9 months and 9,000 miles

After 3/4 ths of a year we have had more ups and downs than expected. We get tired of sitting on the seat at times. Tire at checking, re-checking, and triple checking prices only to have the price change when it comes time to pay (the ¨Gringo price¨comes after a long pause, a roll of the eyes, and an obviously higher price). We are still learning....and smiling! Over the last few weeks we´ve come as close as ever to taking a quick trip back to a more familiar land. Greater effort on our relationship and attempting to take ourselves less seriously has renewed our drive to keep moving south. In the end, we believe Peru, or more specifically our route through Peru, will prove to be the most challenging time on the trip. We will spend more time here than in any other country to date. So here we are, 375 miles from Cuzco (which means visitors and new bike parts to address some nagging issues!). We are liking each other more today than over the past few weeks and are getting ready for a 240 mile stretch of gravel.....we are currently contemplating mechanical assistance to speed us through a portion of the rough areas! A cool morning on the flat altiplano. Fantastic riding at 14,000´. This harsh area brought ice and some very cold rain as well as a wonderful downhill along a river.

Where the llamas live. Instead of a meal, roadkill means warm clothes!

Open air passenger cars along a river in an amazing valley. They nearly got the views we did from the bike.

Rough gravel took its toll, but offered many opportunities to enjoy both the natural and man made beauty.

A dusty road with everything in super scale. Eric is just in front of the bus with Jojo.

First broken link on the trip....quickly followed by the second. We are currently on our 5th drive chain of the trip.

Happy to hit a sizable town. This one actually had Pizza Hut, Burger King and a real supermarket. Huancayo was a refreshing stop.

We could see the storm clouds rolling across the hills and ducked into these crumbling mud brick walls. It was near the road and appeared to double as an outhouse for animals and humans, unfortunately our only option....Crap!

Entrepreneurs at their best. A city park wall, a few tarps, some sort of bucket and a sign ($.10 to pee and $.17 for traveler´s gold - toilet paper) and this person was in business. We cycled by the next morning with no visible signs of the makeshift bathroom.

Part of the reason we were so excited for a real supermarket.....we could leave there with our appetite in tact, a difficult challenge when walking through the typical markets.

The ultimate form of torture. Frogs in a tank looking up at their fate....fried frogs hanging on the side.

Large pumpkins, sold by the slice. Bicycle carts are big business....we are getting ideas for Mankato.

We wish you a wonderful summer as we start our ride towards winter. We are excited about our continued journey South and the opportunity it holds.