Day 16
36,959 – 37,262 303 Miles today (14,562 Miles Overall)
Jaen, Peru – Cajamarca, Peru
I barely got any sleep last night with how hot it was in my hotel room which wasn’t good for my long day I had planned today. I got up at about 6AM, packed up and hit the road. It was still quite hot this morning when I left the hotel. I got right to it and started to haul ass on the road. There were a few rain drops but nothing crazy to start off. The ride was beautiful right from the beginning. The sun came over the Andes on my left side while I started to ride south. The sun shining over the rice gardens along the major road I was on with the sun breaking through the clouds made for a nice sight to see. I pulled over a few times to try to get some pictures while trying to stay ahead of the trucks I worked hard to pass.
Up a few miles away I was approaching some roadwork. Of course. I waited about 5-8 minutes and just said fuck it. I started my bike up and blew through the cones and to my surprise there was nothing going on. What a waste. I’m losing my patience with these roadwork blockades. Half the time I just blow through there’s nothing going on.
I pull up to another one about 5 minutes later with huge cones which I can’t blow past. I park my bike and there’s a short line of traffic. I must have just missed the pass. Some guys hop out of a truck behind me and start talking to me. I asked them how long the road will be closed for and they said 1 hour. Well fuck! I park my bike and join them at the little brick building for some breakfast. There were about 7 in the truck. We all sat together and tried to communicate while the food was being made. They knew I didn’t speak Spanish but had to triple check that what I was ordering was 5 eggs with rice and beans. While we waited for the food we all had our google translate apps out talking and conversing with how little Spanish I know but i’m learning slowly again.
It’s nice sitting down with people and just trying to communicate with them. I’m sure glad the road god shut down for about since I got to meet these people and try to talk to them. After some time passed we all went outside where a bunch of more people came over to me and started to ask me questions about my bike and the trip. Most asked question of course is how much does the bike cost. I like to lie a bit and tell them what it’s worth right now. I don’t think I’ll tell many people what I paid for it brand new down here.
After some more time passed they opened the cones and let just the motorcycle through. We all rushed through the cones like wild people. The side of the mountain had collapsed who knows how long ago and covered up the road that used to be there along with half the river. It was a huge landslide. We got on the detour route which brought us way up in the mountains and there was a car upside down in a ditch somehow and it looks like a few people died in the car. We eventually got back down to the river and I was having a blast. Following the river in the valley for a few hours is always a nice view to have. I stopped for a few pictures here and there. The road went under some large rock formations overhanging the road and there were signs everywhere stating loose rock formations. Great. Well I’m sure I won’t be the lucky one that it falls on.
About another hour into the ride there was some more traffic and I cut through most of the cars and came up to the front. There was a line of rocks on the road and then another line blocking the road another 30 feet up more. I looked around. Well shit it looks like there’s a protest and they blocked the road off. After the last one I tried going through in Mexico with the Feminists im not trying that shit ever again. Especially with a bunch of pissed off women! hah
I got off the bike and talked to a few guys. They said the road would open again at 7pm. Well fuck, its 11am right now and there’s no way im waiting till 7. I pulled out google maps and asked a few guys if I could ride back 2 hours to a town and then take a dirt road up past this town. I eventually asked a cop and he said It’s possible but he told me to wait. He went back down to where the protesters were and grabbed about 6-7 other cops and they came back to me. They asked me for my passport and took pictures of it telling me to wait. They ended up walking down to the group of people and grabbed the ringleader. A few minutes later I hear one of them yell something and wave his hand. The whole town that was sitting in the area walked over to the guy. I couldn’t believe this. I heard American tourist get yelled out and they all turned and looked at me. Maybe 100-150 people. I was halfway between them and my bike by the rocks. I put my arm up and gave them a little wave and a smile when they all looked over at me. These guys were having a meeting figuring out if they should let me pass or not. After a few minutes a bunch of them raised their hands and they all split up. A few guys started walking towards me and they waved me on. HOLY SHIT I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT!!!! I jumped on the bike and turned me go pro on and made my way through the crowd slowly
Luck is on my side after this one I can’t believe it! I started hauling ass to make up on time but it started to rain so I pulled over and put my pants on since I’ve been wearing my jeans all morning. I eventually started to climb up a mountain. A big one. but after about 2 hours of riding I noticed I didn’t see a single car coming my way. I haven’t seen anyone. I started wondering if the road actually goes out this way or is there another big roadblock or landslide. I started to get pretty nervous because it’s a long goddamn way back if this road doesn’t connect to civilization. The road got pretty shitty, there were holes everywhere, and everything was wet. it got down to about 45-50 degrees. I eventually came around a corner and there it was. The peak of the mountain and I was looking at one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my life. I earned it. The andes mountains just never ending, the clouds hugging all the peaks of the andes and the sun polling through in different spots hitting the sides of the mountains. This is stunning. I took a few pictures and just sat there taking many, many deep breaths enjoying the clean fresh air and this beautiful view that not many people get to see at all. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, it all seemed fake.
I started up the bike and started to descend. I stopped so many times to get some pictures and videos of the mountains I was seeing. The road was getting kind of sketchy. It was nearly on a cliff edge the whole way down. No guardrail, nothing to stop me if I went over the edge. It must have been a few thousand feet down. If I ride off the edge its 100% death and there will be nothing left of my bike. I had to stop enjoying the view and start paying attention to the road so I didn’t ride off the edge. Hours and hours of riding the temps slowly creeped up and next thing I know its 95 degrees at the base of this valley. All the green mountains were gone and it was just pure desert down here. I felt like I was back in Morocco or in Moab. The views were even more breathtaking down here. I crossed a bridge and started to go up again. Climbing and climbing on a tiny narrow blacktop road between the desert. I almost got clipped by 3 cars and trucks coming my direction because we couldn’t see each other. I started beeping the horn a bunch going into turns from then on. The road kept climbing and climbing and my back was starting to hurt like hell. 2 long long days on the bike and my back wasn’t ready to get into it this quickly.
Once I got to the top of that mountain it started to rain. I pulled over and took my jeans off yet again and put my Moto pants on. It was a brutal cold wet 2.5 hours for the rest of the day to get to the town Cajamarca which I was hoping to hit for the night. The temps got down to 43 degrees and the roads were damn slippery but I made it into Cajamarca by 5:20pm. I can’t believe I made it here with all the issues today sent my way along with the weather.
Today’s ride being in the middle of nowhere really made me feel vulnerable. I’m very thankful my bike didn’t break down or that I didn’t crash. It made me think alot about family and loved ones today. Seeing so many people huddled up next to their small houses on the side of the road today. Families just being so close with their loved ones. Out here with the weather and where people live it must suck to not have any of that or just be lonely with no shelter and no money. I am so grateful for having my health, wealth, family, and a good life. The amount of dogs i’ve seen just today hanging out on the side of the road makes me so sad. I bet they would do anything to have a family to take care of them, have a warm bed to sleep in, and be able to eat good food every single day. We really do have it good in the states with the jobs and opportunity we have. It makes me sad seeing what people have here and what they made the best out of.
The morning view on the ride
Riding in the gorge all day long
The protesters meeting about me!
The people i had breakfast with
