Day 156 – Huamachuco, PE to Trujillo, PE
January 28, 2011 11 Comments
Day 156 – Huamachuco, PE to Trujillo, PE 01/24/11 Mileage: 144
After a quick bite at Doña Emilia Cafe, I was out the door at 8. My first stop was the archaeological site of Markawamachuco (or Marca Huamuchuco) only a few miles from town and according to my guide book…one of the most important pre-Inca sites in Peru. For being so close, I had a hell of a time finding it though.
The last mile up to the site was a narrow and rutted track as it is perched on a mountain top. The view alone from up there made it all worth it…and I was the only one there to boot! Luckily the information signs were in english too as my “archaeological spanish” is, umm, thin to say the least.
So after my one hour self guided private tour, I split for the coast and the town of Trujillo. The road out of Huamachuco climbed steadily and topped out at 13, 750 feet…the highest road yet on this trip.
The air was thin and cold…and well suited for…well, a llama! NOW I feel like I’m in South America! I sat there and watched him (or her?) for a good 10 minutes…and he didn’t seem bothered by me at all even though I was 15 feet away.
Well, it was all down hill from there…litteraly and figuratively. But, although the road was mostly down hill it was a horrid! There were more holes in the dirt then there was dirt road. It was a bone shaking, spine powdering 3 hour decent and I can’t believe the bike is still in one piece…though I did develop a squeak coming from the front fairing. The road did eventually turn to pavement and it was a nice roll down to the coast from there….
The temperature back down at sea level was balmy and warm and what you would expect in a tropical climate. Once in Trujillo I found a room, showered and hopped a taxi to the town center for a little look around. Like every Spanish colonial town, and almost every other town in Latin America, Trujillo has a central square…and a really nice one at that.
There is also a nice pedestrian walk stretching several blocks from the southeast corner of the square. After dinner and some internet, I called it a night. Tomorrow it’s back up into the mountains via the Cañon del Pato…I highlight of this trip that I´ve been looking forward to.
From Deadhorse Down 
Stunning pictures. Peru looks amazing!
Thanks Dori! Peru is a pretty amazing place for sure….and I still have the crown jewel ahead of me…Machu Picchu! Hope the winter is treating you well up there! 🙂
It just gets better and better from where I sit. Sitting on the bike going down the hills must of been much. Hoping nothing was damaged in the front ent.
Lenny, this last entry had magnificent pictures and it looked like you could reach up and touch the sky!!! The ruins must be interesting and I am surprised there are no tours going to them?????? It is all just unbelievable to me. The llama was much bigger than I expected in the picture…….was there just one there??
I thought I saw snow on the tracker map today when I checked the terrain. I check it a few times a day as you can imagine. Can hardly wait to the next entry since you mentioned it in your comments. The town square looks so modern and clean.
Please be careful and stay well. Is it getting lonely yet???
We are going to Trenton to the Disney Princesses Ice Capades tomorrow with Maya and Raquel, Lisa and Andrew and it should be lots of fun……..different than your fun.
Love ya, Mom
Thanks….more good pics are on the way! The ruins at Huamachuco are hard to get to, that’s why nobody goes there. It’s 2+ days by bus from Lima over crappy roads…and that’s a long way to travel for ruins you can pretty thoroughly explore in an hour.
Hope the Disney ice show in Trenton was good!
Beautiful country. Wondering; have you rec’d your package yet? Also, I’ve forgotten what part of the trip are you saving the rear tire for , and what tire is it ? Can’t wait to begin my own trip I’ve learned alot and I’ll be more prepared thanks to your blog.Thanks again, Bill
Hey Bill! I did get the package…finally! Cross shipping anything to Ecuador off your list. I hear Panama is not so bad…so if you need something…ship it there.
I’m carrying a set of Michelin T-63 knobbies and I’m saving those for the Bolivian Altiplano and Atacama Dessert. They are a bit more aggressive than the TKC80’s I was looking for and they’re not going to last long on the road, but these were the closest I could find to the TKC’s. I’ll probably put them on in La Paz, or farther south if the current tires make it…
When’s your departure date?!
We had a great time at the Ice Capades and no snow today, so life is good. Maya and Raquel had a great time and loved the Disney Princesses ice skating. We all had a very special day!!
It is 11:45am and I see that you are on your way to Lima. Lots to see in Lima and I am sure you will get some great shots and maybe meet some Americans.
Take care and drive safe. Love ya, Mom
All I can say is Wow – just amazing scenery. This is a trip you won’t soon forget, that’s for sure. Have I mentioned how envious I am??? Yes, I think about 100 times!
Ha! Thanks Lynn…yeah, this is one trip I won`t ever forget! I`m really lucky to have the chance to do it….
i’m new to adv riding. buying a klr650 soon. mostly rode dirt bikes until now. we have a trip planned for fall 2011 for atlanta to denver, salt lake, reno, to san fran to baja, cross on the ferry to central mexico then back to atlanta.
i was wondering what do you think is most important for clothes, gear and tools and stuff?
proposed route
atlanta to cabo san lucas – 4523 miles
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=211138512679122814825.00049986d536759f606d4&z=5
Ferry from la paz to mazatlan – 6 hours $140
mazatlan to atlanta – 3333 miles
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=211138512679122814825.00047b37a529595a22e80&ll=21.453069,-95.229492&spn=33.926553,57.084961&z=5
Hi Aqueel!
Nice trip you have planned…sounds great!
The KLR: A good choice of course! Though you’ll want to shoot yourself on the super-slab until you reach the Rockies…. Watch your oil consumption diligently and consider putting a 16 tooth countershaft sprocket on…this will decrease your RPM’s and oil consumption on the super-slab and give you a more comfortable top speed. For Mexico consider going back to the stock 15T if you route will take you off road in the mountains and Baja, if not stick with the 16T. You said “we”…is the other rider(s) on a KLR as well? If so this is an advantage as you can pack lighter by sharing spare parts and specialized tools…spare spark plugs, throttle cable, clutch cable, lots of spare nuts/bolts…she is a thumper after all! Aside from the axel wrenches(and the 12/14 wrench you’ll need to adjust the chain), the rest of the factory tool kit is worthless, so toss it and get some proper quality tools.
The route looks great, though consider hugging the coast south of San Fran on the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sir….unbelievable riding! Check my posts for more info. You’ll also want to take a spin around Lake Tahoe…don’t miss that! Consider riding the “Devils Backbone” from Mazatlan to Durango too. Also, the ferry to Mazatlan I think is much longer…I think you’re quoting the time for La Paz-Topolobampo….La Paz-Mazatlan is more like 16 hours or something like that.
For clothes, take several light to medium weight synthetic layers instead of one thick layer. I like zip off pants so you have a pair of shorts and pants in one.
Hope that helps!
Cheers!
-Lenny