Hey all. As my time in Honduras is coming to an end, I have been trying to get out on the bike as much as I can.

I had toured western Honduras last year in a pickup truck with my ex and we passed through the area, but we didn't have enough time to go into the mountain villages. My lady didn't like to roll out of bed until 10am.

Total trip was 466 km with mostly pavement. Once I left Gracias for the highlands, it was all washboard dirt roads, some deeply rutted by the rainy season which began last month. Overall, not a problem for the bike. Anyway, here it is.

June 7
Saturday



Gassed up and on the road by 8:30am. It was a long week and I didn't get to packing until Saturday. After breakfast and gas, I was finally on my way north, before cutting west. The road from Comayagua to Siguatepeque is freshly laid asphalt that crosses a mountain range. I've done this route a number of times, as there is a brewery and lake about 2 hours north of where I live. It's a fantastic road and my tires are great on grip. Once I hit Sigua, I turned west towards La Esperanza, the highest elevation city in Honduras.





Halfway there I got a craving for what the city is known for: strawberries. I had a big breakfast earlier, so I stopped in a restaurant for a glass of strawberry juice and a rest.



30 minutes later I was on my way to Gracias. From what I remembered from last year, the road was mostly terrible between La Esperanza and Yamaranguila, and then it turns back to fairly decent slab after that. Sure enough, the road was pretty rough. They were doing construction when I passed through, so the mud was slick and there were large sections of gravel being prepped for a new road. Fortunately, all went smoothly and I arrived in Gracias by 1pm.

Plenty of this:





I got into Gracias about 1pm. I sat in the park for a bit and looked at my tour book for my next move. I could either spend the night in Gracias at a hotel, or I could push on 16km south into the first Lenca village, La Campa. I decided to have lunch and head into the mountains.

Quick stop in the park in Gracias:



My map. Let's hit some trails.



The Lenca villages near Gracias skirt Celaque National Park, which is home to the highest point in Honduras, Celaque Mountain. On my way to La Campa, the first village on the route, I came up a crest and saw Celaque. Gorgeous.