Riding Through Hell's Gate

That's the name of the national park our Bike Kenya 2012 rode through today: Hell's Gate.

It is so named both for the craggy cliffs that overlook a deep gorge as well as hot springs that boil up from its lower end. The geothermal power generated in Hell's Gate National Park is a major source of clean, natural energy.

Jack Hughey in front of Fischers's
Tower in Hell's Gate National Park.
Alex Drummond, Ken Myers and
Daniel Shanzu would scale the
peak later in the day.

Hell's Gate is the only national park in Kenya in which visitors are permitted to abandon a guided vehicle and bicycle or hike through the park among the wildlife. There are a few cautions offered guests, but we were pretty much on our own to explore.

Imagine cresting a hill on your bicycle to see grazing leisurely before you giraffe, gazelle, impala, warthogs, water buck and zebra. Imagine waiting for a herd of zebra to cross the road before you can continue down the road. Imagine observing a giraffe in its natural habitat just fifty yards away while you rest on your bicycle.  That's Hell's Gate.  It had a Jurassic Park feel to it.

The rock formations and geothermal aspects of the park were compelling.  Magma is close to the surface in the Great Rift Valley and the boiling springs are part of that reality.  Team member Bob Burtch has shared details of the geography and diversity of life in this area in ways that have helped us appreciate it so much more.

Our team rode our bikes 10 miles to the park entrance, cycled about 20 miles inside it through the course of the day, and then rode 10 miles back to our guest house in heavy rain. Though our ride was less than usual and did not take us anywhere closer to our destination, it was vigorous and the day was fascinating.

We were happy to have our support team join us on bikes as we explored Hell's Gate today.  Vickie Reynen, Emma Buterbaugh, and Evan and Ellen Guse (all from Columbus, Indiana) enjoyed the day with us in the park.

Our team is invigorated, but tired and sore. Some are sunburned. Some are saddle sore. Some are dealing with some short-term numbness in our fingers. But we are generally in pretty good condition.  Mark Booth continues to feel better from the impacts of his tumble last week. We are determined to finish well.

Tomorrow morning, we saddle up early and head for Nairobi. It's a 54-mile trek. It will be mostly uphill, as we are in the Great Rift Valley beside Lake Naivasha. We will ascend to over 1600 meters--which is the elevation of Nairobi.  We look forward to riding to Nairobi on Friday and then to a day-long ride among the Ngong Hills on Saturday.