Random acts of kindness

To see details of this section:

https://strava.app.link/UmdpLk7VJFb

Our ride eastwards from Torreón has been great but the stand out moment came when we were stopped for lunch and we heard a car pull up and stop. Three men got out and we assumed they had not seen us and were stopping for a roadside pee. It turns out that Jose, Jesus and the guy whose name I've forgotten were looking for us. They had driven past us earlier carried on until they found a shop, bought two energy drinks and retraced their route until they found us to give us the drinks. We were on quite a remote stretch of road so the distances involved were not inconsiderable. It was incredibly moving to be touched by this act of random kindness. 

They took selfies with us but we were so taken aback that we didn't think to get a picture of them until after they had gone when we snapped a picture of ourselves with the drinks.

When we left Torreón it took us quite a while to leave the built up area. The road was busy but for a long way there was a cycle lane. It was clearly not used much as there was a lot of litter in it and manhole covers were regularly missing which meant there was no scope for day dreaming.

We had anticipated that it would be slow going to get out of town so we had planned a fairly short day. Before long we were at the last resupply point before our chosen camp spot. We popped into a small shop for a water refill from their purifier and a coke. Given what we were charged, I'm sure we were given the water for free. Once again, the store owner wanted a selfie with us.

We were camping at the Dunas de Bilbao a 10km2 area of dunes. They are quite something. We pitched our tent in the shade of a tree and went for a walk around them.

They are spectacular with views of mountains in all directions and beetle tracks in the sand everywhere we looked.

I wonder if anyone can work out how I got this burn pattern on my fingertips.

We rolled away from the dunes and into Viesca Municipality where we went in search of a gordita restaurant. We came up trumps at Gorditas a la Terminal. Great food and great fun. Lots of jokes with the owners and other customers which involved lots of photos including ones of them on and beside the bike. (I hope Johnny didn't do himself any damage on the cross bar)

If you look at our route on Strava you might think we had ridden through the middle of a lake. The reality was that it was a dried out lake bed. The road was wonderful. Pan flat, dead straight, super quiet and totally still. We soaked in the views of the mountains all around.

At the end of the lake bed we began climbing. Once again the vegetation changed. When we stopped for lunch we were surrounded by at least 5 different types of flowers, various grass, shrubs and cacti. If you zoom in you might be able to make them out.

Our lunch was interrupted by the delivery of sports drinks mentioned above. 

We carried on climbing to the bustling town of Parras. It is a centre for pecan growing and wine production. We got a kilo of pecans for less than £1. I had an amusing experience trying to buy fuel for the stove. I asked a guy where I could get 96% alcohol and he left me to the nearby of licence. I thought to myself 'oh no, he has not understood me and thinks I want wine'. I followed him anyway and asked once inside. Sure enough, right beside the bottles of vodka was were bottles of 96% methanol. (They were at pains to understand that I knew it was not for drinking).

The town had a lovely feel and we could have stayed but the one hotel we asked in wanted £100 for a night. Thus we carried on to El Encuentro. A tranquil place away from the road where we are the only guests sleeping in the garden with a shelter to cook under. We are going to have two nights here and then get on the road.

We have been asked a lot about our plans for Christmas. However it really doesn't seem significant to us. Even though it is a big thing in Mexico we don't feel Christmassy and our plan at the moment is simply to stock up enough supplies to last us through any shop closures and enjoy quiet roads. After all, we are not going to spend the day opening presents and a Christmas meal on the Trangia is beyond our culinary capability.

We have started a shared Google Photos album where we will put additional photos that we don't use in the blog or on Instagram. The link to it is: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xaLo3e3Ff69czWfG6

Let me know at miketoyn@gmail.com if you would like an email update whenever there is a new blog post. If you struggle to leave comments on the blog but want to get in touch then please use the email address above.

Also remember that we have stuff on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/two.boldlygo/