The summer of 2020 will go on record as one of the wettest in recent memory. Since June we have had consistent cloud cover over the Valles Centrales, with frequent rain showers both day and night. As a result, farmers are delighted to have excellent crops and the mountains are as lush and green as can be. The concern now is that fields are saturated and so harvesting the crops may be problematic. Oaxaca city received 6.8 inches (17.3 centimeters) of rain over the past five days, so bike riders encountered numerous puddles and lots of mud along country roads today, and not a few landslides on steep hillsides. Needless to say, streams and rivers were running fast and presented some challenge to cross. That said, we had mostly clear skies for our ride this Sunday morning in late September. Our destination was the village of Jalapa del Valle, located along the Rio Jalapilla about 11 miles (18 kms) to the west of the city. We were a small band of four riders as we set out at 9 am from the plaza in front of the church of Santo Domingo. For the outbound part of the loop ride the group chose the less strenuous of two routes crossing the ridge of hills between San Pedro Ixtlahuaca and Jalapa del Valle, then opted for the easy way home along the river valley roads passing through La Union, San Felipe Tejalápam and Atzompa. The stats for today’s excursion are as follows: distance ridden – 36 miles / 58 kms; elevation gain and loss – 2501 feet / 762 meters; high point on the ride – 6239 feet / 1901 meters; time in the saddle – 5.5 hours, counting a snack break in Jalapa del Valle.
