Pavement At Last

 The pavement came ten miles later than shown on Google Street view which is years old. However the new pavement is much better quality than I expected, so I got grumpy because the last miles of dirt were rough but I cheered up considerably when I saw the smooth ribbon of asphalt the promised land after 280 miles of dirt: 

The morning started slow but the restaurant where we spent the night boasted a beautiful clean bathroom with a cold shower with  a shelf to put your things, those small details that one learns to appreciate on the road.

Vito the owners ten year old son showed me a piece of Amazonia a giant beetle which I might have squashed backing up so I picked it up and put it in the grass, my fingers for a size comparison: 

Then back to the road with more dirt dust and roadworks. 

Like a sailor in a storm I was ready for it all to end.

The surveyor waved cheerfully. I wondered if they are surveying to plan a paved road but despite the gravel bed we saw laid down, despite the surveying we saw no signs of paving. 

This section was rocky and bouncy and slow, and thus doubly frustrating as we knew we we’re close to the end. 

The firm gray gravel did kick up less dust but it was rough we barely made 10 mph, until finally…

Pavement in 200 meters.

Up next: put sit back in the tires. To create a less harsh ride on the dirt I let the front tires down to 50psi from 65 and in back I went from 80 to 55psi. I was afraid if I went any lower the bottom of the van would be too close to the ground and as it was we got one bad ding. 

I pretty soon figured out if we were going to spend 40 minutes inflating the tires I’d better put out a triangle for oncoming traffic. 

And then we were on our way and you can see that the jungle has been cut back and replaced by ranch land. 

There were some patches and potholes so I settled into our safe cruising speed of 40 mph which gives me time to react to problems in the roadway but the miles sure rolled by compared to 12mph on dirt.

And then we arrived at  Careiro,a town whose full name is Careiro Castanho which in English means Brown Tree. 

First order of business was to repair the second alternator belt. That’s the alternator that charges our house batteries. When we dinged the skid plate it bent back the plastic cover under the engine and that sliced the belt. 

It took two hours to find the replacement belt and install it and they charged $30 for the work and two belts as I bought a spare. Gilberto also installed a spacer, an old nut I carried to keep the skid plate away from the alternator belt. 

Great work and easily done. So so lucky. Then we went to find a hotel, the nicest in town, The Amazonas.

We didn’t expect them to say yes to Rusty but the lady receptionist went to talk to her dad and we were in. A shower, a/c and a chance to stretch out away from all the dust. 

We love our home but it’s been a tough four days and everything is coated in red dust. Tomorrow a car wash and then a laundry and we will be back on track. The shy receptionist started speaking English with Layne and pretty soon they ordered dinner for delivery. Brazilians will give you the shirt off their backs. 

The rice beans and pasta and salad cane in a styrofoam bowl there was a packet of dried tapioca powder and a stick grilled meat skewer. Excellent dinner and ten bucks for both of us. 

Rusty loves hotels and he couldn’t wait to get to the room. Nor could we. Sleep, tired nature’s sweet restorer.