to Kapkwata ranger station: hardest 43k's ever

August 10, 2015

"I thought I was finally getting a good tan on my legs, until I washed" Rachel says at the end of the day. Today was one of the toughest days of all the cycle touring we've done. People keep asking how old we are, maybe it's a combination of being older and riding on the worst road ever! The immigration official's comment about the roads getting worse, was an understatement!

Yet, very beautiful and rewarding.

The road is rideable in sections. Then exposed big boulders and rocks with slick dust along with deep tire ruts to avoid, and the uphills and downhills steepen makes riding impossible for us.

The highlights of the day are still the children. When we stop a crowd gathers at a respectful distance, until a camera is brought out. Once a picture is taken, more children and adults gather. The children laugh and point when shown their picture. When we are riding, children run along after us shouting Muzungu.

Last night the UWA guesthouse at the Ugandan border was very nice. Our destination for today is another Ugandan Wildlife Association guesthouse. Only when we arrive it is closed. Patrick negotiates with the Ranger to allow us to camp, at least there is water which we filter and a nice spot for the tent.

We are going around the northern flank of Mt. Elgon that straddles the border between Uganda and Kenya. Beautiful views to the north and west over the central plains of Uganda.

Finished our jar of nutella, not sure if we can find new in Uganda.

Kids are everywhere. All Africa needs is more missionaries telling people to reproduce....

All these kids get on you nerves sometimes, but overall they are great.

See the little cyclist creeping up the road?

We weren't expecting to camp tonight. We filter water and eat our emergency instant noodles.

Today's ride: 43 km (27 miles)
Total: 5,446 km (3,382 miles)

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