From 4x4xplore.com
La Aventura Panamerican - Day One Blog
By Bob & Thelma Howells, Car 15
Nov 8, 2006, 14:17
So, we've drawn pole position in the Blog status with the task of writing about Day One.
What a great start - nobody turns up late or hungover and we all form up around the flagpole in a large circle. James has obviously had to break out his school protractor to calculate all the spaces and parking anglesrequired to make it look just right, with all cars facing into the centre like the spokes of a giant wheel.
In spite of all the Mexican beans consumed in the last 48hrs, we can't generate enough wind for the giant flag to fly; it just hangs down limply, thirsting for a giant shot of Viagra.
We are all flagged away bang on time by John Brown and leave town passing endless scrapyards before passing into spectacular mountain scenery. The roadbook takes us along some excellent gravel tracks and well away from most human habitation. We pass the odd isolated ranch, one of which has a partly decomposed dead horse (or cow?) propped up against the first gate with a sign saying "No Gringos". Nothing wierd about this lot then - and even a guarantee of a luke warm welcome.
We reach Mike's Ranch by late morning and sample a well earned beer with some of the participants opting for a full blow-out lunch at 11.20hrs - all this off-roading must be making them hungry. The roadbook warns of the track getting rougher and it certainly does - some superb off-road terrain was much enjoyed by us all.
The route continued into a National Park with the chance to visit an Observatory on top of the mountain. Visitors arriving before 13.00hrs were treated to a guided tour but most of us were too late for this. Instead we were accosted by an official who told us that the Observatory and road were closed, we were not allowed to visit just to look at the view and furthermore we had all been speeding and should be ashamed of ourselves.
We responded by telling him that John Brown had told us that we could go there and John was clearly a much more important person than he was - so there! Even quoting the authority of the "great man" failed to impress him and we were sent away with a with a flea in our ear.
We arrived at our hotel in time to see a magnificent sunset - if the rest of the trip is as good as this we'll certainly have a fabtastic time.
Bob & Thelma Howells, Car 15
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