Pedregal

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We left El Remolino early as it was hot at the lower altitude. Also, we had a big day ahead of us and wanted to get going as quickly as we could. 

The climbing began almost straight away and we quickly worked up a sweat. Although we never feel like we are going uphill fast, we often get shocked by how quickly we start to get views like this down into the valleys below. 

It always feels satisfying to look down on clouds. The lines of clouds along ridges is a real feature of this area and they always look spectacular. 

Our ride passed through two tunnels. This one really didn't look promising as we approached it but sure enough, it was open, clear and not very long.

Even though we were not setting any records on our way up, the slopes were gentle and we could spin our way up. We were treated to views like this as we looked down on rivers and cultivation below. 

The road is a feat of engineering. It is cut into the hillside and the scale of it made us wonder how it had even been built. To look back on the landscape it didn't seem feasible to fit a road onto the steep slopes. Well done to the engineers for managing it and for managing to keep the gradient gentle.

One of the features of a hot day being passed by lots of lorries with questionable exhaust systems are these black lines in the creases of my arms from the diesel fumes. I just hope the inside of my lungs does not look the same. 

We had a brief look round Chachagüi with this striking church whose colour scheme matches the sky. I had a calorie rich malteada (a sort of ice cream / milkshake combo) which gave me enough energy for the final few hundred metres of ascent. 

By the end of the day (at the wonderful Padua hostel) we had climbed 2400m - the most we have done in a day on this trip.

The next day was overcast, which combined with the elevation made for a cool start to the day. We had another two climbs on the schedule but less height gain than the day before. 

The road began by climbing up a river valley which was steep sided so not much scope for the road builders to fit hairpins in. Thus it was a tough slog until we neared the top. 

Just before the top we met Augusto, Libardo and Cuaran who had passed us on the way up and waited for us. They wanted a chat and selfies and gave us plenty of encouragement that we were near the top.

We had a fast descent into Pasto. I was cold enough to put on my rain jacket. I had not been that chilly for over 4 months. 

We rounded a corner a suddenly spotted the city nestled in between the mountains. It was quite a sight but we were enjoying the descent too much to take photos. 

We had second breakfast there. We took our bike into the cafe and just leant it against our table. The staff didn't seem to mind. 

We got this photo of the main plaza as we rode through. There wasn't much else on offer so we weren't tempted to stay longer. 

The final climb of the day had an easier gradient than the morning's which we were glad of. It didn't seem to take too long. We topped it at 3200m - our biggest point yet.  When we reached the summit there was a restaurant that we collapsed into. We had only just sat down when two other cycle tourers arrived. Tom and Agathe from France were working their way north and just happened to arrive at the same time. We chatted to them over food and relished their company. They are also in the final stages of their tour as Tom is a teacher and is going back to start a job in September. What a coincidence.

Our day ended with a 30km descent which dropped 1700m. It was awesome. Nice and fast but not too steep. We lost count of the number of times we whooped with joy. 

At the bottom, and 1km from Pedregal where we got a hotel, we crossed this bridge which crosses the deepest, narrowest ravine I've ever seen. 

An awesome couple of days in the hills. 

Google photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/p8J9ERd7iN2bGiZy9

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