Day 1 Border crossing to Miramar – 95 miles (215 miles from Managua)

After going through the border we were two cranky people on a dirty motorcycle, not a good combination.  We stopped at the first restaurant we saw and relaxed with a coke and what people down here call a burger.  I would do anything for a pure beef burger hot off the grill right about now.  I have had dinner and brushed my teeth and I still can’t get that taste out of my mouth.  It was a burger, but Dad called it meatloaf on a bun, but I don’t know what the beef was mixed with.

So now that I have everyone grossed out.  On to the weather… it started to rain while we were eating and we thought that it was no big deal, but then it really started to rain.  It was more like a wave was washing over the country, our rain gear was now wet because it was in the bags strapped onto the side of the bike.  So we acted like locals and had a long relaxing lunch while we waited for the rain to stop. 

Costa Rica is Gorgeous.  After the rain everything was shiny and new.  The countryside is more flat, we really came out of the mountains past Managua and there is a lot more farmland.  So far the biggest difference I have noticed is how clean Costa Rica is.  The other countries have trash everywhere and it is not as bad here.  However, the negative is the roads.  The roads are multicolored and have multileveled potholes.  It was hard to take pictures because the area is more forested and all the camera can see is trees, the further we went the more trees we saw.

It started to rain again a little further down the road, but there weren’t any turn offs or towns to stop and change into our rain gear.  We both figured that it would go by fast so there were no worries, we eventually came to a town, but the rain had pretty much stopped and we were soaked anyway so who needs rain gear.  Bite my tongue, it started raining again and it never stopped, we tried looking for a hotel, but none were visible and the only one that we did see was behind a gas station and full.  We drove on as it began to get dark and it still rained.  There was a sign indicating that there was a hotel in town to the left, but that was 3km away and I said oh no, lets just keep going, there’s lights over there.  No hotels, only restaurants, I was beginning to think that the people in this country only ate and never slept.  We came to another road off to the left, but the sign said 5km to the hotel.  By this point Dad was having problems seeing in the rain with the glare of oncoming lights (minor details), so we decided to try it.  After 5km there was another sign that said 5km.  We ended up on a road in the middle of nowhere.  There weren’t any lights and the road was straight up with sharp turns.  We climbed and climbed.  Dad said the grades must be 15-20% or more in places.  He had to use first gear most of the time.  Then we came to a dirt road that was barely passable to the left.  There still weren’t any lights and my first thought was that there used to be a hotel here, and now we are stuck on top of a mountain with a haunted hotel.  To my surprise there was a non-haunted hotel which was actually a resort that looks down on the Costa Rica Peninsula and the bay.  God is letting us have a break from the day we had and we just happened to fall upon an adventure resort in never, never land.  There is horse back riding, ATV adventures, and the best of all, a canopy tour on cables through the jungle, offered both day and night.  We thought that it was so cool that we are staying two nights. 

We plan to take a horseback ride into the jungle then take a canopy tour that extends over a half mile on more than two dozen lines. 

Day 2  Miramar – 0 miles by bike, several by horse and cable.

The place we are staying is called Hotel Vista Golfo, Adventure Park and Hotel.  It is owned by a German couple, Dietmar and Barbara Finca.  Thirteen years ago Dietmar brought Barbara to this place and hiked to the top of the mountain and said this is where they would live and he would build a resort.  She said he was crazy and went back to Germany.  She would visit during the dry season and see the progress Dietmar had made.  About seven years ago she moved out here full time.  She says she has never worked so hard in her entire life but she also has never been happier.  They should be proud.  They have built a little paradise.  If you get a chance and want an adventure in a retreat setting consider staying here a while.  You can spend a week here doing an adventure everyday and not repeat any.  The rate is a very reasonable $52.00 for a double room with two people and that includes breakfast.

We had breakfast overlooking the Golfo de Nocoya.  We watched a couple of toucans fly into the tree above our heads and put on a show.  We watched a dozen or so people come in and prepare for a whole day ATV adventure.  We made preparations to go on the half day waterfall canopy tour which included an hour of horseback riding to the starting point.  A group of ten others from a cruise line joined us.

It has been raining a lot here.  The rainy season definitely has not yet ended here.  The dozen of us plus five or six guides mounted some horses and headed up some steep, muddy trails.  These were ugly, nasty trails.  The kind I like to ride on a dirt bike.  I was very glad we weren’t on the KLR however.  I never had much need for riding a single horsepower mount with a mind of its own when I could ride several horsepower under my control.  Nonetheless, I was happy to be on the horse.  I had a very spirited horse.  It is clear that they have a pecking order and do not like to get out of that order.  A dozen and a half horses were constantly fighting each other for position until they eventually worked things out.  If other horses came too close to mine she would kick them.  Some of the riders may have thought they were in control but clearly they were not.

I was on an appropriate horse.  She had a bit of a racer in her.  Several times we were navigating an extreme up or down hill with barely one track available.  If the horse in front of me boggled in the least little way my horse was shooting down another track that was real ugly in order to get by.  It reminded me much of a bunch of friends riding dirt bikes together on tough singletrack trails.  Again, these were nasty trails filled with loose rocks, ruts, ditches and a foot of deep mud with all kinds of unseen stuff under the surface.  I watched one horse nearly go down four different times as it struggled to keep footage in this steep, slimy, rocky mess.  It was way cool. 

After about an hour of mostly climbing into a cloud forest we stopped and got off the horses.  Then we strapped on a harness for free falling through the jungle on cables.  We had twenty-five runs, stretching out more than a half mile.  I don’t know what the total vertical fall was but two of the runs were so steep we had to repel down them.  Some of the other runs required full brakes the entire length.  Braking consisted of pulling down hard on the cable with a special glove that has extra slabs of leather inside the palm area.

About a third of the way down, we stopped for a snack break.  For those daring enough, there was an open invitation to swim in one of the pools at the bottom of a huge waterfall.

We continued down additional lines.  It started raining just as we were finishing.  A crew was waiting for us with fresh towels.  They took us back up the mountain to the resort where an excellent full meal awaited us.

All in all, it was a nice day and a pleasant break from all the riding.  We are now sitting in our double room looking out over the balcony.  Instead of the breathtaking view of the gulf we had this morning we are looking into a deep fog and heavy rain.  We are glad we are not on the bike.  There are toucans flying about making noise along with occasional thunder.  We find ourselves about as relaxed as you can get.  This place has done its job!

Day 3  Miramar to Palamar Norte – 246 miles

We woke up this morning and went and had breakfast again with a great view, but this time we were lucky enough to see two toucans also eating breakfast in the tree next to the table.  I was very surprised to see how small they are, I guess that in pictures that I have seen in the past my mind’s eye told me that they would be bigger, but they are cute small birds with beautiful beaks. 

Breakfast was at 7:30 and we left shortly after to get an early start, Our goal was to either get near the Costa Rica/Panama border and cross in the morning or cross today and stay on the other side.  Either way we knew that we would have a long ride ahead of us.  Getting out of the hotel was much easier then getting in, especially since it was light out and it wasn’t raining. 

We left Miramar and headed straight for San Jose not too far down the road.  We were confidant that this city would go smoother because it was the only city so far that we actually had a city map for.  However, even that was as descriptive as we would have liked and as we have done in every large city so far we missed our turn.  Though unlike every city we have been in so far there were actually signs.  Not always in the right place, but we maneuvered our way through the city and made it out without any one getting hurt.

Highway 2 heads south right before Cartago and that is where we had lunch.  It looked like rain so we put the rain gear on and headed into the mountains.  Not only was there rain, but every kind of climate change with it.  There was also fog, wind, and hot and cold temperatures – all within one corner.  As we climbed I started to freeze, but in my mind stopping was worse so I didn’t say anything.  Dad must have been getting cold too, because he pulled over and opted that we try out the electric vests.  Great idea, but bad idea that I had to take the two jackets that I had on off in order to put the vest on.  I have never used an electric vest, but let me tell you, that thing is my new best friend.  I slowly could feel the core of body warming up and then blood started moving to my limbs again and I was warm in no time.  Both of us had to turn the vests off before we reached the bottom.  The GPS hasn’t been working for a couple of days so we are not sure how high we were, but by the map we guess that we were close to 12,000 feet. 

Our goal was to get closer to the border, but due to the rough roads we were only able to get to Palmar Norte.  The highway was two lane and filled with potholes the whole way.  The ups and downs also didn’t help when we were constantly getting stuck behind semi trucks.  Nonetheless we made as far as we could and we found a place that has small cabins that have recently been remodeled with wood floors and a rock lined shower.  We had dinner at a restaurant around the corner, which is owned by the same people and while we were there they were already hanging their Christmas decorations.  It was fun to watch the men climb on the very top of ladders and on roofs to hang lights as the women sat at a table and yelled at them what to do.  It was just like home and seeing all the decorations made me miss home.  At least I know that no one at home is decorating yet.

The drive here took awhile, but it was gorgeous.  Huge trees and wide rivers, with waterfalls that came down the mountains and poured into the river helped to make Costa Rica one of my favorite countries so far.  One of the wonderful things about Costa Rica is how clean it is.  There have been signs or trash cans in most of the countries so far, but this is the first time I saw a sign that had a fine on it for 100,000 colons, which is about $200. 

Our goal is cross the border tomorrow and make it as far as possible into Panama.  Wish us luck!  Clara

As Clara mentioned, it was a good riding day with some extreme weather changes.  We traveled through several mountain ranges and saw lots of pretty country. 

With this being a slow, easy going day, or as the locals say, “Pura Vida,” I let my thoughts drift a bit.  Near San Jose I saw a sign with directions to a motocross track and thought about Ernesto Foncesca.  He is from Costa Rica and traveled to the United States a few years ago and lit up the scene in the 125cc Supercross series.  He had several wins and won the championship.  He moved up to the premier 250cc class and put in some impressive rides in both the Supercross and outdoors Motocross series.  He is a great kid with much talent and had a great racing future ahead of him.  However, a recent riding incident has left him injured and unable to race anymore.  I send my best hopes and wishes to Ernesto, his family, friends, fans and supporters.

I also thought about the recent loss of a great person, Dave Mungenast.  I know Dave as a fellow motorcycle adventure riding friend.  Dave has ridden motorcycles around the world competing in several International Six Days Enduros in his younger years.  I knew him through the Colorado 500 Dirt Bike Charity Rides and Malcolm Smith’s Six Days of Baja rides.  Into his seventies, Dave always came in from a days ride with a great big smile on his face and nothing but great stories.  I was lucky enough to ride an entire day with him in Baja when his regular riding partner couldn’t ride.  We rode side by side, inches apart for more than 200 miles through some very grueling trails.  Even at his age he had such great bike control that I never had a second thought about him not holding his line.  I can remember a couple of times when we rode our buns off holding our respective lines through some especially challenging sections and looking at each other with an approving and respectful nod.  The message was clear, “Yeah!  That was fun!”

Dave was a great family man and successful businessman.  He supported many great charities.  I’ve had the good fortune to meet a couple of his sons and they are also great people.  Dave had many wonderful traits but I will always remember him as an adventure rider who couldn’t stop having fun.  Godspeed Dave.  I hope you find your next set of adventures even more rewarding.  May you help prepare the way for us adventurous ones that will surely follow.

All in all, it was truly a “Pura Vida” day. 

Day 4 Palmar Norte to the border crossing – 60 miles

Sleeping in an air conditioned room was nice.  When we woke up and walked outside we thought we had entered a sauna.  And it was still early morning.

Restaurants weren’t open for breakfast so we loaded everything all the gear on the bike and headed out in a sweat.  At least at speed there was enough of a breeze to keep things tolerable but we both knew it was going to get real hot later.

An hour down the road we found a little restaurant under the trees that was open so we pulled in for some eggs and toast.  Of course, everything down here comes with rice and beans. 

We headed for the border.  The last time we crossed on a Sunday everything turned out pretty well.  We decided to the same thing again despite common advise.  Leaving Costa Rica could not have gone any better.  We parked in the shade and I walked over and got our passports stamped and the motorcycle permit cancelled within 5 minutes.  No hassles, no money, no agents.  We remounted the bike and rode another block to enter Panama. 

We both enjoyed our time in Costa Rica very much.

Click here to read about our adventures in Panama.