Patron Saint of Travelers

Welded and Rollin'

Of course, all my plans depend on having a dependable frame. The last thing I feel like doing is walking a busted bike frame with all my crap for days or a day for that matter in a jungle without a reliable map. . . course ridin' without a map is just fine. The first weld did not inspire much confidence though had funny conversation with a few young guys about woman and food mostly and it only cost two soles (2.8/$1). The problem is how do you find a good welder in a strange city filled with welders but nobody that knows bike frames . . . Walking my neighborhood, I acquire neighborhoods quickly, I notice “Mister” - general bike repairs, welder, painter – looking in I saw lots of bikes. I stopped by and introduced myself to Esteban and explained my problem asking for his opinion. He said to bring the bike. I was too ill that day but returned, though ironically delayed because they were welding the hotel door and could not get out. Esteban turned out to be a good welder, bike lover, and nice guy. We discussed my bike and choice of parts from pedals, brakes to wheels, as well as answering lots of questions about the United States (though nothing about baby fat). He reinforced the existing incomplete weld and added a cross piece to create a stronger rear triangle. Esteban said have “confianza.” The second time someone said this to me . . . the first was Alberto in Mexico before smuggling me into Belize effectively saving my ass. Confianza is not to be taken lightly - I got it. Off to the jungle. not the prettiest . . . but lots rod on there.

Hotel Window ...the Road Ahead

Looking out my fourth story hotel window across rooftops and to the street below . . . been doing that quite a bit lately.

sunsets

political rallys before the election

religious processions

welding the front door of the hotel

My second time in this hotel - this time to get my frame repaired and get over a nasty bacteria that had me pissing out my ass every 20 minutes for the past 48 hours. As soon as, I could manage the four block walk I bought the king kong killer of antibiotics, ciprofloxina, - two full courses (12 pills) for a dollar - costs about $100 in the U.S. Strange to think that 100 years ago this could kill me and diarrhea is the 1st or 2nd killer of children world wide . . . but within four hours of the first pill my fever is gone and appetite is returning. I will be tempted to leave tomorrow but I should wait another day to insure that I have my full strength back - I am going to need it.

There is a dotted line on the map I have been gazing at for close to a decade now. The line starts at over 4000 meters and drops to 800 meters from puna to high sierra through cloud forest into the high jungle of Yanachaga Chemillen National Park, that has some of the highest biodiversity on the planet. The dots mean it is a trail, not a road, but it is a trail that was blazed 150+ years ago by Austro-German colonists that founded the town of Pozuzo (I hear they still wear lederhosen) . The largest indigenous tribe in Peru, the Ashaninka, live in the region, as well. The area became accessible by road in 1974 but it is over 100km of rough dirt track crossing a river dozens of times with out bridges . . . and from where I sit close to 500km away - versus up over the ridge and down down down. However, I can find no contemporary accounts of this trail . . . locals in Panao told Matt "no way" can you do that on a bike . . . but you can pay us for a burro and guide . . . I have been told "no way" too many times only to go away and do it anyway. People do traverse the route with burros and I am big enough of ass that if a donkey can, I can. I understand it is a 3 day walk and people live along the way. Figure they will be surprised to see me. Promises to be an adventure - pack lots of ramen and follow the gravity train until I hit the river at the bottom. When I get to Panao I will try to find a burro driver, buy him a beer and get route information. Reminds me the majority of the planet never goes more than 20 miles from home and all the naysayers have never actually been there . . .

I am Lord Shiva Destroyer of Bikes. I broke my frame. Bikes are made to be broken. I have broken my share . . . I have to be on a black list somewhere at Kona and KHS – I even cracked my new 853 Niner within a season. . . but a nearly 6lb 4130 steel touring bike? What the fuck?! All I did was ride the thing (8 or 9,000 miles), I am not heavily loaded and whip thin. This was not in the plan and I kinda doubt I will be getting a speedy warranty replacement from Salsa to the central Andes of Peru. Matt and I were grinding up a nice little 1000+ meter climb on a rough dirt road when I heard a clicking sound in my back end . . . cassette is only couple thousand miles – chain the same – rebuilt rear hub – new rings up front . . . I stop, look, the weld broke clean through on the drive side rear drop out. I could start jumping up and down cursing Salsa . . . but as Shiva says, “When a mood against someone or for someone arises, do not place it on the person in question, but remain centered.” So we walked to the next little community at the bend in the road hoping for beer and inquired about a place to stay for the night. No beer because the freakin' evangelicals has gotten there before us (but I got Pisco). After chatting we were invited to stay on a covered second story porch and cooked with lots of spectators. I was having a little performance anxiety - worried my stove might not light, under cook dinner, and finish early . . . but we passed a pleasant evening chatting with a half dozen or so locals and chewing some excellent local coca. My cal gourd was passed around several times for the carving to be admired . We were asked about living in the United States, the war in Iraq, the War on Drugs, our ability to blow up the world with atomic weapons, do children get their first gun at age 5?, prices of basic necessities, price of a gram of gold then . . . “how much does a liter of human fat cost?” . . . Oprah or Kristi Alley would probably just donate it . . . no laugh. “You need it to power air planes?” Matt wondered if they were serious – yes they were serious. What to say? They would not believe us. I am familiar with the belief gringos steal children to boil them down for fat to run machines – it is old and pervasive this was just a new twist. Makes me reluctant to tell people I am flying home. Also, explains why people in remote highlands sometimes hide when I pass and children run crying. It always feels strange to be riding through a community seeing no one knowing you are being watched. Gives pause to reflect on the metaphoric truth of our relationship with the billions of people on the planet living on less than $2 a day.www.radicalcartography.net/index.html?usempire
The next morning Matt continued up the pass towards Pozuzo and I caught a taxi (with 5 others) back to Huanuco to locate a welder. I found one but it is Sunday - so first thing in the morning we will see what they can do for me . . . Many thanks to the friends that make this little adventure of mine possible - Matt Guiles and, especially, Dave Harrison at FBM (www.fbmbmx.com) for welding advice on my broke ass frame.

Happy 40th Uncle Robert and Auntie Donna

Sorry I can only be there in spirit - Congratulations! 40 years is no small accomplishment. Have a wonderful day.

I am psyched to ride! always psyched to ride! been nearly 11 months when is this gonna get old? Well, yee haw time to rock and roll out the door.

Huanuco at Night

I like to go up on hotel roofs to take night photos and as you can see Huanuco is a good sized city. However, the family kept their two little punters on the roof and every time I approached they started yapping. I was hoping they would quiet down . . . they didn't. So I went to fetch my tripod to give them time to calm down. Matt suggested that I give some nuggets . . . I was like what nuggets?. . . then remembered I bought two bags of frozen chix nuggets to ice my knee that I had tweaked (forget about ice - hard enough to find a freezer). But now I got some friends seriously excited to see me. . . and photos.

Edge of the Amazon

We have one more climb to 4000 meters across a little high sierra then drop to the amazon basin. The past couple days were a huge net loss from 4900 meters to the city of Huanuco at 1900 meters - the city with the "best climate in the world" - does rather remind me of San Diego minus the beach . . . but I could do without the black flies. The road was newly paved, as of May, very narrow but devoid of traffic. Though Matt commented that if either of us flew off the road we would never find each other. Any serious commercial traffic takes the paved highway up from Lima on the coast.Peru appears to be on fire at the moment. Hillsides smolder and burn in preparation for the rainy season. The Ichu grass is coarse and difficult for animals to digest so entire hillsides are lit on fire to make room for new growth that will come with the rains. Ironically, signs prohibit such burning . . . the fires seem largely contained unlike the current conflagration consuming my route through the Bolivian Amazon . . .
After topping the Corona del Inca at 4000 meters the way was clear for the next 50+ kilometers and 2000+ meters to Huanuco.

Cordillera Blanca National Park

Alas, it is time to say my goodbyes and depart Huaras - I am sorry that I do not have a picture of Tito to post but after spending enough time together one forgets to take photos - however, we will see each other again. Matt (www.pedalpanam.com) and I rode down to the plaza and met Lucie and Torrey (www.pedalingsouth.com), two Canadians Matt had met in Trujillo, headed in the same direction. We were all headed south through the Cordillera Blanca National Park then onwards to Huanuco. Initially on pavement but within 45km a rough dirt road headed up into the Carpa section of the Cordillera Blanca National Park. Starting up the gentle grade of the dirt road the altitude in already apparent - my two weeks sitting at 10,000 feet help. We all stop to coca up for the climbing.

The landscape is wide open puna giving unobstructed views of the mountains to come.
A couple kilometers shy of the ranger station we set up camp for a restless night of sleep at over 4100 meters (13700+ft) but woke to a beautiful morning just cold enough to create a skim of ice over the ponds. The area is sparsely settled with camps for herding sheep, the occasional cactus, coarse ichu grass, and an abundance of birds around water. I find it hard to imagine living at this altitude, especially when I am seeing stars laboring up a pass and most people only live here seasonally to graze animals. Campesinos avoid contact for the most part attending to their pastoral duties. Camping is pretty much wide open where you will.
Stopping to register at the ranger station I am told that Puya Raimondis are in bloom. YES! I had two botanic goals for this trip 1. see orchids in bloom outside of a greenhouse, which I did in profusion on the Volcano Conception (4/28/2010) 2. see a Puya Raimondi in bloom. The Puya Raimondi or Titanca, in Quechua, is the largest of the Bromiliad family and very rare existing only in a few places in Peru above 3800 meters and one place in Bolivia. The life cycle of a Puya is anywhere from 40 to 100+ years. Besides being one of the oldest plants, the Puya has the world's largest florescence with a 10 meter high spike of 3000+ creamy white flowers producing 6 million+ seeds. After flowering the plant begins to die. I have seen plenty of young or dying Puyas but never one flowering because I am always in Peru before they begin flowering in late August. This was my second time through the Carpa region of the Cordillera Blanca. Finally, I see Puyas in bloom after looking for over a decade.

The fronds of the plants are lined with stout thorns able to hook into a sheep's wool coat holding them until they starve or rescued – hence making them rather unpopular with local herders.

A Puya Raimondi at its end.
After climbing around the hillsides checking out Puyas and doing handstands we begin climbing up the valley in earnest for what promises to be a long beautiful day.
Passing some 1600+ year old paintings along the way.
The road remains a gentle grade as it switchbacks towards the pass but loose gravel and altitude make walking a reasonable and appealing option.
We top out on the first pass at about 4800 meters and begin a gentle descent passing herds of alpaca grazing in the wetlands below created by the glaciers.
Climbing to the second pass the road passes beneath a glacier hanging above the road. The time is mid afternoon and nothing seems to be moving but the abundance of boulders in the road means I am not going to be hanging out. If it was 5 or 6 in the evening I'd be crapping my pants. The freeze/thaw cycle can create some spectacular ice avalanches but I prefer watching them from a distance.
The second pass was a brain deadening 4900 meters - we admired the view, put on some warm clothes, then it was time to head down down down. Within 10 km we intersected a paved road, no wait, the paved road and continued a beautiful descent for over 20km into the valley below passing from treeless puna to eucalyptus trees, to farming and several large scale mining operations. You will have to trust me on the beautiful part – fading light, freezing temperatures, starvation, a leak in my front tire, and a serious front end shimmy kept my attention on the riding and not photography. We pulled into bustling little Huallanca at dusk full of mining pickups, mototaxis, and food stands – ate and went to bed.

Music Therapy

There really do play pan pipes here. I heard a guy amplified blasting a Celine Dion cover down the street . . . if you can blast pan pipes. Not my thing. You are lucky I am riding a bike otherwise you know what cd you would be getting for Christmas.

Mañana, we will be riding east across the Andes then dropping into the upper amazon basin on a "dirt track". We should be in the old Austro-German colony of Pozuzo within a week for the Festival de Las Orquideas y Flores . . . this time it's brats, dunkel, and German barmaids . . . one can hope - but they will be crowning a Miss Orchid.

Huaras, Peru

I arrived in Huaras, Peru and parked myself at Olazas Guest House www.olazas.com with Tito Olaza and family. This is my fourth visit to Huaras and it is nice to be someplace familiar staying with friends. My first visit was in 1989 to alpine climb with a friend, Nick Yardley. We climbed Alpamayo (5947m) and Chopicalqui (6354m).

Alpamayo

The climbing was spectacular. But, even then, hiking up the high valleys to base camps I thought, "damn what great mountain biking!" When not in the mountains climbing Nick and I hung out at the famous/infamous expat climbers' bar, The Tasco, telling lies and half truths. I finally returned to the Cordillera Blanca with a mountain bike after thinking about it for 15 years. I went looking around Huaras for information and walked into the office of Mountain Bike Adventures www.chakinaniperu.com. Overall, an easy choice because Mountain Bike Adventures already had a solid world reputation but the guy behind the desk looked familiar both of us were a little stumped . . . until one of us asked, "did you hang out at the Tasco Bar"? Julio Olaza ran the former Tasco Bar, now is the owner of Mountain Bike Adventures, and a friendship was renewed. This time over bikes instead of beers.
The area around Huaras is some of the best mountain biking I have ever done - from short day rides to multi-day epics through the mountains. Consequently, despite the overabundance of biking I have done this year, I switched out my road tires for some fat 29'er mtn bike tires that Julio had laying around and went for a couple rides with Julio.
3-4000 foot ascents and descents are normal and riding longer trekking routes means at least 6000 foot climbs - though Julio eases the pain for clients with vehicle assists.
Aside from using Julio's tools to work on my bike, I have spent most of my time in Huaras eating - not riding. Ceviche, chicken, and the occasional burger.Nobody is going to call the city of Huaras beautiful - after all it was leveled in a 1970 earthquake that claimed the lives of 70,000 people in the region. However, Huaras is in the Callejón de Huaylas along Rio Santa with the Cordillera Blanca to the east and the Cordillera Negra to the west. The Cordillera Blanca is the second highest mountain range in the world with 35 peaks over 6000 meters packed into a range only 200km long and 20km wide. Across the valley is the more diminutive Cordillera Negra (no snow) with a elevation generally below 5000 meters. Everywhere you look is dominated by peaks and they are easy to access.After returning to the same place for over 20 years I have seen a lot of changes - the city of 100,000 has become wealthy from gold mining, streets are now paved, sewers are no longer open, and someday they will finish the cathedral - though I remember when it was only a foundation. . . but my favorite chifa is still in business and Brassa Roja still has the best roasted chicken, fries, and salad.I wondered how this trip would affect my perception of Peru after seeing many other places but I will be returning to ride and hang out with the Olaza brothers.

Sunset on the Cordillera Negra from Olaza's

The two pictures below were taken from the Cordillera Negra while mountain biking with Julio and show Cordillera Blanca from north to south.

Huandoy 6395m, Huascaran 6768m, Chopicalqui 6354m, Hualcan 6122m, Copa 6188m

Vallunaraju 5686m, Ranrapalca 6162m, Churup 5495m, Huantsan 6395m