On Sunday Gaila and I uneventfully (for the most part) crossed the Mexican border back into our wonderful homeland – good old U.S. of A.   Despite my concerns the US border guards were pleasant and efficient, if not welcoming. 

Once we turned the corner and started our pleasant ride down the twisty Hwy 94 towards San Diego (we crossed at Tecate) a general sense of euphoria began to kick in.  And it kept building – a wonderful feeling to be sure.  I think it stemmed mostly from two things:  first a general sense of accomplishment that we have made it this far, over 37,000 miles to date.  Second, and perhaps most importantly, we made it safely through Mexico and all the other Central American countries where specific people and the media at large told us not to go.  WE DID IT! 

Baja – Dirt to pavement – making it back from Mike’s Sky Ranch

No heads were lost, no jail time was spent and we found nothing but genuine warm hearts and beautiful sights.   I honestly can’t say enough good things about our travel in Central America and Mexico.  Yes, I would find a way to address the water problems, the trash problem and educational challenges but these are just the hopes and wishes of a traveler.  The people in these places are genuine and are just like us in that they too seek happiness & health and the living that provides a chance at these both.  

Gaila doing the things that we need to do

It is so wonderful to begin seeing our friends and family.  We have missed you all so much.  Reunions are a special thing and we will be cherishing them all.  Thankfully Erin, Kevin, Terry, Walter & Stella were able to give super warm welcomes and a place or two to stay. 

Squirting lemon in Kevin’s eye was not part of the original cooking plan.

Fredrick, Ariel and Terry – OMG how wonderful to reunite after Darwin!!!

Todd – just do it and leap – your boat is waiting. Thank you Terry!!!!

Now for us and me specifically, it is time to think long and hard about what’s next.  Do I jump back into the software career that I have truly enjoyed and value (although with new perspectives now) or should I take multiple leaps of faith and confidence to do something completely different?  I have learned to do well with a whole lot less this past year.  Indeed, I am much happier rich in experience than in things.  However, I am not naive and I understand that money makes so many things possible,  including this great trip.   Perhaps I can do both and have it all?  Yes, I think that sounds like the best plan.  Wonder if I can pull it off?  Think I will spend some quality time considering the Meet,Plan,Go website: http://meetplango.com/   Here is the interview they did with us early in our trip: http://b2b.meetplango.com/2012/06/photo-friday-overlandnow/

Picking up needed things and sending others home

Gaila and I have so many ideas, dreams and visions for the future it is a challenge to filter and select.  Deep consideration and time will help.   For now, I think considering the options and appreciating the things that lay themselves out if front of us will be step one.   Today we are prepping for a radio interview with Sam’s Diego from a California station in Alpine CA. (107.9 The Mountain) http://my1079.com/programs/shows/sams-diego  Should be pretty cool, but I am dreading that question – “What has been the best part of place of your trip?”  How does one respond to this when we have been to so many places and met so many amazing people?  I guess we will figure it out. 

After that we are heading to Arizona for the Overland Expo www.overlandexpo.com which was amazing last year and this year we were invited to be in the “Featured Vehicle” section and speak with the Muskoka Foundation crew about our volunteering at www.dogoodasyougo.org .  Pretty exciting stuff for a couple of poor old travelers. 

Hoping our re-entry is this Zen

Getting great service at BMW of Escondido CA – thanks Jack & CJ

Wow, a car ride!

It is strange to think there is nervousness, excitement and even anxiety after 16 border crossings.  In case you are interested here they are:

1.  US to Canada
2.  Canada to US
3.  US to Mexico
4.  Mexico to Belize
5.  Belize to Guatemala
6.  Guatemala to Honduras
7.  Honduras to Nicaragua
8.  Nicaragua to Costa Rica
9.  Costa Rica to Panama
10.  Panama to Costa Rica
11.  Costa Rica to Nicaragua
12.  Nicaragua to Honduras
13.  Honduras to El Salvador
14.  El Salvador to Guatemala
15.  Guatemala to Mexico
16.  Mexico to US

Maybe because it is the last one before being home.  Maybe it comes from my past experience and stories I have heard from others about crossing back.  I want a big warm hug that says “welcome home”.  In Honduras, the police actually stopped us to say “Hola.  Welcome to my country and enjoy your stay.”  Instead, I know I am going to get the third degree.   Border guards are going to want to question why we left, where we have been and what we were doing.  When we entered Mexico the Texas border guard tried to talk us out of going.  Will the California guard question why we went?  With a passport full of stamps they certainly can see we get around.  They will most likely want to search our stuff – something that hasn’t been done much at all on any of these other crossings.   To be clear, we don’t have anything to hide – not that you could fit much contraband on motorcycle anyway.  Rather, it is just the thought that they will be going through all our personal stuff. 

Maybe they won’t.  That would be nice.  If they do, I worry about their opinion on my most prized new physical possession.   That being the super functional and even kind of cool machete I picked up in Guatemala.  It is tucked ever so appropriately behind my pannier, ready for the first coconut or pineapple that happens to cross my path.  Not to mention the most convenient bottle opener and saw too.  In 90% of the world’s countries this tool is considered a farm implement.  They are wielded expertly by 8 year old boys as freely as a skateboard in the US.  I wonder what my government will consider it?  Dang, I sure am hoping…

Now Gaila doesn’t seem too stressed about it, just sad.  But that is her way.  I am the worrier and she is the carefree girl – taking things as they come.  It IS sad that our trip is coming to an end.  All these thoughts about what landing is going to be like and what we will do for work, etc.  Damn money.  The good news is we have learned to live happily with so much less.  Which is good on oh so many levels.  I have lots of ideas and irons in the fire so not really too anxious about it, but who knows.

Well, it is 6:15 am on this exciting Sunday morning.  Guess I will make the post and then hope to it.  Another exciting day waits for our OverlandNow team!  See you all soon.

I will begin with what started great, then turned to shit, followed by great.  That would be Saturday the 27th of April.  We were all fired up to get on the road again after 7 nights in Cabo using Gaila’s timeshare points.  Let’s hear it for top-shelf stay way past our normal budget.   After gearing all up and packed up Gaila went to start her bike but had no luck.  All the lights came on and stuff, but it would just not fire.  A dreaded EWS code popped up on her bikes computer screen and that gave us lots of reason for worry.  Like no way to start the bike without this unique BMW specific immobilizer key antenna.  Hard to explain…

GS-911 was only so helpful in this situation…

Fortunately, this error code triggered in error ultimately.  But not before we search all through Cabo for the people who USE to own the now defunct BMW dealer hoping they might have the spare part in old unused inventory.  No luck.  Then we started looking for a truck to give Sassy Pants a ride back to San Diego, as there are no other easy ways to get this particular part.  When I ran a diagnostic on the battery it showed red, so figured it might be low too.  Too confirm it wasn’t the battery we found a cool shop – Baja Motos I think, through our new friend Mark who we met at the hotel.  Charged it up fully and then went looking for rental truck, stop for lunch and called RideWest.  Gaila talked to Ben there and he was confident it wasn’t the key immobilizer and suggested it should be the battery.  Well, now fully charged up I dropped it back into the old girl and guess what?  She fired right up.  Hurray!  And no EWS code either.  Yeah!!!

With Sassy Pants now running, it was 4 pm and we figured the ride to San Jose del Cabo would confirm the charge and such.  After a little (OK, a lot) of searching we found a quaint little hotel downtown.  Guess what?  El Jeffe – aka Presidente of the California Sur state was in town so they had the whole place blocked off.  We walked down to the festivities and really enjoyed seeing some of the “local” goings on.  Not to mention some pleasant coffee beverages and even a little Tequila tasting in a cigar bar shop that has served many famous people like Brad Pitt and others based on the pictures.  This place was tiny, like 10 x 10 and the owner was a cool and interesting guy.    With the stress of her bike addressed, we were able to sleep like babies.

Aweseom Day!

The all-day view

Waking on Sunday one day behind our envisioned travel schedule we were now on a mission.  And that mission for me was to find some dirt and make miles at the same time.   Heading due east out of San Jose del Cabo we found exactly that.  Well, that and sand.  I had seen on the maps, GPS and Google Earth what looked like a very decent road heading along the coastline up towards Buena Vista and then La Paz, our hoped for minimum destination.  Oh and what a great road it was!!  So much unspoiled coastline and what colors to boot.   Yes, there were some private residence, but way more beach and dirt than homes.    It was a spectacular road for our big GS bikes.  For the most part, very manageable and quite pleasant.  Yes, a few spots were very sandy and some of it deep and treacherous.  But overall really good.   Unfortunately one sand filled turn caught Gaila out and she went down pretty hard. Not as bad as broken ankle in Wisconsin or the dirt filled face in UT but hard enough to bruise her hip and ring her bell.  Not to mention pushing the right side handbar in a bit.  Oh well, she is better for the outing.  While we weren’t breaking any land speed records it was a great learning and practicing day.  Should server us well for other upcoming roads.  :-)

Gaila happy to be on Baja

Parking the bikes on the beach twice and splashing around in the water was perfecto.  Hell, Gaila stripped down and jumped right in once we got to Buena Vista.  A pleasant little slice of heaven were we met more folks from WA and Canada.  The Pacific Northwest is very well represented in Mexico and Central America overall.  Maybe it is the rain that makes us travel or just good open minded people wanted to see and explore the world.    One more good stretch of real sand out of Buena Vista was pretty exciting too.  This time deeper and longer.  Perhaps the funniest part was when the local Policia Municipalia (or something like that) put his truck lights on as he approached us in this deep sand.   He asked for my license and I in turned asked what I had done.  This knowing full well nothing.  He kept asking and so did I.  After a couple minutes of this his partner looked at me with a little wave of the hand and glance that said “just go” so that is exactly what I did.  After a few “gracias” of course.  Gaila was bit surprised and just followed along.  Halfway expecting him to turn around and follow I was very pleased when he did not.  Whew!  Making it into La Paz late on Sunday afternoon we found a pleasant and cheap hostel.  Too tired to look for camping and we really needed a shower.   At first it did not appear we were going to find any dinner as everything was closed.  This is typical on Sunday nights and we need to start thinking about that.  Fortunately, there were places open a few blocks away on the malecon.  Which is Mexican for boardwalk – this on the Sea of Cortez.   Another well deserved shower, this one with hot water even and we called it a night.

A Happy Place…

This morning we popped up bright and early and smiled again after Gaila’s bike started right up. Looks like problem fixed.  For now at least.  Since we were in La Paz again – we were two Saturday’s ago after  disembarking the ferry from mainland Mexico that brought us to Baja – I wanted to get back to Sound Cafe a most excellent Beatles themed coffee shop.  Not only did we find it, but they remembered us and treated us to a free slice of morning cheesecake.  Not a bad way to start the day.

La Paz, Loreto or somewhere else???

Today was yet another different day of riding.  There isn’t too much between La Paz and Loreto except 250 miles of one lane highway or what surely must be really rough river wash sand.  We chose the former having had an awesome day of dirt on Sunday.  Ends up this was a very pleasant and surprising treat.  No, there really isn’t much out there except for Mother Nature’s handy work.  Overtime must have been paid.  Millions of cactus, rolling hills, small but impressive mountains and incredible blue oceans.  Most of the road was boring and straight but was intermixed with some excellent and fast twisties.  Especially as we first dropped down into a valley and then back out as we climbed the mountains outside of Loreto.

One of the churches in Loreto

As we dropped into Loreto we could see something was up.  And not just the argument Gaila and I had been having about when and where we were going.  As usual, she wanted to stop more and I wanted to keep moving.  Sometimes, the tensions run high over that topic…  Anyway, orange cones, barriers and police were directing traffic.  As we came to a blockade the officer asked if we were with the race and I sort of nodded and he waved us one.  As we got fully around the corner, I could see that a full Baja-type rally was in swing.  We found a front row spot to park the bikes and then started checking it out.  Ends up it is the Mexico 1000 off-road race.  Lots of bikes, buggies and seriously cool cars and trucks.  Oh and for us, a free dinner.  We crashed the party after meeting Jim in Comms and John one of the support guys riding a BMW 1150 GS down here to help out – all the way from Vancouver WA.  Hoping he might ride with us tomorrow or later in the week.   After we got checked into the hotel and before dinner we decide to sprint up to San Javier about 25 miles away where there is an awesome church built in 1744 – 1758.  This after the San Francisco Mission launched there in 1699!  Dang.  It was indeed special as was the 300 year old olive tree out behind the church.  Thanks Donn & Deb Harvey for the suggestion.   While surprisingly the road was officially paved, we had to dodge wash outs, bits that had simply fallen away down the cliff and one water crossing.  A great ride in my book!

Well, there you have it – a slice from 3 very different days.   Sunday was frustrating but ultimately satisfying after everything was fixed.  Yesterday in the dirt was perfect, as were all the ocean views we had. Today was a just a simple pleasure.  Nice riding in ever changing vistas.  Hard to ask for much more.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness” – Mark Twain

A digital nomad

My favorite riding

Honduras policia and welcome committee. This dude rocks!

We were stopped numerous times in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Belize as well.   Expecting the worse, they turned out to be nothing more than inconvenient, but legit, stops to check our paperwork.  We were allowed to proceed unmolested once we were validated.  Is it just luck or have cops become less corrupt?  All we’ve heard about police was they were dirty and throwing a few bucks at ‘em would get us out of situation quicker.  Either way, we were proud to have traveled so far without a ticket or paying a bribe.  Until Mexico.  Beautiful Mexico, what’s not to love about it?  Our favorite country in Latin America; depending on where you’re at (like non touristy areas) still feels like the wild west and seemingly anything goes.  It’s a gorgeous country, fantastic (and cheap) food, and awesome people who can fix or make just about anything.  You’re in the middle of bum fuck Egypt and out of nowhere a dude miraculously wanders out of the hills with a donkey in tow.  Then there’s the ice cream man pushing his cart on a lonely stretch of road with no town in site for 10 miles. Who is he selling his ice cream to and more importantly how the hell did he get out there and where is he going?  Things that make you go…. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Old fishing boat marina,Topolabambo. Mainland MX before crossing to Baja

But I digress; this story is more about the shady side of Mexico and its corrupt local cops.   In round one, we made it through Mexico as we headed south without incident.  Round two, northbound, we weren’t so lucky.   When driving in Mexico you have to understand no one seems to pay attention to the rules or speed limits. Driving here is an adventure in itself and we jokingly comment on “safety last’ regularly.

Driving up western coast road we found ourselves in Acapulco, which has lost a significant amount of tourism due to severe drug cartel violence.  I never had any desire to go there, mostly because I envisioned it as a run-down vacation has-been of the 60s and 70s.   But low and behold, it’s a gorgeous city with a stunning bay and endless coastline, dotted with plenty of swank restaurants, upscale hotels and tons of things to see and do.   I’m glad we stopped for a night and definitely want to go back some day. Because of its reputation for violence and cartel activity, Acapulco is diligently working on shifting its image to revive tourism and attract people to the area.

Acalpuco bay

So back to the cop story. We stopped to take some photos at an overlook, and then pulled out across a double yellow line pretty quickly as there was a lot of fast moving traffic.   As we situated into our lanes another motorcyclist was passing and trying to have a conversation at the top of his lungs “where are you from, where are you going” etc.  Within 40 seconds, two cops that happened to be on the side of the road were waving their hands frantically and motioning us to pull over.This stop caught me off guard as we were accelerating fairly fast.  With the other motorcyclist next to us trying to talk, I didn’t notice the cops at first and Tad’s brake lights were slamming on.   Danger alert as I’m braking really hard to avoid crashing into Tad, the other motorcyclist whizzes past shouting “good luck!”   Yeah, thanks buddy.

The overlook, right before the cop stop

We pull over; the cops ask for our licenses.  We are being stopped for being dangerous and reckless by crossing a double yellow line.  Are you fucking kidding me??  They nearly created a pile up by making us brake so damn hard and swerve to pull over.  And speaking of danger, apparently motorcyclists with their entire family, including a baby, speeding down the parkway without helmets isn’t dangerous?  What the hell.  The cops didn’t speak any English; I speak a little Spanish so communication wasn’t ideal.  They were insistent that we had broken the law and we were getting a ticket.   Tad was handling it his usual way which was trying to logically reason with them, but they weren’t backing down.  We had a choice to pay the ticket there (bribe) or go to the station and pay more.

Camped on this awesome beach in Mismaloya.

Meanwhile, I’m pulling a trick out of my hat that our friend Mark from Mexico City told us about.  So I go to my tank bag, get out my iPhone (which has no phone service in Mexico) and my Mexican phone.   I pretend to be looking up phone numbers and advise the cop I am going to call my friend at the Dept. of Tourism.  I told him this wasn’t good for tourism in Acapulco and getting hassled by police was a reason why people don’t come here anymore.  While I’m pretending to dial and get the phone to my ear, he says “let me talk to him!”.    I shook my head no.  That seemed to work as his attitude shifted.  But first we’d have to endure a little more of him throwing his authority around.  He then said Tad was being disrespectful and not abiding the laws, but I, however, was being respectful.  Ok, so now I see a soft spot and began to pour on how respectful I was of him, and clearly Tad just didn’t understand the law.   I advised we were just passing through and wanted no problems.   He rattled a little more about the respect thing, only this time in English.  All of sudden he speaks English!  He then handed us both our documents and let us go.   As we geared up, they pulled out, across the same double yellow line that we were stopped for crossing.    And that’s the way it goes down folks!   What a bunch of bullshit.  The stop took about 30 minutes.

Rudy and Tad on the Malecan in Puerto Vallarta

Our second police stop was in Topolabambo, where we were to catch the ferry to Baja later that night.  We had some time to kill before we boarded and decided to drive to the next town to grab some dinner.   Out of nowhere the 4 cops in a truck pull up behind us waving us over to the side of the road.    Really?  Why the hell they need 4 cops in one rig is beyond me, but what happens is one does the talking and the minion others just nod their heads in agreement.   This time it was for speeding and for some reason they were dialed into me, although they asked for both our licenses.   Pulling off my helmet and taking off my jacket, I had hoped maybe being a female with big boobs might work on my behalf.  No such luck.  We gave them AAA international driver’s licenses, never our regular licenses.  This is because in some case if they hold your license ransom, we can leave it behind and not worry about it not having another.  It expires next month anyway.   I disagreed we were speeding; the head cop pulled out the radar gun which showed us going 74 in a 60 km zone.  The others nodded in agreement.  I suspect we were speeding, but why in the hell should we believe them? More importantly EVERYONE was speeding, so why pull us over?

Our friends Richard and Fawzia’s back yard and our home for 2 days in Caleta de Campo, middle of nowhere Mexico. #awesomeness

I pulled up my GPS, and pointed to my average moving speed which was 32 mph (in kms about 50?).  Although this was total bullshit because it doesn’t mark my actual speed once I’ve stopped.  I hoped being an electronic satellite devise they would buy into it.  They seemed a bit puzzled, but still were adamant I was speeding according to their radar gun.  The ticket was 1200 pesos, which is $100 US.  They then advised they were going to charge Tad $1200 as well.  Insert eyes rolling here!

We now had a choice of paying it there (bribe) or pay at the station.  Tad said fine, we’ll go to the station.  Having both our licenses, they walked over to my bike with a screw driver and proceeded to try to take my license plate, saying they would hold the license and plate until we returned.   Oh Hell no!!  We both threw our arms up in in protest and said in no uncertain terms they were not going to take our license plates.  Then they pulled out a handful of licenses plates to show they had taken from other motorists and could take ours as well.   This is when I began to worry that we might end up in a predicament that would make us miss our ferry, which we’d already paid $300 for.   (ps. We did see the same cop later that evening removing a license from a local guy’s car!)

Threatening to call the Dept. of Tourism card didn’t work on these guys, so I called our friend Adriana in Cuernavaca to ask her if she knew if it was legal for them to take the plates.  She essentially said no but that local cops don’t go by the rules so we’d just have to try to talk our way out of it.  She then asked to talk with them.  Speaking fluent Spanish I thought she might be able to reason with them, but unfortunately, after 10 minutes talking, when I got back on the line with her she said they weren’t backing down and we’d have to pay.    Otherwise, they were going to take our plates and we wouldn’t be able to get them back until the following day, or possibly two.   Our other option, was we could each pay $600 pesos and be done.

Tad was adamant against paying anything roadside.   I was concerned they would take our plates and we’d be stuck overnight or longer.  Plus, if we did go to the station would it really cost us $1200 each ($200 total).   At that point, they had written me a ticket, but not Tad, and said they were going to write him up as well.  We continued to play dumb tourist, not understanding what they were saying.  They scribbled on paper the numbers 1200 x 2 or 600 x 2, meaning pay the 600 each and we’ll be done here.

While they weren’t looking, I pulled all my money except $200 pesos and stashed it away.   Tad was sitting on the road next to the bike at this point, ready to wait them out.  We had been roadside for over an hour and I could see they were getting tired of us.  I said I didn’t have any money except $200 pesos, having spent it all on ferry tolls.   They kept shaking their heads that I needed to cough up $600 each.  By this point they had handed Tad his license back.  We stood around the bikes mulling around, they went back to the truck to sit.   Finally, after a few more minutes, they summoned me to their truck waving my license out the window.  They tried one last time to get $600 pesos each, I produced a $200 pesos bill ($16 US) telling them this was all I had.   He took my $200 and gave me back my license. Total time 1.30 hours.   They didn’t get much $$ but I’m sure it paid for a six pack of beer and a round of tacos.

Feeling deflated that in over a year of travel, we had, or I had (Tad was pretty set against it) caved and shelved out $16 bribe.   It was either that or be detained for who know how long, and that just wasn’t worth it to me.   Sadly, we have fallen victim and are guilty of keeping feeding the corruption.   But as one of my friends commented, where else can you get out of speeding ticket for $16.  Good point!

Needless to say, when you’re in the heat of the moment it’s not a pleasant experience and your first instinct is to get out of the situation asap, especially when you’re asked to sign a ticket thats written in a different language and you have no idea what it says or what your admitting to. Not such a good idea.

It’s not the money, it’s the principal.  Next time, when we don’t have the risk of missing a ferry,  we’ll be waiting it out.

Striking sunset at Playa Pasquales. Major pro surfing destination and the waves were rippin!

An abandoned mud adobe somewhere along the coast.

Through the kindness of strangers (now friends) I am sitting here listening to the most perfect ocean sounds in a most magnificent beach & cliff front home. Richard and Fawzia felt comfortable enough to invite us road weary riders into their slice of heaven after a chance meeting in Honduras one month ago. That and couple of emails. Floridian expats who have taken the plunge and live in an amazing little town called Caleta de Campo overlooking an incredible collection of rocks, coastline, sunsets and pelicans galore. And perfect surf. How lucky are we? How rich has this life become in experience? Really just so difficult to put into words. And yet, pictures seldom happen at some of our most interesting moments…

While indeed amazing, this moment doesn’t feel so unique. Let me explain. Again, through the kindness of strangers, friends and family alike we have been put up, helped out and befriended time and time again. I think it is this that has made the largest and most important impression on me during this past year. People. Everywhere we have traveled people are fundamentally good and trying to achieve the same basics of survival and happiness. Personal growth and extended educations seem to be reserved for those of us lucky enough to be born in the right place and the right time. How lucky we are. I for one am exceptionally glad that the stars have aligned for us and this trip. Perhaps not the stars so much as ebb and flow of life. The paths that Gaila and I have each taken led us to this exact moment of awe, appreciation and inspiration.

We are often asked “what has been your favorite place?” Oh such cruelty this question invokes. How can I choose? Was it the Native American Indians of the Southwest US, the cod fishermen in Newfoundland, the Acadians in maritime Canada, the Cajuns of Louisiana, Mexican natives and expats alike in this wonderful country or every other collection of folks in Central America, Canada and the US? El Salvador, what a surprise. Labrador was a goal reached. Panama was the end of our southern road. Costa Rica with natures beauty and visit from my son. 10 countries, 6 Canadian provinces, 32 states 40+ national parks and countless local landmarks/treasure. This world we all share is an amazing place indeed. I am temped to go off on a dialogue about how we must protect her and honor this finite resource. Instead, I think I will leave it at this and remind myself to think globally and act locally.

Reflection now gives me the pause to consider all the things we have seen, the experiences we had and the people met. Impossible to recount them all or thank those that have helped us most. You know who you are: new acquaintances from the road, friendships kindled by a chance meeting at a border crossing, hostel, campground or gas station; friendships developed over a glass of local fruit juice/wine, home grown coffee, local beers or the mash, moonshine, whiskey, mezcal, tequila, ron(rum) that local customs and tastes prefer. My cup has always been full. To the brave souls that have put us up for the night or more – THANK YOU. You have no idea how wonderful it has been for us. Your homes whether simple or grand have been the shelter we needed and the friendships we sought. Oh, and your laundry too! (Try wearing the same basic cloths for one year – yikes.) Mechanics of the home school and professional ilk alike have been there to assist when needed. Pounded panniers, welded bits and maintenance moments like a much needed chain and sprocket for Gaila in far away St. John’s or an oil change in a Managua church. You all have kept us running on food for our souls and support for the physical effort.

Speaking of inspiration I can’t forget to mention the strong children and adults who have shared their smiles and lives with us as we volunteered at food banks, indian reservations, boys homes and educational centers for under-privileged kids. We are the ones who gained the most from these experiences. New respect, new friendship and simple moments of joy to be found in each day. Thank you Muskoka Foundation for opportunities in Mexico and the US and FoodNet in Lafayette Louisiana. Thank you Stacy at Storm Surge Films and Jake at Riders for Health for educating us on what is possible. Katie Clancy you are an inspiration to us all.

I think now of the pod of whales we saw so early in the trip as we camped completely alone on the California beach last spring. I think of the glorious send off from our friends back home in Washington. What a crew you are and how happy we will be to see you smiling faces soon! Thank you for helping us launch! Your support before and during have been immeasurable. I think of the seemingly countless sunsets disappearing behind mountain peaks or falling so brilliantly on the ocean horizon. Far fewer sunrises I must confess, but no less spectacular. Nothing quite like dawn showing itself over a still smoking volcano. And what of the stars? Camping usually provides the best views here. Like the brilliance of Utah or the sheer overwhelming view on a Labrador beach and better still the sparkle of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Yes, I am smiling big time as I write this…

Today is one of those early days. It use to be I woke at 5:30 to start my work day. Rewarding in its own right but just not the same as rising with mind full of appreciation and wonder about what this very day may bring us. Will it be the excitement of a crazy dirt or sand road road on the path less taken? Will it be endless coastlines as we head north? (Most definitely.) Will it be the nervousness of another border crossing or random police stop? (Which by the way have ALL turned out positive in the end.) Or will it be some other splash of Mother Nature’s beauty? Perhaps it will be another great church or sad reminder of man’s weaker moments. You never know. For me however, it is often the quiet time alone in my helmet where I see the birds in flight, and endless rows of local crops or school children off to a day of learning that sparks so much appreciation. Yes, it is the simple things that we should appreciate day in and day out that make grandeur so grand! A cliche perhaps, but somehow the rooster I hear crowing just now reminds me this is true.

I will be sad when this trip ends.

Our friends Julio and Luisa live in Antigua, so it made for a very pleasant stay for the holiday.  Antigua is one of ‘the’ places to celebrate drawing thousands of people to see the many processions and sawdust ‘carpets’.

This gallery shows some of the incredible sights we saw throughout the week.

We also took a day trip two up on the motos along with Julio and Luisa to the Iximche ruins.  This was a very small and pleasant ruins, but what made the visit off the charts was a special Mayan ceremony happening in the far back area of the ruins.  The smell of sage and incense permated the air along with the faint sounds of prayers and chants while the fire crackled.  As the rainy season is approaching, this was a Blessing of the Seeds ceremony, with prayers and offerings for an abundant planting season.   This why Guatamala rocks, it’s rich in culture, history and tradition makingt this country (in our opinion) stand out in Central America.

Blessing of seeds ceremony

The procession on evening of Good Friday

Semana Santa carpet made of flowers

Devoted and faithful, the designs are meticulous and time consuming

Candle light at the Good Friday procession

Carpet incorporating bread art

Purple is worn throughout the week for penance, it is replaced with black on Good Friday.

Carpet complete, when the procession passes over it, all that will be left is a trampled pile of colored sawdust

As long term travelers we are very good at being “on the move.” Indeed, it is normal for us now. Yet, it is the quiet moments, the still moments that I often appreciate the most. Like right now. I am sitting in the center of San Jose del Pacifico – a very small town nestled into the mountain side at about 8600 feet on the way from Oaxaca to the Pacific coast. To say that Route 175 is a highway is not really the truth. It is just a country road that winds up and up and soon down and down.

The fog has rolled in now, pretty much full on. But here I sit watching the goings-on of this small slice of Mexico. Sometimes super quiet, other times a loud truck rolls through, struggling to make it up the hill. A few small stores (tiendas) line the street but the real action comes when the collectiva busses pull into town. It is long haul up and down these mountains and this appears to be a natural stopping point. Today especially as a very heavy fog has rolled in.

Back at our Casita/Cabana I am now wondering if I could talk Gaila into staying here another day. (I did Such contentment I am feeling right now. This is a good place, ney a brilliant place. Birds chirping in the general silence. Peaceful to be sure. Save for an occasional car or truck heard in the distance. I have seen no less than 8 species of birds just from the front porch. Many I have never seen before and LOTS of hummingbirds. How wonderful. I wonder if hawks soar in the blue skies above? Can’t know right now as visibility is down to 30 feet or so. Such a wonderful variety of plants here too. Agave cactus, pines and many other flowering trees. Lots of coffee plants further down the mountain.

It is 6:45pm now and still light. I wonder if that is due to the daylight savings time that kicked in over the weekend? Would you believe that I completely missed it? Yes, me Mr. Still Wears A Watch Guy. Supposedly you can see the ocean from here on a clear day. I hope that we wake to that in the morning. Did I say hoping I can talk G into one more day here? No internet, no TV, no phones, no nothing. I was originally hoping we would find a place to camp, but this is very nice indeed. Been told the shower even has hot water, that will be nice later.

Tonight we will have dinner at the local place. Smelled great when we stopped by before our 10 minute walk to town. Do all birds have nests? At least a warm and comfortable place to spend the night? Ah, the sound of a donkey in the distance just now… pretty cool. The fog is so thick now that it seems to be right on top of me. In fact I can feel the mist Hmmm, that is an interesting bird call I hear now. That and fluttering wings from birds I can hear but not see.

Today (Tuesday morning) yellow butterflies and white ones too drifting on the gentle breeze. Hummingbirds with their distinct sounds and lizards climbing where they choose. It feels like a marvelous spring day. How glorious to see the rays of sun rising and now some whispy clouds rolling up the hills from the Pacific coast. Soon enough we will be there too, appreciating all that is the ocean. But for now this mountain spring with widespread vistas is more than enough. Just right indeed.

A thought just crossed my mind…will I spend the rest of my days thinking about these days? Perhaps, but at least it is better to have such a grand adventure once. Yet at 50, I am hardly done yet! Striving for the best in work, in volunteering, in life, in love and in adventure. Yes, those are goals to strive for.

What a peaceful and restful afternoon it has been. To be still and not having to be somewhere or do something was just what I needed. A restful still time. After a lovely dinner basking in the sun we headed back to our cabin. Sure enough the fog started to roll in. As it finally began to blanket the whole mountain side I could hear someone playing a very nice jazz saxophone tune while bongo drums seemed to be building their own beat in the opposite direction. Competion for the soundscape? No. Just two people doing what makes them happy I assume.

So it is now Wednesday morning and we are preparing to leave. As I quietly enjoying my coffee and a good read a local gentlemen comes meandering by with donkey in tow, fully loaded with what I think is pine and mosquite wood – for sale I assume as headed down over to the nearby restaurant. The sound of men working now in the background and local radio station keeps me company too.

In a few moments we will finish our routine task of packing up the bikes and heading out. Like most mornings, I can’t wait for the newness of this day and the sights, sounds and hopeful adventure to come.

Gaila was ready to spend some serious shopping time in the Oaxaca city centro so we were both set for our plans. Nice and simple, just a day of doing what we wanted to do. Sleeping in until 8 and then saying goodbye to Mark, a good friend of our hosts Calvin and Leanne meant I got on the road at 10am. Yes, leisurely to be sure but just what the doctor ordered. Overland Oasis is in Santa Maria Del Tule (check out The Tule Tree!!!) just a few clicks south of Oaxaca proper and it is the perfect place for us to be chilling. Since Mark does a lot of camping and adventuring in the mountains nearby he had a route all suggested for me. After a fuel stop at the ever present Pemex I was on my way in earnest. South out of town to Teotitlan founded in 1465 and translates to “land of the gods” or “foot of the mountains” depending on which indigenous language you chose. A quaint little village that was pretty quiet when I road through heading to the dirt track I was seeking. The plan was to ride about three hours on this dirt bit and find some of the great vistas and views Mark suggested.

Little did I know that after a few kilometers out of town I would come smack into the middle of a road block. The local officer suggested it would be an hour or so before I could pass up that way. Well not one to be put out by a detour I decided to find a way around it. And I did. After 3 clicks up towards the damn (which apparently looks awesome in the rainy season with a waterfall/cascade) I started to see locals and visitors alike lined up on the curves around the dirt road. The Renault flags and Red Bull t-shirts where a dead give away – there was a car rally in town and around.

Too cool. I pulled up to the Renault hospitality tent and took off my gear. As I did a super nice guy – Alfonso from Tijuana (doing work nearby) came over to say hello. We started chatting as his English was excellent and hit it off right away. He is a real adventure guy too doing mountain bike racing, motorcycles, rock climbing and travels extensively. We watched one of the stages up close and personal. Lots of fun and brought up many flashbacks to my racing days. Unfortunately, the route they were using was the EXACT route I was planning for my ride today. (See the map below.)

After the stage ended we decided to head back into town for some lunch. Can you say “mole”? No, not mole but “molay” the really fancy and good Mexican sauce made with fresh chocolate and local peppers. Killer on my pollo (chicken). Stuffed we decided to meander in town a bit as Alfonso was planning to pick up a textile or two. Kind of wishing I had… Aside from the awesome textiles we saw a wedding going through the center of town and at the church. Fun to watch, but it took a little effort getting around on our way out back to Oaxaca. With a wide variety of guests it appeared the gringo groom was marrying a beautiful local girl. Really cool cross cultures. Eight foot tall puppet like dolls and mariachi band to boot.

Once back in Oaxaca we parted ways as I was determined to get onto some more dirt and up into the mountains. But first, I would have to navigate some awesome twisties heading East out of Oaxaca. Turn after turn after turn delivering me to about 9000 feet. Sweet. Only had to pass a few chicken busses over double yellows in the turns How am I ever going to abide by US traffic laws again?????? Once up on the top I took a somewhat hidden left that immediately turned to excellent dirt track. Sweet – finally. Now, the very sad part about this story is that it appears I may have fried yet another camera. After waxing a Canon earlier in the trip, then the Panasonic, it appears I may have toasted the cheap (at least as cheap as I could find with any quality) Canon I got in Guatemala City. As such, no pictures from the top. Damnit, I am pissed!!! It was gorgeous!! In fact, for a time I had a hard time remembering I was in Mexico as it looked just like so many forest service roads I have taken in the Cascades. Seriously. Pine needles, cones and even some moss on trees. Yes, the temp even dropped to 59 degrees after hitting 92 on the valley floor. Was I happy? You bet. Road for about 90 minutes up, up and up. Towards the end, the dirt track turned into hand laid stones that were leading up to a place called Coral de Pedro or something like that. Sadly, there was a locked gate and steep drops to the side that kept me from going any further. 10,636 ft was the highest point I reached. Very nice. Just so disappointed I could not take pictures or video. I think it is the wind & dust that is killing my cameras. Guess I need to change my approach. It was so refreshing and rewarding to ride up there. I wish every day riding could be like that. Well, maybe not the two bulls and one donkey that seemed quite happy to slow my progress.

After making the turn to start heading down I was hauling some booty to get back by 5pm with one errand to run. Wouldn’t you know it, my bike Lucille (2011 BMW F800GS) decided to start acting up again. Periodically on the trip – mostly at elevation and mostly later in the day after hours of riding – she has taken to stuttering or stalling. Usually not a big deal as it doesn’t happen very often and I can’t repeat it at the dealer or on flat ground. This time however, with serious slip and lean angles happening on the dirt it was very unsettling to deal with this today in the middle of nowhere. Indeed I ran into two trucks and wouldn’t you know it cut out right as I was making one of the passes!! Unsafe AND embarrassing. Surely this is a fuel delivery problem that happens with elevation and heat, but I will be damned if I or a dealer can figure it out. Guess I will be reading forums next.

Safely back on the Oaxaca valley floor I was no longer having the stalling problem. I stopped by the local moto shop and picked up some chain lube and silicon for our host Calvin. Some stuff he needed and just a small token of my appreciation for the welding he did on my pannier frame yesterday. Very happy about that.

Ends up I got right back to the Overland Oasis at the same time Gaila did so we had a nice kissing reunion and then shared some cold beers telling the story of our day. Mexico so rocks! It is truly wonderful here and I can see why Canadians Calvin and Leanne have settled in this great spot. Tomorrow we will be heading to one of the large local markets and a street festival. On Monday we will leave for the Playa (beach) as Semana Santa holidays are all wrapping up now here and things will be getting back to normal. Do yourself a favor, next time you plan a trip to someplace warm, try the interior of Mexico. Yes the beaches are awesome, but getting to see, meet and know locals has been one of the thrills in our trip. And yes, so is the back road dirt riding. I am pleased with how the day turned out and excited about meeting new people. Ciao for now, Tad.

We left beautiful Playa CuCo heading for Playa Tunco in El Salvador on perfect morning.    We planned to go the dirt route along the coast the 30 or so miles to Tunco in spite of the hotel owner advising us that it was not possible as it was very difficult terrain.   Of course that statement in itself makes Tad salivate, so off we go.  The road was awesome, hugging the coast from high above and giving us beautiful vistas as we passed a few remote pueblos.   About 10 miles in that changed (surprise, surprise!) and the road quickly turned into a relatively thick layer of baby head size rocks, round and perfect for rolling beneath your motorcycle.  Trying to focus to stay upright and keep my momentum, it wasn’t long before lost it and went down really hard within a mile the stuff.   After assessing the road a distance down it didn’t appear to get any better.   After we got the bike up, it was pretty lodged on rocks, so while I removed the panniers, Tad was working on trying to get it unstuck.  It’s time like this I question whether I’m really cut out for this type of riding.   Tad, fearing this might be a ride of more picking up the moto’s than riding (at least mine) elected to turn around so we might get to Tunco in a decent amount of time and in one piece.

View from our balcony at Playa Tunco

We arrived at Tunco and had a most excellent 3 night stay with a fantastic beachfront room.   We were mesmerized by the massive roaring waves of the ocean (so close we could almost touch it!) and the astounding sunsets from our balcony.  Being a self-proclaimed beach bum, it was hard to put on all the motorcycle gear and leave our little beachfront utopia in such hot weather but it was time to move on to explore more El Salvador treasures.

When you think about gastronomy Central America doesn’t typically come in high on the list.   In fact, it probably doesn’t even register on any list.  Since leaving Mexico, we haven’t had any real blow your hair back experiences that would send foodies flocking here.   But let’s set the record straight, we left San Salvador a little thicker around the middle, with no need to eat again for 3 days after and a promise to share the delights of this awesome little country.  We may not have found the ‘real’ deal had it not been for the generous hospitality of our wonderful hosts Mario and Fernanda Lecha of San Salvador.  There is some damn fine food to be found here and we were more than spoiled by these two professional eaters.

Mario and Fernanda Lecha, Big El Salvador Hearts!

We were introduced to Mario through our friend Julio Hartman of Guatemala, who was introduced to us by our friend Lance Carnes of Mexico, who was introduced to us by our friend Don Stover of Tennessee, who was introduced to us by our friend Lee Wagoner also of Tennessee, who we met at the GS Giants Rally in Arkansas.   Prime six degrees of separation example, no?

We weren’t going to spend any time in San Salvador, but after a few email exchanges with Mario, he graciously invited us to come to San Salvador and spend a night, share stories and relax before we headed back to Guatemala.

Mario met us late in the afternoon and we followed him back to San Salvador through an enjoyable twisty back road.  We stopped at place called the Devil’s Doorway – a cool outcropping of gigantic rocks with cliff side trails towering over the valley below.  At first glimpse it reminded me a mini Machu Picchu but before we could really get out and explore it much, a cool dry fog had consumed us and we couldn’t see didly.

We arrived at his lovely home overlooking the city of San Salvador and were warmly greeted his gorgeous wife Fernanda and their daughters Julie and Fernandita and 1 yr old grandson Toto.   Before we knew it, out one night turned into three.  Not surprising as these folks were a hoot to hang out and each morning they suggested we stay another night.

Ok so back to the eating part.  Word:  Pupusas. Definition:  A little disc of goodness.   This is a corn maza dough (what you make tortillas out of) is formed into a ball and stuffed with just about anything you want.  Shrimp, cheese and chicken, or maybe a jalapeno and chicharron, straight up roasted veggies or chorizo and queso, the list goes on and you get the idea. They are then flattened into a tortilla shape and grilled to perfection.  You’ll find a giant jug of shredded fermented cabbage slaw on the table which is typically spread over the top of the pupusa before starting its short journey from your mouth to your belly.  Washing it all down ice cold beer or two you will then waddle out of the restaurant too full to speak.

Day 2.  We’d hardly had time to digest our breakfast of frijoles, eggs, sausage, fruit, crusty French bread and a wedge of firm white salty cheese, before Fernanda began preparing lunch.  While we were heads down catching up on Wi-Fi, the smells of garlic, roasting peppers and chicken were making our mouths water.   The result was a delish hoagie type sandwich topped with fresh tomatoes, onions and a spicy green sauce.   Before we could wipe the last bit of green chile from our lips, Fernanda wants to know what we want for dinner.  Forget brushing after each meal, we needed a nap after each meal.  That good and that filling!

After an afternoon of sightseeing and hiking around the Volcano San Salvador and Mario’s coffee plantation (Finca Tepeyac) we made our way back home.  Mario’s grandfather was a Spaniard and Fernanda began preparing Paella from the old family recipe handed down for generations.  It was a gigantic platter abundant with mussels, shrimp, chicken and pork politely nestled in delightful saucy rice, with a side of that awesome fresh crusty French bread and perfectly paired red wine.   I couldn’t help but feeling piggish when I went back for a second helping.  And let me not forget Fernanda’s homemade New York Cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries for desert.  I wonder how Fernanda manages to keep her rockin’ body in shape?    A couple cubre libres and a shot of icy cold tequila later along with brilliant conversation, we said goodnight with the intension of heading out the next morning.

But that wasn’t meant to be, we hadn’t finished eating!

Day 3:   They took us to a seafood restaurant for lunch owned by one of their friends.  The extensive menu included just about any seafood combination you could think of shrimp, octopus, calamari and a number of different fish options.  We were provided a small ceviche sampler – one was a cream dill base and one the tradition tomato lime base. Tad and I opted for the tomato option.  After an appetizer of small smoked chorizo sausages, thick toasted tortilla wedges, avocado and a chipotle type sauce, our ceviche arrived in bowls the size of a big baby heads.   The bowls were so full jammed packed we could hardly finish, but not being quitters, we found the bottom of the bowl.

We made our way to downtown San Salvador to an amazing church (can’t remember the name), which isn’t much to look at from the outside, but it’s absolutely stunning inside.

You can still see bullet holes on the outside doors.

Little rooms lined the streets with prostitutes waiting of Love you Long time!.

A domed shaped building with a stained glass ceiling, the reflections of the glass on the walls and natural lighting was breathtaking.  This church has a sad history many people were shot and killed outside of the building during rebel protests.  You can see the bullet holes in the cathedral doors – a sad reminder of the tragedy the square.  We toured a bit more around down town, cruising through the market/shopping area and red light district with the ladies in waiting all dolled up and ready to serve.

We made a stop at the iconic Café Bella Napoles which interior is still the same as it was in the 1960’s.  You wouldn’t know if from its run down façade and interior, but it’s a well-known and famous San Salvador coffee shop where politicians and intellectuals have made many important decisions over coffee and dulce.   So while still full from our bottomless ceviche, we thought what the hell and managed down a few pastries along with our cappuccino.  Oink!

Later that night, in spite of not being the slightest bit hungry, Mario suggested we go for cocktails and something ‘light’.  We ended up at another friend’s restaurant which was an open air restaurant/bar with a roadhouse atmosphere.  I joined Fernanda with the house special – blue margarita with a beer floater.

I’d like to take a moment to personally thank the genius who thought up this tasty libation!   Being that it was the size of a small house, martini’s seemed to be the better option for our 2, 3^rd and 4^th drinks.

Our light snack started with a margarita pizza.  Well enough, as we didn’t really even need that.  But that’s not how Salvadorians’ operate.  Mario began to order a number of unique items on the menu and a short while later piles of food began to appear at our table.

Huevos de Coclorniz – hard boil quail eggs

Camaronies a la Diabla – melt in your mouth shrimp topped with a zesty spicy sauce and toasted garlic wedges.

Corazon de Res (Antioucho) – thinly sliced beef heart, grilled and seasoned with salt and smoke.  This was unique as it resembled grilled flank steak but had an ever so slight liver flavor.

Pescadaditas –  Fish minnows about 1-2” long in a seasoned battered and deep fried whole.  Heads, guts and all… down the hatch.  Crispy little buggers

Calamari -  Your typical calamari battered and fried, but cooked perfectly.  One of the best ever!

Cerdo a la plancha  – grilled sweetened pork chunks served on skewers with a side of pickled onion.

I’m not sure how we have the uncanny ability to chow down humungous portions of food even when we aren’t hungry. To delish to pass up or am I afraid I’ll ever have an opportunity for fried minnows again?    Nonetheless, our feast was a 5 star eating event.  Over the table that evening, Ferdanda gently clasped my hand and asked a small favor — to please tell our friends that El Salvador, the country she is born and raised and so proud to love, is a wonderful and beautiful place to visit.   This country has a violent history, but unless you go looking for trouble and throw common sense out the window, we found it to be a full of friendly, welcoming and beautiful people and places.

And with that said, after thickly sliced pound cake French toast and fresh watermelon for breakfast the next morning, we said our good-byes to our awesome hosts and headed off for the Guatemalan border.

This post will serve as a image gallery/trip-summary, but also a review of Tad and Gaila’s admirable ‘adventure lifestyle’, which I was lucky enough to get a small taste of while visiting.

Some of my favorite photos are in the gallery below:

…followed by more trip details!

Arenal Volcano

View from Balcony in Manuel Antonio

Waterfall in the Distance

Bird at Arenal Cabinas

Jaco Beach Day

Manuel Antonio Shore

Pizza Oven

Delicious BLT

Pizza

Waterfall near Arenal Volcano

The majority of our trip was spent along the western coastline, first in Jaco and then in Manuel Antonio. We also made it inland to the well-known Arenal Volcano.

As you can see in the pictures, Costa Rica is filled with a variety of natural attractions including Beaches, Mountains, Volcanoes, and Rain forests;  plus the climate was perfect, hovering between 60-80 degrees the whole time.

Trip Outline

Denver Intl. ⇒ LAX ⇒ San Jose, Costa Rica

After arriving at the small San Jose airport, we first had to stop and pickup some moto vest reflectors before heading out of the city. Safety first!

We hit the road (and gravel) through mountains and out to the coast, making it to the first stop in Jaco, Costa Rica right around sunset-time on the first evening.

The beach at Jaco is well known as a surf spot, but it’s an all-around fun town for anyone.

We found an awesome Sushi Dinner the first night, and spent a couple of days just lounging by the beach and catching up. Also, got my first dose of some REAL pineapple, much better than the pineapple available in US.

Before leaving, we stopped by the grocery store for some raw chicken, which was taken to feed the alligators from the bridge, located just outside of town. (A super memorable experience!)  Then we rode via Motorcycle south to Manuel Antonio, a fun but brief 1-2 hr. ride along the coast.

Our second stop was at an amazing location, with outstanding accommodations. Manuel Antonio is the city I would consider a “must see” when visiting Costa Rica.  We were able to hike in the nearby Rain forest, then hang by the Beach after having lunch in town.

The final night in Manuel Antonio was a blast because Gaila decided to sign us up for a Snorkeling excursion, plus an authentic Costa Rican dinner on the boat as we watched yet another gorgeous sunset.

( The next morning, we began our journey heading northbound up to the town of La Fortuna near Arenal Volcano )

 I woke up and went for a walk towards the volcano on the first day, which looked amazing in the early-morning sunlight with a donut-like cloud around it’s peak, as you can see in one of the images in the gallery.

Out of all the towns we visited, La Fortuna was the only one to directly advertise to “tourists”, but it certainly wasn’t anything too aggressive.

The town had a cool festival, which appeared to serve as an active ‘town hub’, but with a mysterious event schedule.  (We wanted to see the Bull Fights, but missed those; although we did catch a glimpse of some energetic Costa Rican Ladies at Aerobics Night!)

The volcano itself is no longer active, although it has been recently.

We hiked up to, and then down a few hundred steps to an amazing waterfall near the volcano – Pura Vida! The place we stayed at was great, with cozy ‘cabinas’,  and friendly hosts. We even went on a chocolate tour, which certainly made everyone happy!

After spending a few days near the volcano, we decided to spend our final night up at Gary’s B&B in the mountains.  It was about an hour-long jaunt up the twisty mountain roads, one of my final rides on the motorcycle.

6km north of San Ramon, about an hour away from San Jose Airport.  Looking out over the Tillaron mountains in the San Juan Valley. Angel Valley B&B is truly an amazing spot.

It was a real treat to have homemade pizzas, cooked from a super cool Outdoor Pizza Oven , along with Craft Beers at Gary’s Bed-n-Breakfast.  A perfect evening to wrap up an amazing trip!

San Jose, Costa Rica ⇒ Guatemala City ⇒ LAX ⇒ DIA

(Returned home 3/1/2013)

Some Other Trip ‘Favorites’

Traveling by motorcycle is a great way to go, specifically because you can actually smell the wildlife and roam off the beaten path much more easily.

Also, considering Gaila learned how to ride a motorcycle just months before leaving on the trip, she is an incredible rider with a great sense of awareness after riding so much over the past year.  I will also note that the BMW F800GS my dad’s riding is quite an impressive machine;  It seems to provide a good blend of both capability and dependability for long trips.

• Can’t forget to point out the impressive universal ‘motorcyclist culture’, which we ran into a few times.  These are consistently friendly groups of riders that can be found anywhere in the world, according to Tad and Gaila.

• When it comes to actually going on adventures, it really just boils down to having that “screw it, why not?” mentality to get out and DO it. This was something my dad and Gaila pointed out while I was talking with them about some lessons they’ve learned along the way.

• I was also reminded that Bi-lingual individuals have a major advantage in society.  Thankfully Gaila’s Spanish is super solid for us to go-to when needed!

• Also, this trip reminded me that Technology Breaks are a good thing!

After getting the chance to be a part of it all, I came to realize that I sincerely admire the courage that my dad and Gaila have.  Not many people are brave enough to confidently navigate through various countries, especially by motorcycle.  Not to mention- I was able to hear about all of the cool things they’ve been doing, like volunteering in Guatemala.

I’d be happy to respond to any specific questions or comments regarding the trip, in the designated area below on this page –  or if you’d like to get in touch directly:

Contact by email here, or find me on Twitter @HaasTech.