Lava flow anyone?

So after the delicious feed of pancakes, it's time to hit the road. It will be a hard day's ride, a whole 40km to Baños. Still we decide to get up at our usual time and suprisingly are on the road just after 9am.
Heading out of town, sun is shining and things are looking rosy. That's until we hit this, see below:

Oh dear!

Always up for a challange, we decide that we can get through this. It's jackets off, panniers and luggage off and away we go. There is a small track with bike tyres, obvioulsy the locals have been through here already. After an hour of trying to push (Mike was riding it) my lardy bike up a very steep section, I'm covered in sand/ash and the KLR is bogged down. It's time to admit defeat. The KLR is too big to get through, so the BMW stands no chance. We somehow manage to get the KLR out of the rut it's dug itself into and get loaded up.

Now this lava flow/Avalanche happened in August last year, so imagine our suprise when just as we're getting our helmets back on, this earth mover comes around the bend, being led by a rather tipsy foreman.

To the rescue

We decide to see how long it will take him to clear a path. In the meantime, two locals pull up on a little 200cc. They're a bit annoyed that the track that they could have got through on has been totally ruined. 2 hours later though, and after being asked for a bribe by the other biker 'to pass', all three bikes, with the foreman now hitching a lift on the 200cc - yes, that's correct, three men on one 200cc bike - are through.

Mike and I take off. Only to get around the next corner and find even less of a path through the next lava flow. We turn the bikes around, ready to return past the earth mover, with a look of defeat on our faces. The local guys have caught up by this stage and indicate that we should follow them. Sure, why not, we can't even see where the track is.

Easy peasy riding, even I can do it!

Following a little 200cc bike through tracks like this is not easy, actually it's embarrassing with us on our big overland machines, struggling to keep the things upright while this guy just nips through. Fortunately we're in Ecuador and not Peru so the locals are firendly as ever and stop to wait for us and help us push and shove the bikes through. And they also ferry my panniers through when things get a little narrow.

Please don't drop my bike over the edge, Mike!

I play photographer while Mike does all of the hard work.

After about 5 crossings, getting worse with each one (I had to put the camera down and start helping to get the bikes through) we finally get make it. We stop at the turn off for Bilbao and give the guys their bribe. $10 for beers all round, we couldn't have got through with out them.

Unfortunately/fortunately we miss the turn off for Baños and end up taking a 40km detour across to the other side fo the valley. This does provide us with rather spectacular views of the volcano that caused all of this mess. And it is on pavement, so a bit of fun for the last half of the days ride.

We pull into Baños, late afternoon, filthy, tired and starving. Why do all of these 'It will only be a short day' rides always end up taking forever!