So after a whole lot of no biking, it was time to get back on the bike. There were few options from here but I did not have the heart to ride the singletrack TEMBR again, uphill. That would just be torture. Instead I opted for the dead dog highway to Ambato.

I had the ideal opportunity to observe fathorse interact with the locals. I wished I set up the camera as people would pass it, think, look back and sometimes wonder if its a moto. All in all fathorse met the daily quota of smiles.

There was a little hill on the way but I grabbed onto a semi out of the toll booth, perfect timing. I met up with Leeroy at the top of the hill who is riding from Argentina to Colombia.

Riding through Ambato was nice, lots of traffic lights but not even close to the hectic streets of Colombian cities which are full of motos, horses, pushcarts and cyclists who dont stop at red lights (me).

Soon I was making my way to the shortcut to Angamarca. Quiet paved roads led up to 3500m.

With an excellent sheltered spot I called it early at 4. No need to be a hero and keep climbing into the fog. Its rare that you get a good view and a shelter from the wind. Sadly the clouds did not reveal all 3 volcanoes but just Tungurahua.

No luck in the morning either and between the rain I packed up and continued in the cold mist/fog to 4200m.

Just after the pass I got waved over and immidiately handed a hot cup of coffee.

Eventually I found my road...

the bad news was that it wasnt a road...

But the good news was that after some pushing I reached improved trail. Not kidding, machine cut and not yet horse-washboarded. It was a fun ride down at the expense of brake pad wear.

A kid on a moto who dropped off two other kids rode with me on the return. The horses, donkeys and mules were fearless to the raging motor but the silent machine that followed scared many out of the road.

that feeling when you know you are being completely ignored...

It was late but with hopes of seeing a good sunset I continued on the climb, hoping to find an open ridge and some protection from the wind.

Without good cover I figured the sunset would be worth it.

My rest days in Ibarra and hiking Quilotoa loop had left me feeble and weak. In the morning I felt very sick, barely drinking a hot chocolate and setting off towards the roaring cold wind.

Slow was the day, taking breaks and pushing uphill. If the winds werent cooperating, riding down was also a big challenge. Although it was so funny riding downhill in granny gear, squinting behind my glasses to avoid more dust flying into my eyes and breathing under my buff.

ever hear the story of the big bad wolf and the 3 piglets? people seem to only have straw houses here and the wind is howling but they are still standing!

llamas did not take kindly to my singing, talking and smiling... they are such mean creatures

When the sun came out I used every chance to take a break at a windless spot. I must have fallen asleep at one because I woke up to schoolkids laughing near me.

With great views comes great responsibility and I sought some protection from the wind near a native house.

There is nothing like the Ecuadorian poodles. These cool creatures are a breed of its own, smart, cool and always on the prowl.

While some people like to bird watch, the natives here really enjoy gringo-watching. After some talking they ended up just watching me for an hour. After the dad left, the kid returned few times.
"Do you have brothers?"
"No, only child," I said
"I have one, do you want me to bring him?"

The sunset didnt disappoint but going on the ridge for more than a minute was a chilling experience. I managed to get some good shuteye despite the wind blowing at the tops of the trees nearby.

In the morning the grandfather came to watch me. He didnt know much spanish except for the basics.

¨where are you going to sleep tonight?

Ï point in a general direction of where i think I am going, ¨Somewhere over there...¨

I managed to befriend the local llama and it felt right to take a selfie. keep in mind this is pretty calm photo... i dare you to look up #llamaselfie on instagram

The locals here are very tough, living and working in such cold and windy places and what about the rainy season?

A nice hillside section was followed by a climb to the peaks into some of the strongest winds. When it gusted I just had to stay put until it was over. One switchback I had tailwind and pushing the bike was like walking your dog, effortless.

Eventually Chimborazo showed up and the wind on the downhill was much better.

There was an effortless 400m vertical climb on a paved road with tailwind and if you thought llamas are goofy looking, meet these weird creatures of the wild. Longer necks and skinnier than their brother llama.

Up high on the to-do list was a sheltered camping spot and at 4200m it was also more of a necessity. I looked at some old buildings to find 4 walls and a roof and in perfectly good condition. The wind roared outside most of the night but it was warm and cozy in the tent.

No frost to clean off the tent and no frozen fingers from packing up, I got an early start with a cup of noodles and coffee and the climb was surprisingly easy - not even granny gear.

There was a sign to an open windy field of grass labeled
"Camping zone"
Yeah right... ecuadorians know nothing about camping. Later another sign marked an entrance to a park?

But the sign rose more questions than it answered. Who is this man across the river? Why is he there? Is he one of the 25,000 people that this sign benefits? And most importantly, what are his hopes and dreams!!!

Is he, like me, looking for the freedom in open skies of the andes?

Some fluffy wild animals waited for me at the top

And a dog... how did this dog get here???

Ok, not a dog.

The ride down was great! Who said you cant get muddy in the windy summer.

when you misjudge the softness of a muddy spot... could have been worse though

how not to hop a fence - bike hooked on the deraileur when i let it go...

Some twenty minutes after I found a road and the sun came out. I sat among the cows in a windless spot soaking up the sunrays, they took me as one of their own and gave me very polite looks.

A dog came by to chill too

But when I tried to leave he didnt let me. He must have assumed I was one of the cows and shouldnt leave my grazing spot.

Following the road was even some pavement and I aquired what is known as "cheese legs" - when you go downhill so much that more climbing sounds too hard to do. I zoomed down to Riobamba in search of a burger.

But I couldnt stop wondering... what are these mountains in the distance...

hmm...