July 20, 2022
July 21: San Augustín to halfway to Mocoa
Phew. After three not-so-pleasant nights throwing up, a doctor's visit, enough antibiotics to kill a racehorse, and lots of rest and pedialite, I left San Augustín about 10 pounds lighter and slightly worse for wear. Still, I was feeling significantly better and we all agreed to take the day slow so that I could regain my strength and refuel slowly without inflamming my stomach.
After eating too many bananas for breakfast, we loaded up on purified water and left town by 9am. We first had to backtrack towards Pitalito before heading south towards Mocoa. The descent out of town was chilly but a nice way to start a day of riding.
We decided to take a dirt road cutoff that would take us over to the carretera 45. While this route appeared to be a shortcut on the map, in reality it was anything but. It climbed its way ever-upwards amidst expansive coffee orchards and through small settlements. Rain set in as we wound our way through the mountains, and as we prepared to descend it fell even harder. We were all feeling kind of crummy, as being sopping wet and covered in mud is not the funnest way to start a day of riding.
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We rode trepidaciously through dense fog and rain into Brucelas, where we stopped for lunch. I was feeling pretty disheartened and crummy, if I'm perfectly honest. Being sick just seemed to have zapped the fun out of the trip. Being soaking wet and shivering on top of it made it even worse. Still, the rain slowly dissipated as we finished lunch and we chose to press on towards Mocoa.
We had a large climb to conquer, so we all went at our own pace and tried to enjoy the scenery. It was quite beautiful, with a river winding its way down through a narrow valley, with trout farms lining either side. Unfortunately I was too preoccupied with surviving to the top to take any photos. We summited after several challenging hours, and let me just tell you it was freezing. We each bundled up into our warmest clothing and began our long descent into the new department of Cauca.
Let me just tell you that any difficulties and frustrations I was having on the climb were wiped out as we made our way further south. They valley we dropped into was gorgeous, reminiscent of a section of the TransAmerica Trail leaving Hartsell, Colorado that I rode back in 2016. It was just so tranquil and serene.
We rode the rolling hills for about a hour before stopping at a roadside Hostal. Gloria, our quaint hostess, immediately brought all of us hot coffee, aguapanela, and crackers, which were very welcome on this cold evening. In that moment, all negativity I had been feeling throughout my day disappeared. I was back and ready to conquer the last that Colombia has to throw at me.
Today's ride: 79 km (49 miles)
Total: 1,860 km (1,155 miles)
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