed on my way in. It was decorated too, but quiet. Only a handful of people although all the food places between the two seemed to be full. Sunday seems to be the day of families eating together.


To be continued......

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 807-8, Sunday/Monday, November 28/9, 2021, San Agustín

Part Two

I found a place looking out on the Plaza and had a traditional dish lingering for as long as I could. As darkness started to fall I wandered back to my accommodation and took advantage of a hammock and decent wifi to do a bit of research. The Trampoline of Death is coming up soon! The last thing on my list of things I want to "do" (excluding Argentina!). The closer it gets the more nervous I'm becoming. It's a well named road and I'm not exactly doing it at the best time of the year! The weather recently certainly hasn't been kind. Not only will poor weather make it trickier it will also steal the views! I spent a bit of time noting the places to sleep.
Once that is over I'll be turning north again and heading back up by a different route.
Ironically, the latest news is that the border to Ecuador is due to open December 1. There's no word, however, on the Ecuador/Peru border which is still closed.

Dumbass goes to an archaeological wonder and is captivated by ...... Flowers

​

Awake at 4am I decided to give myself another day and actually visit the archaeological park. I'd at least try to be a good tourist! I'd asked yesterday and been told it was open.

This Is the "Lavapatas" a brutally difficult thing to photograph. Apparently it was both aesthetic and practical. As well as being a place to wash it was made with canals, the water forming shapes and other shapes formed by carving on the stones. There is some reflection from the roof above visible, unfortunately. My poor photographic skills do not do this justice.
Best of all there is a café beside it where I had a coffee, a ball of pure chocolate (WoW!!) and a lovely chat with a very bored lady.

​

I wandered out for breakfast about 7, got caught in rain, returned to rebook my room - it's reserved so I had to move to another (sans hammock!). I got a bit of a shock when the young fella "forgot" that I'd paid him on Saturday when I arrived and wanted paying again! That was sorted pretty sharpish!
Interestingly, I'd an email from Booking about my stay in Neiva. The hotel claimed I didn't show up!
Booking (and the likes) are great for being able to pay (securely) with credit card. However, here in Colombia, nearly every place wants payment in cash on arrival. And a receipt?

A statue under cover to protect from the elements

​

I walked out the few kms to the park, adopting my touring head and taking a detour. I learned just how slippy those water gullies are at the side of the road when I fell down and got coated in mud! Oh well! Now I look like a backpacker!

More pretty flowery thingys

​

On arrival, I thought the Park was closed it was so quiet, but no, it was open. A quick scan of the guestbook revealed some Australians, Belgians and French visitors ahead of me. A wonderful touch was a "Passport" given to me which I'd get stamped in the park and be able to take notes. I thought it was a fabulous idea!

At the highest point (up a bazillion steps!)

​

In the Park itself a friendly security guard stamped my passport and pointed me in the right direction (important for me!) and I set off.

Basically, there are a few restored burial grounds scattered around with graves and statues dating from both BC and AD. (Apparently BC and AD are not used anymore! I never got that memo).

A frog!

​

It's a lovely walk and there's an information board with basic Spanish information. I'd declined the services of a guide and spying a young woman one on one with her guide I was not sorry. She looked drained.

I was struck by the similarity of some of the graves to Irish Dolmens - and was only half surprised to overhear a guide refer to them as such. It's amazing - on opposite sides of the world people marked death in strikingly similar ways.

A burial chamber from above

​

There's a lot of pleasant walking between each "exhibit" and it gives a lot of time to think especially if on your own. It's interesting to me that all of the displays here that have survived are to mark death. Presumably there was a pretty big and well established colony of people here. There are no houses, no temples, no workshops or stores. Elsewhere there are more statues but the tombs have been a boon for anthropologists who can deduce so much from so little.

Huge amounts of work went into these. Those stones are not light! The carving of the statues have survived two millennia in a place not exactly hospitable to things left out in the elements.

Perhaps guards for the dead? I might know more had I paid for a guide but I much, much prefer to wander myself

​

After the park I headed back to town intending to cycle out one last time to see the Magdalena before she disappears for good. (I'll see her again when I leave San Agustín but on the same road I travelled in). Unfortunately, the rain put the kibosh on that. I had a coffee to wait it out but the rain won!

Smiley face!

​

A quiet night was had. And at midnight I turned 49.

This poor, ugly chap was on his own in a corner. He became my favourite.

​

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 809, Tuesday, November 30, 2021, San Agustín to San Juan de Villalobos 90 km Total KM 14562
Min meters 1222, Max Meters 2252
Total Climb 1419 Total Descent 1640
Min Temp 13 Max Temp 31 Ave Temp 21

You just had to be here!

One of my great pleasures at the end of the day is to transfer photos from my camera to my phone and then relive the day.
Not today.
Today, nothing, it seems, that I wanted to capture actually got captured the way I wanted.
Sometimes you just have to be here!

I find these scenes so interesting. Banana trees, coffee plants on ridiculously steep hills all tended by hand. It's a tough life in these parts

​

Up at 6am I could hear the rain falling. It's not that I'm a wuss (well, a bit of a one), or that I particularly dislike riding in the rain (I don't) it was that today was starting out with a longish descent. In that rain I'd freeze! Instead I went out for coffee the quest for which could form the plot of an epic novel.

Lots of ríos today. This one was whispering urgently to me

​

I returned and headed out into hardly any rain.
I had to double back almost to Pitalito but on such a beautiful road it shouldn't be a chore, right?
Wrong!
Going down at speed was very different to going up slowly on this surface! Cracks, bumps and random potholes made for a distracting and slightly frustrating descent. If the frustration got too much I simply stopped and let the views work their magic. A few climbs amongst the descents kept me warm and didn't seem much slower than the descending!

Coffee! Within touching distance! Nearly as good as a cup of the stuff!

​

About 5km from Pitalito I was going to rejoin 45 so pulled in for a coffee and an empanada. Anyone who knows me in the real world should sit down for the next sentence. I'm getting very fed up of greasy, fried food!

More coffee!

​

From now on it was all uphill. I reckoned about 1000m. Once over the top I had a longish descent to a roadside village which looked like the only accommodation option.

Getting wet!

​

Thankfully, grades were very gentle (but they'd get steeper closer to the top) which took some of the sting out of the road. At times it was good with a decent, if narrow, shoulder, and at other times it was badly broken up, rough and with a shoulder full of crap. I settled in, resigned for a day on a road-to-get-me-to-somewhere-else.

Bruselas

​

Seeing a sign for Brussels (Bruselas) sure I just had to turn off! I'm a big fan of Belgium, it's beer, food and general sense of mild chaos after the order of the Dutch.
In truth, Bruselas was a potential overnight stop if I was feeling lazy. It was my birthday after all!

A nice little town, a disappointingly open Plaza but with interesting artwork it was busy and nothing really called out to me. The road-to-get-me-to-somewhere-else would be waiting for me tomorrow. I rolled out of town, crossed the bridge and rejoined 45.

I have been trying and trying to capture one of these trees to show off their colour. This is the best I can do

​

It took me a few minutes to notice that something had changed. Traffic seemed to have died a death. The road seemed narrower and all of a sudden the vegetation became a lot more interesting. In fact, it didn't take long until I was once again in coffee country! From nowhere things were looking up! Stopped to admire the coffee plants a tiny humming bird put in an appearance.

A roadside fruit shop and home

​

With so little traffic on the road I stopped to top up my water at the first store. I asked about a coffee to be told no but a couple of minutes later I had a cup of coffee in front of me!

An interesting road! Notice the small landslide evidence but also that pinky tree. These started appearing today and really cheered me up

​

I set off again and stopped five minutes later. Rainjacket time! The thing with the rain is that it can be possible to travel in it or totally impossible. This was possible and stayed so. Heavy, but manageable. I didn't see any point in stopping because nowhere had shelter and it didn't look like stopping anytime soon. Just keep pedaling. So I did!

Meandering through a river valley, the río Gauchicos I believe

​

To be continued......


Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 809, Tuesday, November 30, 2021, San Agustín to San Juan de Villalobos 90 km Total KM 14562
Min meters 1222, Max Meters 2252
Total Climb 1419 Total Descent 1640
Min Temp 13 Max Temp 31 Ave Temp 21

You just had to be here! Part Two

Climbing kept me warm and the landscape kept me amused. The road kept me alert! I was following the course of a small river through a pretty valley.

The meters kept clocking up and that was all that counted. If I was lucky and timed it right maybe I could hit the summit as the rain stopped. A long descent in the rain would be cold!

Yep! More coffee!

​

The rain did start to lighten near the top. Only I wasn't near the top! A quick glance at Osmand this morning gave me a target height of 2100 meters.
Ha Dumbass!
It was closer to 2300! And much steeper now than earlier!

It was a pretty valley

​

There were some fabulous switchbacks to look down and back. Slowly I made it to the summit and set off the other side - back into mist and rain. And colder

Thankfully I spotted a simple roadside place and had more coffee and empanadas. I'd planned on a picnic en route but the rain wasn't helping. I'm not about to pull out my own food at a roadside restaurant especially not one as impoverished as this.

A surreptitious shot of my coffee and empanada stop. A simple display of crisps, soft drinks and empanadas. A flask for the coffee. The couple live in a two room shack their bed a mattress on the floor. It's a tough life in these parts

​

While I dawdled I got cooler and cooler and eventually cold but on the plus side the rain lightened and seemed to stop. I set off again.

The road was not my friend, rough, broken, cracked, potholed and that was when it had a surface! There were times it was surfaceless!

An interesting road! Both bends I jammed on the brakes; once for the road, once for the pinky/purpley tree

​

I seemed to pass by or through a couple of designated parks or areas of special interest during the day. One, in particular, El Cedro, described itself as where "the magic of nature is within reach of all". I liked that. No mention of hectares or investment or quantities of plants or animals, instead an appeal to the imagination.

Now this is my kind of country! It looks like I could ride into the clouds! The sinking sun is blasting out the last few rays

​

A motorbike slowed down beside me for a chat and then pulled in further down the road with a gift for me - some kind of peanut treat. When the rider heard that I was heading for Villalobos he told me he had an aunt there and that I could stay! I immediately accepted the generous offer. He told me to look out for the school - the house was beside it and his bike would show which house.

I set off in great form! What a wonderful birthday present from the Touring Gods! I knew that accommodation was limited and basic and now I'd have a Colombian hospitality experience!

This late in the day I shouldn't be stopping.

​

The last stretch was just phenomenal and where both cameras failed so abysmally.
There were mountains with clouds floating beneath them. A monster mountain behind me was almost totally blanketed by pure white cloud, only a tiny, triangular peak above. To my left a ridge of mountains meandered further away green giving way to a deep, vivid navy blue with a stunning white cloud for contrast. Stunning. And regularly wisps of thin cotton clouds trapped in a valley below me. If I had been given the power to design a skyscape I couldn't have wished for more.

I haven't cycled to the bottom of Colombia to speed up now!

​

Despite stopping regularly for photos and to admire and soak (feck the sinking sun!) I knew the photos were no good and I could feel a sense of frustration building. Then, on the wind it seemed, a voice whispered "This is for you. No need to share. Just enjoy". So I did. Sorry!

These images only give the vaguest impression of what I was seeing

​

San Juan de Villalobos isn't so much a one horse town as a three legged blind mule town stretched along the road.
I spotted the school, unusually looking run down and isolated in an overgrown field. After a couple of false alarms I spotted the motorbike outside one of the nicest looking houses in the town. I knocked on the open door hearing voices at dinner. A small, shy girl peeped around the corner and disappeared. Nothing happened for interminable minutes until the man of the house showed up wanting to know what I wanted. Oh!
I explained I was looking for the owner of the motorbike. To cut a long story short there was no mention of an offer to stay. I was given a cup of coffee and shuffled up the road to a basic hospedaje. Cheap and not terribly cheerful!

Not much of a village but it does announce itself!

​

I popped out for a bite to eat, bought a big bar of birthday chocolate and returned for an ice cold shower.
Back in my room I wrote up my notes and with no internet I put on an old friend - No Nukes. There's just something about that music. I may be 49 but there's still a lot of 17 in me!

I couldn't have designed it better myself

​

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 810, Wednesday, December 01, San Juan de Villalobos to Mocoa 67 km Total KM 14629
Min meters 588, Max Meters 1555
Total Climb 995 Total Descent 1775
Min Temp 23 Max Temp 40 Ave Temp 30

Nearly a climb too far

I've gotten used to creepy crawlies and even little lizards sharing my accommodation with me. Last night though the cockroaches made a terrible racket in the stone/tiled floor. It was that kind of place!

It rained during the night but the early morning was bright and sunny - a good sign for what I was expecting to be an easy enough day, generally downhill to Mocoa. The plan was an early arrival, a bit of shopping and an early, restful night.
Ha! Dumbass!

Villalobos has two ríos! Here's one

​

I rolled across the road for a coffee and empanada and set off under a bright sun. To say that the day wasn't as expected would be a bit of an understatement. After it seemed like days upon days of rainy mornings this one was spectacular, so much so that I wondered if I'd regret my extra day in San Agustín. The Trampoline is renowned for foul weather. My "generally downhill" ended up with 1000 meters of climbing. The road was an adventure in itself in terms of surfaces, landslides and roadworks and the scenery, if not stunning, was very, very pleasant for most of the day. Had I not been distracted by the Trampoline the next day it would be a pretty special road. In fact, I realised that my head was in the wrong place and pulled in early on to correct it. It nearly worked - I was still feeling a slight urge to get to Mocoa asap.

Stopping to get my head straight. There are actually two colours of flower on these - a dark and a light pink. I'm enchanted

​

There's not a lot of civilisation along this road which means that it all merges into one long scene. There's a few settlements along the road, a few houses scattered here and there and lots of yappy dogs. A handful of restaurants and simple shops. But there's butterflies too! Lots of them! They land on the road beside me and depending on how they deploy their wings they can be like two separate creatures. One very large white one entranced me so much that I pulled in to watch him flittering about until he disappeared.
On one section from nowhere I was inundated with floating dandelion type seeds. One moment I'm cycling along the next I'm entering a soft, gentle blizzard.
Sometimes bike touring is great!

Recent mudslide

​

I had a descent than a climb, then a descent, another climb, a dip, more climbing and finally a gentle descent to Mocoa. Unfortunately the road regularly became an offroad course. Sometimes no surface at all, sometimes partly covered by landslide, sometimes the residue of a sticky, watery mud, sometimes huge, deep potholes, and regularly water flowing over, back and down. I lost count of the number of landslides and roadworks. One set had me stopped for a good 30 minutes. In those situations I let the traffic off and then follow at my own pace - except that the traffic on the other side is waiting for me to pass before they can go!

Sometimes the road was good and the view pretty good too!

​

It was at that traffic stop that I figured out I'd left a brand new 10 pack of ciggies in my room this morning! Double Dumbass!
It took a while to find a shop but they had ciggies and coffee!

I had a wonderful spot for a picnic lunch, up high on the veranda of an old, closed restaurant. The shade was a welcome relief from the hot sun.

Sometimes the road was crap but the views held up

​

I had a very strange experience of scattered rain from a blue sky! At first I thought it might be water leaking under pressure from a hose (lots of hoses carrying water in these parts) but it wasn't. There were clouds in the sky but not rainclouds and certainly not close by - Ecuador distances! Strange.

Palm trees! I think I'd ride to the moon if someone told me there were Palm trees on it

​

Near the end I was starting to get grumpy on the last climb. I was tired. A pit stop to admire the ever changing scenery put me in the right frame of mind and I continued slowly on, stopping regularly for photos despite the late hour.

There's always a waterfall or two......

​

Mocoa welcomed me with a load of roadworks. Thankfully, two wheeled transport was given priority and I had great fun moving in a pack of motorbikes.

And lots of ríos

​

I found the Plaza easily enough and hungry varied my coffee routine for chorizo with fried potatoes. Very tasty! Finding a hotel took longer than I wanted as I was trying to avoid any with stairs! I was exhausted. After a few I lowered my standards and took one near the Plaza.

Stopping to get my head together on the last climb. There are worse places!

​

A quick cold shower then out for provisions for the trampoline then dinner. Dinner was in a Chinese, an oversized portion and enough for breakfast too!

No words

​

Mocoa was devastated a few years ago. A landslide in the middle of the night hit the town knocking out all power then two, yes two rivers flooded the town. The death toll has never been fully established. The Government says 400, locals say 1000. Walking around it's not difficult to imagine what terror that night must have inspired. No communication, no power and the next big towns for help are back on the road I travelled today - not easy - and the other side of the Trampoline. It puts my whinging on the state of the roads into perspective.

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 811, Thursday, December 02 Mocoa to abandoned Police Station* 32 km Total KM 14661
Min meters 591, Max Meters 2126
Total Climb 1678 Total Descent 186
Min Temp 17 Max Temp 34 Ave Temp 24


*For Netman
Osmand: 1.06948° N, 76.73648° W
Google: 1.0694800, -76.7364800


The Trampoline of Death Day One


Here's the thing about looking forward to something for so long - an anti climax is inevitable.


But this is Colombia and I don't think Colombia does anti-climaxes


However, a road like this is just not possible to record on virtual paper. If you want to know what it's like to ride the Trampoline of Death you'll just have to do it!




























Only kidding!! But this will be a little different.
I'm going to put all the text in one post.
The subsequent posts will contain photos with context.
It's beyond my organisational skills on a phone to marry photos with text on such an extraordinary day.
The photos you see in this post are all leading up to or just starting the famous road. They have little or no relevance to their location in the text.


I was awake a little after 4am. I felt well rested and a little nervous and excited for the day ahead.
I boiled up some water for a coffee and ate my leftover rice from last night. Then I started the logistical exercise to get my bike and gear downstairs. The sullen night porter became chatty when I started loading up. Then up to the Plaza for a quick look and off out of town.

My morning view from the Plaza! What a morning!

​

I had an up and down, mainly down road once out of town for about 10km. Then I'd cross a river and the adventure would begin.

I've very few photos of that first 10 km for the simple reason that the sun was blasting out of the sky! In this part of the world that's incredibly rare. I wasn't sure how long I'd have it. Most accounts of the Trampoline mention rain

I crossed the river and started climbing. Except for 3 meters down I would be climbing for the rest of the day. Directly opposite the river is a Police checkpoint and a severely smashed up car. Like something that has come out of a compactor but there are no junkyards around. A sobering image.

My destination wasn't far, about 30km in total but about 1600 meters higher! And on an interesting road! I had all day and felt little pressure. That was just as well because I wasn't long climbing when I hit my first roadworks and a line of traffic. There are worse places to pass half an hour listening to the river below rushing along. A line of traffic from the other side signalled it was time to get ready and I had a couple of kms of no surface to bounce along before the surface returned. It didn't last long and when it went it didn't return. At all!

Just one of the rivers on the outskirts of Mocoa. It was calm but bubbly - a perfect match for my mood!

​

Progress was slow not because of the climbing but the surface. Stones on sand and gravel make for slow going. Traffic was extraordinarily light and came in batches - a sign of roadworks ahead of me too.

The countryside though was idyllic. I was following a river down below me that gurgled and sang, whispered and roared as the mood took it. Trees of all kinds filled the hills and valleys. I spotted my old friends, the random yellow trees in the forests of greens and there were many others with bright orange blossoms. At times the sun beamed down on me while a bend could leave the cotton white cloud behind me to be replaced with sullen grey.

A man leading his mules 9n his motorbike..... And look at that morning!! The Touring Gods were beaming down on me!

​

I stopped at a little store for a cold drink (they had no coffee!) then headed on up. I had interesting views but most of my attention was taken up with the road. I knew there was a restaurant after about 19km and there'd be nothing until my destination so when it loomed up I pulled in.

Lunch was "sweaty" chicken rice, frijoles washed down with coffee. Because of the roadworks the ladies running it alternated between crazy busy and nothing. Once the rush was over I was interrogated in a friendly way. I'd a second coffee and hit the road again.

Crossing the river to start the Trampoline. Have you noticed the beautiful morning?!

​

It was hard going on such an unstable surface. My tyres are on the soft side and I've been putting off pumping them up because the roads can be so bad. A bit of a cushion is no bad thing. After the restaurant whatever homesteads there had been disappeared.

I think it was after the restaurant that I really started to appreciate the height. In fairness, I was ascending rapidly. Switchbacks became more common and more of them. I showed my naivety by stopping for lots of photos little knowing what was to come later!

There were fords and waterfalls. The fords were fun, sometimes on concrete sometimes not. The waterfalls could be huge or small. The sound of water was never too far away. Because traffic was so light and in batches I felt like I had the road to myself. It made navigation very easy; pull in and let the traffic past (either direction) then continue like I'm the only person on the road. The road was pretty narrow and I was amused to sometimes see a sign warning of the closure of the "right lane". Damned if I could see two lanes!

The Trampoline Of Death, also known as the Devil's Trampoline. It starts off very tame

​

This road has a reputation for being incredibly dangerous. It's name originates, I believe, from what happens if a vehicle goes over the edge - it bounces down often hitting and bouncing off the road several times below it due to all the switchbacks. There's a major road improvement scheme in operation since last December and concrete barriers are being placed. There are regular guardrails too, although these often have a gap. The rails themselves are quite high - enough to stop a car or truck but easy to imagine a bike slipping under especially if some of the road has disappeared! There were quite a few of those. Sometimes only yellow tape (which I have christened "Magic Tape") offered warning of a steep drop. As I got higher the drops became longer and the gaps more frightening. The loose stones and gravel gave me nightmares as I rode along easy to imagine sliding or slipping towards the edge.

Glorious! I could not believe my luck!

​

Taking photos was a real chore. Trying to straddle the bike on such a steep, loose surface was fine until I tried to use one hand for a phone or camera.
Parking the bike was tricky; there were lots of places but the side of the road tended to be full of stones or there was a sharp gulley beside the road. Puling the bike up and out was quite tricky. Setting off again was trickier still - steep road, loose gravel, granny gear and a loaded bike. Lots of wheelspin! However, there were just so many opportunities that I couldn't say no. Trying to capture the depth, the steepness of the drops was tricky.

Awwwwwww! They're putting in concrete barriers for safety.

​

At the start of the day I had seen clouds draping the mountains and as I rode higher and higher I was getting closer and closer. The sky filled with grey, ominous cloud and I had regular bouts of mist but none that lasted too long. Even when thunder rolled it stayed dry. For that alone I am one incredibly lucky guy!
The mist rolled in then blew away only to return again. Sometimes the sun blasted through cloud and mist and worked its magic and then disappeared again. The air was definitely damp and cool but that was as far as it got.

Now this is more like it!!! (Photo taken during roadworks)

​

I was running out of puff near the end, partly, I think, because I knew it was near the end. The Police station, heavily protected but now disused as a sign of peace looked in surprisingly good nick perched on a bend.
A woman came out of a little shop to see why her dog was barking and that's how I got my coffee and something deepfried with egg in it. Suddenly I was starving!
I asked about sleeping in the station - no problem - and was getting ready to roll on down when she said I could have dinner too. Why not?, I thought.
Unfortunately, a miscommunication meant that I was hanging around while she meant at "dinner time". In the end I figured it out, got set up in the driest room, changed my clothes and returned for some simple, if greasy food. Then back to the tent. Full of good intentions I boiled up some water for tea, took it into my tent and fell asleep before I could drink it!

On the last stretch of asphalt. Look at that countryside!

​

It was a simply amazing day!
It's tough and physically demanding but I was distracted from that for most of the day by what was going on around me.
I imagine I'm a nightmare to travel with but damn am I lucky!! A day on the Trampoline with no rain??? And almost perfect views for most of the day??? The Touring Gods are spoiling me!

No road surface but I do have a río for company. ​

To be continued........

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 811, Thursday, December 02 Mocoa to abandoned Police Station* 32 km Total KM 14661
Min meters 591, Max Meters 2126
Total Climb 1678 Total Descent 186
Min Temp 17 Max Temp 34 Ave Temp 24


*For Netman
Osmand: 1.06948° N, 76.73648° W
Google: 1.0694800, -76.7364800


The Trampoline of Death Day One Part 2

Ha! I got very carried away in my enthusiasm for switchbacks! This wasn't even 9am and I was thinking "wow". Little did I know!

Just one set of roadworks filling in the side of the road. Being a totally selfish git I was thinking that it was a poor thing for cyclists if this road is improved while on the other hand I was glad that I got to travel it before the improvements are completed. What a dick!

Blue skies, bright sun and interesting views. This is not what I was expecting!

It's not even 10am and already the height is giving me great views. So many people talk of rain and cloud and mist. I am jammy!

I'm going to be including quite a few "roadshots" because the road is the headline act today. There's always a tradeoff on a road like this between keeping eyes on the road and the scenery.

This is part of a big sign advertising the road improvements. Since I arrived in Colombia these signs trumpet road improvements as improving equality. I didn't care about equality this morning, I cared for the possible removal of adventure. Yeah, yeah, I know!

The surface could always change! Here dry clay. I'd hate to tackle this in heavy rain. Still tough to ride on in the dry..... But just look at what I'm riding through!

Here we can see where part of the road has been surfaced with this clay. It's just all part of the adventure!!

It took a while to get used to these. The barriers are quite high so that a bike or motorbike could easily slide under and down. To make matters more interesting, random sections of the road would just fall away almost guaranteeing any two wheeled vehicle would fall down. Given the lack of traffic for most of the time if I went down there no-one would know!

Around a bend the sky could change disturbingly. I expected rain. It never arrived. I'm the luckiest fecker!!

​

To be continued.......
Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 811, Thursday, December 02 Mocoa to abandoned Police Station* 32 km Total KM 14661
Min meters 591, Max Meters 2126
Total Climb 1678 Total Descent 186
Min Temp 17 Max Temp 34 Ave Temp 24


*For Netman
Osmand: 1.06948° N, 76.73648° W
Google: 1.0694800, -76.7364800


The Trampoline of Death Day One Part 3

It's only 10am and already I'm getting overloaded with views. The sun is working its magic but in real life everything is moving so the light is moving around. A glorious exhibition from Mother Nature

Light, shade, cloud, mist. All moving. Constantly.

Not 15 minutes later it's like I'm in a different part of the world again. There is no let up to this. It is going on all the time and I'm slap bang in the middle of it!

For long stretches there may be no traffic and it's just me in a rocky, dusty road, labouring ever upwards and this all around me. Wanna feel like an explorer? I've got an idea!

I just love that tree!

The first of a few fords. This one was stony so I walked across getting my feet wet in the cold mountain water. The trick folks is wool socks - they get wet but stay warm!

Looking back from where I came. It was about here with that brilliant blue sky, the sunshine, the clarity of the view that I started to realise the Touring Gods were putting on a show for me.

Two minutes later and everything has changed again!

Three minutes further along and things aren't quite so depressing. If I suffered any kind of weather anxiety I'd be fecked!

I think this was the first stretch with the "magic tape"! Equal parts dread and pure, childish excitement! It's funny how our minds work. I went from very cautiously pushing along these situations to riding stiffly, eyes straight ahead to riding while having a good look around. It was great fun!

​

To be continued.......

Chat? Yes Please!
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-zone-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098