After a great night staying in the center plaza of the small town of Aldea de San Nicolas, I embarked on what I knew would be another morning of cycling uphill. It's just the geography of this island. So, I left at dawn because this part of the island is hotter than the North. Any inkling of going inland is going to be climbing. But, along with that comes incredible views! I met one cyclist along the way and viewed a sign "to tourists" about how many people have died on this road, including cyclists. I didn't realize until later that this route would stay shady for a long time since the sun would need to crest over the mountain, and I was able to reach they peak just before that. Which is much safer, for sure. Other than that, the views were incredible. As I'm climbing, I hear how hard the car and truck engines are working, so that I know why this is not easy! But I had plenty of water so that was good. The normal cyclist route was closed due to road conditions, and they is a much harder central route which is possible, but not in the summer. So, I opted for a ferry ride that bypass both of them. It was a nice break.