The Cordillera Blanca

August 26, 2014February 2, 2016 Eric 2 Comments

Just a quick update from Peru. I’ll let the pics do most of the talking here with the exception of some “interesting” stats I’ve included at the end of the post.

After riding the porcelain throne through the long, muddy streets of Shitsville for nearly two weeks we had to bail on our Huayhuash Circuit plans and settled for a few rounds of antibiotics mixed with some rock climbing, camping, and alpine hiking. Actually, who am I kidding, porcelain thrones would be a treat around these parts! Huaraz is kind of a dump but the Cordillera Blancas easily make up for it! (more…)

A Solid Stool Haiku

August 21, 2014February 2, 2016 Eric 3 Comments

Unsung dark hero,
Where are you? You’re missed –
No bueno for van life…

The Mega Drive

August 16, 2014February 2, 2016 Eric Leave a comment

Adventure driving at its finest is about the only way I can describe what we’ve been up to since our last post in Ecuador. After a gorgeous sunset, a full body massage at the spa in Vilcabamba (which is its own funny story…) and a few stimulating games of giant chess, we set out into the unknown in a big way. What would follow was over 1000 kilometers of dirt, mud, landslides, water crossings, bush camping, remote border crossings, construction, fog, rain and more taking us from the Amazon to the Andes to the Peruvian desert to the Pacific Ocean. I think we truly found the middle of nowhere during this adventure and couldn’t be happier with the Craggin’ Wagon’s ability to bring us through it all. (more…)

Ticklists, Raindances, and Shredded Tips

July 31, 2014February 2, 2016 Eric 1 Comment

Banos: it’s one of those towns that’s toted as an action-adventure, extreme sports place… We really dug Banos, but the extremo part was a bit flaccid. They have a rope jump off a gigantic bridge, but based on the size of the jump compared to the bridge, I imagine the bridge was a bit embarrassed. So sad. Had Chip been with us I think I might have been motivated enough to go show them how things are done! We did do a little climbing while we were there. Nothing to write home about, but fun to get back out on the rock. It had been a while. We parked next to a nice hostel, made some friends up on the balcony overlooking the town and the church, visited the famous hot springs, and consumed many a cerveza while enjoying the beautiful steep hills and numerous waterfalls cascading down them. (more…)

High in the Andes

July 23, 2014February 2, 2016 Eric 2 Comments

After a healthy acclimatization period in Quito we hit the road and drove the Craggin’ Wagon to Cotopaxi. We turned off the road at the first sign we saw for the park and ended up driving a 26km cobblestone/dirt track to a secondary entrance into the park. It was fun and the rig did not disappoint. (more…)