Trans-Mexico Day #17 Valle de Bravo to Raices

Trans-Mexico Day #17

January 14, 2022

Valle de Bravo, MX to Raices, MX 64Km

Start 8:26am Finish 6:11pm

Ride Time: 7:35

Ascent: 2285m

Descent: 546m

Tour Total Km: 1784

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/81531445

I slept well last night in room number 18 at the Hotel Rincon Soñado in Valle de Bravo. There was the occasional dog bark or rooster crow, but I was comfortable and put the extra pillow over my head and slept well. When I got up in the middle of the night I noticed that my laundry was still wet which wasn’t a good sign. When I got up in the morning, I used the 'dry it by wearing it' method. It was nice to have a clean outfit. All my devices were charged and my reports were reasonably up-to-date. I woke up with the first light coming through the window, and I was out the door by half past eight. I kind of wanted breakfast but wasn’t real hungry, and didn’t see anything that appealed to me as I rode out through town. One of my motivations for wanting to get a early start was to beat the traffic. I was wearing my cycling shorts, short-sleeve jersey, short-sleeve cycling sweater, leg warmers, socks, and my rain jacket as a shell.

The route continued to circle around the lake and climb up out of the valley. I waved to a day cyclist who was riding down the hill from the other direction. I kept climbing and there was considerable motor traffic. The sun was still low on the horizon and behind the trees, so I pulled over to turn on my rear light. Further up the hill I stopped at an OXXO for a JUMEX mango. I was getting hot so I removed my jacket. I kept climbing up the hill and there was eventually less traffic. I passed a country club where golfers were out on the green.

The air was brisk and I was riding under the pine trees. There was nothing but climbing. I came to the small pueblo of Los Saucos. I stopped at a tienda for a nectar de mango, a torta de jamon, and a strawberry yogurt. I was sharing the road with large semi trucks hauling gravel down from the mountain, and they would use their loud air brakes on the descent. The empty trucks making the climb on my side were more muted.

I came around a bend and there were thousands, no millions of Monarch butterflies swarming everywhere. It was incredible! The phenomenon was confined to one general area. They were out in the roadway and throughout the forest. I got to ride with them and it was amazing to think that they had flown from as far away as New York. They were so delicate. It was a magical pleasure!

I then went screaming downhill into the next valley. I knew that I’d have to make up the descent. As the valley opened up I spotted majestic Volcan Toluco far in the distance. The peak was above the tree line and I could see snow. I came to a T and took a left on what seemed like a busier road. I stopped to reapply my rain jacket. I was cold. I rode through a small pueblo with taco and eloté stands. There were also tiendas but I didn’t stop.

I got hot climbing back out of the valley so I stopped to remove my rain jacket. There was no shoulder along the climb and I rode on the white line. There was often a steep drop down into a ditch, and it was harrowing whenever a bus or truck would pass. I would ride on the cement embankment, whenever available.

The next pueblo was Mesón Viejo. I was at over 9000 feet in elevation. I stopped at a restaurant for a coke and chips I removed my leg warmers and socks and lathered myself with sunscreen. After more climbing I came to a crossroad and took a right on gravel towards La Peñuela. It was 2:30 PM And I was at over 10,000 feet elevation.

It was nice to be away from the motor traffic and have the terrain back to myself. The track briefly turned to asphalt and I had a steep downhill through the forest. I peddled next to a gurgling stream in a beautiful green idyllic pasture. There was a picnic table and it would have been a great place to camp.

I came to the small pueblo of La Peñuela and stopped at a tienda for a Coke. The children there were very curious. There was a large clearing with houses and sheep pastures. I noticed yellow fields of Canola flowers. Ahead I could see the majestic peak in the distance.

The route got chunky heading out of town and there were hike-a-bike moments. I had to use my GPS to navigate the labyrinth of tracks. I endured more chunky and rutted sections as I navigated fields and forests. The forest floor was covered with pine needles. I lost my balance while riding across a stream and had to put my foot down in the cold water. Sandals with no socks paid off.

By 4:30 PM I had gone 60 km and I was at over 11,000 feet of elevation. The air was cool and I was only staying warm because of the climbing. It was an extensive a work out. At one point the track leveled out, and I found myself in the shade freezing.

As I got close to the pueblo of Raices I could hear chainsaws, and I eventually approached what was probably an illegal timber operation. Soon the pavement began, and houses, cars, and radio towers appeared. I was once again back in civilization.

I rode over to a place indicated on the route where I could get a room for the night. The gentleman told me they were full. I asked if I could camp and he replied that he didn’t have a permit. I rode over to a restaurant for some trout, papas fritas, a chorizo taco, and two Carta Blanca cervezas.

Afterwards I went to a tienda, but the only beer for sale were 40 ounce bottles of Victoria. It was quite cold and didn’t seem like a beer drinking night. As I was pedaling out town I noticed a sign indicating that it was the snow zone. I was really cold, and pulled over to put on my long finger gloves. I left the highway to take the gravel road up towards the top of the volcano. It was 6 PM and getting dark. I was soon going to have to find a place to camp, and it was going to get cold. I had to stop again to put on my glove liners. My fingers were freezing. I was prepared for this. I also took off my sunglasses and put on my goggles.

I found an opening in the barbed wire fence with an old logging path that led to a somewhat level area. I set up my tent, put on my long underwear, and edited this report.