Freeway and toll roads to start the day, temps dropping heated grips feel pretty good right now. Leaving town along the side of the freeway venders offering hot food and coffee. As we gain altitude it gets colder, down to 46f on my bike, glad to have my fleece on, wish I had the liner in my jacket, brrrr. At the top of a pass on both sides of the road are long rows of tarp shelters with a metal stove pipe sticking out at an angle towards the road. Each one offering hot food and coffee, business looked good. Topping the pass was beautiful, mist filled valleys, tall pines, wafts of wood smoke, early morning light.
Stopped for coffee and to layer up. From this point on the temp went up, of course, soon in the 70's, of course.
Off the toll roads and on to some great mountain roads, I'm back in twisty school. Today's challenges included pot holes, missing sections of road, and unannounced road construction. Jim and Max are patient with my progress meaning they usually get a 20 minute break waiting for me at the end of a twisty section. I keep Jim's advice I mind, "don't try to keep up".
At our last break, as usually happens, we attracted a curious visitor. todays was a guy in his 30's. Through Max he gave us a little orientation of where we were and of the road a head to Oaxaca. Lots of turns, first we climb then down hill, good for moto's, he was right. I remove all the extra layers I had put on.
It seems that any turn labeled dangerous here has a cross or shrine somewhere on it, I do wonder which came first. For awhile I followed what appeared to be a mobile shrine tied to the back of a pickup complete with a generator to power the sound system. Quite ornate complete with bells, towers, and prayer offerings, I decided to slow my pace a bit, just in case.
Arrived in Oaxaca late in the afternoon, it took awhile but we found a place to stay with court yard parking.
Shower, what a great invention, clean clothes and off to the zocala to find margaritas and dinner. Lots of vendors selling all manner of goods a long the way. All kinds of musicians playing around the zocala. MUF.
Max's bike, the possessed KTM, continues to give him, therfore us problems. Tomorrow more bike repair in exotic locations.
Location:Mexico City to Oaxaca
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