Cold, unexpected cold, it really is cold and it is a splendid day: blue sky and no clouds. Well, after all we are in Soldeu, in the heart of Andorra, at an altitude of more than 1,300 meters and it is 7.30 in the morning.
We arrived yesterday at the beautiful hotel, surrounded by beautiful mountains and above the clouds, yesterday it was raining with enthusiasm, with great enthusiasm, while we came along the road, but when we arrived at the hotel we found fantastic weather, “this looks good”.
Well, we started well, the hotel was wonderful…. The dinner was great… and the quick briefing…. (Better, because it’s late and we want to rest).
At 7.30 in the morning, after a generous breakfast, we leave buzzing, it seems that we are in a hurry, I don’t know why, but it seems that we are in a hurry, maybe because the stage is long or because we have an offroad “monkey” or maybe because we want to take advantage of the time, I don’t know, but we are in a hurry.
Well, actually, if I know why we are in a hurry and nervous, the answer is simple, we want to see how the high mountain slopes are, after the abundant rains and snowfalls (yes, yes,… snowfall in June) of the entire previous week… will they be practicable? A lot of mud? ….snow?…. Despite reassuring comments from the Territori organization, the Territory of the Province of São Paulo… (“Cap problem” they say)…. We are in a hurry to check it with our own wheels, because it has rained a lot.
Finally we reach the mountains and the dreaded slopes, but luckily they are fantastic and the mountains that surround us much more so, the landscape is splendid, snow-capped peaks, blue sky, a bit of mud… what more can we ask for?
We arrive at the first river that is clearly marked in the Road book, and we cross it very well, after a while another river, a little more swollen, we also overcome it without problems, after a beautiful and coquettish hermitage which is followed by a very beautiful section of “offroad” track, the third river arrives ….¡ glups ! … this one looks deeper… and with what has rained…. (“Cap problem” said the organization in the briefing)… Come… gas… gas…. The truth is that very, very cool.
We continue through some lush forests, which seem to come out of a fairy tale, and we begin to climb some very abandoned slopes, until we reach a ski resort…. also abandoned many years ago.
After greeting the members of an Organization car that was controlling the situation, we continued our entertaining route, shortly after we arrived at a hill (a little more than 2,200 meters…. There is a reason why they call it “the Territorial Route of the Pyrenees”), with impressive views. We are next to the National Parks of St. Maurici and Aigues Tortes…. This is really a mountain route, with a few views and a few tracks.
The descent is a joy, to the point where the roadbook marks “a large rock in the middle of the road”, but surprise, the rock is not there, we suppose that Josep Carbonell (who opens the track), will have dynamited it, which is very likely, since he has his Toyota equipped for any contingency. Well, that’s it, “cap problem” and we continue to enjoy ourselves like crazy.
We continue to climb and the panoramas are more and more impressive, and we love that, we are doing very well, but suddenly we hear on the station: “yes, yes,… with the winch “….”okay,.. Okay…”…. “go up with more gas”…. Glups! That’s Carbonell’s voice, who knows a 4×4 egg… and we “don’t carry a winch”… We are “normal” cars.
As if by magic, in a few minutes Territori’s car appears and sets up an alternative route, “it is a track with a lot of grass and a lot of mud”, “better around here”. Said and done… in a few minutes we link up again with the Road book, great.
It’s time to eat and boy do we eat, we don’t have any food, but food…. crazy… For a regiment… and all first!! In this no one beats us, the best potato omelette and the best croquettes in the Pyrenees, and wine… we don’t even talk about everything being known. We put on our boots, in a meadow with unbeatable high mountain landscapes.
Comments from other groups can be heard on the station, “look at this so cool”, “this forest is cool”, “we stop here for photos”. Anyway, we start and continue on the track, that on the track, because today we are going full throttle, perhaps these people from Territori are allergic to asphalt? Well, better for us.
We alternate hills, mountains, meadows, valleys. and a lot of water, water everywhere and mud!! Poor cars.
The first to arrive at the hotel must have run!! They do it at 7 and the last ones at 9, I’m sure they have taken many photos!!
A good dinner based on local products and to sleep, we all slept like logs, except for some who had drinks, what a drag!!
Sunday, how lucky!! Today we leave later. The day is unbeatable: blue skies, no clouds and surrounded by snow-capped mountains.
The organization warns us, no… Or rather, he threatens us “Today it’s time for mud” but, “Cap problema”, after yesterday’s stage we’re not scared of anything, mud?? Well, let’s have fun, right?
We start with a wading, very, very handsome, it is a delight for the riders and photographers, many photos are taken and several repetitions, after this wet experience we continue to a castle on top of a mountain. We drive on good tracks, less good tracks, and the weather is still unbeatable, as is the landscape and the company.
We are still very happy and…! Boom!! In a “puddle” the first car of the group “stays”, teamwork and the car is already out of the “muddy puddle” and many photos, then we find out that most of the cars also “stayed” to take photos.
After an hour, it seems that we have teleported to Tibet or Nepal… what is this? … in front of us appears a full-fledged Buddhist monastery, logically we stop to visit it, a delight, it seems that we are in Kathmandu or in Lhasa, the photos of our 4×4 “mud-battered”, next to the stupa and the reclining Buddha are incredible, the peace that is breathed there and the grandeur and spectacularity of the landscapes that surround the religious center, they magnify even more the place where we are.
We continue the route up the mountain, enjoying incredible landscapes, until we reach the restaurant…. Too bad… this is over… snif… snif…
There, after eating very well and exchanging stories and “4×4 battles”, we say goodbye to our fellow adventurers and we go to the next one, some of us are already signed up for the Balkan Raid, others to Romania, Carbonell to the Alps and the rest of us will see you in September. Silvia Bonjorn
