53 miles, 3632 feet of climb, 2598 ft max. elev. (200 ft/div)
In an effort to beat the heat I was on the road at 6 am and rode the first hour in the dark.
It was actually rather pleasant. With my LED headlight and blinkie taillight I'm not
worried about drivers not seeing me. You do have to go slowly on the downhills since
you can't see road hazards very far ahead.
It was partly cloudy today and not so beastly hot, which helped, although I did go
through nearly 3 liters of water plus 5 or 6 sodas and was still a bit dehydrated at the end
of the ride. I'm definitely still in the tropical coastal climate and won't be back in the
cooler drier highlands until after Putla.
About 2/3 of the way up the last big climb I stopped to cool off in the shade with a horse
for company.
I rolled into Putla about 2:00. I found the hotel Beyafrey recommended in the guidebook. Indeed it's a nice clean room on the second floor with hot shower and ceiling fan for 140 pesos ($13) a night. I plan to do a layover day here tomorrow. Sunday is market day and maybe I'll find some handmade textiles for which Putla is famous.
The hotel dining room was closed so I walked down two blocks, turned right on Sonora and ate at Restaurant Albert, right by the "Hotel Nieto 2" sign. I got a plate of flavored rice, then a good portion of steak in chile sauce plus beans and tortillas and all the agua piña (diluted pineapple juice) I could drink for 30 pesos ($2.70). A great deal!
Later in the evening, while I was down the street at an Internet cafe, a thunderstorm rolled
through town. It rained really hard for a half hour before letting up enough for me to run
back to the hotel.