Christmas is less than a week away as a small group of four riders assemble in the plaza in front of the church of Santo Domingo in Oaxaca for the regular Sunday morning ride. Though the calendar says it is 19 December and nearly the shortest day of the year, it is bright and sunny, with a forecast high temperature of 81º F / 27º C — in other words, just another perfect day in paradise. The plan is to pedal through San Felipe del Aqua, San Luis Beltran and Donaji on the way to Huayapam, then ride the Los Molinos trail which parallels Hwy 175 as it winds into the mountains toward La Cumbre. Our destination is the ruin of the old water-powered grain mill that last functioned over a hundred years ago. Two of the cyclists are recent converts to mountain biking, so today’s outing will be a challenge for them, but they are eager for the experience. When all is said and done, the foursome cover a distance of 39.3 kms / 24.4 miles, with an elevation gain and loss of 552 meters / 1813 feet along the way, finishing the ride in 4.5 hours, counting a stop outbound in Huayapam for fresh juice drinks and another on the way home for lemonade.
The ruins of the water-powered grain mill at the end of the trail. 
Annie poses with a local farmer harvesting his crop of squash. 
Dhruba, Annie and Patrick chat with the friendly farmer, who says this was the last
in a series of seven grain mills that once lined the mountain stream.