November 7, 2016
Wang Chin to Lampang: Over the Very Big Hill
I was up early, and had some yogurt and cold canned coffee and some freshly squeezed orange juice in my room. Those oranges are good and juicy! I carried my stuff down the stairs, and the guy who was keeping watch in the lobby woke up, unlocked the doors so I could leave, and put out bread and jam and hot water for coffee. I had a quick bite, and headed out the door.
It was foggy or misty or doing something out! The temperature was in the low 70's. The humidity must have been over 100%, and it was just condensing out of the air. I turned on my rear blinker, and set up my front light. I hadn't really thought the front light through properly. I didn't expect to need it. On my handlebars, it was blocked by the handlebar bag. I put it on the fork blade, which tilted it up a bit. Nonetheless I felt better with it turned on. I actually enjoyed riding through the mist, as it felt sort of surreal. But then my glasses fogged up too much, and then, only about 4 miles into the ride, the sun started to peak through.
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The road rolled up and down for a bit, with grades up to about 8%. It was about 20 km heading north on 1023 before the left turn onto 11, into the national park, and up the Very Big Hill. I paused for a snack at the junction, and then made my way up. I rode for a bit, and walked for a bit. Okay, in fact I walked more than I rode. Much more. The road gained about 1600 feet in 6 km. I read somewhere that it was 1600m, but my Garmin said 1600 feet. Of course, I was going so slowly much of the time that the Garmin didn't think I was moving and didn't register anything. So that's an estimate.
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However, what goes up has to come down, and it was a blast heading downhill after the climb. I was soaked through with sweat, and the evaporative cooling was great. I think it was the first time I've felt chilled since I left home in Colorado!
Route 11 becomes a big divided highway after the park. I had planned to stay on it for a simple and direct way into Lampang. However there was no shade, and it was rolling up and down again, so I took an opportunity to turn off onto a smaller road, 1037.
It was on this road that I met my first touring cyclist since leaving the hostel in Bangkok. I didn't get his name, but he was a bloke from Cornwall in the UK, and he was lightly loaded with only a handlebar bag and a large seatbag. He was headed south, and warned of the hills further north. He said that when he sees the sign with the lorry pointed uphill, he gets off of his bike and starts pushing. He said these are the worst hills he's seen since the Himalayas. I didn't ask about that. We exchanged information about accommodation in our respective directions, wished each other well, and went on our way.
Lampang is a big city. Getting into town involved about 5 miles of city traffic. The first hotel were I stopped was full. I didn't realize it at the time, but its one of Trip Advisors highest rated hotels in Lampang. Then I stumbled into the Riverside Guesthouse, which I have read about in other journals. I expected it to be pricey. They had 2 rooms available, a fan room with shared bath for 250 baht, or a single with air conditioning and ensuite bath for 700. I splurged for the AC.
After I showered and relaxed for a bit, I took my laundry to a self-service washer, had lunch at a good vegetarian restaurant, and picked up some supplies. There was a light smattering of rain, which felt pretty good.
This guesthouse is a backpacker haven, but the other guests don't seem too friendly. I guess the backpackers go from location to location with other backpackers, and don't get the isolation you get when you limit yourself to distances you can travel on a bike. The conversation I had with the other cyclist today is a stark contrast to my interactions with the backpackers. With that said, Lampang is an interesting city and there are things to do here. I'm heading to Lamphun for the meditation retreat, or I would spend a bit more time here.
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Today's ride: 69 km (43 miles)
Total: 688 km (427 miles)
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