Today was all about a massive climb out of Cordoba to get onto the high plateau on which sits Mexico City, Puebla, etc. 1600 metres of climbing, all in one shot. It was, of course, brutal. Thankfully the road was fairly well graded and never too steep, and for the most part there was somewhat of a paved shoulder. But still, 1600 metres up. It took us a few hours, as you can imagine. We topped out at 2400 metres above sea level (7500 feet), before descending (exhausted) gradually to where we are now, at about 2200 metres. We'll be riding this high plateau for the next few days.
In contrast to the lush, leafy lowlands, we're now in a semi-arid zone and can expect little to no rain until we get to the Pacific. Much of the day was spent within view of Pico de Orizaba, Mexico's highest mountain, 3rd-highest in North America, and one which defeated the climbing attempts of myself and 2 friends a few years back.
After 2 long, hard days we are "expecting" to ease off a bit tomorrow.
Pico de Orizaba from Cordoba
Some of the many switchbacks, low on the climb
On Mexico's central high plateau, with Pica de Orizaba in the background
2 comments:
Have you settled on your route yet?
From Peubla do you go south or north?
Will you reach the coast via HWY 95, 134, 37, 120 or 110?
Whichever way it looks like you have some great scenery ahead.
We are planning to emerge at the coast near Ixtapa.
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