We arrived back in Quito in the afternoon on the 23rd and were soon checked back into the Hotel Ambassador, in an even better room than before. My bike and other bag were safe in their storage room. We had an early dinner at a close by excellent restaurant, did a little shopping and went to bed early.

In the morning, we did some souvenir shopping then walked all the way to the Old Town and checked out Plaza Grande and the area. Then we noticed the clouds were lifting and we could see the hills above town. So, fortified with ice cream, we took a taxi to the TeleferiQo, an amazing gondola lift that climbs over 800m from a spot above town. It’s one of the highest in the world. We had lunch at the cafe at 3,950m, then headed up the trail to Rucu Pichincha, a 4,784m volcano. Stopping often due to the altitude, we made it to the swings which were great fun, then a bit higher past the horse rental place to about 4,100m. Then the clouds closed in and it was time to descend.

Power was running a little low so we took a taxi back to the hotel and had a great nap. Grace didn’t have to leave until 9 or later so we had time to go check out the Santa Rosa Brewery, which was a must since we loved their beers so much in the Galapagos. Since it was only 1 km away we walked but a sly and smooth boy selling cigarettes on a corner managed to extract Grace’s cell phone from a zipped pocket without her noticing at all. She only realized later but then it was time to go to the airport. So she went without her phone, a black spot on an otherwise nice vacation in Ecuador. Watch your step in Quito!

I had breakfast the next morning, then spent a couple of hours assembling my bike. There was a little drizzle outside but I went for a quite fun and exciting ride on the route we will take to the Equator on August 2 for the official starting ceremony of the Andes Trail bike tour. I rode the easy part of the route, nearly flat, nice and fast on big roads, sometimes six lanes plus two extra bus lanes in the middle. Some were marked Cyclovia and there was even a short section with a protected bike path. The bus drivers are pretty polite (although their exhaust is massive and bad) but the taxi drivers are a little more aggressive so you really have to watch what’s going on. The ride was 20 km and a good introduction to riding in Quito.

The next day, I did the same ride but didn’t stop until I got to the huge complex at the “Mitad del Mundo“, “Middle of the world”, i.e., the Equator. I saw the 30m high monument but didn’t go inside as we will do that as a group in a few days. The ride back was harder as the more than 500m descent was now ascent. Half of the route is on a Provincial Highway with a very narrow (basically non-existent) shoulder/bike “lane”. This was no problem on the descent but climbing back was sort of a pain. The whole ride was about 50 km and took under 3 hours (2:25 riding time).

Navigating the prepared GPS tracks supplied by Bike Dreams was really cool. I had never used my cycle computer like that. But the Garmin Edge 530 rocks! At home, I had preloaded detailed maps of everywhere we’re riding so it has every building and street. It shows how you’re doing on climbs, when you get off route, what’s coming up – just great.

I was really happy to make it back safely (no close calls even), and then went out to lunch at El Maple, an excellent vegetarian restaurant nearby. Potato soup with cheese and avocado for the win! Also jugo de guanabana! Soup is a big thing in Ecuador and I need to try more.

I have a few more days before everyone arrives – one person I know of is arriving tomorrow but the rest later. I plan to try riding out of town the way we will leave – on the road to Latacunga, Riobamba, three more towns we stay in, and then Cuenca, where my son Beau spent a month last year. That will be our first rest day on the tour and from there, it’s south four more riding days to the Peru border. I plan to take a rest day at some point and climb Rucu Pichincha too.

The last day of our cruise started early with a 6 am hike which meant that after we checked into our AirBnB back in Puerto Ayora, it was nap time again. The next week was us on our own, pretty mellow. During the week we went on two day cruises:

• Isla Floreana, about 2 hours away by fast (rough) boat, and home of the amazing red marine iguanas which we saw really well. We snorkeled in two locations with bad visibility, although swimming with the turtles was fun. There was a pretty good bus trip into the Highlands with a walk through a giant tortoise enclosure. And then a brutal 2 hour ride back. All in all, you might skip this.
• Isla Santa Fe, only 30-40 minutes away on an even faster boat that didn’t stink of diesel fumes. Had a better guide here and two great 1 hour sessions snorkeling. There were only 8 people, all excellent, and it was really fun. A highlight was a visit to Playa Escondido, back on Isla Santa Cruz. This ended up being my favorite beach of the whole trip, nicer than Tortuga Bay due to its lack of people. Amazing place.

I also rented a bike 3 times from the very nice guy at the Morning Glory Hostal and rode most of the roads of the island. All the bikes are run of the mill MTBs, not much different but besides helmet and lock, this shop gave me pump, patches and tools after my first ride where I really needed them.

• July 16: Up to Cerro Mesa (and hiked the “El Colapso” trail to the bottom of a big crater). Then down to Playa El Garrapatero, an absolutely gorgeous pristine white sand beach. Unfortunately a flat with no tools required a rescue by a taxi carrying some Mississippi guys back to town. 34 km, 656m climbing. Strava
• July 18: Up to Los Gemelos and a bit beyond, totally drenched in the rain, but pretty fun. 52 km, 812m climbing, Strava
• July 20: Up and over the hill and down all the way to the Baltra Ferry terminal (i.e. as far as you can ride from Puerto Ayora). Wet on the climb due to rain, then brutally hot and sweaty on the return climb. Probably this was good training ride for the Andes Tour other than altitude! 82 km, 1,300m. Strava

Besides this we went snorkeling again at Las Grietas, hiked out to Tortuga Bay a couple of times (note that it literally closes at 5 pm), and had a wonderful time trying out the many excellent restaurants and cafes around town. Of these I would have to recommend:

• Best food in town: hands down, Midori Sushi on Charles Binford. Fantastic Japanese food, although not really Japanese. More like Japanese style interpreted by a local genius. Do not miss. They have it DOWN. Transplanted to Los Gatos, this place would kill. You can get a couple items off their menu at the Isla Grill too.
• Best beer in town: well this is a problem. There are a number of places where you can get not only Ecuadorian beer but Galapagos-made beer. The problem is most of it sucks and we ended up just switching to normal beer or cocktails. But on the second to last day we went back to the Santa Cruz Brewery. Previously we had sampled their six beers and they were all underwhelming but not as bad as the other local ones. This time I tried their “guest” beers from the Santa Rosa Brewery on the mainland, and wow, so much better. The IPA was actually GOOD! Go here, listen to the great music, play beer pong (I taught two young French kids how to play, then we had a fun match), play dominoes, eat good food. Very nice place.
• Most interesting dining experience: has to be “Los Cioscos” – the Kiosks. In the evening, Avenida Charles Binford starting from Avenida Baltra gets tables in the middle of the street and hundreds of people eat from the restaurants that line both sides. It’s mostly seafood, nicely displayed (although it does sit there for a long time with no ice in sight…) Lobster dinner for two is $25, and it’s always Happy Hour so cocktails are cheap (but may not be full strength). It’s really fun and half the price of regular restaurants.
• Bonus: The Helados Artesinales shop on the corner of Baltra and Binford serves delicious house made ice cream delicacies for $1. What they make each day varies but you will love anything you get there. We must’ve had 20 at least. Maracuya y Mora popsicle for the win. For best results, go there after lunch and after dinner.

Here’s a list of the Islas we visited, mainly for me to refer back to:

• Baltra, airport island
• Santa Cruz, most populous, our base for most of our visit
• Daphne Mayor, can’t land – quickly visited for the bird life
• Santiago, visited two places, great snorkeling
• Bartolome, hiked to the summit
• South Plazas, day cruise, amazing birds and iguanas and sea lions
• Isabela, the largest. Climbed Volcán Sierra Negra and landed in several locations
• Fernandina, in the northwest, visited on our cruise
• Rabida, visited on our cruise
• Seymour Norte, amazing place, crawling with Frigate Birds. Must see.
• Floreana, day cruise, amazing red iguanas
• Santa Fé, day cruise, excellent snorkeling, no landings allowed

We cancelled our plans to take the ferry over to Isla de San Cristobal – there was a great sounding tour that goes snorkeling in a place famous for Hammerhead Sharks. But those rides can be pretty rough so we swapped it for Isla Santa Fé, leaving something for a future visit.

It was a little sad leaving, but I’m about to start an amazing adventure in cycling and am super excited about that. This excellent trip to the Galapagos was helped greatly by my son Beau who spent a month here in 2018. His recommendations and encouragement really helped us a lot. Thanks Beau!

Here are some photos and videos of our last week in the Galapagos.

PS At the airport I met up with an old friend from our college days at UC Berkeley – it was amazing to see Steve and his whole family. We had breakfast together in the lounge. They had just had a real adventure the night before with their cruise boat catching fire and having to abandon ship into the ocean in life jackets, losing at least one phone, breathing in bad smoke, etc.

Before boarding our longer cruise we had one more day trip lined up: to South Plaza Island on July 8. It started with another bus ride to the Baltra end of Santa Cruz island, and then onto the “Santa Fe”. We went a little way around to the east and stopped at Punta de Carrión for some snorkeling. It was a nice spot with some sharks relaxed on the bottom in shallow water and millions of fish.

We continued around the coast for a couple of hours to South Plaza Island where we took a walk, marveling at the iguanas, both land and marine. In fact this is one of the rare places where the two species have successfully interbred, although the offspring are sterile, like mules from horses mating with donkeys. There were a ton of interesting sea birds along the top of the cliff where we walked on the way to the point where the bachelor sea lions hang out. These are the old guys, no longer mating. They climb up from the sea every afternoon – we watched one do the amazing climb, and live a lonely life.

The boat continued around Santa Cruz so that we landed in the late afternoon back in Puerto Ayora, saving another bus ride. We had dinner back at the Cafe Hernan and went to bed kind of early, excited to start our big cruise in the morning.

Our guide Rubin arrived at 7:30 and it turned out there were only 3 of us who had booked the 8 day tour – we all took a taxi to the Charles Darwin Center and Rubin showed us around, emphasizing the “Lonesome George” exhibit. George died in 2012, the last of his subspecies, hence Lonesome. It was a 4 year taxidermy job in the US and boy did they do a good job. It is really sad to think of what it means to be the last of a species though.

Rubin went off to collect more passengers and we looked through the rest of the exhibits, eventually finding two giant tortoises mating. The male was huge, over 200 kg, and it looked very difficult and dicey. He was grunting hard every 30 seconds or so – supposedly the whole thing takes a couple of hours. The Charles Darwin Center just celebrated its 60th anniversary and is really worth a visit when you’re here.

We met up downtown and went out to the Aida Maria, our home for the next few days. It’s about 20 years old, one of the last wooden boats made in Puerto Ayora, sleeps 16 plus a crew of five. We got our cabin (small but cozy) and then headed back to shore for lunch with the rest of the passengers. Then, by bus into the Highlands to a ranch where giant tortoises wander around freely, and a visit to a couple of lava tunnels. One of these was long and had electric lights in place. The tortoises were just amazing; photos somehow don’t so them full justice.

After this little trip, it was back to the boat, a nap, then dinner. We left Puerto Ayora around 11pm, bound for the largest Galapagos Island, Isla Isabela. In the morning we had magically arrived, and went ashore after breakfast. We first drove up to the Volcán Sierra Negra (1,124m), one of the 5 volcanoes whose floes have flown together to form this largest Galapagos island. We drove up to about 900m then hiked up to the viewpoint, just over 3 km, in misty fog. As we got near the top, the mist cleared and we had a great view of the whole caldera, the second largest in the world (after Ngorogoro in Tanzania that we visited in 2009). We walked down, then back to the boat for lunch. Then we walked through a nature reserve, saw flamingos, visited another tortoise breeding center, then hung out at a beach for a few hours. The water was nice, juggling was fun and there was a nice little bar for some late afternoon beers with popcorn. After dinner back on board, bed early.

During the night we cruised north to the other side of the volcano. After breakfast we took a walk on the relatively new (<200 years old) lava floe. Some plants were growing and we saw fish and flamingos in a few ponds in the lava. Our guide was very impressive doing this walk (and all later ones) barefoot. The lava was sharp! They use Hawaiian words to described the lava types. Later in the day we snorkeled and explored a mangrove swamp via zodiac. We saw various types of rays, and sea lions up in trees, turtles and lots of birds.

We had a great time that evening before dinner, up on the front deck, watching whales blowing, as we cruised north. On July 12 we woke up at Punta Espinosa on Isla Fernandina, the westernmost of the Galapagos Islands. We did a fun walk there with lots of crabs, sea lions, birds and iguanas. Then more snorkeling, with penguins, sea turtles, iguanas, amazing. One penguin was confused and chased Grace to the zodiac, pecking her fins. I think it was the same one I videoed pecking the camera lens.

We cruised back over to Isla Isabela and zodiaced through a sea cave, then tried some snorkeling but the water was rough and visibility was bad. Still it was kind of fun swimming in the ocean right below steep cliffs. At one point it’s 280m straight out of the water. There were tons of birds sitting on tiny ledges all over.

In the night we cruised again over to Isla Santiago, crossing the equator for the second time. I was surprised there was no ceremony or even a word about it as crossing the equator on a boat is usually a big deal. I guess they just do it all the time here. We had a walk on shore, over lava bridges, saw a ton of iguanas and other animals, then another snorkeling session on Isla Rábida. After dinner we started cruising back toward Baltra, and on the final morning, cruised quickly over to North Seymour Island for our last excursion. We got off the boat at 6 am for a one hour walk around the island. This may have been the best of the whole cruise. This island has a ton of Frigate Birds – we saw them before we even got there, circling in the sky, looking like pterodactyls. We had seen them in smaller numbers a bunch of times but this time we walked right by their nests. The males make a partial nest, then blow up a giant red balloon of skin under their beak. It’s a huge amount of air, maybe 10 liters. This pushes their head up so they can scan the sky where the females are soaring looking down for the best display. They come down when they pick their man and mate. No dance as these birds are big and unwieldy and can’t dance. Anyway, we saw the hopeful males, up close and it was amazing. As we left we saw one flying with his balloon deflated and Rubin said, “Ah, a successful one”.

We definitely could’ve spent more time on North Seymour Island but only had an hour. Back on board we had a 40 minute cruise to Baltra Island while we ate breakfast. We landed at a different harbor, right by the airport and most people were actually flying out later that day. From the airport we took the bus, the ferry and then a taxi with a couple of other passengers and got back to town at 9:30 am. Luckily we could check in early to our AirBnB which turned out to be really nice – a large apartment, very comfortable. After all that we were pretty tired and needed a little vacation from our vacation!

It takes a while to get to Puerto Ayora, Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos from Quito. After breakfast, we packed up and the hotel stored my bike and a pack of bike stuff, then we taxied to the airport. After the special Galapagos luggage inspection and first payment, we enjoyed the VIP lounge, one of the best ever.

Our plane left at 2 (1 Galapagos time) and flew due west, almost along the equator for just over 2 hours. We had some nice views coming in, including giant iguanas along the runway, looking so cool we thought they might be paid to hang out there. There is a big inspection and second payment (first is $20, second is $100) after landing. You can’t bring in fruit or seeds. They give you lots of information about the conservation aspects of the Galapagos. For instance, the airport is completely carbon neutral, supposedly the first in the world.

Then it’s a bus, a ferry from Baltra Island to Santa Cruz Island, and a long bus ride across to the biggest Galapagos town, Puerto Ayora (pop 20,000). The scenery goes from desert to highlands (the road goes over 2,000′ up) through some lush forests and finally down to the town. This is the dry season but Puerto Ayora has mist and some rain. There is often fog in the highlands.

We checked in to our Airbnb, had a nap, then checked out the piers and downtown, a couple of minutes walk away. Dinner was at the Santa Cruz Brewery. The six local beers I tried were just ok but I’m very spoiled. Very friendly place, proud bartender, decent food. We walked though town, watched some dancers and then headed for bed.

In the morning we headed over to Las Grietas (The Cracks) via water ferry and 800m walk. So so nice! We swam in the “cracks”,  a deep gully, maybe 5m wide but long, with some fish. It’s salt water, very comfortable and refreshing, but it can be crowded. From a hill above we watched “pterodactyls” (actually Frigate Birds) and giant pelicans, some diving through waves at warp speed.

Lunch was on the pier back in town under cover during a short rain shower. In the afternoon we walked the 2.5 km trail to Tortuga Bay, a must when you come here. It has the most gorgeous fine white sand, iguanas all over, sharks cruising by the mangroves, a blue footed boobie, sea turtles swimming, and we had a wonderful nap under a tree. Here’s our hike on strava.

We walked back to town talking with a 5th generation Galapagos native who works as a scuba guide. We started dinner with a local beer at one place, then the Isla Grill for some excellent charcoal grilled octopus and sushi rolls, then Midori for a round of Chirashizushi, then next door to the brewery Cactecea for some IPA, and finally home via an shop with homemade ice cream.

On the 7th, we got up at 5:45 am and checked out and were picked up downtown for a day trip to Bartolome Island. This was supposed to be the first day of our 8-day cruise on the Aida Maria, but it needed 2 days of repairs so we opted to take a couple of day trips and stay in a hotel rather than a partial refund. 

About 15 of us took a mini-bus back to the Baltra side and boarded the Alta Mar, a nice modern motor yacht. As we left the harbor breakfast was served and the ride was great. We cruised by Isla Daphne Mayor and saw some nesting birds, 2 kinds of boobies and others. Then about 90 minutes to our first landing, on Isla Santiago, for snorkeling at Sullivan Bay. We had an hour or so and the water was pretty clear. As soon as I put my face in, a penguin (the only one we saw that day) “flew” past me underwater. I was able to shoot some video, also of a sea lion and a ton of fish. There were many types, lots and lots. Quite fun and without wet suits you could basically stay in as long as desired. Supposedly the temperature was 21°C.

We zodiaced back to the boat and cruised a few minutes over to Bartolome Island which has a dramatic pinnacle that sticks way up. We anchored and landed at a little rock pier covered with crabs, then walked all the way up the Summit Trail to 114m on a wooden walkway. The view here in all directions is outstanding of many of the Galapagos Islands. It was windy but clear and nice.

After a pleasant 2 hour cruise back, and busing back to town, checked into our hotel, cleaned up, had dinner, and relaxed. What a great day – we’re so glad we decided to try the Galapagos!

Here are some photos and videos from the first 3 days here.

Updates won’t be so often anymore in the land of staggeringly slow internet…

The day started out on a plane, and we finally got to sleep at our hotel from 2:30 am to 8 or so. After breakfast, we walked a bit and caught a tourist bus that circles the city. We rode it to the Basílica del Voto Nacional. Climbing up to the top of the tower we really noticed the elevation – close to 3,000m (10,000′). The views were great and it was a pretty amazing cathedral.

We walked over to the old town and had some interesting fruit ice creams while waiting for the bus. It took us up to the Virgin of El Panecillo, a nice statue above town, at over 3,000m. We had a nice lunch up there, with fancy fruit drinks like Colada Molada (thick, warm, blackberry goodness). Then we ran out of power and took the bus back and had a civilized afternoon nap.

Shopping at the supermarket was really fun, especially the fruit section. The supermarket was clean and very well supplied and had great prices. Then an afternoon beer and snack session, followed by dinner at a vegetarian restaurant where we had “sausages” and “meat”. And finally ice cream for dessert with some amazing chocolate samples at Republica del Cacao.

It was a pretty fun day and I can’t wait to take off for the Galapagos tomorrow!

We had a pretty painless flight from SFO to Houston to Quito. The last leg was delayed an hour which meant we landed at 12:30 am instead of 11:30 pm. And 5 other planes had just arrived rather than would just arrive. So immigration took some time.

Getting to town is maybe a 30 minute drive but it took some doing to get my large bike box there. None of the taxis were big enough so it looked like they would keep it at the airport until the morning but one guy figured out how to fit it in his taxi, but had zero space for anything else so we rode in a second one.

By 2:30 am (12:30 am California time) we were checked in. The Ambassador Hotel seems fine so far. Our phones work well here with very fast LTE – over 50 mbps. Good wifi in the hotel.

It’s been 3 years in planning – since my friend Corbin discovered this trip! We were in an AirBnB in July 2016 in the Pyrenees and he sent me an email to the next room: “Check this out!!!” It ended up that he couldn’t go but now I finally am.

Today I packed the 120 line items (more like 200 separate things).

With all the spare bike parts, camping gear and clothes for 6 months including Antarctica, I couldn’t fit it all into the box (max 23 kg) plus one pack. Grace is going for only 3 weeks, flying with just a carry-on. So she can check in my second pack! We’re off in the morning.

My normal email and phone will work in Ecuador (although probably not all the time in the Galapagos) and during the trip so stay in touch – and have a great summer!

In just 3 days I’m flying off to Quito. It feels a lot more real now that my bike is packed and ready to go.

I have to give a shout out to Spokesman Bicycles in Santa Cruz for all their help over the last year. They helped me spec out the bike originally and I’ve done a number of learning sessions with an awesome mechanic there, Luigi, ending up with today’s packing. I learned so much – bikes have changed a lot in the 20 years I was unicycling. I have the spares I’ll need and confidence to work on it myself. They also are ready to send any part I need to anywhere I need it! Such great service!

Now all I have to do is pack the small mountain of stuff I’ll need the next 6 months into my backpack and the spare spaces in the box!

In 15 days, I’m headed for Quito, Ecuador, for the start of my big South America adventure of 2019: The Andes Trail 2019 organized by Bike Dreams.

It was a great day yesterday because the last official thing I must have arranged before the trip, my Bolivian visa, came in the mail. I’ve finished most of my shopping and all of my medical preparations and really just have to work on the bike itself and a few post-bike-trip reservations (like my ticket back home!) Next week I’ll do an overhaul of the bike, replacing some parts like the chain, brake pads, rear tire, rear cluster and have the shock serviced. Then on June 30, the bike goes in a box, and on July 3rd, we fly out to Quito.

We’ll will vacation in the Galapagos for 3 weeks until July 23, then I’ll have a week to get acclimated to the 9,200′ elevation in Quito and get some practice biking. By July 30, all the riders will be assembled at the Hotel Ambassador, and we then start officially riding on August 2, where we ride 28 km north to the equator for a starting ceremony, then back to Quito. On August 3, we head south until we arrive December 17 in Ushuaia! We plan to ride 10,943 km in 142 days (109 riding days) with over 110,000 meters of climbing. 70% of the route is paved.

The day after we arrive in Ushuaia, Grace is coming back down and we’ll head off to Antarctica for 2 weeks. Christmas and New Years 2020 in Antarctica! We’re going on a G-Adventures trip called Quest for the Antarctic Circle. We plan to come home January 7, 2020.

My friend Jim Sowers wanted to know about the trip so he suggested interviewing me about it. We made 6 clips:

• Part 1, Introduction, 2:15
• Part 2, About the bike, 2:09
• Part 3, Tour logistics, 3:09
• Part 4, More about the tour, 3:31
• Part 5, Video and photography, 2:09
• Part 6, What’s in my garage? 2:46

I first decided back in 2016 that I wanted to ride from Quito to Ushuaia, most of the length of South America. I loved the idea of the “Andes Trail” tour run by Bike-Dreams so signed up in August 2018. I was surprised then that the tour, which didn’t start for a year, was nearly full. I reserved my place and quickly decided that I would do it on bike instead of unicycle. The 100 km per day average (with some days of 100 miles) with hard conditions and few rest days made it an easy decision.

I hadn’t ridden a bike much since I switched to unicycle over 20 years ago. So I looked for the right bike and found it in the Salsa Cutthroat. It’s a Gravel bike, and I added a front shock. More recently I’ve changed the tires from knobby MTB tires to 42c Specialized Sawtooths. I am hoping these are beefy enough for thousands of km of dirt and gravel and roll fast and easy. I bought the bike at the beginning of 2018 and have ridden it about 2,000 miles so far, and love it!

Travel plans are not all complete yet but I am flying to Quito on July 3, then will be in the Galapagos from July 5-23. After Grace flies home on the 25th, I’ll stay in Quito to train a bit for the tour which officially kicks off on August 2 with a ride north to the equator for the official start. On August 3, we ride south from Quito.

Here is the info about the tour. And here’s where it goes:

Here you can see all the crazy people I’m doing this with. We train “together” via a club on Strava.