Back to reality, here comes gravity

Cycling out of Ensenada was hard for a lot of reasons, mainly because I was going to miss the people I had grown close to so quickly, but also because it became clear that I was deconditioned after three weeks off the bike (although well-rested). Luckily I had some absolutely stunning scenery to take my mind off things. The road south out of Ensenada goes along the la ruta de vino, which traverses green valleys, rolling hills and mesas, broad open plains, and lots of green farmland. It was amazing!

It was in the afternoon of that first day back on the bike that I ran into my first real problems with the bike. As I was watching the sun inching towards the horizon, and cycling up what looked to be a long hill, I was hoping that I had enough time to get to San Vicente that evening, otherwise I was going to have to camp by the highway. My thoughts about whether I would make it were interrupted by my pedalling faltering as I tried to shift down gears. Nothing was happening. I tried again, and again nothing. I was stuck in one of my three front gears. After struggling up the hill a way like this, I stopped for a breather, and heard and odd sound. Kind of like hissing I thought. Actually, exactly like hissing. I leaned closer to my rear tire and was almost disappointed to find not a snake, but that I had a flat. After 1300km I had my first flat, and about 5min after having my first mechanical problem too.

I quickly unloaded my things, got the repair kit, and patched the tire. Luckily it was only a nice neat puncture from some beer bottle glass. I got the bike back upright and tried to mess around with the gears, but had no luck. It was getting dark. With a big drop to my left, and a cliff to my right, I knew I needed to get going quickly to find somewhere to camp for the night. Lots of cars and trucks had gone past, and I was surprised that not one stopped to help. The only pleasant surprise I had were some beautiful colours on the horizon while the sun set. 

I loaded up and kept going. I put my lights on and hoped that I could find somewhere to camp soon, preferably before I got hit by a truck. It started to rain. Crap, I thought. The hill went for a long time, and it was dark by the time I was going downhill. There were no ranches to stop at and fences lined the highway, stopping me from jumping off and camping wherever. I finally found a spot where the fence was damaged, and where I could kind of hide from view from the highway. Rather exhausted, I pitched my tent, cooked some food and slept.