Week 100: to camp on abandoned road - 1800m: upstream along a black Rio Tablachaca. - Racpat RTW 2015-2017

February 22, 2017

Week 100: to camp on abandoned road - 1800m: upstream along a black Rio Tablachaca.

We sleep well in our little hovel, but William was right: do not visit the bathrooms after dark. It is when the roaches come out and they rule the place. In the morning we follow the Japanese cyclist’s advice and buy extra-large bottles of water. We are carrying about ten liters, but the canyon we are going up is very dry and hot. The river runs almost black, filtering from that would be a chore, plus with the mines upstream you never know what you’ve got. So we carry water.

Just before leaving town we stop at the police station to make sure which road we should take. There are two possibilities; googlemaps makes one look more prominent, while maps.me shows another route as the more important road. When we checked profiles on CGOAB the maps.me route was shorter and less up and down. (It was only up….) The cop affirms the maps.me route and in retrospect there are road markers to Pallasca at the major junction. While stopped we are again attacked by the sandflies, Rachel gets many bites, Patrick a few less. They itch like crazy.

We ride upstream, the first 50 kilometers or so are actually pleasant. We climb but not more than 3 to 5% with again spectacular scenery. This river also is squeezed through some awesome gorges with the road clinging to the mountainside. There are several tunnels. The road is only a car-and-a-half wide, but there is barely any traffic. Too bad the river is so muddy; there would have been some nice camping along it. After 26km the road forks, it seems like the main road heads up a hillside, while the road we need keeps following the river. There is a sign here. Road markers start anew here with about 52km to go to Pallasca.

There is no way we will make that today; we knew climbing 2600 meters in one day is too much for us. There has only been one small village at an abandoned mine. We have seen two black side rivers and some murky irrigation water, but no good filterable water. At about 55 kilometers we reach Sacaycacha, finally there is water we can filter. We plan on going a little further today, but immediately after this town the road starts climbing much steeper. We have to walk. After about another 4km we see a decent campspot, right at the first big hairpin where the road switchbacks up there is a cut in the hillside where the old road used to go. We set up just before it starts to sprinkle.

A big disappointment this evening: no hot meals! We replaced the fuel pump of our MSR dragonfly stove, but it turns out to be the wrong one. The nozzle does not fit. Until we can find a new fuel pump, or a new stove we’ll be eating tuna-fish with mayonnaise dinners while camping. Tough day today.

Political messages painted on the rocks.

Narrow gorge and the ink-black Rio Tablachaca.

Another bad accident scene. Not much opportunity for error on this road.

One of the bridges today. The cross sleepers are spaced too far to cycle across, but the road planks have gaps that could easily grab a bicycle tire and throw you off balance. So we carefully walk.

We pass a small dying town. The mine just outside the village is closed down, so are most of the houses. We do not see a shop.

The road has been carved through hillsides of boulders cemented together with mud. Every rainstorm must bring more of them down.

Colorful mountain sides. The switchbacks up ahead are not for us. There are others waiting though….

In Sacaycacha we finally find water we can filter. The little shop sells cold drinks.

Our campsite on the abandoned road cut. Just around the corner the road is blocked by a rockslide so we know there will be no traffic tonight.

Today's ride: 59 km (37 miles)
Total: 28,350 km (17,605 miles)

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