Prior to the opening of the Cochabamba-Santa Cruz de la Sierra highway, western and eastern Bolivia were poorly connected. Formally named Route 7, the fully-paved road runs from the valley of Cochabamba at about 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) elevation, accompanies the eastern Andes chain of the Cordillera Central, and extends to Santa Cruz de la Sierra at about 450 meters (1,480 feet), between the river valleys of the Piray River and the Río Grande. The highway remains the main road connecting Bolivia's montainious west with the tropical lowlands to the east. The route was inaugurated on this date in 1954. The inauguration was a major event, attended by President of Bolivia Victor Paz Estenssoro, United States politicians Henry F. Holland and Bourke B. Hickenlooper, and journalist Drew Pearson. Credits: https://w.wiki/VCk4 Image: https://w.wiki/VCn8 ozziebackpacker 2006 Creative Commons Attribution I joined the club O2 (offroad) ride today, hoping to get more gravel experience. I did get more experience, but the route turned out to be beyond the gravel ability I've gained so far. Kelly did a lot of work to clean up the route and answer my questions about what to expect. She warned me that there's more technical stuff later in the ride, and I was glad to know that at the start! I fell once on Emma, no damage. Big roots and rocks at the top of a steep pitch invisible around a corner. There might have been a line through that spot, but if so, I didn't see it soon enough. I bailed after the Emma McCrary Trail and returned via Highway 9. Most of the six riders today had mountain bikes. I purposely don't have a mountain bike, because I don't enjoy scaring myself on mountain bike trails. I realize mountain vs. gravel isn't a clear distinction, but Emma is mountain in my book. Another limitation I have: I've been clipped in for about fifteen years straight, so it's hard for me to spin hard up a steep pitch while unclipped. And it's not good to be clipped in at the top of that pitch when I don't know what I'll need to maneuver around at the top. Maybe with more experience, I'll figure it out. I don't know whether it would be better to have flat pedals and different shoes? Or just learn how to do the gravel stuff safely while clipped in. Anyway, today's route wasn't the right route to learn on.