Trans-Mexico Part 2 Day #4 Chaucingo to above Papalutla

Trans-Mexico Part 2 - Day #4

January 5, 2023

Chaucingo to - above Papalutla - 82 Km

Start 7:36am Finish 6:42pm

Total Duration 11:06

Moving Time 6:56

Stopped Time 4:10

Ascent 1,838m

Descent 1,383m

Tour Total 371km

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/110629605

Last evening the music down in the valley blasted until late in the night, and it was smart to have ridden out of town. After I crawled into my tent I suffered from leg spasms while trying to fall asleep, probably from dehydration. My tent was pitched on a slant side to side, so I had to sleep partly off the Thermarest to compensate. My phone was at 53% and my power pack was 32%. It was warm when I went to bed and I left my fly flaps open. It got cooler as the night progressed and I closed up my tent and pulled out my silk liner and sleeping bag, which I used as a cover.

This morning there was a cacophony of roosters crowing, donkeys hee-hawing, and dogs barking down in the valley. Birds were cooing in my campsite. There was no condensation in my tent, although I noticed dew on my gear. I packed up and walked back to the road. I untied the rope knot and let myself back through the gate, just as a man and his three dogs were walking up the dirt road. I had been spotted. In addition to the usual attire, I was wearing my jacket. I began pedaling up the hill and the climb quickly warmed me. I passed the man and his dogs as he crossed into a field. On a sharp corner I rode by a shrine at the edge of the municipality.

The track consisted of powdery white dirt. The grade was steep and I didn't experience any spin-outs. Last evening I had passed a scraping machine returning from a day of leveling out the road. Today I witnessed areas of dark brown that had been shaved. By 8:15am I had reached the top of the first climb, and could still hear sounds from Chaucingo down in the valley. Not a single cloud was in the sky. The sun was still low and I was riding in the cool shade. I enjoyed a nice level section and then another ascent began. Last night I could hear cowbells in the distance, and today I continued to hear them.

At the top of the next hill, I noticed a caballero sitting horseback alongside two dogs. One of his cows had strayed from the herd. The man shouted orders and I was amazed to see his dogs run after the cow. They began barking and tried to corral it. The cow, however, was stubborn and meandered ahead up the road. I felt guilty because my presence complicated things. I was riding in the direction the cow was rambling. The dogs finally gave up and the cow roamed for over a kilometer.

I started to get warm, so I pulled over to remove my jacket. Scrub and fields full of cattle surrounded me. I noticed a radio tower in the distance, and began following power lines down into the valley. I could see a lake in the distance.

Two pick-up trucks passed me going the other direction and kicked up a swell of dust. I had my first fall on a chunky uphill when I couldn’t unclip fast enough. San Miguel de las Palmas welcomed me with nice smooth pavement. I stopped at a tienda and purchased a del Valle peach juice, some Bimbo Panquecitos Crispas con Chocolate, and a bottle of water. I then put on my sunglasses and pedaled out of town. I was back on pavement, and there was no motor-traffic.

I rode into the next town, Paso Morelos, and came to two-lane Highway 1. I took a left towards Altenango del Rio. A police vehicle passed me going in the other direction and gave me a friendly honk. I relished a long downhill into a valley and was passed by a police pick-up truck. Officers wearing helmets were standing in the back holding semi-automatic rifles.

I rode into Atenango del Río, and went the comedor familiar Las Güeritas where I enjoyed two ham sandwiches and two Cokes. There was an outlet right next to the table where I charged my devices. There was phone service, and I heard from Michele who would be meeting me in Oaxaca. I used the bathroom to clean myself, and then rode out of town. I crossed a bridge over the Rio Amacuzac. I was now at 2057' elevation.

I began a long climb and was baking in the sun. I was consuming a lot of water and was worried that I would run out. I was regretting not purchasing more in town. The sun was hot and the hill continued. I began taking breaks in the shade. During one pause a construction vehicle pulled up, and I could see that they wanted to park where I was sitting. The workers were building a new water pipeline that I had been riding alongside of. I was desperate for water and noticed that they had a five gallon cooler in the back of their truck. They let me fill my water bottles and then treated me to slices of watermelon. As a rule, I only drink bottled water in Mexico. It later occurred to me that I didn't know where their water had come from.

I kept climbing. Once on top I passed the arched entrance to Copalilla, and then a downhill began. I came to a fork and encountered a roadside handicraft stand with colorful hammocks and woven baskets. I stopped and asked if they had cold drinks for sale. Luckily they had an icy bottle of Coke and chilled water. I sat there and told them about my trip. Coincidentally they had met Alex and Marina, the Russian couple whom I had followed on Instagram last year riding the same route. They asked me where I was sleeping and I replied, 'with the cows in the fields'. They wanted to know if it was dangerous and I said no. They asked if I had seen any snakes (I hadn't), and told me to be wary of coyotes.

I left the main highway and the smooth asphalt, and the tarmac surface became bumpy. I rode down into a valley and crossed a dried-up stream called the Temalac on a concrete bridge. The smooth pavement then returned. I finally made it to the top of the next pass and went flying down into the Rio Atoyac valley. I didn’t stop at the Balanero‘s (thermal swimming pools) because I was already hot. It was a half a kilometer off route and I was behind schedule.

Papalutla was at 2074' the lowest elevation of the entire route between Mazatlán and Oaxaca. I stopped at Miscelanea Aida Sosa for a Coke and water, and I sat inside in the shade. It was 3:46pm. Afterwards I continued forward, initially by following the Rio Atoyac upstream.

And then the climb out of the valley began. I rode switchbacks up the side of the ridge, and relished the moments when I was in the shade. I was getting further behind schedule. I had based my itinerary off of the Great Divide mileage this summer, yet here the days were shorter and the grades were much steeper.

I stopped and took a break. I laid horizontal on a cool stone retaining wall, and it felt so relaxing. Hawks were flying circles above me, hoping that I was dead. The hill lasted forever, and I paused and took numerous breaks. Fortunately the hot sun was dropping on the horizon, and there was a cool breeze. The climb just wouldn't end. At one point I thought that I could see where the road was taking me. These mountains were colossal.

My shorts were becoming frayed, and I'd need to order a new pair when I got home. The inside of my right knee was sore from rubbing up against the frame bag. I didn’t recall having this problem last summer. I stopped to lay down on another retaining wall. Afterwards I put on my clear goggles and turned on my rear light and radar. The full moon was rising.

It was an extremely long climb, and my goal (what I thought was the top) kept changing with every switchback and turn. It eventually became clear that I wasn’t going to make it to the top today. At a turn-off I found a nice flat spot that was behind some bushes and away from the road. It was getting dark and there was no longer any motor traffic. I had a spectacular view of the sun setting over the mountains and the valley below. There were cow pies, which I mistook as rocks. I liked to use rocks to hammer in my stakes and then I mark them so that I don’t trip. I set up my tent and crawled in. My phone was at 70% and my battery pack was at 41%.