Ric’s Costa Rica to Southern Mexico Tour..and Back

Here’s a bit more on Ric’s tour.  As we traveled, a sort of pattern developed in which we were on the road by 8:00 or 9:00 am, and rode till maybe three or so.  Beer was as much the reason as our tired butts.   First the beer, then the room, boots off and a shower.  Sometimes a nap and on the street when it begins to cool.

There are variations on “waiting for it to cool”.  One very late afternoon in don’t remember which mountains in Guatemala, it got colder and colder, we were very high.   Wearing black, one could feel the difference in temperature as we rode from the shadows of  peaks and a fast sinking sun.   I was getting desperate.  I knew this area and had stayed here before but it seemed the further we rode the farther it was.   Still, there were these beauteous mountains, struck with the distinct lines of light and dark; and the highway, ever bending in sweeping arcs….it was imposable not to savor the moment

Now it’s getting dark.  We’d stopped to put more clothes on but our hands were getting stiff inside our gloves and the fun seemed to be running out fast.  At last our hotel appeared where I’d left last time through.   We pulled in and stopped for the night.

Indigenous  people here are hardy.  I suppose it wasn’t cold enough to light a fire but as we drank our mandatory beer, it became obvious that we, still in our gear, were still cold.  I believe we had a bit of supper but you know, with the beginning of the shakes, it’s hard to remember exactly what it was you ate.   Not proud, and being the guide, I led us to our room and jumped in my bed, clothes and all!

It was 7:00 pm and Ric in his bed and me in mine, we stayed till first light and put our boots on.  Breakfast was good and the coffee was great.  Somehow we forced ourselves to wipe the frost off our seats and get on the road again.  On the road and headed to Antigua, Guatemala.  Yeah, but we weren’t there yet and we were running into traffic coincidentally going to Guatemala City, which, I’d guess is as big as Manhattan.  This is the part where “experienced riders only” applies.   If New York is a melting pot, Central America is where it melts from.

Ric and I had bitten a bit more off then we could choke down.  We’d given ourselves three weeks to do this this trip and ended up waiting out a three day storm in Omoa, Honduras….but that’s another story.   Whatever the reason, we are now on our way home, burning long days in the saddle…or is it long burning days in the saddle…in order that we might get two days off on a beach somewhere.  As it turned out, it was San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.  Boy, did we need it.  Anyway, I’m doing my first usable blog and have this story all mixed up.  So here it comes in lumps and pieces…

Our Hotel

Antigua Guatemala with dormant volcano watching over

Tired and anxious  to be closer to home, we arrive at borders with mixed feelings.  The shuck and jive of “helpers” as they crowd around to sell services, against the welcome relief to be off the bike for awhile.  Truckers don’t suffer from this.  They know they may be there a week and make themselves comfortable.

Waiting to cross...

Since I have this trip broken into pieces, I’ll just follow this till we get to the end.  Then I’ll fill in the parts I left out.

We ride hard every day now.   Here’s more pictures of San Juan del Sol, Nicaragua.  A most hospital place to be.

Ric and I divided our time between naps and sunsets.  Evenings were for discovering new restaurants and varying angles of the same beach.

Come morning on the last day, we breakfasted at Surfer Dave’s, packed our bikes, paid our bill and got out of Dodge.  Too soon, we came to the Nica/CR border and waited out a herd of buses and a kilometer long line of folks with passports in hand.  Lesson…don’t cross on weekends.  Undaunted, we rode the rest of the day and arrived home just after sunset.  So goes the last half of Ric’s Far Out Central American Tour.

...and being pretty is fully acceptable

Where the people are well balanced

Every moment of every afternoon....yeah, like this...