August 4th
116km (2,809m vertical)
Things started out innocently enough. It was cool and overcast, so I packed rain shorts...just in case. The ride to lunch was the same scenery and gentle climbing as yesterday. On one steep downhill, I managed 79.7km/h, but that was the only real excitement of the morning. (Note: The fastest I've ever gone is 79.9km/h, so I'm closing in on a new personal best.)
At lunch, two men in an unmarked car and plain clothes stopped at the truck and asked to see everyone's passports. Theresa, the staff member running the lunch stop, went to get her passport and a phone (to call our local interpreter) and found that they had been stolen, along with her wallet. Apparently there was a “friendly” local guy poking around the trucks earlier who must have snatched it. With the police now occupied with a real crime to solve, they lost interest in the passport inspections.
At the 70km mark, we made our only turn of the day, and thus began the toughest 45km of the trip so far. The clouds disappeared, the sun came out, and the temperature rose from 75F to 95F in about 30 minutes. There were no good shade trees and no more gas stations to buy water, so the heat became a big challenge. I was almost out of water, until we started to find cattle stations, where cold water flowed from a tap into a trough for the cows to drink. It was just what we needed, because around every corner was another long, steep climb. The 2,800m vertical of climbing on the day is 15% more than the day with the next highest amount of climbing! For the first time on the trip, I felt tired on the road. The scenery was really remarkable though, so we stopped regularly for photos...and rest.
Lots of bush camps coming up, so I probably won't have as much internet access. Will continue to post whenever I can.
Overcast morning with clouds in the mountains:
Hot, hilly afternoon:
Taking a rest in the only shade I could find:
The cattle trough where we refilled our bottles with nice cold water...from a tap (not the trough itself):
View from the top (one of the many "tops"):
2 comments:
Merhaba Dan, Thanks for your informative and entertaining Blog & Pics, I can really imagine it - and wish I was there. Waiting for you to crack the 80k! The climbing is pretty impreesive too.
Good luck, kia kaha!
You are looking pretty trim in the photos ... may be ice cream is as rare as fresh water in the wilds of Eastern Europe! Unlike the rough roads which may get more frequent. You are certainly seeing places that are off the tourist routes and getting some great photos.
Take care, Ma.
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