April 3, 2017
to Machachi: Sweet downhill
"These are good, we'll have to look for them" Patrick says about the sugary fruited snack Tony and Sarah gave us for the road. We've stopped after 20km of gradually gaining elevation and stop to eat them just before the climb steepens.
We are moving on today, Tony and Sarah will take another rest day. The upside of cycle touring is meeting fellow cyclists and find an instant connection. Even better is when you meet up again. The downside is there comes a time to say goodbye when paths will no longer cross. We are heading north to home, and they are going south to Ushuaia. Even though we did not cycle together at all we met in several places and "Tony and Sarah" became a part of our trip. They wave us off, and we hope someday to meet again.
We make good time in the initial gradual part of the climb. The day is gray, no views of the volcanoes, but no rain either. As we climb the wind is chilly but at least from behind. We stop at a gas station almost at the top to make ham and cheese sandwiches. There's no shop open for a drink, though we are able to sit out of the wind. The top is a saddle and after 35km we reach the highest point and start the 20km downhill.
"That was a great downhill, helped by a tailwind" Patrick says. And it was sweet! We have reserved a room at Casa Sakiwa, a nice upscale hotel and restaurant just on the outskirts of town. The manager is a cyclist himself and the place feels friendly. We clean-up and walk back to the city center to have pizza for lunch and buy bread and pastry at a bakery for tomorrows ride. Dinner tonight is a set meal at the restaurant downstairs.
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Today's ride: 53 km (33 miles)
Total: 29,868 km (18,548 miles)
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