Sep 24-25 2013
Departed out of Bogota and headed back to Valle de Leyva on the 24th. It was only a 115 mile ride however, I stopped a few times for water, food and visit. It was actually quite cold and just out of the city I stopped and put my liners in.
Valle de Leyba was designated a historical site in the 1950's and there are virtually no modern buildings and most of the streets are constructed of large stones. It's a fantastic little village, very clean and everything is well kept and painted nice.
Arriving in Valle de Leyva town center:
From September 24-25, 2013
The center part is the village church and on each side are bars and shops. All around the square were bars, restaurants, shops and hotels.
From September 24-25, 2013
I had arrived around 2 pm and didn't feel like doing much. I took a nap and then spent the evening walking around the square visiting and drinking beer.
From September 24-25, 2013
The next morning I decided to ride to San Gill and find the Chicamocha Canyon that was told about.
On the way out of town I stopped and the Fosil Museum. The area around Leyva is an ancient sea bed and they found a couple, Cronosaurio's. They have a smaller one and some other sea stuff. It was interesting.
From September 24-25, 2013
I don't remember where I was however, this church was one of the ugliest buildings I've seen. The towns people have got to be sorry they built this thing. All the villages have a town square, El Centro, and the church is usually a very beautiful old building.
From September 24-25, 2013
Along the road to San Gil I meet a guy from Bogota riding a '13 ADV and we rode into San Gil together, just over an hour, and stopped to get something to drink. His name is Carlos and come to find out he's friends with Gonzalo from where I got my tires. He mentioned the Chicamocha Canyon was just up the road about 30 minutes so off we went.
Carlos:
From September 24-25, 2013
We rode a few miles further into to canyon to the park area and Carlos treated me to lunch:
From September 24-25, 2013
Carlos was headed north to Bucaramanga and went back towards San Gil and then to Barichara for the night. Great day!