One Last Adventure- Part 2

As the sun rose, Eli and I walked to the precipice above one of Paraguay's tallest waterfalls- Salto Suizo.  We had had a restful second night camping at one of our favorite campgrounds in Paraguay.  The stream flowing into Salto Suizo flowed right past our campsite before plummeting to a pool 200 feet below.  We had taken the front wheels off our bikes and stowed them in the vestibule of our tent for the night.  One of the great things about bikepacking is how self contained you can be.  We carried everything we needed and nothing we didn't. 

An unusually friendly goose kept us company while we stayed at this campsite.  It literally sat down next to us during our campfire the night before and milled about as we enjoyed a hot breakfast.  Fairly certain it was a goose and not a duck, we named him Ganso. 

After we had strapped all our gear to our bikes we said goodbye to Ganso and Salto Suizo.  Before we knew it we were hurtling through the jungle again on a long descent to the valley below.  

After about a mile we encountered some farmers, planting in the their fields.  They were kind enough to show us their work before we continued on our way. 

Soon we emerged from the forest and, as the road began to level, we passed quaint country houses and a capilla (chapel).  

At the northern-most end of the Yvytyrusu mountain range we wound through a small town called Melgarejo.  It had touches of German architecture and culture from those who immigrated there to stay. After passing through the quaint community we then turned south and made our way back into the hills on a different course.  The road changed from asphalt, to cobblestone, to gravel, to dirt.  It led us to where we would camp for the night.  Another one of our favorite campsites situated where a cow pasture meets a stream.  The stream has a great swimming hole- perfect for cooling off after a hot bike ride!

After a refreshing swim it was time to set up camp again.  We would need a good night's rest because in the morning we would continue our climb to Paraguay's third highest peak: Cero Akati.  We went to sleep listening to the the stream babbling outside our tent.  We awoke refreshed and after strapping all our gear back onto our bikes began the climb upward.

Even though we had to hike-a-bike on more than one steep section of road up to Cero Akati, we made surprisingly good time.  After only a couple hours of riding we emerged triumphant on top of Paraguay's third highest peak.  We enjoyed lunch while looking across the the countryside to the edge of the horizon.  It would be downhill from there.  We thought the hardest part was behind us but, unbeknownst to him, Eli was about to meet his biggest challenge yet.