Costa Rica: Outside my Comfort Zone - Page 22

EvilClown · 02-24-2013, 09:39 AM

Judging from the looks outside it might be a good day to try and get this thing wrapped up...

Is it too early for a cafe con Bailey's?

Now, where were we...?

Ah, yes. We had just survived the Cerro de la Muerte, or Mountain of Death and even made it back to our room.

Día once...is another early morning. This being the second morning here I know the coffee routine. After grabbing a coffee I get on the computer in the dining room and have a look at Google Earth again thinking about the ride ahead of us...

...there was another road that cut across to the Pan Am that looked interesting. Plus, despite our best intentions we never saw Siberia.

A few more guests begin to emerge. We chat it up some while drinking coffee and watching the day begin...

She's come for the hiking. Heading out with a guide in a few to climb Chirripo. The only hiking we'll be doing is to our motorcycles.

Eventually, Dave comes downstairs. We have another round of tipico to jump start the day...

Coffee, food and collecting our shite, we head out to the bikes and load up...

Looks like it's gonna be another banner day!

We roll...

...we're on the look out for gasolina. One of these three is looking for eggs...

We find our gas at a local's house. Topped off we continue...

The weather doesn't suck. Even if you have to go to school...

...

At some point we catch up to and pass the Pelacano dood who hooked us up last night with our key and some beers...

...he's a bit of a biker...of the pedaling variety.

Apparently, there are several others around as well. When we reach the next intersection there's a whole herd of them...

They head south. We head norte...

...

Where we went straight yesterday we turn left...

...

...things eventually get interesting...

...

...until they don't...

We've had to double back on worse roads.

We find another route...

...

"Hmmmmmm....where do you think this leads....?"

Guessing that's the old way and it wasn't too long ago that is was the main route...

...we might be onto something...

...

"Oh, yeah!"

We continue the ascent...

...the ruts getting deeper and the surface slicker as it's packed clay with a thin layer of sand.

Motoring past Whizzer...

...and these two guys...

...finally stopping when things seem to flatten out a bit.

That's a relative term.

While hanging out taking in the view we can hear our moto-buddy's making the climb...

Steeper than it looks and they're riding two-up, one guy gets off while the other rides it up the side of the mountain to the 'flat spot'...

Eventually his buddy catches up and we make an attempt to converse...

...it's a bit rough going. They speak no English and my Spanish still sucks. But the attempt is fun. Amongst other topics is trying to figger out what this thing is on his bike...

Still don't know, but then again, I haven't given it another thought since.

Group photos...

...then we're off...

...

...right about here an idea strikes me...

...after letting whizzer know I turn around...

...run into our new friends and offer him a sticker. Somehow he tells me to put it on his fender.

We catch back up with whizzer...

...they ride by...

...

Cutting through the fog we finally reach the Pan Am...

..."This oughta be interesting..."

Since whizzer is the bright one he gets to go in front...

...

...must be getting to be lunch time...

We pull into the soda where last night we learned of the closest gasolina...

Walking in, we order up some lunch.

The view out the windows...

...isn't quite what it was yesterday...

...so we have a look around inside...

...

...all over the walls are pictures of truckers, Jesus and hotties...

...

In the collection is one photo of a bike...

...

...one can only guess that surviving the Mountain of Death with a truck is an accomplishment.

Our food comes out and we settle into a table...

...before leaving we grab dessert...

Back outside we gear up...

...

...we're officially on our way to San Jose...

...

Up in the mountains the temperature has dropped a bit...

After a week of watching it try to burst out the top it's downright chilly.

We keep rolling...

...

As we getter closer and closer to civilization it gets warmer and the traffic gets heavier...

We follow this truck riding down the road sideways for a bit carefully keeping our distance.

Somewhere along the way we stop to top off the tanks...

...and have an ice cream...

...

Back in front...

...until I foolishly stop with the rest of traffic. That's when I learn about Costa Rican lane splitting.

...

...another rider joins us...

... There's gotta be a video somewhere.

...quite a change from the rural riding we've enjoyed over the last 10 days or so.

At some point Amigo assures us we're on the right path...

...and we ride deeper into the city...

...

Somehow we manage to end up back at Wild Rider where Thorsten greets us...

...

We ask about lodging for the night and end up across and down the street so before unloading and having to lug our gear everywhere we take it over on the bikes and check in.

Once we return they go over the bikes, we collect our shite we had left behind and grab a beer at a store on the way back to the room.

It's been a good run!

NHBill · 02-25-2013, 03:51 AM

Awesome, guys!! Thanks for bringing us along.

poolman · 02-25-2013, 06:10 AM

EC and WW,

Enjoyable and inspirational read! They say Rome wasn't built in a day, so I guess 105 weeks is a reasonable timeframe to complete your ride report

.

In all seriousness, you guys found some great spots and I enjoyed following some of your tracks last March on a similar, though more expeditiously documented, ride

.

All the Best,

whizzerwheel · 02-26-2013, 09:45 AM

...

EvilClown · 02-26-2013, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whizzerwheel

...

Whizzer and the coffee girl...

She packaged up a boatload of coffee for us that morning before our flight.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NHBill

Awesome, guys!! Thanks for bringing us along.

Thanks for coming along!

Quote:

Originally Posted by poolman

EC and WW,

Enjoyable and inspirational read! They say Rome wasn't built in a day, so I guess 105 weeks is a reasonable timeframe to complete your ride report

.

In all seriousness, you guys found some great spots and I enjoyed following some of your tracks last March on a similar, though more expeditiously documented, ride

.

All the Best,

Thank you.

I know the time it took must've driven Dave nuts but I have to tell you there is a certain enjoyment I get on a day like Sunday when it was snowing to beat the band and being able to go back through the pics and relive the moment. Besides, maybe someone is as sick of winter as I am right now and it'll push them over the dge just enough to pull the trigger on a trip for themselves. It really is a great experience.

Thanks for hanging in there with us.

Now Dave can start Part II - Costa Rica: No Reservations.

whizzerwheel · 02-27-2013, 11:46 AM

junglemototours · 02-27-2013, 11:52 AM

Just saw this yesterday and read a few pages, guess I have some catching up to do....
Lots of familiar sites so far, good stuff.

02-24-2013, 09:39 AM	#316
EvilClown ^OP Reality show stunt double Joined: Sep 2006 Location: In the shadow of the Uncanoonucs... Oddometer: 13,593	Judging from the looks outside it might be a good day to try and get this thing wrapped up... Is it too early for a cafe con Bailey's? Now, where were we...? Ah, yes. We had just survived the Cerro de la Muerte, or Mountain of Death and even made it back to our room. Día once...is another early morning. This being the second morning here I know the coffee routine. After grabbing a coffee I get on the computer in the dining room and have a look at Google Earth again thinking about the ride ahead of us... ...there was another road that cut across to the Pan Am that looked interesting. Plus, despite our best intentions we never saw Siberia. A few more guests begin to emerge. We chat it up some while drinking coffee and watching the day begin... She's come for the hiking. Heading out with a guide in a few to climb Chirripo. The only hiking we'll be doing is to our motorcycles. Eventually, Dave comes downstairs. We have another round of tipico to jump start the day... Coffee, food and collecting our shite, we head out to the bikes and load up... Looks like it's gonna be another banner day! We roll... ...we're on the look out for gasolina. One of these three is looking for eggs... We find our gas at a local's house. Topped off we continue... The weather doesn't suck. Even if you have to go to school... ... At some point we catch up to and pass the Pelacano dood who hooked us up last night with our key and some beers... ...he's a bit of a biker...of the pedaling variety. Apparently, there are several others around as well. When we reach the next intersection there's a whole herd of them... They head south. We head norte... ... Where we went straight yesterday we turn left... ... ...things eventually get interesting... ... ...until they don't... We've had to double back on worse roads. We find another route... ... ... ... "Hmmmmmm....where do you think this leads....?" Guessing that's the old way and it wasn't too long ago that is was the main route... ...we might be onto something... ... ... ... "Oh, yeah!" We continue the ascent... ...the ruts getting deeper and the surface slicker as it's packed clay with a thin layer of sand. Motoring past Whizzer... ...and these two guys... ...finally stopping when things seem to flatten out a bit. That's a relative term. While hanging out taking in the view we can hear our moto-buddy's making the climb... Steeper than it looks and they're riding two-up, one guy gets off while the other rides it up the side of the mountain to the 'flat spot'... Eventually his buddy catches up and we make an attempt to converse... ...it's a bit rough going. They speak no English and my Spanish still sucks. But the attempt is fun. Amongst other topics is trying to figger out what this thing is on his bike... Still don't know, but then again, I haven't given it another thought since. Group photos... ...then we're off... ... ... ...right about here an idea strikes me... ...after letting whizzer know I turn around... ...run into our new friends and offer him a sticker. Somehow he tells me to put it on his fender. We catch back up with whizzer... ...they ride by... ... ... ... Cutting through the fog we finally reach the Pan Am... ..."This oughta be interesting..." Since whizzer is the bright one he gets to go in front... ... ... ...must be getting to be lunch time... We pull into the soda where last night we learned of the closest gasolina... Walking in, we order up some lunch. The view out the windows... ...isn't quite what it was yesterday... ...so we have a look around inside... ... ...all over the walls are pictures of truckers, Jesus and hotties... ... ... In the collection is one photo of a bike... ... ...one can only guess that surviving the Mountain of Death with a truck is an accomplishment. Our food comes out and we settle into a table... ...before leaving we grab dessert... Back outside we gear up... ... ...we're officially on our way to San Jose... ... ... ... Up in the mountains the temperature has dropped a bit... After a week of watching it try to burst out the top it's downright chilly. We keep rolling... ... As we getter closer and closer to civilization it gets warmer and the traffic gets heavier... We follow this truck riding down the road sideways for a bit carefully keeping our distance. Somewhere along the way we stop to top off the tanks... ...and have an ice cream... ... Back in front... ...until I foolishly stop with the rest of traffic. That's when I learn about Costa Rican lane splitting. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...another rider joins us... ... There's gotta be a video somewhere. ...quite a change from the rural riding we've enjoyed over the last 10 days or so. At some point Amigo assures us we're on the right path... ...and we ride deeper into the city... ... ... ... Somehow we manage to end up back at Wild Rider where Thorsten greets us... ... We ask about lodging for the night and end up across and down the street so before unloading and having to lug our gear everywhere we take it over on the bikes and check in. Once we return they go over the bikes, we collect our shite we had left behind and grab a beer at a store on the way back to the room. It's been a good run! __________________ These are our Golden Years. ~ EC The future is no place to place your better days. ~ DMB

02-25-2013, 03:51 AM	#317
NHBill Loosely Wrapped Joined: Oct 2009 Location: SW NH Oddometer: 933	Awesome, guys!! Thanks for bringing us along. __________________ Cancer Sucks! I bought it to ride it, not wax it. Soak it all in, It's a game you can't win, Enjoy the ride "There's a very fine line dividing bravery from stupidity..." 2009 F650GS

02-25-2013, 06:10 AM	#318
poolman Gnarly Poolside Adv. Joined: Feb 2010 Location: Darnestown, MD Oddometer: 432	EC and WW, Enjoyable and inspirational read! They say Rome wasn't built in a day, so I guess 105 weeks is a reasonable timeframe to complete your ride report. In all seriousness, you guys found some great spots and I enjoyed following some of your tracks last March on a similar, though more expeditiously documented, ride . All the Best, __________________ ~~~~~~ poolman Sacred Valley of the Incas Costa Rica Solo

02-26-2013, 09:45 AM	#319
whizzerwheel Using Occam's Razor Joined: Aug 2006 Location: Settled In Oddometer: 1,060	... __________________ Costa Rica, Two Up: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=532923 A Weekend Bagel Tour: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=568464 WR's in NH and Maine: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=733821

02-27-2013, 11:46 AM	#321
whizzerwheel Using Occam's Razor Joined: Aug 2006 Location: Settled In Oddometer: 1,060	__________________ Costa Rica, Two Up: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=532923 A Weekend Bagel Tour: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=568464 WR's in NH and Maine: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=733821

02-27-2013, 11:52 AM	#322
junglemototours Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Mar 2012 Location: Idaho to Costa Rica Oddometer: 428	Just saw this yesterday and read a few pages, guess I have some catching up to do.... Lots of familiar sites so far, good stuff.

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