Biking West 2015 ‐ Mountain Views

2015-11-25

tl;dr: I continued on Highway 182 through the Sierra Mountains. A lot of people live here.

I heard a jet fly over while camping. This is actually notable here. This may be the first jet I've heard since I left Cancun.

I continued traveling across the Sierras. I say "traveling" because I probably spent half of the day pushing my bike up these ridiculously steep roads. At least traffic isn't bad.

I started long before sunrise. By the time the sun was good and up I finally came across a small store beside the road. There are a lot of pipes and hoses in this area carrying water from springs to houses. I saw some of these hoses going in and out of barrels in an odd way. That looks like a still, I thought. I immediately forgot that until I attempted to buy water at the store and the guy was like, "no no no." He opened the water bottle and let me sniff it. That wasn't water. I did end up buying actual water and a coke. While drinking the coke, another guy in a taxi pulls up. He speaks good English as well. It seems a large number of people in this area have done time in the American Midwest just trying to make money. He spent three years in Janesville, Wisconsin.

While I was walking my bike up the mountain, Tony and Roland pulled over to talk to me. These are the first white guys I've seen in a week. They are cavers, but Tony sells Mexican art in the Midwest. Apparently there are some massive caves in this area. They directed me to go see one, but after they left I realized I didn't really understand their directions. Also, my butt was already kicked by the road I was on, and the road they directed me to looked worse. I wanted to see that cave, but I wimped out and continued down my route. Perhaps if I had a cell phone signal I could have mapped it out better.

The views here are nice, but there is always a Mexican town or village embedded in each view. I don't know why they all live up here, but they do.

I decided to stop when I found a relatively flat spot. It has actually been several days since I've been bitten by a mosquito, so I'm not setting up a tent. I hope it doesn't rain. I'm camping at over 2000 meters, and I'm beneath a pine tree. This may be the first natural pine tree I've noticed in Mexico. I'm at a high point on the road that effectively overlooks two different valleys.

This spot may not have been the best choice. There is a town across the valley, maybe five kilometers away, and somebody there is playing loud music. Also, a dog just showed up here.