Today had so many experiential components. We rode 86 kilometers which is about 54 miles. We climbed 3,999 meters or about 13,120 feet! That is an amazing amount of climbing in one day. There were three seperate large climbs for the day with almost all being on dirt. But even with the massive amount of climbing today was not the toughest day we have done so far. There are several others that were harder. It might have been that I was mentally ready for the day. The head tour director built up today as the hardest day of the tour. So I got my mind right to take on the day. And it did not seem so bad.
Yes the climbing was tough with some stretches of steep grades and long runs. But they were doable and took us to some very out of the way locations. The max elevation we got to was 2,630 meters or over 8,000 feet. This was on the first climb. In that climb we just kept ascending and ascending. We ended up climbing up into the clouds. We even climbed to a point where we were above the clouds and back into the sun shine. When we were in the clouds you could not see the rider in front of you who was about 100 feet away. You could hear a car coming but you could not see it until it was right upon you. It was also very cold up that high. All the locals had jackets and stocking caps on and scarves over there face to stay warm. We were in our sweat soaked cycling jerseys and freezing! The clouds were moving about us like ghostly mists. It was amazing.
On our second and third climbs we could see fantastic vistas. At one point I stopped to take in the site and just had to stand there for awhile. The view was so stunning. You could see for miles and miles. There were fields and meadows and mountain range after mountain range. It is something I will remember and have a mental picture of forever. There was another point were you could see a cemetery on top of a hilltop surrounded by peaks. The cemeteries are mostly comprised of mausoleums above ground. They were painter bright vibrant colors. There were purple ones and green and pink and red. I took a picture of it but it did not turn out.
At lunch a group of boys were playing a soccer match on a converted basket ball court. They were quite good and it was great entertainment.
I rode with the German and Australian guys again today. All three of us went down on the gravel dirt road at different times during the day. I left a bit of flesh and blood on Guatamalan soil. :(
The Australian guy was run off the road by a bus and crashed in the ditch.
The dirt roads we rode today were about as wide as a single car but these buses come flying down the road and just lay on the horn for us to get out of the way! It is fairly scary...
Here are some pictures from today:
Beautiful vista of the mountain ranges and valleys and meadows.
It is a shame but you can't really see the cemetery on top of the hill with the multi colored mausoleums.
The view that went on forever.
Sounds beautiful! Now for my leisurely bike along the canal, the views or level of difficulty won't compare but I will enjoy it anyway. Take care.
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