First: Huge thanks to my friend, David Demarest, for letting me use his patented water-proof bag. It’s super useful. www.DemarDesigns.com. THANKS! Well, I’ve been writing this blog for a while now, bit by bit as I’m near a computer, and finally finished it on March 1st. A lot has happened along the way, so this is a long one. We left the Shaman’s camp and biked a beautiful trek around Lake Chapala. This was a fairly balanced ride, only a bit more up than down as we parted from the water’s edge. Brock and I were way out in front of everyone for a while, when he stopped for a reason unknown to me at the time; I was having a great day, after all the rest we’d had near Chapala and Ajijic, so I kept my pace and rode ahead. After a while, I started wondering why no one was in sight behind me, so I stopped on the side of the rode by an old abandoned house and stood by my bike for a little while… then I stood on the otherside of my bike for a little while… then I put my hat over my face and laid down by my bike to nap for a lotta while. Finally, I got up and headed back the way I came. After three kilometers or so I met up with the rest of the crew and learned that Brock had multiple flats and brake issues. I was so glad that I hadn’t gone the wrong way or that they decided to change plans or somebody was hurt or something crazy like that… the things that could possibly go wrong while biking a foreign land (Actually, it’s basically the same stuff that could go wrong living day to day in a familiar land). However, to be honest, I was a little scared to be lost, alone in Mexico… just a little anxious. Anyways, we all gathered at a small town, off the lake a little ways, and rested a minute before trying to tackle the 42 kilometer (mostly uphill) road to Mazamitla. We’d already travelled about 40 or 50 km that day.

We rode about seven very difficult kilometers and came across an agave ranch where a family was cooking out over an open fires. Kipchoge, the leader of the pack (and one of the lead singers), got approval from the land owner to camp there for the night. The family was extremely kind to us and some of them spoke english well from working in Boston (I was stoked to talk to new people and understand what they said). After we made camp amongst the agave crops, we ate carne and fresh chickpeas with tortillas, beans, and various salsas. It was great. Eventually, the guitar was played around the campfire til the some of the natives were so hammered drunk (and some of the riders, too) that it just seemed time for bed. I slept pretty well til the cattle was called to eat the next morning. You could hear their cowbells from every direction for over an hour. Closer and closer. Louder and louder. Half awake, you could hear them breathing on your tent sides as they investigated our presence on their land. Loud, somewhat haunting breathes became my dreams’ soundtrack. Finally, as I got up, packed my stuff back onto my bike and headed over to the ranch, I noticed that my mom’s initial, big worry had come true… I had a flat tire. I patched it over coffee and milk from the cattle. ‘Want cream with your coffee? Let me just squeeze this udder a sec. There ya go buddy.’ Another first in my life. I don´t like warm milk, no matter how fresh it is… but with coffee… YUM! They family filled our water juggs and sent us on our way with bananas, bread, and coffee in our belly for the ride. A breakfast of champions.

This was to be the most difficult day for me so far and I’d heard that it was also one of the top three most difficult rides that the band had ridden in all four months they’ve been on tour.

It was uphill for most of the 35 kilometers we rode. It’s wasn’t like a little uphill here and there mixed with some downhills. These hills here are huge, long, winding roads… steep for a long time. Most of the time, I’ll be in the lowest gear, pumping and pumping away, but just be creeping along like a 4×4 truck. I use Joey’s advice on pedal speed, too (60-90 full rotations per minute; otherwise you’re putting too much pressure on your knee joints). It works. You pedal til your thighs burn and burn and burn and then go numb along with your butt (…and stuff, HA HA). After a while, you find a groove on the way up and just lay into that pace til the top. The big reward is after going up hill long enough, eventually there’s some downhill runs. It feels great to relax for a minute while preparing for the next climb ahead.

Mazamitla is nice. As we sat around the plaza in the middle of the city, we noticed banners for a scheduled, annual festival for which we happened to arrive just in time to play. Imagine that… just in time! My days get a little mixed up here, but we had a couple days off to explore the city before our show on Friday in the plaza. Mazamitla is a small, quaint mountain town with a nice little plaza which everyone was decorating for the festival. The city put us up in a nice cabin right by town and feed us nearly every meal (Thanks Paco). We met the mayor one morning and he kind of made fun of Brock and I for not speaking better Spanish. By the way, Brock has been speaking Spanish quit well lately… besides teaching me wrong words and laughing at me when I use them with the locals. HA! Friday afternoon, we were asked to join the parade through town before performing in the square. We were positioned right behind and amongst the dancing horses at the rear. Lots of grassy poop. We played a great show that night and met a lot of cool people afterwards. Most everyone is pretty friendly to us.

The next day, we left Mazamitla on the same road on which we’d come into town. GOD BLESS THE DOWNHILL!!! We were hauling some serious ass! My adreniline was so pumped that by the time I had to climb the next little uphill, I almost felt tired from the excitement. Awesome! Eventually, we got to Mazanilla and switched from downhills on asphault to downhills (and some upills) on a rocky, dirt road, short cut. The uphills weren’t horrible, but the rocks made it rather tough on your knees… Whatever… We made it to the next city, Concepcion de Buenos Aires, and the ride through the country side was really pretty. That night we played the plaza of that small town. The preist of the church read a full page about us to the congregation. Basically, he endorsed what we were doing on our venture and told the people of the town to support us. Every town we’d been to so far is centered around a plaza which is usually (always) right next to the church, so they came out after Saturday night mass and we jammed for them. That’s what we do… JAM! We stayed the night there, courtesy of the city, again. The next morning, our bikes fully loaded with all our gear, we headed back in the general direction of Mazamitla to a crossroad below the last major climb into Mazamitla. We were all to meet there and head towards the next town together. The path was the exact same dirt road we’d taken before with all the gnarly, rocky downhills, but this time all the downhills from before, were uphills. …and then, finally back to the asphault uphills again in Mazanilla. Brock, Eco (the other lead singer and Kipchoge’s Amor), and I, all got to the meeting place very early, while the rest of the riders had taken a ’short cut’ on another dirt road. Four hours later, we received word that they had been on the most steep, rocky path that any of them had ever ridden. So bad, that at one point they were all high-fiving and celebrating on top of a huge hill that they’d conquered (It must’ve been a tough one cause we don’t celebrate hilltops very often. They’re just part of the adventure. No big deal.). They said that at the top of that hill they thought they were almost done. However, a truck past by them and headed down the hill ahead of them. They watched and listened, and heard the truck’s engine down shifting repeatedly to climb the next hill. Apparently, they were a little pre-mature on the celebration… they could hear the truck grinding and grunting as it struggled for a long time to climb the next huge hill. No way! I’m so glad I didn’t take that path. Although, they did say that along with being the most difficult ride, it was also one of the most beautiful countryside, valley views of the entire trip. Whatever, I’m too new for that kind of riding still. Oh yeah… so, we decided to stay in Mazamitla again at another cabin. More freaking uphill… that same huge uphill to Mazamitla! That was the scariest ride yet. The sun had already set. Brock only had a front light with him. Eco didn’t have a light with her. I only had a back light. Brock lead the way with his head lamp, followed by Eco, then me in back with my back light. It was quite an adventurous climb up that same hill in this new environment… pitch black with cars wizing by us. The cabin was nice to sleep in though, and we all rested hard for the next leg towards D.F. (Mexico City).

That brings us to last Sunday morning. For the next part of the tour, I’ll try to be a little less detailed. It’s just been so excited to remember, relive, and document the time. Here’s a little section about the fuels we use to power our bikes:

LOTS OF WATER!!! I don’t usual drink much else. However, each little town has fruit juice stands all over. Smoothies and juices with a plate of eggs, beans, granola, yogurt and tortilla… YUM! Plus, fresh coconuts and bananas and papayas and mangos and hicamas and pineapples and passionfruits and other native fruits that I don’t remember how to pronounce or spell. A couple of my favorite riding partners left the tour this morning (last Saturday). Joey and Ariel (www.myspace.com/cellojoe) would take breaks along the rides to eat tortillas and bread with fresh avocado, tomato, sardines, cheese, honey, various fruits, and nuts… all in different combinations. SO YUM! I sincerely miss you both, but for more than just the food stops we shared. Anyways, Joey and Ariel, I hope you are safe and having a great trip back to the Cali.

I gotta take a break from the computer for a bit, but will try to have you updated again tomorrow… hopefully through the present. I’m trying!

Bessings and/of Love,

Jared

This entry was posted on Monday, March 3rd, 2008 at 5:20 pm and is filed under Bicycles, Eating, Music, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.