Category: GPS

Items containing GPS data (either the downloadable KML/Z or GPX file) &/or a map that displays such data.

Countryside, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Huitzo Or Bust

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In the mood for a significant ride through unexplored territory, five mountain biking buddies set out this fine Friday in early May to pedal from Oaxaca city to San Pablo Huitzo. On the outbound leg of the journey, they traveled first to Atzompa, then headed in a northwesterly direction through San Lorenzo Cacaotepec, Matadamas, Soledad Etla and Nazareno Etla to Santiago Suchilquitongo. This route took them along a series of unpaved country lanes, beneath the toll road to Mexico City and well out into the relatively flat countryside of the Etla Valley. The planned destination was the restored monastery in Huitzo, or perhaps even the large reservoir not far beyond the town. However, one of the party was on a borrowed bike that turned out to be in serious need of maintenance. Approaching Suchilquitongo both the bearings in the bottom bracket and those in the rear hub gave out, necessitating an unscheduled stop at a bicycle repair shop there. The group took advantage of the stop to enjoy a tasty lunch of memelitas. With tummies full and the wounded bike operational again, our intrepid gang decided to head back to Oaxaca, riding along the abandoned railway line that once linked the Valley of Oaxaca with Mexico City and the United States. Though the rail line was still in place (and can be traced on the map below), it was badly overgrown in several spots and so a good amount of bushwhacking ensued. This, in turn, resulted in multiple thorn punctures in everyone’s tires. Happily, all but one rider was running tubeless tires filled with sealant, so only two flat tires had to be dealt with. All in all, the ride was hailed a success. The weary bikers returned home after spending eight hours in the saddle, covering a round-trip distance of 48.3 miles (77.7 kms). Though the terrain was relatively flat, there was nevertheless an elevation gain and loss of about 2100 feet (640 meters) on the circuit. The map below shows only the outbound half of the trip, as the batteries in the GPS unit gave out while the group was stopped for lunch. The return journey followed a roughly parallel path back to Oaxaca.

 

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Photos

Pedaling Through The Pandemic

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    The year 2020 will go down in history as the year of the coronavirus pandemic. Since late February the whole world has been turned topsy-turvy by news of and reactions to the latest esoteric virus to come out of China. As of this writing (30 April 2020) 3.2 million people have contracted Covid-19 world wide, and there have been over 225,000 deaths. Citizens in countries around the globe have been ordered to stay at home and national economies are tottering toward collapse. Thankfully, the health situation is not so dire in Oaxaca, though the local economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism, is reeling. These are tough times, indeed!

    Happily, mountain biking provides a welcome respite from the coronavirus crisis. It is not difficult to maintain social distance while pedaling through the countryside; and spending time in the saddle is both great exercise and a big psychological boost. So it is that small groups of friends, including a number of retired expats who call Oaxaca home, meet several times each week for rides on nearby mountain trails or around the central valley. On this particular Thursday morning, four amigos rode 21.6 miles from Oaxaca up to San Felipe del Agua, then over the mountain ridge to Viguera and on to San Pablo Etla before returning to town along the abandoned railroad line that once linked Oaxaca with Mexico City to the north and the Pacific coast to the south. The relative lack of vehicular traffic on city streets is a side benefit of the pandemic, as is the better air quality.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing

Lobera Loop

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The world is in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic in mid-April of 2020. The city and state of Oaxaca are yet to be hit with significant numbers of Covid-19 infections, but people are on edge. There are virtually no flights in or out of Oaxaca; tourists are non-existent; most businesses are closed; and large numbers of citizens are out of work. Folks are hunkered down in their homes and social distancing is the norm. All the more reason, then, to climb aboard our mountain bikes for a rejuvenating morning ride through the countryside of the Zimatlan valley. Fresh air and exercise are great antidotes for feeling depressed. So four expats living in Oaxaca set out on a pleasant 26.7 mile (43 kms) loop ride on a bright Saturday morning, aiming to pedal to the little village of Lobera and back. The outing took just over three hours, with riders gaining and losing a total of 1203 feet (367 meters) in elevation along the way.

Countryside, GPS, MTBing

Hopping Along With The Easter Bunny

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It is Easter Sunday in Oaxaca – 12 April 2020. It is a beautiful morning, but the city is exceptionally quiet. There is always much less traffic on Sunday mornings, especially on holidays. But this year people are hunkered down and staying home because of the coronavirus crisis. There are no church services this Easter. Larry, Omar and Vidal agreed to meet up at 8:30 am for a ride in the country. They rendezvoused at the Plaza Bella shopping center in Atzompa. From there they pedaled north to San Lorenzo Cacaotepec, then west to San Felipe Tejalápam, then south over a ridge of hills to San Andres Ixtlahuaca. From there it was a short jaunt to San Pedro Ixtlahuaca where they stopped for breakfast (yes, there are still a few restaurants open for business, despite the pandemic). After chowing down, the threesome headed back to Oaxaca. From start to finish, the loop ride covered 29.2 miles (47 kms), with an elevation gain and loss of 1560 feet (475.5 meters). All told, the outing took almost exactly four hours, with the riders moving at a leisurely pace. Unfortunately, no chocolate Easter eggs or marshmellow bunnies were discovered along the way.

Countryside, Foothills, GPS, MTBing, Trail Info

San Agustin Etla Aqueduct Trail & More

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Albi and Larry, two retired biking buddies who live happily in Oaxaca, set out one Monday in early March to test their strength and agility by riding along the aqueduct that carries water from a stream well up a mountain valley down to the water treatment plant in San Agustin Etla. This route is a perennial favorite among participants in the “Hoofing It In Oaxaca” program of weekly hikes and is equally prized by local mountain bikers. After registering and paying a nominal 50 peso permit fee, the two set out from the water plant and headed up the valley. The grade of the trail is quite mild, so the pedaling uphill was easy enough. More challenging were the narrow places where the trail balances on the edge of the aqueduct. There are also a number of spots where the trail jumps from one side of the aqueduct to the other. Most of these are bridged by planks of lumber which can be ridden over. The aqueduct terminates at a small water diversion dam in a mountain stream near the grand ruins of a hydroelectric plant built about 1900. From that point our intrepid duo continued onward, exploring a single-track trail that ran further uphill, generally following the stream. The trail had been recently groomed and marked for a mountain bike race, but even so the pair wished they had brought tools to prune back overhanging tree branches and clear brush from the trail. The riders decided to accomplish their return to San Agustin on a service road rather than retracing their uphill route, which made for a fast descent. All told, the ride covered 8.3 miles (13.4 kms), with an elevation gain and loss of 957 feet (292 meters).  The outing began at the water treatment plant, which sits at an altitude of 6371 feet (1925 meters), and topped out at 6897 feet (2102 meters). The elapsed time for completion of the loop was just over two hours.