May 18, Mancora Peru to Nazca, Peru, May 27
Mancora. A beautifully scenic beach town on the coast of Peru.
The group meets up again after the long separation, we spend a short day and night at the comfortable beach bungalows. Then are straight back on track to the scheduled itinerary. Heading out again the next morning.
Mancora to Chiclayo. Great to be on the bikes again!
A happy and emotional reunion it was. Awesome to be moving as a group again.
Then it’s on from Chiclayo to Huanchaco. A short day, arriving into the windy surf town.
Huanchaco to Huarez, the next morning, was one of the highlight days and roads of the tour so far. An outstanding riding day through the world famous canyon del Pato, one of the worlds most dangerous roads, 9 out of 10 in difficulty. Twisty, single lanes, rocky, small water crossings, missing pieces of road, sheer cliffs on one side, and steep drop offs on the other.
Pure excitement and adventure!
On this epic road there are also 39 tunnels, carved out from the rock, that need to be navigated. This day certainly keeps everyones attention and concentration at a peak. The group loved it! Ray commented on it as being right up there with his favorite place to ride, the Himalayas, where he’s been several times. Said it was spectacular!
Spending two days in Huarez, which was perfect as it was Rachel birthday. She had turned 29 again, no, actually, she had her 40th and was very proud and happy about the year. A little party was thrown with a fantastic group meal, a couple of drinks and plenty of stories and laughs shared. The next day of rest was well needed, for some, from the previous nights celebrations.
Also, on that day, Clara was kind enough to let me ride her KLR650. I figured it needed a bit more time on the sides of the tires. Felix and Rachel, two up, on the Tiger, Ted on the GS 1200 where on the ride as well. It was truly epic, with 1001 twisties and switchbacks, with almost no traffic. We rode from Huaraz, over the mountain and into the town of Chacas. Had a great home cooked meal for lunch, and headed back the same way. What a road, and what a day. Outstanding!
From Huaraz we head to Lima. Some more great news on this day. Bob rides again. You might recall that he had a minor fracture a while back. It shows you what an epically long tour this is, when you can have a leg fracture, heal up again, and continue the tour after healing. The group separation was actually good for Bob. It gave him the time he needed to heal. In fact he only missed out on five riding days.
Into Lima we head. Man, can you say traffic! What should take minutes takes hours, especially in the hight of rush hour. So awesome! Everyones city traffic skills are tested, and everyone comes out unscathed. Three days in Lima.
We exit Lima into Nazca a few hours delayed. A couple of the bikes that were being serviced were late being completed, done on Latin time, making our arrival into Nazca in the dark of dusk. A beautiful starry night greeted us later that evening. No light pollution. Quite. A peaceful scene.
The following morning after a well deserved rest, the group goes for a Cessna flight to check out the incredible Nazca lines, with plenty of time to relax by the pool or check out the amazing desert.
More to come…
