Peter comfortable!!
Well here we are after a challenging but funny day of 117ks. Anna and I started with the fast bunch along a sealed road for the first 20 ks. Then the dirt. Was that a challenge. First get off the gear as the previous day I was frozen with bike shorts & top so today long johns and wet top even though dry. After the first 20 k too hot. Off with the lot. This is dirt like you haven’t seen before and uphill all the way to lunch.
First taste of dirt
A series of rolling uphill slopes with false peaks, so you think you’re there but ahead is another hill. We reached lunch at 2 almost the last. Anna managed a fall right in front of the truck in a sandy part. Mostly stones so very bumpy. Max speed around 15ks, in parts down to 7.
After lunch a bit uphill and then down. We were looking forward to lunch and running out of fuel and thought we saw at least 2 mirages of the lunch truck. I had my first fall at slow speed just starting and into sand, then managed a full head plant at 25. Mouth full of dirt and scraped the well worn face. Then following Anna and she came off, just missed her head and came off again. Elbow this time. Would have been funny for anyone following.
Rest from the dirt
About the terrain. Majestic snow covered Andes to the right in a contious line with a flat plain a bit like saltbush. Had a quick conversation with a horseman, he only spoke spanish and me English. Short conversation. A few wild horses and the occasional cow but nothing else.
Then after a long dirt downhill we met a half sealed road. Could it be sealed from here. Down we went to a stunning reservoir with the peaks in the background, across the dam, through a tunnel and lo and behold
Back to dirt and the granny gear for the first time. Fourth fall at the top, a wind out of nowhere spun the bike 90 deg and over. Anna saw from behind & put her foot down. 5″.45 and the truck came toward us. We didn’t finish as dinner at 6. Knackered but disappointed.
Bush camp was an old quarry with the wind blowing hard. Tough camping. Dinner anna put stuff on face and elbow then to bed to keep warm.