Clean diesel has not made it to Colombia. Trucks and buses clogged the streets spewing particle laden exhaust as my two-wheel adventure began, departing Bogota on Tuesday morning. Traffic was at a standstill on the main route heading west; I followed the local bikers and took to the shoulder. That would get you the middle finger back home, here it is the norm and probably saved 30 minutes in travel time in addition to my lungs.
The trip over to Manizales saw a variety of weather (fog to cloudy to sunny to rain), temperature (48F to 92F), altitude (starting at 8,600ft down to 1,000ft, peaking at 13,000ft) and scenery. Once out of Bogota the countryside was a joy to pass through. The mountain roads were spectacular and demanded total concentration. The altitude profile of the last 70 miles tells the story, 5,000 ft. changes every 25 miles. The views were good.
Armero is a town that disappeared from the map on November 13th, 1985 as a result of a lahar generated by the ice melting when the volcano, Nevada del Ruiz, erupted. It killed thousands and was an eerie place.
I stayed in Manizales for the night, not a quaint place. A working town it seems, judging by the many low cost fast food restaurants and not much else to select from. Though my slice of pork, griddled with salad and french fries was decent; including a beer and tip, less than $7 so no complaints. The hostel was on the main street downtown, which as it turned out does not go to sleep until after midnight, even on a weekday. The video offers some hints of the day and views of Manizales.
Unfortunately, Nevada del Ruiz was shrouded in cloud when I rode around the base on Wednesday. It was a short (60miles) but challenging ride, the last 25 miles were unpaved; potholes, rocks, mud, four water crossings (my first) and elevation changes, topping out at 13,587ft. That said a minibus makes the journey once a day in each direction!
The weather and terrain did not lend itself to picture taking, though I did stop in the area where the lahar made its way down to Armero. Towards the end of the ride I met 3 Americans, Alex from Colorado with Casey and boyfriend Matt both from Newtown, CT. A small world indeed.
The night was spent in Murillo, where old methods of transport are much in evidence with the local campesinos.
Thursday was a longer jaunt through more exceptional mountain roads to the small town of Filandia. Steel Horse Finca is owned and operated by two early 30's Brits. They escaped London, spent 16 months on motorcycles traveling around this continent and decided to call Colombia home. They are developing their property to host 'overlander' travelers. A very comfortable spot where I will spend the next two nights.
All for now.
T2
Glad to see you finally leaving Bogota!
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