04/07 Well if I thought yesterday was tough today was like riding a 600 lb bike uphill in a giant sauna. I left at 10am this morning and after riding for almost 8 hours I made it here. My actual riding time was just under 5 hours. So for 3 hours I was sitting under any tree I could find to try to and cool off. If it wasn’t for the trees I would have never made it. Oh and the hills. The climb out of the cascades wasn’t a surprise so when I got to the top I chugged down some cold water from the store and kept going. The 2nd big hill at mile 20 almost killed me. Traffic didn’t help either because at least once every 20 seconds a car/truck would come along which kept me from switchbacking up the steep parts. I’ve never pushed my bike up a hill but I can’t imagine that being any easier.

Not sure if what I’m in yet is rain forest but it seems like it to me. On one of my many siestas I got to see lots of colorful little birds flying around. Not too many pictures today. I had to save my energy. Ran into 4 more “vine-across-the-road” stops staffed by one or more young girls. The first 2 were within 200 yards of each other and I was going downhill (fast) and didn’t feel like stopping. So I kept pedaling and they dropped the vine when they saw I wasn’t going to stop. It wasn’t long after that that I started feeling like a world-class jerk. They lowered the vine so its not like they were going to kill me for not donating a little and we’re not talking about a lot of money. I’m not a fan of their methods but if I were in their shoes I’d probably do the same. So at the next one I stopped and gave up a few pesos. The last one I rode right by because they didn’t hear me coming until it was too late. I turned around and gave them some pesos too.

Palenque is my home for the next 2 nights. Found a place with internet and hot showers (not that I needed it) for US $16 night (Hotel Shalom). Tomorrow I’ll go check out the ruins. I only saw a little of the town so far but it seems a bit rough. The buildings/sidewalks are in general disrepair and the streets are a it of a mess. Kind of surprising for being so close to one of the biggest archeological sites in Mexico.

Feeling a little better. My nose has finally stopped running and the cough isn’t nearly as bad.

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04/06 Lost 10 more pounds today. That was just in sweat. The heat was bad but holy cow was it ever humid. For the first time maybe on this entire trip I had to stop and take a break just to avoid getting heat stroke. The climbs didn’t help either but talk about some amazing scenery along the top of the hills. Of course I ended up getting a flat tire which was made much worse by the lack of shade nearby.

Had some interesting people encounters today. While stopped just past a store to take a picture of a valley about half a dozen little kids came running over to ask for money. Once I said no most of them just stood there watching me while a couple of the alpha kids played with the things strapped to the rear bike bags. I packed my camera back up and started to ride away. I turned to wave and saw one of the boys looking like he was going to throw something at me. Sure enough the little brat threw a small rock and hit me in the back. It’s not like I could go back and beat his little ass so I just yelled “Hey!” and made like I was going to turn around. They just stood there like Children of the Corn so I left. I’m not entirely convinced that he wasn’t just playing but it’s hard to say.

Next up was an 8 year old highway robber. At one of the rare flat spots I saw a girl standing beside the road holding the end of a vine that stretched across the highway. As I got closer she pulled the vine so it was 3 feet off the road. I could have barreled right through I suppose but I had no idea who was sitting in the trees watching. I didn’t understand anything she said except 5 pesos so I gave it to her. She lowered the vine and off I went.

One encounter I didn’t have was along the access road to the cascades. The 2 mile road is a bit notorious for robberies and several bicyclists I know advoided coming down here because of it. I kept an eye out but it’s downhill the entire way and there was no way I was stopping for anyone. Made it here without seeing a single person and boy was it worth it.

The series of waterfalls and pools that make up the Cascades del la Agua Azul are beautiful. The first thing I did when I got here, after posing for some pictures, was get a cabana, change into my swimming shorts and jump in. The water was perfect and a lot colder than I thought it would be. I wish they had a set of waterfalls every 20 miles along the road.

This place is packed with Mexican families camping and enjoying the park. Lots of tents and people BBQ’ing. There might have been a couple hippies camping but I avoid them. I would have liked to have camped but I’m by myself and there are too many people around to leave my stuff unattended. Had a great dinner at one of the many restraunts before taking a nice walk up along the river.

Still a little sick. This cough won’t go away and I still have the sniffles. Maybe in the next town I’ll grab some medicine.

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03/18 Salina Cruz is so not a beach resort town. After out flanking a massive political rally I headed into town to see the ocean and find a motel on the beach where I could relax in a hammock and down a cerveza or two. The closer I got to the ocean the more decrepit the condition of the buildings became. I quickly realized staying on the beach wasn’t going to happen.

A huge wall runs almost the entire length of the town so I had to ride up a small hill just to see the ocean. The water looked clean enough but damn was the beach ever a mess. It was completely deserted which didn’t surprise me. There was garbage and an amazing amount of broken glass in the sand for as far as people could throw it. The city is known more for its the huge oil refinery so maybe people avoid the water because its not as clean as it looks? The only public buildings open that overlook the garbage beach were 2 rundown restaurants, both of which were empty. What a shame letting a resource like the ocean go to waste. If they cleaned the beach up someone could make a killing by opening a nice bar/motel.

The wind wasn’t bad at all and its supposed to be weaken a little tomorrow. It picked up a lot once I got here. There’s no way I’d be riding in it now. I know of 3 riders now that had to hitchhike in the last couple days to avoid the wind because its been so strong.

I was eating in a cafe when I saw K/M ride by so I ran out to get them (and probably scared my waitress). They are staying here at the hotel now too.

The political rally I mentioned was in full swing when I rode up to the tail end of it. There must have been 5000 people walking up the street while a guy with a microphone led them up the road while he yelled out whatever it was had them marching in the first place. The amazing thing to me was the complete lack of police. I didn’t see any; not even in front blocking cross traffic. That was pretty cool. The mood of the crowd was very calm which was good because if it was an anti-American gathering I was severely outnumbered.

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Weather in Salina Cruz when posted:

Temperature: 28 °C, Humidity: 65%, Wind Speed: 30km/hr, Cloud Cover: scattered clouds

03/16 Low miles today but it was intentional. There’s a big hill waiting outside town and 50 miles to the next stop. The weather has been perfect for so long now. I feel like I’m getting spoiled. It was 93 F today which wasn’t bad at all for riding. We were on the road by 7:30am but by 8:30am it was hot.

The only exciting event on the ride today was having 2 dogs come running after me. I had to bust out my bamboo stick but no contact was made. I found out later they came after K/M too. The long descent was down a canyon that provided some gorgeous scenery. It’s cool seeing a line of green grass/trees growing in an otherwise very arid place.

Staying in a motel that has something that no other motel has had so far–an air conditioner! There’s even a pool in the back. I passed on a swim because the water looked a bit too risky but the teenagers that came over are having a great time back there. K/M are here too. Riding with them is great because they are excellent cooks.

Sleep was hard to come by last night. If I got 2 hours rest I’d be surprised. The gas station had a lot more traffic than I thought it would and the 3 dogs that stay there barked all night. I think I’m going to set up my tent just a little further from anything prickly next time. The tent survived but I backed into a cactus getting inside and that does not feel good.

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03/08 Two things of great importance to me died today. The first to go was the water immersion heater I picked up in Guadalajara. I’d heard they can have a short lifespan so I wasn’t too surprised. Fortunately I have another one. That thing saved me a fortune.

The second thing was my rear tire. It’s not dead yet but there is a tear on the side wall where it presses up against the the rim. The tube isn’t exposed yet but it won’t be long. It lasted 6000 miles. I have a spare Schwalbe Marathon Plus tire and can pop that on if need be. I need to find a way to get 2 new Schwalbe’s now. The Schwalbe Marathon Extremes seem like they’ll be the best ones for me. Oaxaca is the next big city so I might end up having to stay there a few days. I should get there tomorrow. Getting a bike shop to order me a couple will be fun.

Long day today. Big climbs but very little sun so I was happy.

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