The weather fined up & we were able to head off to the official highest motorable pass in the world at 18380ft. The weather was a bit cooler today & made riding quite pleasurable. Not far from Leh we turn onto the beginning of the pass, all tar seal, mmmmmm, easy ride we all thought. It was a great ride as we wound our way up. We had to stop at a checkpoint before we could proceed. This was 14kms from the top. Immediately the road became unpaved & very rough. New it was to good to be true. LOL. From the day befores rain there had been a few rock sides & some large boulders in the middle of the road. We encountered some water crossings & some muddy patches, where made it interesting. There were a number of cars, trucks, cyclists & runners going both ways, so we had to be very aware, particularly of the trucks, stopping & letting them go past was the best method as the road in places, was not only poor but very narrow. Army trucks had to do 3 point turns to get around the switchbacks.
This pass seemed to be steeper than others we had gone up so we were climbing alot faster. Once we had battled ourselves to the top, everyone had to get pictures of themselves under the sign saying how high we were & the words the highest road in the world. As you would. I think as we climbed so quickly Jon-Luke felt some affect as he felt very tired. We had a cup of tea at the highest cafe. There was a small shrine at the top. This pass is quite a popular pass & was busy at the top. We stayed at the top for about an hour, it was cold with a little snow around. It was a we made it moment for all of us.
It was time to go back to Leh, road repairs were in full swing, & we had to stop 3 times & wait as bulldozers cleared the road. They just push the rocks & rubble over the side of the cliff. One place we had to wait over half an hour, it just snowed a very very little bit as we waited. The road was interesting where the bulldozer had been.
Finally we all arrived back at the hotel.
Jon-Luke & I made it without falling off. We have riden some of the highest roughest roads in the world, we have seen some magnificent sights & views & we made it unscathed. Jon-Luke was on the bike for the whole 1665kms save 2 water crossings which we all needed help getting across. Maybe 200 meters. I am very proud of him as he didn't complain, even when we hit some huge pot holes, nearly coming off a few times. He deserves the tee shirt more than I do.
I have never been happier to get off a bike, take my gear off, knowing I wasn't going to put it on the next day. However I would do it again. :-)
Rest day tomorrow, & some sought of presentation. Will report tomorrow.
This pass seemed to be steeper than others we had gone up so we were climbing alot faster. Once we had battled ourselves to the top, everyone had to get pictures of themselves under the sign saying how high we were & the words the highest road in the world. As you would. I think as we climbed so quickly Jon-Luke felt some affect as he felt very tired. We had a cup of tea at the highest cafe. There was a small shrine at the top. This pass is quite a popular pass & was busy at the top. We stayed at the top for about an hour, it was cold with a little snow around. It was a we made it moment for all of us.
It was time to go back to Leh, road repairs were in full swing, & we had to stop 3 times & wait as bulldozers cleared the road. They just push the rocks & rubble over the side of the cliff. One place we had to wait over half an hour, it just snowed a very very little bit as we waited. The road was interesting where the bulldozer had been.
Finally we all arrived back at the hotel.
Jon-Luke & I made it without falling off. We have riden some of the highest roughest roads in the world, we have seen some magnificent sights & views & we made it unscathed. Jon-Luke was on the bike for the whole 1665kms save 2 water crossings which we all needed help getting across. Maybe 200 meters. I am very proud of him as he didn't complain, even when we hit some huge pot holes, nearly coming off a few times. He deserves the tee shirt more than I do.
I have never been happier to get off a bike, take my gear off, knowing I wasn't going to put it on the next day. However I would do it again. :-)
Rest day tomorrow, & some sought of presentation. Will report tomorrow.
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