Day 30 - Feb 7

What a beautiful night sky before the hard days climb.  Before the moon came up there was the most beautiful sky filled with stars.  No lights were with in sight so  you could see seemingly million of stars.  There were so many it looked like clouds at times.  It was awesome!  It was so clear that I could see a satellite slowly making its way across the night sky.  

Then the morning ride....  it was a tough day.  One that at times I thought I would not make.  The climbing started pretty much right away.  There was a climb that really taxed the legs just after we left camp.  And the guides said the real climbing wouldn't start until after 12 kilometers.  Everyone was saying if this climb isn't worth mentioning what in the hell is the real climb going to be like.  We found out soon enough.... It was a long 21K climb that at times topped over 10 percent grade.  It just kept going and going and going.  You could not look ahead to see how much farther you had to climb or you would give up.  I only looked about 30 feet ahead of the bike and just kept pedaling.  I just kept repeating to myself.....  Shut up and keep pedaling,  shut up and keep pedaling!  And thus it went.  One pedal stroke after painful pedal stroke.  Each one getting me closer to the top.  At 33K the top was reached and the payoff at hand... the downhill.  After paying so dearly for the climb there was no way I was going to take anything out of the downhill.  So in my mind I heard...  Brakes, ha; don't need no stinking brakes!  And off I went on a thrill ride to beat any amusement park!!!  I flew down the backside hitting speed of slightly over 75 kph, roughly 47 mph.  WOW was that fun.  As one of the songs said,  I was passing telephone poles so fast they looked like a picket fence.  

But the problem with a downhill is, you then need to go back up for the elevation that you just gave.  And so the whole day went.  It was climb after climb after climb.  By the end of the day, heck way before the end of the day, my legs had nothing left in them.  But you would come around another corner and there lying ahead was... another #*^%#<-/ hill!  Up I would have to go. 

 

But the scenery in Ethiopia is absolutely breathtaking.  The mountains, the valleys, the vegetation is beautiful.  Also, the day we rode was market day.  The roads were lined with people walking bringing there wares to the nearest village or town to sell.  People were walking with goats, calves, cows, bulls, chickens and vegetables.  They were walking for miles and miles.  Women were walking with jugs of liquids on the heads or huge sacks of grain.  It was amazing to see the mass migration.  Some walked up and over the mountain climbs that we pedaled to get to market.  Very determined people.

Lastly,  since it was market day the kids were not so bad.  I say not so bad but they still were obnoxious.  I got hit with only a couple of rocks.  But that was more a function of going through the villages first.  Those that were behind got it much worse.  They got many more stones, hit with canes and some had things stolen out of there packs on the back of their bikes.

Oh yes, one more last thing.  When I got to camp I checked into a local hotel.  I went right to the restaurant and ordered a cheeseburger, fries and 2 cokes!!!  It was probably the worst hamburger ever but it was the BEST thing I have eaten in a loooong time.  It was not on the plate for very long.  I think I set a new standard for the concept of "consumption".  

And so the true Epic climbing day of over 8,700 feet is in the record books of successful completion!

Mountains to climb or should I say pedal.

The long and winding road of switchback climbing.

Goats to market.  These are live goats tied on top of a taxi.

Lastly, this is where I am, Gondar Ethiopia.  From Cairo at the top to Gondar !  Lot of pedaling to get me here.