Dancing Saddle

I hadn’t quite got over my cold but I was ready to ride on. My cold had been dragging on for a while now and my nose was constantly blocked which made sleeping difficult. The bike though wasn’t going to ride itself and summer was fast approaching.

I actually felt pretty good hitting the road again. The day started on the backroads along train tracks and small farms. I had seen tracks and heard the train but finally I got to see a train. The road was mostly gravel to start and then jumped on to tarmac. My first stop of the day was Genaro Codina, which was a steep descent into a valley and then an even steeper climb out. There was no way to ride out so lots of pushing along a smooth sidewalk but gravel road. After that it was all gravel through cattle ranches, valleys and plains.

I finally got to see a train in Mexico. There was a lot of evidence that they are around but this is the first time I saw one. The insanely steep hike a bike out of Genaro Codina took around thirty minutes to get to the top.

As the afternoon unfolded, I could feel the effects of the cold. I was ready to camp but wanted to make sure I had cleared Zacatecas state before wild camping. Just after I crossed the boundary, I was feeling exhausted. To the left of the road, the terrain was gently rising and if I went uphill far enough, I would be out of sight of the road. I found a tree stump. And leaned my bike and then myself against it. For nearly an hour I just sat there exhausted and to make sure it was a good location.

When in cattle country expect to be opening and closing lots of gates through out the day. The tree stump in the middle of this plain that became my home for the evening.

To be fair it was a beautiful spot. This flat desolate area with the sun setting in the west and the moon rising in the east. I saw a couple of coyotes run by along the fence line. There was a cattle kraal to the north east of me. I noticed a few cows but at the time I didn’t think much of it. After dinner and in the twilight, I realized that I had set up camp right in their path. For the next hour or so I was trying to maintain a low profile and not spook them. The dark made it difficult to judge exactly where they were and stayed as quiet as I could. Eventually I could relax once I was sure they were past.

The full moon rise was absolutely gorgeous and the whole night was bright. The herd of cows that spent over an hour wearily passing by my camp.

The night didn’t end there. The wind was nonexistent when I set up camp but soon it picked up and was blowing hard. I had to reset my tent stakes as this was the first-time camping, where I had no protection from the wind. I even staked the corner guy lines. Sand kept blowing under the rainfly and so I had to switch to the leeward vestibule. One part of the rain fly kept making a sound like a drum. I tried to adjust it but no luck. Another issue I was dealing with was my sleeping pad. It has had a tiny hole. It would initially last the night but now I had to pump it up.

In the morning the cows returned and headed back to their kraal. In the light of day this was much less eventful and I could laugh about it. And even threw out an occasional mooo. I got an early start and the gravel was amazing to ride on. I was having a great time between the cattle ranches till I got onto the main road.

The next morning’s gravel was superb and I had a great time cycling out of the farm lands. A farm named Ubuntu was an unexpected sight in Mexico.

At Rincon de Romos I got back onto the tarmac and headed south. I decided to skip the loop section of the Trans-Mexico and head to Aquascalientes. I stopped in Jesus Maria for lunch. The heat wave was in full swing and it took me a while to get going again. I then stopped for an ice-cream and coke outside an Oxxo. A man approached me and ask what I was doing and told him about my bicycle journey, and he offered me some money. I appreciated the gesture but I politely declined.

Aquascalientes was a a beautiful city but the heatwas in full swing. A mango and guava raspados really helped. Sunset over Plaza de la Patria and Catedral de Aquascalientes.

I decided to head into Aquascalientes and spend some time there. It was now very hot and the heat wave across Mexico was in full swing. I really needed the day off as I could feel my cold doing its thing. It was now definitely as hot as hell and the afternoons were unbearable.

The main spire of Catedral de Aquascalientes. I am not sure what this was but I think it was a modern dance/ballet performance by the local dancing school.

When I got back on the road I started very early. The intention was to start early and then rest in the shade during the early afternoon. The ride out from Aquacalientes was amazing. It was nice and cool and then back road was really enjoyable. I was riding amongst solar farms and agave fields. I had covered 40 kilometers by 11 am. I continued to make good time and arrived in Lagos de Moreno by three in the afternoon. I had intended to camp nearby but it was too early and decided to jump onto the highway and head to Leon.

One of many solar powere farms I saw on the road that day. I also got to see many agave farms along the way.

By the time I arrived in Leon, I had covered 133 kilometers. I was feeling great but I wasn’t a fan of Leon. I would probably put it alongside Fresnillo in my least favourite city list. It was hot everywhere now and I headed to the main square to get some dinner and find a cool spot. The best place to hangout was the fountain. The cool air coming off the water was amazing.

The heat wave or heat dome that is currently over Mexico makes fountains like these popular spots to cool down. I did not like Leon but the plaza was beautiful.

The next day I struggled to get going. I was finally paying the price for the big ride the day before. My legs had nothing but thankfully it was a shorter ride to Guanajuato City and all the mysteries it had. The ride to Silao was easy and I stopped for lunch. I had a long lunch and could feel the eyes closing. I didn’t have too far to go to Guanajuato City but I already knew it would be a struggle. As I got to the outskirts the wind started blowing hard and road was steep. There was no shoulder and my brakes were almost non-existent. It was a nervous ride, made little better with some dark, poorly lit tunnels. I finally made it to the hostel but still had a few stairs to climb.

Guanajuato City is a beautiful magical place like the worlds most stunning 3D maze. The final set of stairs I had to carry my bike up to get to the hostel.

The hostel turned out to be a wonderful place and a group of us went out for dinner and drinks. It had been a while since I have had meaningful conversations in English and it was well needed. We had a couple of shots of tequila and actually ended up in a genuine Mexican bar. We were the only foreigners there but we were made to feel very welcome.

The Basilica Colegiata de Nuestra Senora de Guanajuato. First time out in a local mexican bar having tequila shots.

The next day was an unexpected day. One of the guys at the hostel and I went to grab a coffee after dropping off our laundry when a scary moment happened. While we were chatting an eighty-year-old lady sat at the table next to us. We soon noticed that she was struggling with the heat. Before we could confirm how we could help, she seemed to have passed out. Her breathing was initially deep but then rapidly became shallow. The staff were calling the ambulance when she popped up and asked for a bucket. The staff had brought some ice and I was using it too cool her neck while she vomited. Thankfully she was alright and recovered quickly. It turned out that she hadn’t eaten breakfast. The next day she took us out for lunch to say thank you. Thankfully she had breakfast the next day.

One of the many pubs of clubs hidden throughout the city. Getting around the city of Guanajuato involves many stairs and tunnels.

Guanajuato City turned out to be an amazing place and I wish I could have spent more time there. It is one of the more unique cities. They day I left, I had a late start as I was having a great time chatting with the other hostel guests and for some reason, I thought I had an easy ride to San Miguel de Allende. Boy, was I seriously mistaken.

The Presa de la Olla that is the main water reservoir for Guanajuato that is below the level that it should be for this time of year. The steep first climb out of Guanajuato,

Getting out of Guanajuato City was a challenge. The moment I left the city limits the road turned into steep gravel. It was rideable but slow. At one point I dropped my chain which broke one of my spokes. I wasn’t too concerned as I got to a tiny village at around one to have lunch. I then continued and realized I would probably be camping in the mountain. I steep drop into another village with very confusing roads and then a very steep climb past some mining operations and a retaining dam filled with mining waste. The gravel wasn’t the best so there was a lot of hike a bike.

Changing gear under load is never a good idea and on this occasion I dropped the chain inward which caught and broke a spoke. Some mining still occurs in the area and this was a dumping area for mining activities just above the village. I have read enought stories about mudslides destroying villages to make me feel uncomfortable.

I had to decided to camp on the other side of the high point but that changed as soon as I bumped into a few locals. I honestly have no idea what they were doing there. They had parked their truck half across the road in a small clearing. They had made a make shift tent and they were unloading bags of something. There were also several blue drums of something else. I smiled, greeted them and then went on my way.

A thunder storm in the distance as I reached the peak of the mountain. A memorial deep in the mountains

At that point I decided the best course of action was to head straight to San Miguel de Allende. I wanted to go as fast as possible but the gravel was rough and it made riding fast difficult and at times I had to walk as well, both uphill and downhill. A little further down I was going a bit too fast and was trying to avoid the deep, leaf filled ruts by riding up the sides. My wheel slipped down and soon my bike slipped out from under me. I was able to stay on my feet and used the momentum to stay up right and ended up fifteen meters further downhill.

My first fall of the journey. I tried to ride on the edge of the road but slipped into the deep ruts. I think this is a red warbler but I am not sure.

I got back on and continued my race downhill. Another issue I would have is time. I had hoped that if I could reach the main road by six o’clock, I could make San Miguel de Allende before dark. I was sorely mistaken. At the Oxxo on the main road, I put on my hi-viz vest and turned on my rear light. I don’t have a front light because I never intended to ride at night.

3000 kilometers covered so far. Using my hi-viz vest for the first time for the dark to come.

My first issue was my Garmin dying. This made navigating more difficult but I wasn’t to fussed because I could just follow the road signs. I plugged the Garmin into my battery and kept it in one of my bike bags. I could still use my phone to navigate. A sign at the fork in the road said I should go right, which I did. It was starting to get dark so I checked my phone and although it said I should have taken the left fork. I still wasn’t bothered as there was another road further along. This was a big mistake.

The road turned out to be a cobbled farm road in total darkness. I had to use my head lamp as a front light. I put it around my neck and it was better than nothing. I pushed as hard as I could as I wanted to get to the city as soon as possible. The last thing I wanted to do was ride at night. Halfway to the city my front bag strap broke, which contained all my valuables including my passport. I had to reattach it on my saddle bags. So now it was behind me so I slowed right down and constantly looked behind me.

Using my headlamp around my neck as a headlight. Not recommended. As I made my way throug this village, dogs were constantly barking at me.

Just before San Miguel de Allende there was a tiny village. My phone battery died and I got lost between the houses and had about five or six dogs barking at me. I plugged my phone into the battery bank and then head down the road that I thought was the correct one. Thankfully I choose the right road and it was a straight line to the centro. I double checked when my phone had charge. I arrived at the hotel after 9 pm. By far the latest finish of this journey. And definitely the last.