On October 18, Fernando and I rode from the Urubó to Las Cruces and Terebinto, and came back along the bed of the Moreno river. 51.9 km, 450 m of climbing and almost four hours of moving time, half on asphalt and half on dirt and sand.
Out to Las Cruces
The usual way to Las Cruces goes past the mariposario, the butterfly farm. We took an alternative route instead, through the Techo housing development.
At Las Cruces we stopped to rest, in the shade and with a cold beer.
From there we went on to Terebinto. No rest there.
The motorbike trail
To come back we took a trail used by motorbikes and quads that goes down to the Moreno river. Lots of sand, and some technical parts where the bikes have dug the trail.
On the way there was a stretch of dirt road completely flooded, with brown water almost up to my knees. Off with the shoes, bike on the shoulder, shoes in one hand, and walk. Fernando recorded the whole crossing.
Along the Moreno river
Crossing the Moreno you used to be able to go through a private property. Not anymore: after all the damage the motorbike riders caused, the owners closed it completely. The only way left is the riverbed.
So we rode the river. It was carrying very little water, so most of the bed was a wide strip of sand. About 98% of those 5 km we rode on the dry part, but the water runs in a zigzag from one side of the bed to the other, so every now and then we had to cross it. The riverbed takes you straight to the usual road between Santa Cruz and Las Cruces.
It was a hard ride. The sand of the river and the trail takes a lot out of your legs.
The bike
I rode my Giant Talon 27.5. It is far from stock: over time I changed almost everything, including a Shimano XT drivetrain, XT M8000 brakes, and an SR Suntour air fork made for 29" wheels, running with the 27.5" wheel. Only the saddle, the handlebar, the wheels and the crankset are still original. After so many river crossings, and a few puddles that reached the bottom bracket in previous rides, it got a full service on October 31.