Hudson Doyle's travel blog: Cycling in Colombia part 2

Medellín to Fredonia

I had been warned that the roads can be problematic in this area during the rainy season. And I found out just what they were talking about.

There was no way to pass by foot. A cop showed up as I was hanging out and he said it had gotten worse even since that morning.

So I had to backtrack up the mountain and find a trail that I was told could, fortunately, circumvent the landslide.

The road was rocky and rough and ascended for a couple miles

before turning into a muddy walking path.

It eventually returned to a settled area and I could hear motorcycles indicating I was approaching a more legitimate a road that others used and that I wasn't lost.

Turns out this road was an old rail road track and offered an impressive route along the side of a mountain. Tunnels, waterfalls and an old bridge to cross. A surprisingly great detour:)

I eventually returned to the paved road that was now ascending out of a valley. So it was up up up and into more fantastic mountain cycling.

So fantastic it turned out to be the training ground for these guys.

And finally I reached the mountain town Fredonia, where I was invited by a family I had met in the Caribbean. This was my 4-5th mountain town and another lovely one. Arriving town and looking for somewhere to stay drew a lot of curios attention, this is not a touristy place where gringos are found... My kinda place :)

With the friends I made back in the islands

Leaving Fredonia was a long descent into a scenic river valley.

Hispania

Another small mountain town in the Andes with no tourists, this place had the most beautiful town plaza garden I've ever seen. Packed with colorful flowers and shaded by 6 beautiful trees.

Jardín

A busier, more touristy town with the Andes mountains visible all around. Lovely, colorful buildings and lots of people hanging out in the central plaza cafes.

Jardín to Río Sucio.

Man, that was something else! Antioquia has been some of the best adventure of my life.

I did not foresee having to cycle 50k on rocks and mud through the mountains. After I separated from a few locals on mountain bikes, I was basically alone up there, with essentially no traffic. Until a motorcycle passed me in the opposite direction I was concerned if I came across a landslide I would have to go a looong the way back.

Rocks and mud made the going much slower and more trying. But the sound of rushing water down steams and waterfalls was more common than the sound of cars/motorcycles.

This was some of the most remote cycling I've ever done; also some of the most serene and magnificent.

Anserma

Just another mountain town, with panoramic mountain views

Descent from Risaralda to Margarita

Wow that was one of the best descents of my trip! A long winding gradual descent with amazing distant Andes views and no cars. I was going 20-35mph for about 25-30 minutes. I cruised along with birds flying down below me. Amazing.

To Manizales instead

I stopped on the side of the road to write something down when a girl arrived shortly after to eat her lunch. We hit it off over our shared interest in cycling and she recommended a side trip to a natural hot spring near Manizales where she lives. And out to dinner as well. So I said 'sounds good.'

Turns out Manizales is a city on top of a mountain and the 3000' climb up there was tough!

Like Medellin, Manizales also has a gondola system to move people up and down the city on the side of a mountain

my day ended up looking like this--down and then up!

The day trip up to the hot springs was soso....a local bike shop lent me a mountain bike (for free) for the 25k mostly rocky/muddy climb up into the cold clouds. The hot springs sat at 3500 meters or 11,480' so the air was really thin and it sure was cold up there--48F !

Descending from manizales

This was the fastest, longest descent of my entire trip. Winding down the side of the mountain with 2 lanes I was able to finally crack the 70k/h mark. wooohoo!

The descents around here are unreal... I can hardly believe I've climbed up so much to descend so fast for so long.

Colombia has a great selection of flavors for juices and ice cream. Here a place that actually listed them visibly, which is quite rare. Fresh juices have even more options; in either water or milk. Only Mexico can compete with this variety. Far more fruit is available here than even in Thailand or Indonesia, in my experience.

May 31 2018

I just found out that the bridge in Valdivia over the Rio Cauca I crossed at the start of the climb to Yarumal 2-3 weeks ago had fallen down within a week or so of when I crossed it. It collapsed when a hydroelectric dam 100 miles upstream blew up and a torrent of water washed roads, houses and the bridge away.

I am so lucky to have made it just before or I would have had to back track ~1,000 miles, taken a more dangerous and difficult route to Medellín. Wow 😦

Filandia

Salento and El Valle de Cauca

My last days cycling were out of the mountains and into the Valle de Cauca--pure flat filled with sugar cane.

the road was often enclosed with coffee and banana trees

I met these folks on the side of the road earlier on and they wanted to keep talking so they found my on their motocycle and continued to chat for a while.....