First Leg of the Trip

Back at it...I never spent so much time in the internet cafe in Cafayate! But I{ve heard though the grapvine that I actually have readers...so I better write. First of all, I don{t know where some of the grammer keys are on this keyboard so I type as if they were there...to convey my message of typing on a different kind of keyboard. On to better topics...

I left off this afternoon just before the ride really started. We hurried in Salta to get everthing together so that we could ride the day after arrival. It was a ton of work but we did it successfully. Our first day was good. The kids ride well, better than I have ever seen a group ride. One student started to fall back however and we quickly realized that it wasn{t so much the student as it was the bike. The rear wheel (as we know now) was not lined up with the front wheel, thereby making the bike drag a bit. The bike just felt slow and we couldn{t figure out why. Our trusty bike mechanic Marcos in Cafayate worked his magic and all is good (for now)...but I get ahead of myself...

We rode to El Carril...a small town roughly 40 km outside Salta. We stayed at a public sports complex for free and hung out with Franco...a little boy we had met on our last trip to this place. He watched us as our cook crew fiddled with camp stoves and tried thier best to cut an onion with thier suprisingly terrible kitchen skills. A spilled pot of hot water and a bad batch of meat later we were full and content and ready for bed. We would have slept well but there was a guy selling roasted peanuts who would roam the neighborhood at night blowing a steam whistle mounted on his bike. Cool to see, not so cool to try to sleep to.

Next morning we got up early and hit the road for Alemania. This was a big ride that came out to over 80 km. This is not so much a town as it is a artisan colony and a rural school. This was our first true backcountry camping night. The kids got a first hand lesson on how to properly cook and clean according to leave no trace ethics. Since the night was dark and there were no lights but our own, we had a good view of the stars. One of our students gave us all a lesson on the southern sky...even I still learn new things on this trip.

Again we left early in hopes of getting to the next camp a little earlier. We had another big day ahead of us...roughly 50 km. Leaving Alemania is one of my favorite riding days because the scenery changes so dramatically. The pace was quick so we were able to stop to see some awesome natural featers like the anfieatro and something they call the throut of the devil. By now the kids are feeling the burn...as am I. Instead of staying where we always used to say we stopped in Santa Barbara at the house of an artisan couple...Maxamilliano y Marianna. This was a great experience as they fed us one of the best meals I have ever had in Argentina. Pasta with pesto, potatoes and egg, salad and marinated meats. I stuffed myself beyond it being funny. But it was so good! The next morning Marianna took us on a cultural walk to celebrate pachamama...or mother earth. This experience was very spriatual...especially given our surroundings. The place had a great energy to it and I got really good sleep...even if the wind was a bit much in the morning.

Yesterday, after the pachamama ceremony we got back on the bikes and rode into town, again through some of the most gorgeous rock formations I have ever seen. The ride was a short but challenging 36 km. We got into Cafayate around 4pm and I bought a late lunch for the dirty, smelly group at a corner restaurant. Pizzas, milanesas, bife de chorizo, cabrita....all good stuff. We gave the kids a curfew of 12am and sent them on there way...alone. This is the perfect town to allow them there space to integrate with the local culture on thier own. It is small and a bit of a tourist town...so things were easily accesible for outsiders. The adult crew enjoyed a nice dinner with some torrentes vino (a local white wine). Sleep was good.

And now today. I{ve never felt so relaxed on the day off in Cafayate. I never did have my cafe con leche however. But the day was peacful and the town is strangly empty...which is nice for me...maybe not for others who want to see this place in action. I don{t remember ever having enough time to check email, blog etc. But since I have readers now...I have a responsibility. Thanks again to all who donated to make this and other trips happen for Two Wheel View!

By the way. I just talked to Rick and the Norway trip is going great! The kids have all bonded and the group couldn{t be better. They have had there mishaps too, crashes here and rain there...but nothing they couldn{t figure out. It seems that when you do a good thing, you will be paid in return with a valuable experience. We have had our problems, issues and dilemmas, but that is what makes Two Wheel View trips what they are. The problem solving aspect of these trips is what make them great. Traveling abroad on bikes with teenagers is no small task. It is my hope that the lesson learned, and the experience valued comes from the problems had and solved....if that makes any sense. I{m going to go get some goat to eat!

Phil