2 days to Salta. Argentina. Now time to rest.

Sunday 12^th October 2014. Stage 56. Bushcamp Quebrada de Humahuaca to Yala. 152 kms, 100% paved, climbing 482 metres, summit 3580.

Sleeping in a bush camp with dogs, a rooster, goats and vehicles passing at all ungodly hours of the night, is not and an ideal recipe for a good night's sleep. Breakfast was at 8am and departure 9 am. Some people had their usual whine about why we were starting so late when we had 152 kms to go. I personally loved the idea of getting more sleep and not having to do anything until 8 am. 

We jumped on the bikes and off we we went for a ride that would take us from 3580 metres down to 1580 metres. I rode with Dave and we had a great chat all morning about the music industry and the people he has worked with. 

Although we rode downhill, we still had to contend with a strong headwind. At the lunch stop Dave stopped and I continued on. I got into a group of about 6 riders and we pushed onto a headwind that was now making it hard to go any faster than 18 kph. We took the usual stop around the 130 km mark for a cool drink and some ice cream, remounted, and climbed the final hill of the day. Once at the top of the climb it was a fast descent to our campsite some 20 kms away. Our group stayed together all afternoon and was good to ride with different people today. 

Our campsite for the evening was pretty good and for once there was Wifi. Because of the lack of Wifi recently I've not been able to post the daily stories. I know this is going to get worse as we get further south in Argentina.

Our night was the usual dinner, very nice, and an early night. Tomorrow is the day we ride into Salta and the 2 days that await us.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.

Monday 13^th October 2014. Stage 57. Yala to Salta, 100% paved, climbing 1282 metres, summit 1710.

Today's the day we ride to the city of Salta, a distance of 151 kms. Although we still have some big climbs to overcome, at least we have a beautiful day to start on . The sun is out, the birds are chirping for the first time and more importantly about 8 people were leaving the tour. Today I'm riding with Patrick de Vries who will be leaving us in 2 days time. Patrick is the young guy we worked for for the victory the other day. Now for today.

We rolled out as a group and stayed that way till the lunch stop at around 55 kms. The scenery of the surrounding landscape is similar to what you would see in northern Queensland or around the northern New South Wales region. Gentle slopes, full of green trees, cows wondering along the roadside and modern cars. Back in Bolivia the cars were old and well pass their use by date, here they are modern Mercedes, Ford and Chevrolet.

For the first part of the morning I sat on the front with the giant of the tour, Joost. We took our time and set a good pace ensuring the people we started with were the people we arrived at lunch with. We climbed about 600 metres to lunch and it was so easy, no headwind, a good road, and the cars showed a degree of respect of to us. That's something I don't get much of back home in the might GONG.

 The photo above is of the guy who did the sound work on the biggest hit of Bon Jovi's career, 'It's my life', and what a top guy to ride with. I rode the morning with Dave and then he decided to take the truck to end the day.

 That's me posing for the significant landmark on the tour.

 The above photo was taken on the washboard roads leading to the town of Atocha.

 The photo above is of myself and Patrick De Vries. Patrick will be leaving the tour in Salta. I must say he has been one of the best guys to ride with on tour. I will surely miss his smile and humor on the way to Ushuaia.

 I took the above photo of Buck and Marius with one of the young ladies who were attending a conference on domestic violence. Each young lady had their mother with them. It was my first experience in watching how to dance Latino style.

More photos of Buck and Marius with some of the young ladies who insisted in having their photos taken. They were very impressed with the notion that we were riding bikes to the end of the world.

You should take note that that's me on the front of the peleton. This is a procedure I will not be duplicating in the future.

Once our lunch was done, it was back on the bike and the 15 km climb up to the highest point of the day. I sat on the front again with Joost and had Michelle on my wheel all the way. The good thing about the mirror I wear on my glasses is that I can see exactly how far the rider is behind me. Michelle is from Brisbane.

We crested the summit with 30 kms to go and it was once again roaring down into the valley below. After a quick coke stop, we got back onto the bikes and finished the job. Michelle led us right through the city with her Garmin (I'm hopeless with mine) and got us straight to the campsite. 

I quickly put up my tent and got ready for the big celebrations as about 8 people will be leaving the tour and we've got one new lady to join us.

To cut the story about the night of festivities, I can say some interesting stuff went on. Sometimes people drink too much. I'll leave it at that. The party went on till the late hours of the morning and I had a really good time. I did meet a group of ladies who were attending a conference on Domestic Violence which was a big part of my life as a Prosecutor, so I was interested to hear their views on the subject.

The ladies explained to me that the men in Argentina have a problem with alcohol and violence and this is the reason they have brought their daughters along so they can learn about the serious issues and how to deal with it when it arises in a relationship. One of the funny things they noticed about us supreme elderly athletes is that we have no stomachs (because of all the riding) whereas their men have beer bellies. 

Another one of my good friends leaving the tour, Hartmud. I'll post the rest of the departing crew tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a chill out day, see the city of Salta, eat some good food and go shopping. I'll provide an update on tomorrow on my 2 rest days in Salta. Time to go out for dinner with the group. I should mention that I went for coffee with Patrick who is leaving tomorrow. I felt so sad to say farewell as I developed an amazing friendship with him. As they say in Australia, he is a top bloke.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.