Day 36

38,470 – 38,622  152 Miles today (15,922 Miles Overall)

Abancay, Peru – Cusco, Peru

I got up at about 6 and loaded up the bike as fast as I could. I skipped that freezing cold shower since it was about 45F in the morning when I woke up. The owner asked me where I was going and got me a bit nervous when she told me I have a long long day ahead of me and making it to Cusco would be tough with the amount of riding I had ahead of me. I was wondering if I messed up my route I had planned for the day.

I got the bike out of the patio and didnt drop my bike thankfully. It was a sketchy exit. I started up into the mountains and my god was it beautiful. The temps were dropping slowly as I was in the shade and made my way up a few thousand feet on the side of the mountain. The views were breathtaking as usual. I can’t believe how these mountains just go on forever and ever and ever.

The roads were hugging the side of the mountains the entire way. As I got up higher the cliff on the edge of the road got steeper and steeper until it was just a straight sheer rock cliff face. One wrong move and you are gone forever. I doubt anyone would ever even see my body or motorcycle at the bottom of the mountain thousands of meters below in the jungle. I picked this route because it looked even better than Canon Del Pato in northern Peru. This road was leading me to a spot called Tuneles De Carcatera.

I turned a corner and there it was. Holy hell it was more beautiful than I could have imagined. The road was just carved into the side of the mountain. I don’t know how they did it. At some points they carved the road through a few tunnels which were pretty long and very dark inside. My headlight has taken a beating and won’t point forwards anymore it just drops straight down pointing at my tire for the most part. I gotta remember to tighten the bolts on it when I get to stop in Cusco.  I stopped for a while to enjoy the views and take a bunch of pictures. I stayed for about an hour. Maybe 2 people on bikes passed and a truck. I couldn’t believe the views in the distance. Mountains everywhere are a few thousand meters tall for hundreds of miles. It’s so quiet up there and all you hear is a few local waterfalls and birds chirping. I was in heaven.

I started the bike up and decided to go around the mountain the long way instead of going back where I came from. I wasn’t even sure the road would take me to where I had to go but these are the days I live for. Hours and hours of riding on dirt in the absolute middle of nowhere with so much peace and quiet, as long as I didnt fall off the side of the mountain. On and on I went. Burning up time just parking the bike and sitting down on the ground enjoying the view and noises. I came around another corner and there was a waterfall going right across the road. I washed the mud off my boots and took a few pictures. I continued on and decided this would be a good spot for breakfast. I parked my bike and pulled out a protein bar and protein shake and just sat down for about 30 minutes staring out into the vast mountains hundreds of miles away. We really are nothing in the grand scheme of things. These mountains have been here for millions of years and we’re here for such a small part of it. Humbling.

BEEP BEEP! A truck comes around a corner blasting its horn to make sure no one else is coming around the corner so they don’t have a head on collision and I get covered with dust. I put my gear back on and hit the road. I pass through many little villages if you can even call it that. Just single houses on the cliff edge every few kilometers and some that had a few houses next to each other. It was lovely.

The road was all dirt with some gravel in the middle from rocks falling off the side of. the cliffs and I got a flashback from the death road in Colombia. I hit the gas and started doing 50mph on this dirt road with the cliff on the edge. I was feeling alive, in tune with my body and everything going on around me. My god it felt incredible. It’s just me and myself here and absolutely nothing else matters at all. These are the days I live for. This is my meditation, my being one with my body, what BASE jumping used to be for me. I am here and only here. My brain isn’t thinking of anything else and nothing else can slip into my mind for a split second. I feel every little bump in the road, every split second my tires aren’t gripping the dirt causing my tires to slide, every tenth of a degree of the change of temperature of the air, the slightest bit of sunlight hitting my hands in and out of the shade, feeling my back tire slide if I hit the brakes too much going over there gravel in the middle of the road. So many tiny feelings, time has slowed down. Everything has slowed down. Focusing on keeping my bike on the path while I’m pushing myself and the bike to the limits a few feet from death is an incredible feeling. It’s nice to have the skill and knowledge to be able to do that whenever I want and then take a step back and not live at 100% of my skill level.

I ripped down the dirt road for about an hour like this, putting every ounce of my brain to work so I can focus. It was incredible. I wish I could get some of this every single morning. I think it would keep me young and keep my reflexes nice and fast.