Today was not quite as scary as yesterday but it still had its moments. The road from Sihuas to San Miguel is unpaved, which in my opinion is far easier to ride than a road with bad pavement. It rained for several hours during the night and periodically throughout the day leaving the roads sloppy and slick. There were still sections skirting along the abyss but not as many as yesterday. Mostly it was a ride through several mountain villages where we were able to interact with people a little more. 

Other than the road being mucky and slippery, it was actually in very passable condition. There was a place where a small bridge was being repaired. We had to ride down a very steep bypass, cross a small creek and then climb a steep muddy embankment. I let Aaron go first because I knew he wasn’t going to make it. One of the construction workers and I caught him before he could slide backwards down the slope. Then with a little teamwork we pushed him to the top. On my walk bake to my bike I surveyed the bank and found a better line that had more traction. I was able to climb out without much trouble.

I stopped in a small village while I waited for Aaron to catch up. I greeted a small group of local farmers and they came over to investigate my bike. The women in the village wear brightly colored skirts and button up sweaters. Both the men and women wear a tall dome shaped hat with a wide brim. A middle age man with gold fillings in his front teeth asked me where I was from. “Estados Unidlos” I replied. He said, We have so many gringos coming through our village. Some on big motos, some on bicycles and some walking with a backpack. I could not get him to quantify how many gringos exactly. This village is pretty difficult to reach. I can’t image it can be more than 100 in a year. 

A few moments later Aaron pulled up and I introduced him. Having been a little shaken by the ride though the ravine he asked the man if the road to San Miguel was going to be better or worse. The man said “Es similar.”

We took it slow and steady, stopping to ask directions many times. There are no road signs out here and it is a maze of local roads. We did meet a heavy truck unexpectedly on a blind corner. Aaron was leading and I was one bike length behind in the left wheel track. I winced expecting to hear an impact but Aaron managed to veer around on a narrow edge. The driver shouted at us. We agreed that we needed to be more cautious. 

We encountered several other busses and trucks but what we really needed to watch out for were the many animals on the road. Horses, donkeys, chickens, ducks, sheep, cows and dogs that would unexpectedly leap out from opposite sides of the road to bark and nip at our heels. 

It took us over eight hours to travel less than 100 miles but we arrived in San Luis with big smiles on our faces. I was such a fun day. To top things off we found a restaurant in this little remote town with a proper wood fired pizza oven!