The ride over the first, and smallest, mountain pass went well. Today I felt good and not badly crippled by the rising altitude. As the days progressed I would come to feel less appreciative toward the weight of my cycle (sleeping bag, tent, water, books, maps, and even a full sized toothbrush), the gear ratio it provided (I tried before I left to get it refitted with more “pleasant” gears, “Say, can’t you just pull the gears off of that bike?” “No sir, that is a bike in for repair…”), the comfort of my saddle (in the bike shop I inspected every seat and insisted that I pull the seat off of, “that bike”), and the thinning air. Yet, these early days were relatively free of common verbal curses and relatively thick with oxygen. The top of the pass isn’t much to look at. It is however well marked with a big concrete and yellow sign an it is my understanding that there is a group of young men, presumably paid by the government, on guard 24 hours/day to insure that no visitor photographs the signs message: Altitude 13,500(ish) feet.
The landscape on the other side of the pass changed from intense greens to a more thirsty rocky-yellow which, when added to the forever snow-capped peaks, made for a beautiful and vertigouse sight.
2 comments:
Okay... I have not started on the appendix yet, getting there, but I had to say something... you know "First Post!!!" Okay, I admit, I'm a geek. So get over it. Wow, this is great! I've been waiting a long time for this post and it's so neat to finally see a little of all the places you were at. Some of that was truly amazing. And that puppy? How very odd? Did you notice that the sun actually changes position in your little animated gif at the end of the post?
AHHH!!! WHY DID I HAVE TO GO TO THAT WEDDING IN BELGIUM!!! Reading through your post has made my mouth water for the thrill of eating instant noodles in the warmth of my tent again. I wish I was there with you dude! Before your next bikie ride, find me and let us talk. I'm not sure about the stable-working life... I still haven't found it yet. man... Thanks for the pics and the updates and the stories.
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