Hello From Cuenca

I’ve decided that bike problems are good luck. I seem to meet the coolest people when resolving bike issues. I had pretty much decided to head for the coast and pound pavement to Ecuador. I need to meet my mom there on the 2nd and can’t be late. As I wrote previously, my subframe broke and I met the guys at the shop in Cuzco. They convinced me I could make it to Ecuador in time going through the highlands, which I did.

I rode through the sierras from Cuzco to Huarez then down through the Canyon Del Pato before hitting the coast south of Trujillo. The mountains were amazing, a bit like hiking in Big Sur. Coming to a valley, I could see the road I was following on the other side but wouldn’t reach it for another hour until I had traversed up and back through the valley….. plus one or two other valleys I hadn’t seen. Due to the rough roads and the somewhat transitory nature of my sub-frame fix (three hose clamps and a come-along strap), long stretches of 50 km per hour made averaging 300km a day hard work.

As I was on my way to the border with Ecuador at Macara, I had another piece of good luck. Out of nowhere, my bike went dead…. no lights, no computer, no ignition, no nothing. Being as I have some experience with this by now, I was pretty sure it was YABW (Yet Another Broken Wire). Fixing it, however, required taking off the fairing and dash and taking some time with the volt meter to figure things out.

As I was buttoning things back up, two girls from the next town stopped in a pickup to see if I needed help. At that point I didn’t but seeing as it had taken me awhile to fix the bike, it was too late to cross the border. I spent the night in Sullana with a local guide to show me around. You could walk all the way across Sullana in 15 minutes but we saw every bit of it from the viewpoint of her Toyota pickup.

So here I am in Cuenca. It truly feels like I am on my way home as I cross familiar borders and stay in familiar cities. I am on my way to spend a week with my mom in Quito and then on to Colombia. Assuming I don’t get diverted along the way, I expect to arrive home in late August or early September.

I am planning on having a party for my birthday on September 27th. Save the date, you are all invited.