Up and at it early, a great buffet in the hotel and heading out of town about 0630. One advantage of the early start is that the traffic is lighter, but it is already building. We get out of town and begin the day's hill climb out of the valley.
One of our last views of Loja
Just over the pass - still looking very green and lush, with lots of farming evident.
Laura is long gone and Max, one of the staff who is doing the sweep today has arrived.
The next stretch is a long downhill. Max and I scoot downhill (although I bet Max would like to be faster) and into the valley town Catamayo. A photo of the town.Max has to hang around town for a bit to ensure other riders haven't stopped for coffee.
I head out and start up the hill on the other side of the valley. Here's a look back down. This is the windy road I just cycled up.
I catch up to Laura. Here she is partway up the hill, still smiling.
Check out how dry this side of the valley is. We have hit the desert!
Lunch about 1/3 the way up the hill out of the valley. There is a little store where we can get cold drinks in addition to the food the Lunch Truck provides. Short aside: I admire the tour crew for the amount of work they do and some of the difficult conditions they face - only a couple of coolers for refrigeration for example.
There were gusty winds on top of our climb. Being so slight the gusts affected Laura a fair amount. Lots of the riders complained about this.
An old volcano with the hard core showing
For no good reason I took a picture of the 1000 km sign. That's Nelson (North Van) and Mark (US)
Our camp - the "Aquatic Club" in Catacocha. It appears to be a resort under construction. Note the unfilled pool.
(It's August 24 now & we are in Las Lomas, Peru. I'll try to get caught up on the post, but it won't be easy for a few days)
Beautiful pictures!
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