On Friday morning, February 7 we left Lages dos Negros to see if we could make it home by a different route. We got a late start as Byron wanted to get a local mechanic to see if he could adjust the rubber pieces on the stabilizer bars of the rear suspension of the Pajero. It took about an hour and cost about R$60 the equivalant of US$15 and the work lasted all of about 6 minutes... but that's another story.
Byron had a set route on our Garmim GPS. We had little difficulty following the route. Our biggest problem was in getting out of Lages dos Negros on the right path. How could such a small place could have some many in and out roads?
Rain was a problem. It has rained a lot recently and intermittent rain was trailing our path all day long. After Minas do Mimoso towards Limoeiro the road was one giant mud puddle after another making for slow going. Byron estimated that we were going about 12 kilometers an hour for about three-fourths of the trip.
The path over the mountains to Minas was steep and never ending but not particularly dangerous. We climbed to around 1100 kilometers at one point. There were few to no houses, so getting stuck with any sort of problem means you will sit and wait a good while before another vehicle goes by. It is a used route and eventually someone will come along, according to Byron. Take my advice and go well prepared with food and water, just in case you have to sit for a day or two.
We enjoyed finding and stopping at the waterfalls of the Rio do Murim and were surprised to see some many cars in the woods with families and picnickers enjoying the pools and little falls.
Another incredible sight was the large windmill park on top of a ridge after the Rio do Murim. The windmills were so close you could hear the swishing of their enormous blades. Somewhere in this area I spotted an unusual bird that looked like a small black peacock. Byron was able to identify it as a White-browed Guan.
I keep hoping to see a wild panther which are said to still be in the area. I did not. I did see a good sized spider monkey, the bird, and lots of goats, sheep and cows.
At the end of the video is a map of our route. Enjoy.
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