Getting out of the canyon

16 October 2010
Today was our scheduled down day to do washing and bike maintenance, but first we had to get out of Lanqui n which is 10 km (6.1 miles) down a steep rough route with gravel, dirt, ruts and sharp turns. On the way down yesterday it took us about 45 minutes to make ride. This morning we were greeted with a rain shower which certainly put a stop to the planned ride on down to Semuc Champey. We had been told the road to Champey was much worse than the one to Lanquin, and this was almost more than we could handle with our heavily laden bikes.
We had to make a decision – attempt the ride out up the now wet and slippery road, or stay for another day and take the chance of the road drying. But of course that chance could also included many more days of rain as we are in the rainy season.
After walking on the road for a bit and confirming it was indeed slippery, we decided to attempt to make our way to Coban and find a suitable hotel for our down day activities which we also hoped would include some NCAA football on ESPN and an internet connection.
Within ½ mile of riding we had to stop where a truck was stuck trying to get up a particularly slippery section of the road. There were about 6 young men pushing the truck from the rear and about four pulling on ropes from the front. They got the truck up the slope and waved for us to travel through. Roger and I discussed the line we should take since there was a large berm in the middle and a deep rut on each side.

I went first and though slipping and sliding I negotiated that section. I stopped to wait on Roger and saw him go down. I rode a little further up the hill to park my bike so I could go help him. By the time I had walked down the hill, the men had tied their ropes to the front of Roger’s bike and they were proceeding to push and drag his bike up the slope in the same manner as they had assisted the truck. We watched these men help five more trucks through this treacherous section of road before we left.
Further up the hill, I stalled my engine while picking a line through a particular rocky section. I caught the bike but the weight was more than I could hold and I had to let it fall over. Twice I tried to pick the bike up but could not lift the bike with all my baggage. I decided to wait until someone came by or for Roger to notice I was no longer behind him and then walk down the mountain to help. I really did not want to unload the bike.

After about 10 minutes with no help, I decided to try and lift the bike again. This time I was successful. As I started to ride off, I met Roger who had walked about ½ mile down the hill. I rode up to where his bike was parked and waited for him to walk back up the hill.
The remainder of the ride was uneventful although slippery in places.
On the way into Coban, we took some photographs of some mountains totally covered with corn fields. We have both lived in Germany and Italy and we were amazed at the steep slopes of the vineyards, but we both agreed that the cornfields were actually steeper. As it is harvest season we m

et many men and women carrying large bags filled with ears of corn. I would estimate each bag was about two bushels and they were carrying them on their backs with a band around their heads. This hard labor was being done for long distances and in mountainous terrain.

In Coban, we washed our clothes in the shower, perform bike maintenance, made Skype calls, but watched no football as soccer dominated all the sports channels. Over the internet, we both celebrated as we learned Auburn beat Arkansas and Mississippi State upset Florida.
From the two of us “War Eagle” and “Go Dawgs”