Category: GPS

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

Mil Rios Redux

As noted previously, the Mil Rios trail a few miles from Tlalixtac is a popular destination for Oaxaca cyclists. Getting from the city to the trailhead is an easy ride on mostly level dirt roads and takes about 90 minutes. There is a toll station at the trailhead where riders have to pay 20 pesos each. Once past the graded dirt road that serves the several dams built along the stream, the trail becomes a single track that winds through the woods and crosses the creek multiple times. Since the Mil Rios trail begins in the high Sierra Norte mountains not far from La Neveria, riders can go as far up the valley as they want or can manage. The further you go, though, the steeper the trail gets. And when cycling uphill you have to keep a careful watch for bikers screaming down the trail. On today’s ride – Sunday / 10 July 2022 – ten bikers set out from Santo Domingo at 9 am. Two had to turn around before leaving the city, and another two turned back at the trailhead, leaving just six to complete the ride. It was a lovely day, and everyone enjoyed the outing.


Ride on the Lower Mil Rios Trail

The lower part of the Mil Rios trail runs from Tlalixtac some two or more miles up into a mountain valley. Its close proximity to the city makes it a fine place for a Sunday excursion, whether aboard a mountain bike, on horseback or simply hiking. The stream coming down the mountain feeds a series of small reservoirs behind four dams that divert water into an aqueduct providing irrigation to farm fields in the valley. The trail crosses the stream in several places, but there was not a drop of water in the creek at this late date in the dry season. Our group of riders racked up 37 kilometers (23 miles) on this out & back ride, climbing and descending a total of 335 meters (1099 feet) along the way. Ride time was 3.5 hours.

Sun Ceremony At Mogote

At noon on May 8 the sun is directly overhead in Oaxaca so objects cast no shadow to the side. In ancient times this was considered a propitious day to begin construction of a home or temple. Our Sunday bike group just happened to be at the old temple ruins in San Jose el Mogote on this very day and witnessed a ceremony marking the occasion. A small assembly of young people re-enacted a ritual of purification celebrating the event. Prayers and invocations were recited and the group – including our bikers – danced around the sacred circle. This was a wonderful and totally unexpected addition to an otherwise pleasant but ordinary ride.

Sunday Ride: Derailed and Deflated

Dhruba volunteered to lead our outing on Sunday, 1 May 2022 and planned a long ride through the Tlacolula valley, going to the village of San Marcos Tlapazola, famous for the red clay pottery many women of the town produce and sell. Ten cyclists gathered in the plaza in front of the church of Santo Domingo for the 9 am departure. While on the bike path to Tule we encountered a roadie going our way, so he accompanied us as far as Rojas de Cuauhtemoc. Sad to say, the ride was plagued by the failures of the rear derailleurs on three bikes and flat tires suffered by two other members of the group. This was a most unusual – and unwelcome – occurrence, as we rarely have any mechanical problems on our Sunday excursions. These breakdowns slowed the group considerably, as we spent about 90 minutes dealing with the several problems. Two of the riders had to complete the ride on single-speed bikes when their rear derailleurs proved inoperable. Even so, the gang pedaled on and completed the circuit successfully. However, it was 6 pm by the time riders got back to Oaxaca – making for a grueling nine hours in the saddle. That included a most welcome stop for a late lunch at a favorite restaurant in Santa Maria del Tule on the last leg of the journey. It was a tired and sunburned bunch who finally made it home at the end of the day. The stats for the ride: 80.3 kms (49.9 miles) with 553 meters (1815 feet) of elevation gain and loss in the course of the ride.

Lobera Or Bust

Steve was the ride leader today and proposed the group of eight cyclists pedal to the village of La Lobera, situated at the western edge of the Zimatlan valley some 9.8 kilometers (6.1 miles) directly west of Zaachila. The moderate out & back ride covered a distance of 50.4 kilometers (31.3 miles), most of it on fairly level terrain. The overall elevation gain and loss of 422 meters (1386 feet) was accomplished mainly in the last 4.1 kilometers (2.5 miles) before reaching the destination. In that segment the first 2.7 kilometers (1.7 miles) had a very mild gradient of 2.5%, but the final 1.4 kilometers (0.9 miles) into Lobera averaged a steeper grade of 10%. As has become our custom when going this way, the group stopped at the Sabor A Ti restaurant for cold drinks and some delicious home-cooked Mexican dishes. Even with the lunch stop the group got back to Oaxaca in 4.5 hours, passing through Cuilapam both going and coming. Needless to say, it was a perfect day to be out on a bike, with clear skies and the thermometer hovering around 26ª Celsius (80º Fahrenheit). You just gotta love Oaxaca’s weather!

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