Desert Husk

Día 47-48: Long days in the desert sun call for a rest (173km)

Final part of Chapter 6 Bipedal Therapy

This chapter has been the most honest and personal thing I’ve ever published. It’s been a difficult but cathartic process. I hope you enjoy the concluding piece.

Post #43

---

Día 47 Drifting melancholy

Chañarmuyo to Salicas (GPX 70km)

The Porridge Fairy is at it again this morning. This time we drag the chair and table out to the reservoir pier and sit in the fresh air, letting the caffeine ease into battle with last night’s ruby red ethanol. A slight distance from the van is a good plan because it’s kind to give Struggle City Nicole a bit more time in bed after last night.

It’s a day for sore heads and shorter cycle distance. But when I wake up here, I haven’t the heart to complain too much. The air seems impossibly clear, the ridges cut in cobalt blue and drifting clouds that never threaten the sun’s authentic gaze. Since our arrival, it hasn’t rained in Argentina.

Dique Chañarmuyo, La Rioja, Argentina

A good hangover tonic is a steady, consistent downhill and that’s exactly what’s on the menu. A 940m descent means an average pace of 22.8km/h, one of the fastest of the trip. The dark fissures in the tarmac can’t slow us down.

Under clear skies a hoard of condors dive bomb a carcass on the road, evading trucks but quickly returning to stab the body once more.

At one point I pull ahead of Jake and force my legs into spinning overdrive on the hard pedals. I can feel the tears coming. The wind whips my face. Something needs to give, our pace is relentless day on day.