July 14, 2022
July 14: Villavieja to Neiva
A symphony of rooster calls and birds signaled our start to another early day. Girish and I have found that there is something so special about starting out as the sun is just beginning to creep above the horizon, so we were each up at 5:45 and ready to go by 6:30. We decided to treat today as a sort-of half rest day by venturing into the Tatacoa and then backtracking to Villavieja and out to Neiva. That would put us at roughly 50km and give us the better half of the afternoon to rest up, relax, and prep for our next push south towards Pasto.
The ride out of town was stuffy, with fewer clouds than yesterday to keep us cool. Still though, we were treated to truly special vistas as we made our way to the "red desert," a specific region within the desert.
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We made it to the red desert after only 6km of rolling hills. It was like something out of southern Utah, with enormous cacti spread out amongst red rocks and arroyos.
We spent some time wandering amongst the formations and flying thr drone before heading back into town. We filled up on pan de yucca and cafe before hitting the road for Neiva.
The road was quiet and unexpectedly hilly, but still beautiful. Even with the heat bearing down on us, we managed to enjoy the ride out of the desert and into the city. Neiva also offered one of the best bike paths to navigate into town. It took us within blocks of the centro, where we located a quiet hotel on a side street and got settled for a lazy afternoon.
I have just over two weeks until I depart from Quito, and things are looking good for the remainder of our ride. Girish and I spent the afternoon mapping out the next few days to Mocoa, which would then point us towards Pasto and the border crossing at Ipiales. Once in Ecuador, we will have to decide if we follow a more direct route to Quito on the Panamerican Highway, or if we want to tackle the first portion of the Trans-Ecuador Mountain Bike Route.
Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 1,524 km (946 miles)
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