Leaving Huaraz, we followed our so far trusty Google Maps. Our goal for the day was to reach Huamachuco, about 370km away with an estimate of 6 hours of drive time. Along the way north we took the opportunity see some Agave Americana, a rather large cactus that lives about 100 years and at the end of its life spends about 10 years sending up a huge stalk to distribute its seeds.

The route eventually narrowed to one lane and the intermittently dirt road skirted the contours of Canyon de Condor. The lack of guardrails and signs alerting us to honk our horn in the unlit dirt tunnels to warn other drivers added to the excitement. After the canyon, we spent quite a bit of time on a bumpy dirt road as the surrounding environment turned increasingly arid.

We became concerned when the road we were on came to an end, switched back, and started to climb up. Although we quickly put distance between us and the valley floor, the surrounding mountains, which we would have to somehow get past, seemed to stay far above. A one lane road with countless switchbacks, zero guardrails, and blind turns requiring constant horn honking for warning were our reality for the next hour or so. Though she was pretty freaked out, Betsy was a trooper. I was the most scared I’ve ever been driving a vehicle. Once the road flattened out a bit and made the turn away from the canyon, we breathed a sigh of relief. We eventually reached an incredibly small town in the mountains and took a breather. To my surprise, there was an enormous transport bus parked there; it had traveled the same road we had.

After asking around, we realized we were still about 7 hours from our expected destination (thanks Google). Not even considering traveling at night, we decided to get to the next town to get a bit closer to Huamachuco. On the way, we had to descend and climb yet another canyon. Fortunately, this road was fully paved and slightly wider than before, so I took the opportunity to take a few photos. We ended up stopping in Mollebamba and just sat in the square to try to unwind while answering countless questions from curious kids.

Up bright and early the next day, we pushed on to Humachuco. Though not nearly as bad as the day before, the road seemed to climb and descend repeatedly and, for the most part, was not paved. I kept daydreaming about the upgraded suspension I opted not to install before our trip.

Upon arriving in Huamachuco, we parked the vehicle and breathed a big sigh of relief knowing we wouldn’t have to drive for a few days. After cleaning up, we took a walk around the beautiful town as it got ready for its Independence Day which was just one sleep away.

We eased into Independence Day with a hike to a waterfall. Although we never found it, what we did find instead was a sleepy community of one acre farms where the work was done by hand. There was also yet another pre-Incan archaeological site where we took a brief tour.

Once we returned to town, things were really picking up. Next to our hotel there was a town-wide lunch where cooks were up all night in the open cooking over eight massive pots roiling over wood flames. We took the opportunity to sit in the main square and take in the scene. There were many Peruvians from Trujillo and other major towns, but many of people walking around were local, wearing their Sunday’s best of very colorful clothing and large hats.

The tradition on Independence day in Huamachuco is to erect a massive flag pole, made from one enormous tree, from a flat position with the help of town residents. This may sound straight forward but the post seemed at least 200′ long. Varying sized helper posts were lashed together in pairs like chopsticks to support the main post as it gradually was hoisted over what seemed to be about an hour and a half. As the post was raised, it was guided into a long trench which was back filled with dirt as it inched vertical. Through the screaming crowd, obvious disorganization, and countless drunk helpers, the flag pole was raised.

Though the party went well into the night, we were content with walking around eating and having a few drinks before turning in relatively early. Though we would stop for one night in Celendin first, our next destination was Chachapoyas, home to some natural wonders as well as a museum filled with mummies.