Who needs snow?

After two days of mountain biking and a late night stargazing excursion in the desert, we decided to haul ourselves out of bed and tackle one more activity in San Pedro de Atacama before flying to Santiago because, really, how often do you get to play in the amazing landscapes around San Pedro? I didn't want to regret not trying sandboarding while we had the chance in such an amazing setting. Leo and a local driver with a good four-wheel drive pickup truck and a bed full of snowboards collected us at the hotel and we headed up Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley). The valley received its name from a Jesuit named Gustavo Le Paige who spoke such poor Spanish that when tried to describe his impression of the valley, he mispronounced "Marte" (trying to liken the place to the plane Mars) and people thought he said "Muerte". Anyway, the place is indeed a twisted mass of sand and rock, and the drive up was fun in the truck. We arrived at the base of a large sand dune and found that Walter, our other excellent guide from Rutas Andinas, had found a clever form of transportation in the dunes.We had to manage with our own legs and began the hike up with our boards -- you have to earn your turns and wipeouts! Leo snapped this photo of the three of us plus another woman making our way up for our first run.The views were stunning and distracted from the calf burn from the soft sand and breathlessness from the altitude.Note the volcano (one of many) in the distance.Once we got the top, it was a much quicker ride down -- especially when we took the time to wax the bottom of our boards using old candles.Especially when you sit on the board and point it straight down the hill, as Clark demonstrates.After a few hours of fun, we were pretty well covered in sand. Clark pulled two handfuls of sand out of his pockets.Our boots were filled with sand, too.It was a blast. We had just enough time to make it back to our hotel, shower, and devour a quick lunch (including our daily avocado ration) before Walter and Leo drove us to the airport in Calama for our flight to Santiago. We saw two guanacos on the way, perched on high outcroppings in the desert. We enjoyed our time in San Pedro immensely, thanks in large part to Walter and Leo.*All photos are copyright Peter Roady and may not be reproduced or reused without written permission*

Stumbling on Incas

After refueling following our morning ride through Valle de la Luna, we saddled up again and headed out of San Pedro de Atacama with Leo to the Catarpa Valley for a mountain bike ride through Devil's Canyon. The ride out of town was high and hot in the afternoon sun, and we rode gradually uphill all the way to the entrance to Devil's Canyon.The ride in the canyon was fantastic.At times, the trail was extremely narrow and we were practically riding through caves. The canyon is a geology nerd's paradise.I managed not to bash my little Fuji rangefinder, which proved light enough with the excellent 18-55 zoom on it to carry in my right hand and use while riding less technical sections. I took most of the photos from Valle de la Luna and Devil's Canyon while in motion on the bike. After a few kilometers, the canyon opened up a bit and we reached the turnaround point.After a fun descent back down the canyon, we headed back into the Catarpa Valley and rode along the river to our endpoint, where Walter from Rutas Andinas was again waiting with an awesome picnic spread. On the way home, Leo suggested we stop and check out an Inca ruin along a ridge. It was well worth the brief climb.The ridge was one of the most peaceful places I've experienced. A warm wind caressed the valley below, and the contrast between the reds, browns, and greens was stark and beautiful.The Inca ruin itself was somehow calming, made up of smooth, rounded stones.We could have spent hours up there, but we were roasted from a full day of mountain biking in the sun. You can see the full ride route on Strava.*All photos are copyright Peter Roady and may not be reproduced or reused without written permission*

Mountain biking on the Moon

Jen, Clark, and I woke up early on December 27 and met Leo and Walter from Rutas Andinas for a mountain bike ride through the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). We had stopped at on overlook on the drive into San Pedro the previous day, so we had an idea what to expect.The landscapes were even more surreal and gorgeous inside the valley.Many tourists flock to this valley around sunset to watch rocks glow, so Leo wisely took us in the morning to avoid the dust clouds generated by cavalcades of tour buses. We were alone for most of the ride.The riding was not technical, as Clark demonstrated by repeatedly riding with no hands. Those are the Andes in the background.The altitude (we started at about 8000ft above sea level), some soft sand, and a few hills made it a solid workout. You can see the ride details on Strava. We paused for plenty of photo stops to catch our breath.Since we were mountain biking in style, Walter drove the support van ahead and setup an awesome snack picnic for us at the turnaround point. We devoured some local apples, bananas, and headed back to our hotel for lunch and a brief rest before our afternoon adventure.*All photos are copyright Peter Roady and may not be reproduced or reused without written permission*