08.15.21
I have ridden motorcycles in Croatia; I have ridden in Romania; and now I have done the same in Ecuador. Until now, Romania was at the top of my “best roads” and “most fun” list, but they may be knocked off by my latest journey through beautiful Ecuador.
In all candor, I was not that enthused about South America when I started my nomadic journey three years ago, and I knew little about this country. I naively thought it was “hot” since it lies on the equator, and I never knew I’d be spending most of my time over 9000 feet above sea level! But I recently completed a 573 km (356 mile) bike trip over three days and saw some amazing things and enjoyed some of the grandest roads I have ever ridden. But there was a health hazard: my neck got sore from turning one direction to the next as every curve exposed more unique beauty. My jaw hurt after so many jaw-dropping vistas, but it was the never-ending grin on my face that brought sublime pleasure as I realized I was riding through some amazing country, full of history and some of the most geologically active terrain I have ridden through in my life. The smile was with me the whole time.
Thanks to my new best friends at Freedom Ecuador, I was able to see this country unlike most visitors, since they are usually in a tour bus or car. But the elevation changes from one minute to the next pushed my Suzuki V-strom to the limits and I reached the conclusion that that bike is ideal for me. Between the size, weight, torque and easy on throttle, the V-strom rocks! Freedom hooked me up with everything I needed, from protective (and warm) armored pants, to boots, gloves and jacket, so I was comfy and warm.
When I left Quito at 9000 feet and traversed into the 12,000-foot elevation of Quilatoa Crater, which is amazing, the roads were heavenly. From a few back roads to the extraordinary highways, it was smooth sailing almost the entire time.
I was lucky to have a friend, Edison Calvopina, who is also a tour guide and lifelong native of Quito, that made the trip even better. He’s been riding these roads for a decade and mapped out the same route that Freedom suggested! Great minds do think alike.
We left Quito on day one and within an hour were out of the city and traffic. Not long after, the great Cotopaxi volcano showed up on my left, and we had to stop for shots. Often obscured by clouds, I find that mornings are usually best for clear viewing, and the almost 20,000 foot mountain was as spectacular close up as it was from Quito. Soon we left the major highway and took a mostly backroad to the “city” of Sigchos, which was quite small. But the route out was a biker’s dream as the twisties kept coming and we handled them all with finesse. One of the great things about bikes is that signs like “road closed” does not always deter us. We asked some locals if the road was really closed, and they told us there was road work being done and we should give it a shot.
Which we did.
Ecuador is a majestic country with grandesque mountains and carved out valleys, and with that you get erosion and road damage. We had to slowly go through about 50 yards of narrow road full of rubble and saw the problem: half the road was gone- down the hill. But when we emerged the road opened up to a beautifully paved highway and I put the V-strom through its’ paces as we went up one hill onto the next. For an hour it was one continual grin which plastered my face.
Our first major stop was the city of Quilatoa, which is set off the main road and to enter you actually pay a small fee! But it’s worth it as we rode to the end of one of the streets and saw the park on the right side. I knew there was something over the rise, but I was not expecting a volcanic lake! Turquoise blue, shining in the sun, even with the howling wind, it was breathtaking. There are paths to follow all the way down, but time did not allow that luxury.
We had a terrific lunch at a local hostel that my friends knew about, and I had amazing trout and shrimp for all of $8.50 USD. But decisions needed to be made: do we stay there or venture on to the city of Banos, which we intended to hit on Day II. I asked, “Is it warmer down there?” and with a YES answer, off we went. It was only about 80 km, but with roads like this, nothing is quick- except us on our bikes.
Since it was about 2:30 when we headed off, Edison estimated arrival time into Banos about sunset, 6:30 or so, which worked for me.
Over the next four hours it was more amazing roads, and each corner revealed yet another magnificent view. At 6:30, just as predicted, we rode down into the valley of Banos, just 5900 feet above sea level, and much warmer. It is also the entrance to the Amazon, and I noticed the different heat, humidity, and vegetation, which was every imaginable shade of green you could think of. Here is video of our trip.
Next stop: Banos, Day II, and two more mouthwatering days!
