02/13/24 Cuernavaca

February 13, 2024

Dropped into Morelos without fanfare or signage

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Not having failing tires or wayward packages to occupy my mind I was able to stay in the moment all day and quite enjoyed it. It wasn’t easy cycling, with several stretches of up to 11% grades, but the air, the scenery and the people were all really nice. I hit 9,25o feet, a new high for this trip, but thanks to a chance encounter it was a lot less climbing than I’d expected to have to do.

He stopped baring his teeth once I pulled out my camera, so he looks like a good dog instead of a terrorist

I had stopped for an orange juice after the first climb when Gabriel drove up for sherry and quail’s eggs (“for potency” he said, with a sly grin). He showed me an alternate route to Cuernavaca that added 5 miles to the day but eliminated over a thousand feet of climbing and a whole lot of traffic

The drivers didn’t mind they took the entire lane

The view at my high point of the day, but not the end of climbing

And a convoy of pilgrims in trucks. No walkers today

My route took me through or by several towns and villages. Each with at least one church

One town had a lot of places selling pulque

Sra. Juana María gave me free samples of pulque and aguamiel that left me with a decent buzz for a while

It was so nice to be cycling through this

Lots of places selling fresh flowers. Many tulips

I ordered a couple of tacos, even though I wasn’t hungry

Delicious. Made with black corn tamales, also a first for me

Trout tanks. Many restaurants selling trout today

Few villages in the forest but many individual houses and restaurants at nearly every turn

The dirty secret is that you couldn’t go 10 feet without encountering litter

This sign asking people to not litter was surrounded by trash

The decent was long and steep and would have been a difficult climb. I may need to replace brake pads after today

A lot of the downhill stretch was lined by expensive private homes. I saw a few that were simply palatial

Still descending, Cuernavaca peaking up in the distance

I dropped into downtown Cuernavaca and followed Google to a cheap hotel I’d found earlier. I wanted an Airbnb but my app insisted that there were none, zero, available. I think it’s a bug

Palace of Cortes, once his home now a museum which I hope to visit tomorrow

My $50 oasis of calm a few blocks away from the center includes a strutting peacock. I’ll be here for two nights

Today's ride: 41 miles (66 km)
Total: 1,876 miles (3,019 km)

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