June 26: Caucasia to Puerto Valdivia

June 26, 2022

Today started as our best day yet. We awoke to light pattering rain that quickly dissipated as we hit the road south from Caucasia. The weather was excellent, with puffy white clouds and a light breeze, and the scenery was spectacular. We began to see on the horizon the mountains that we would soon be ascending into Medellín, marking the end to our time in the coastal Caribbean lowlands of Colombia.

We caught a quick breakfast in El Jardín after 25km of riding. We were paralleling the Río Cauca and trending slightly upward for the entire day, yet it didn't feel like it. I think we've finally hit our stride and are feeling strong as riders.

Something funny we've noticed is that at the entrance to each hacienda, the farmers will have their name and a picture of their most prized cow right next to it. So throughout the day we passed countless photos of cows.

We had gotten a slightly later start to the day and as such we rarely took breaks after breakfast, save for a few water stops and stops for photos. We came across some more cool wildlife, including leaf cutter ants. The foliage too was verdant, with birds of paradise and every shade of bougainvillia spread out everywhere under lush canopies.

Leaf cutter ants doing what leaf cutter ants do.

Our route slowly took us into a valley that would soon guide us towards the enormous climb into Medellín. One of the towns we passed specialized in washing semis, as the roadway was lined with trucks and men scurrying around with soap and sponges. They relied on pressurized water coming down the hillside. Yet another hussle to be respected.

As the valley narrowed we began to see signs of rain forming ahead. As it was cooler out, we decided to preemptively don our rain jackets and continued on. And boy oh boy were we soon in the thick of it.

Folks, I thought the rain in Panama was heavy. But in comparison to the deluge we experienced today, Panama was a mere sprinkle. Waterfalls were soon draping down the side of the road, and in multiple spots we rode through several inches of muddy water flowing down the roadway. We stopped briefly under an awning to ensure that our important items, like passports and cell phones, were not getting wet. We were thoroughly soaked, and figured there would be no harm in continuing on to Puerto Valdivia since we could not physically get any more wet than we already were. At one point, after getting over the misery of being such a sopping mess, it hit me: this is one helluva adventure we're on. Here we are, two güeros, likely the only ones on this relatively remote highway in Colombia during a catastrophically wet rainstorm, whimsically pedaling away. Any locals we passed were surely puzzled.

Of course, as we neared Puerto Valdivia the rain dissipated just as quickly as it had appeared. We settled on the least terrible of the three hotels we looked at and set up shop, laying out clothes to dry under the fan. My frame bag concerningly had about two inches of water in the base, so I will need to figure out a better system for waterproofing it, as I'm sure this isn't the last of the storms we will encounter.

The bridge at Puerto Valdivia has a spectacular view looking over the river. The road quickly climbs at the other end, which will be tomorrow's task.

Once we dried off and got sorted, Brian and I went down the street and got some asada and watched a bit of the Sunday night soccer game with the locals. I'm hoping to attend a game while in Medellín, so watching it here in this tiny roadside town was a nice way to prepare for the excitement that would come.

Still somewhat damp but at least I've got a kabob!

Today's ride: 107 km (66 miles)
Total: 650 km (404 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	5
Comment on this entry	Comment	0