| Distance | 74.82 kms | 46.60 miles |
|---|---|---|
| Climbed | 1,076 meters | 3,530 feet |
| Ride time (hours) | 5.56 | - |
| Avg speed | 13.4 kph | - |
| Avg climb | 2% | - |
| Max grade | 8% | - |
| Distance | 12,329.21 kms | 7,660.88 miles |
|---|---|---|
| Climbed | 143,749 meters | 471,617 feet |
| Ride time (hours) | 990.40 | - |
Saturday, July 6th, 2013
I had breakfast next to the hostal then hit the road. Not too exciting today, just lots of highway riding. At times it was pretty dodgy because the shoulder disappeared and it’s a 4 lane highway from Ambato to Latacunga. Latacunga is another good-sized city like Ambato. Later in the day I stopped for a sandwich and chips and got directions for the Parque Cotopaxi. I could see glimpses of the volcano all day off to my left but the top was always in the clouds.
In Lasso I stopped to get a few things at a store and ended up talking for a while to the owner and a young couple who were customers. They had lots of questions about the different countries I had visited. At one point the store owner said: “As our president (Rafael Correa) says, the pope is from Argentina, God is from Brazil, and heaven is in Ecuador.” I like that, it’s catchy in Spanish. They told me where the exit was for the park so I continued on to there, then rode 5 kilometers up towards the park before finding a nice campsite in a pine forest. It’s a joy to be camping in a bona fide forest again. I made a big dinner of pasta, peppers, tomatoes, chile peppers, onion, garlic, and spices. I overdid it with the chiles, dinner was smoking hot. I was packed up and in the tent by 7…early night in the woods.
