Splish Splashing Away! (Sarapiquí, Bijagual, and Los Santos.)

Hello! I rode four days in a row, and today, Monday, September 12, 2022, I rest! 🙂

Thursday’s ride through Bajos del Toro was followed by a ride through Sarapiquí on Friday. I joined a few of the Honda CB 500 group in San Jose to go have lunch with them on their way to Guapiles for the Expo-Pocosí event.

Best thing was getting a hug and kiss from my friend Allan! 🙂

Route 32 down to the Caribbean was traffic jammed due to several accidents and breakdowns. Plus, it was raining, with lots of oil spills on the road. Not the best driving conditions, especially since this road is prone to massive landslides. Nevertheless, I enjoyed riding with this small group.

I left the group after lunch and decided to come home via Sarapiquí (route 4) and La Virgen, through San Miguel and Vara Blanca on route 126. Though longer, I trusted it would be less stressful. And so it was!

Route 4 to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí is a straight road, then it goes through the rolling hills of La Virgen, with easy curves. I loved it!!! No cars! GREEN! And the rain gods were with me because I somehow managed to avoid rain until I hit Atenas.

I especially enjoyed seeing Cerro Congo in the distance and getting closer to it. For some reason, it thrilled me.

Oh how good one feels when one has made the right decision. 🙂 It was a real treat to ride this route on a cool Friday afternoon.

Then on Saturday, a few friends and I went through route 239 to head over to Bijagual. My friend Dave Mejía had never been. Route 239 is quite smooth at the moment, as it looks like it is being prepared to be paved. (See Video.) I remember riding it many years ago when it was a rocky, isolated, gravel road. So many changes happenging…and so fast!

It was so much fun! I was back in my groove. Yay!

Nearing Bijagual, a bridge had washed out. We could not continue. So we turned around to go back and go to Quebrada Amarilla. No problem turning around, because, like I said, it was delightful to ride this route. Zero Stress! Just FUN! And the road to Quebrada Amarilla is lovely, winding its way along the river.

FYI, one can buy gasoline in Las Delicias.

Back on the flatlands, we got a chance to splash through some puddles again, enjoying life like happy children! Hahaha! (See video.)

After lunch at Soda Puesta del Sol, we headed up the Aguacate (Route 3), only to once again have to turn around. There were several landslides, and it was yellow clay. Really slippery. I left the group while they were deciding what to do. Hahaha! I got too stressed out thinking about possibily falling.

Yeah, it was a super fun day, riding up and down from Bijagual. Totally enoyed it. I was grateful to be back in my groove, feeling OK about my riding abilities, and allowing myself to take full delight in riding on gravel. Full Power!

And, finally, on Sunday, I went on an easy asphalt ride through the Los Santos area with my son and a few friends, especially pleased that Adrian Acuna and my friend Fabricio had come along. Yay!!

This is a stunning part of the country, with miles and miles of coffee fields on endless mountain ranges. Really spectacular. But I did not stop for photos. Here is a photo from a previous blog post to give you a sense of it.

I was pleased that my son had once again enjoyed riding through Los Santos. He says it’s his favorite route. We will have to do some of the alternate, curvy routes soon.

The bridge in Ciudad Colón was out, so we had to go up to Puriscal and through San Pablo de Turrubares to Highway 27, another nice route. It seems to be the time of year for detours and alternate routes, as the heavy rains are taking their toll on the Costa Rican road system. And we haven’t even reached October yet, the worst month of the year for rains.

Yeah. It’s the time of year for Splish Splashing through LIFE!

RIDING IN COSTA RICA: FEEL THE BEAUTY. KNOW THE LOVE. LIVE THE POWER.

September 9, 10, 11, 2022.

Song: Splish Splash!

“They was a-splishing and a-splashing, reeling with the feeling
Moving and a-grooving, rocking and a-rolling, yeah”