A Dark Cloud

Puebla, State of Puebla – Amecameca, State of Mexico, Mexico

Introductory note: The bulk of this post was written last night before the election results had come in. I know many of us are dismayed by the results, but I decided to post anyway. Life goes on . . . Especially in Mexico and around the world. (And, by the way, I hope there are more than a few readers who were NOT dismayed by the election. I refuse to write off more than half of our country . . . We need to figure out a way to get along – maybe exploring the world together will help us find some common ground).

We didn’t get to see the main public square in Puebla by daylight yesterday so we headed back there for breakfast this morning. We found a nice big stone ledge to sit on right outside of the cathedral – but before we even set up breakfast we made fast friends with Emilio. Emilio is a Spanish professor who has worked all over the world. He seems to loves people and Mexico and helping people with their Spanish and with finding the wonders of his country. 

”I love this trip you are on. You are chasing your dreams. That’s amazing!”

Emilio was meeting two young people from Belgium – Emma and Jerome – for a tour of the city. He said they were going to start with a giant flea market. (By the way, Puebla is itself a city of 4 million! Who knew?)

After Emma and Jerome arrived, we talked about our various destinations. When we told Emilio we were headed toward Mexico City he told us we had to go to the Pasó de Cortes – the pass that Cortes took so many centuries ago. 

“It is fabulous,” Emilio said. “And there is a live volcano – Popocatepetl – up there. You must go!”

Later in the day, as we pedaled up the Pasó de Cortes, I reflected that Emilio’s statement was reminiscent of a scene in Love Actually. 

The young boy, Sam, was explaining to his father, Liam Neeson’s character, that he was in love with “the coolest girl in the school.” The girl, Joanna, is a talented singer, but according to Sam she has no idea who he is. 

So he hatches a plan to make her notice him. He will play the drums in the upcoming school pageant. Everyone loves a musician.

Liam Neeson says it’s a brilliant plan – inspired even … “except for one tiny little insignificant detail.” 

Sam doesn’t play the drums.

So it was with Emilio today. Brilliant idea to ride up to the 12,000 foot pass and see the volcano. 

Except for one tiny, insignificant detail: there is no paved road from Puebla up to the 12,000 foot high pass. 

Sadly, Diana and I didn’t figure that out until we were some 30 miles or so into the ride. We’re having a wonderful time on a small road that is winding its way through little villages and up toward the looming mountains.

We’re starting to really ramp up in a big way when I look up and see . . . the pavement ends and there’s nothing but dirt and rocks ahead.

How can this be? We’re heading toward a national park – one of the coolest things in Mexico. I quickly check my phone. My biggest fear is that I’ve accidentally used biking directions – which always seem to do things like this – and then Diana will kill me. But, no, we’re good. Not my fault. I have my driving-no-highways directions on . . .

I also check more generally about roads to the Paso – and I see a comment from someone else (I don’t think a biker). Went something like this: “More of an adventure than we were expecting to visit the Pasó from the Puebla side. There’s no paved road from there. But there is a paved road from Mexico City.” That’s a relief. Because we might be able to go up a dirt road. But we definitely are not going back down 5,000 feet on a road like this . . .

When Diana rolls up she seems remarkably unphased. 

“I guess it’s dirt from here . . .”

Somehow I get it in my head that we have about 13 kilometers – or about 8 miles – to go in order to reach the top. So we start picking our way through the rocks. At this point the road is pitiful. Big baby heads stones to negotiate through – all while going up a road that is so steep I’m in first gear and standing up just to keep the bike upright at all. There are a few areas where it flattens out briefly.

”Thank God,” I think. “Ten seconds to catch my breath.”

But then I realize that the flatter areas are just great basins for sand to accumulate. Keeping the loaded bikes going through the sand is brutal. Catching my breath . . . not happening.

About as bad as it can get really. But Diana’s still smiling and I kind of like challenges like this . . . We’re probably about five kilometers into the dirt road and at around 9,500 feet at this point. Not a lot of oxygen around. 

I see a sign saying something about something in six kilometers. I asume that is how much we have left and tell Diana – thinking that our new dirt road total distance is down to eleven kilometers. Things are looking up . . .

This all reminds me of years ago when some friends and I did a stage mountain bike race in Breckenridge, Colorado. Each day started at 9,500 feet and went up from there. Classic sufferfest. With the same type of brutal rocky road every day.

Except that we were on mountain bikes with wide tires and shocks and no heavy packs. A little easier and more fun that way . . .

The worst part of the stage race: when it rained at 10,000 feet. Because when it rains at 10,000 feet it’s not a warm, pleasant experience. Big cold drops of rain that pelt you like little BBs . . .

Which brings us back to the Pasó de Cortes. We’re on the terrible dirt road – thinking it can’t get any worse . . . 

And then the cold mountain rain starts. 

The next 30-45 minutes: cold and wet, with rivers of water literally running down the rocky path. The good news? The rain has firmed up the sand. I guess there’s always a silver lining . . . 

But definitely a low point on the day . . . 

Fortunately, the rain eventually subsides, and the road actually gets a little less steep and a lot less rocky. That’s good anyway . . .

We get to the point where I thought the dirt ends. There’s a restaurant or something – in that random Mexico way – and the place is belting out music into the woods – but it’s not the top. 

I telll Diana I was wrong about that – but in another 2 kilometers – about a mile – we will be at the top for sure. 

We get there eventually – but now we’re greeted with a new sign – hand-written: 3500 meters a Pasa de Cortes. Even I can figure that one out. Apparently this road will never end . . .

I should mention that starting at about 9,000 feet Mexico starts looking a lot like northern Minnesota or Wisconsin. Big majestic pine trees. A cool breeze. It’s really pretty. And the sun is starting to come back out now – which is good, because we’re still wet and we’re now at something like 11,500 feet – so it’s cold. Diana’s hands look like wax when they get this cold . . . Not good.

But finally . . . finally . . . we reach the actual top – some 12,200 feet above sea level (where we were just a few short days ago). Amazingly, most of the clouds around Popocatepetl – the still-living volcano that has it’s peak above 17,000 feet – have cleared. 

One thing about climbing a big mountain. It’s funny how quickly you forget the difficulty when confronted with the majesty of reaching the summit. The Pasó was well-worth it. 

But this is where the Mexico-ness of this journey enters the story. There is no one around. There’s a big, unpaved parking lot, and a visitor center that looks like a Mayan ruin – no upkeep in ages. The bathrooms don’t work – there’s a hand-written sign saying so. 

This is a national park. There are two 17,000+ peaks right there – one of them an active volcano. But there’s nothing up here. One guy rides up on his motorcycle. Jesus. He’s excited about our biking – and I’m talking to him but Dr. Liu has decided it’s time to go. 

She’s right – we have to get down off the mountain before dark. 

Little did we know we would be descending into an old landscape, wrapped in dark clouds – clouds that we have seen before. 

I guess we should have known. Cortez was not himself a particularly great character. I think he murdered tons of unarmed Aztecs and decimated the people and their empire. Following the path that he took could only lead to dark places . . .

A great day of travel – but not a great day overall. I guess we – as a society – are going back after all.

I hope we can all get through this. My sense is that we’re all going to have to do some soul searching.