C2C Day 6

We started out today with a burst of new energy and excitment. We knew that at the end of today we would be riding on pavement and believe me after days on rocky roads we were ready for something smooth. We also knew that this was going to be a very difficult day as well as we left the flatter terrain of the East coast and hit some mountainous areas. Our distance covered today was about 85 kilometers and our change in elevation went from 110m to 446m and then down again to 230m.

Quite early in our biking today we encountered the truck in the picture below which had fallen off the road when passing another vehicle. It had been there for some time and was going to be there for another couple days before help came there way. It had been filled with bags of rice but that had been unloaded and trucked away already. The boy had been left behind to guard the truck.

The biggest pothole I ever did see!

Our treat for hitting the pavement was an enormous hill with a very steep climb. The Pepsi truck was climbing up just in front of us. They enticed one of our bikers to hang on to the truck which he did. At the top they gave him a 3L of Pepsi. Wow! At the bottom of the following hill was a place I had been to before and I love. This was a place where they sell guirelas which is a immature fresh corn ground up into a tortilla and fried in a banana leaf. You eat the guirelas with crema and fresh cheese. It's super good and we really enjoyed this local food.

The road ahead of us was super smooth and hilly. We got alot of speed on the downhills and we were loving it. One of the bikers was chased by some dogs and one ended up infront of his tire which sent him flying over the handlebars. He got some road rash on his shoulder and his helmet took a beating, but his injuries weren't anything a little advil couldn't take care of. I shouldn't make it seem that minor. I was very impressed the next morning when he got on his bike again and kept going. That evening we gave thanks again for God's protection along the road and that the injuries thus far had not been anything more serious. Each day we continued along the trip we felt more and more the many prayers of friends and family which gave us great comfort and strength to persevere. We all got into the hotel a little late this day. The bikers at the back of the pack were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset before reaching their destination.