to Ona: still climbing but no rain

March 21, 2017

It is cold and overcast this morning, but most of our wet stuff has dried overnight draped over the bikes in the enclosed courtyard. We have our cereal in the courtyard and head out.

The Pan America bypasses the town, but it is easy to find. We drop another couple of hundred meters before the "climb of the day" starts, about 800 meters gain to just over 3000 meters altitude. It starts off fairly steep, then slackens off a bit, to steepen again near the end. The scenery is nice; green hills as far as you can see. We stop twice to eat and reach the high point as the rains threatens. The wind is cold so we need our goretex. There are some nice forests up here that seem good for camping.

A steep downhill and one more unexpected climb takes us to the Ona junction. The actual town is higher up the valley, but there are several restaurants at the junction. We have soup and a cold drink.

Just above the road is a very nice hotel: Quinta Galindo Hostal which has had some very good reviews from fellow cyclists. We get a large room with attached bathroom for 30US$, you can save a little by taking a smaller room upstairs with shared bathroom. There is a nice sitting area out on the veranda and a covered area to hang laundry.

The weather is a lot nicer than the last couple of days, but we do get a good downpour in the afternoon and a damp fog settles in after that. We walk back down to the restaurants (there is a short-cut across the suspension bridge) for dinner.

Having our breakfast in the enclosed courtyard of Hostal Saraguro.

Saraguro means "land of corn" in the Quechua language. So they have a big corn-on-the-cob statue at the town entrance.

Woman walking her sheep. Even though most pastures are fenced, many farmers have their cows and sheep on tethers and stake them somewhere every morning.

Here's a free roaming cow enjoying a nice view.

Saraguro Indian lady in traditional dress.

Lunch break. With the cooler temperatures we can carry cheese, lunch meats and mayonnaise for making nice sandwiches.

The clouds look threatening again today, but we reach Ona before anything falls.

On top of the plateau before descending again to Ona.

Ona has a very nice hotel: Quinta Galindo Hostal. It is just above the little settlement on the Pan America but below the actual town of Ona.

Today's ride: 37 km (23 miles)
Total: 29,378 km (18,244 miles)

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