 |
| In the beginning... |
Brent and Von Ride Report
No Mas…No Mas!!!
 |
| The guys joined in on a local work project for the Altivas Canas Project |
It was the cry of Brent and Von after the first day of
riding…No Mas…No Mas…Really, they were troopers as we ripped up the dirt on
both sides of the Cusco valley. The first day was filled with a super technical
climb to the top of Picol Mountain. We literally started at the base, which is
where MotoMission Headquarters is located(10,500 feet in elevation). We climbed
to the cross overlooking the city at 14,274 feet above sea level. It is no
longer than about a 2 mile ride. It seems simple enough, but the number breaths
that one takes to get there is equivalent to a full day of normal breathing. It
ain’t no walk in the park! The first climb is tight single track riddled with
rock and switchbacks that are difficult to swing a bike around without stopping.
 |
| Can you tell who made it up the hill first? |
 |
| The art of the ZipTie |
The climb continued to the top of the single track where a
needed break was in order. We managed to catch our breath and continued on to
the next difficult section. This was a steeply terraced, rock ladened, hill
climb full of bushes and loose off cambered traverses. To say it was fun would
be correct. To say it was torturous would also fit the description. Regardless
of the emotion while screaming at yourself to get up the hill, when it was all
said and done, the view at the top brought it all into perspective. Riding a
dirt bike to the top of Picol Mountain ought to be the dream of every dirt bike
rider. Who gets the opportunity to be at that place with a moto under their
crotch? To this point in history, there have only been a few motos that have
made it to the top of that mountain; all from the garage of MotoMission. We can take you there!
Breakfast of Champions
 |
| Sittin on Top of Picol Mountain Eating an Andes Mint |
Day two started out with a breakfast at The Meeting Place Café
in the heart of Cusco. The coffee is incredible and the waffles fill a void in
ones stomach the size of a desert tank on an adventure bike…This little café utilizes
the same platform for mission as MotoMission. All their profits go to support
local social projects. Since the ownership is the same, it all works great to
have our MotoMission clients start the day with a great breakfast which
supports a good cause.
After we stuffed our bellies with culinary delights, we
geared up to hit the trail. On this particular ride, our goal was to run by one
of the communities in which MotoMission is quite connected. We stopped by to
visit a family that has just lost the oldest child to leukemia. Jason was his
name. These particular clients had been involved in the fight against a disease
that beat young Jason up. Brent and Von both wanted to stop and see the family
that they had heard so much about through our blog posts. It was a highlight
for them. It is so nice to be flexible on these types of rides to do things
like that. That is one of the reasons we keep our rider groups at a small
number. We can be so much more flexible to time, terrain, and ability.
We visited for a while. However, first we had to endure the
strong squeeze and a kiss from Jason’s grandma. She speaks no language that I speak,
so the communication is more of a grunt and a hand motion here and there. She
speaks with love and appreciation. It was evident when we arrived. Our family
has become part of theirs. A simple visit from us was enough to bring her to
tears. What a treat to see her light up.
 |
| Visiting Some Friends in Huilkarpay |
It was time to go. Just behind their simple one room adobe
house, the trail continued. The route was an amazing double track with tons of
obstacles, tight turns, and many a creek to cross. It led us to a shortcut hill
climb that put a smile on the faces of Brent and Von. It was there that they looked
back to see the view of the city from the other side of the valley.
Breathtaking would be the adjective…Not only because of the scenery, but
because we had climbed out of the valley into an elevation 5 times higher than
where these guys live in the US.
We had planned a tamer ride for this day. The mileage was a
lot longer, but the terrain was not quite as taxing. Well at least part of it.
It’ll Be Easy
 |
| A View of The Trail |
After the high speed ride through the tops of the Andes
highlands, we came to the point where the trail began to simmer. It was a wide
trail which had skinnied down to a tight ledge in a matter of meters. The guys
at this point knew that when I gave them a warning that I was grossly
understating the situation. That is a bad habit of mine. By the end of the day,
they were teasing me about my common phrase, “It’ll be easy!”
 |
| The Peruvian Countryside |
They learned that by the fact that I was stopping to warn
them, that it was going to get bad. OK, maybe it wasn’t easy, but it was most
definitely fun. As long as you stay on the trail, everything would be fine.
They decided to stay on the trail; however, it was not an easy ride. In fact, the
trail section that we went down was one of the most difficult trails to which I
would take a client. These guys did it with flying colors and a lot of sweat
and white knuckles. We all arrived at the bottom of the canyon, still on the
trail, and alive and well. The smiles were wide and a huge feeling of relief
was expressed by the sighs and shaking of the hands to bring the blood flow
back to the numb extremities.
Gone Fishin’
At the bottom of the abyss just happened to be a special treat.
The stream that we had crossed a couple of times within the previous mile or
two happens to be filled with trout. As we descended along the side of the
stream, we came to a trout farm complete with a cook, a kitchen, a bench, and a
table. We ordered the biggest plates of fresh trout they offered and sat down
for a spell.
 |
| Trout Farm in Lucre |
 |
| Fresh Fried Trout Right Out of the Water |
There is nothing like watching a little boy with a net, toss
it in to the holding pond to yank out three 18 inch trout. Yup, that is what he
did! A couple of tries and he had all the fish we could possibly eat. Over to
the kitchen for big brother to clean and cut the wiggling critters in just the
right place to minimize the bones, and off to Mom for the finish. Mom put them
in the pan and started the process to delight a trio of weary bikers with some
of the freshest fish on the planet. It really cannot get any fresher than that;
from water to pan in about 2 minutes. Now that is another one for the books…Who
gets to do that? Let alone get to that place via world class enduro motorcycle trails
(more like an alpaca trail) in the Andes.
Another Bucket List Item Checked Off
From there, it was a hurry to get back before dark. We made
it without incident with our tongues hanging out, smiles on our face, and great
experience of riding dirt bikes in the Andes of South America. A bucket list
item checked off for these boys! Huge
thanks to Brent and Von for riding with MotoMission. You have touched the lives
of a handful of kids and experienced Peru in an adventurous way.
 |
| Now That Was a Good Day! |
