Everywhere, roads are being paved. I am frankly shocked by how fast Costa Rica is growing.
Paved roads are obviously a good thing for the nearby communities. But, for adventure riders it is a loss. A loss of the peace and beauty of those areas. Loss of a lot of the fun and challenge of riding on gravel. Inevitably, there is more traffic, and development leaps forward. And so it is. What can one do but accept and continue enjoying? That is just what we did on Sunday.
On Saturday, April 1, I went to San Ramón to pick up the rest of the money owed to me for Storm (still sad about that loss).
I decided to go over to Honda to see if they could clean and grease my chain. I ran into Jose Pablo from the Honda CB 500 group. He invited me to ride with friends the next day (my friends Georgia and Gustavo!). Miraculously, I had no plans for Sunday. I was excited knowing I was going to ride roads I had only done once, especiall route 918, the classic and easiest route through the Liberia “canyon.”
The next day, I went to San Ramon to meet the group on the main road. All bus stops along the way were full of people with travel bags, ready to enjoy Easter week. The weather was gloomy while I waited, and I thought I might not go all the way if we ran into rain.
We had breakfast at Soda Sandy, which continues to have slow service when they are half full.
We then headed over to Cuipilapa via Route 6. The winds along the way were strong and terrifying. 🙂 It was cold and misty and quite a challenge. But the route to Cuipilapa is fun.
We then headed to the electric windmills of Guayabo and over to route 918.
Yes, the winds were still strong! And, I was worried we might be heading straight into more misty soft rain. (But we did not! Yay!)
The road to 918 has been paved.
Route 918 itself is now partly gravel, part asphalt, rather than the white limestone it was before. It has lost some of its magic as a result. I was quite let down, though I shouldn’t have been, because, as I wrote, it is happening all over. (And, yes, there were way more cars and motorcycles on it than the fist time I rode it, when we did not enounter another moving vehicle the whole time.)
The Liberia garbage dump is along route 918. It actually is interesting to see all the garbage strewn everywhere. Plastic-eating bacteria or moths might find it to be quite beautiful. (Can’t really see it in the photos, but it is there. Strewn everywhere.)
We looked for the alternate trail, but did not find it, so headed straight to Liberia, then to Cañas for lunch, the winds still buffeting us mercilessly. Hahaha! They sure take some of the fun out of the ride, but, fortunately, not all.
I am grateful to Jose Pablo for inviting me (left) and to Gustavo for leading. I like his speed.
I left the group near Esparza and headed home up the Aguacate, with the beautiful golden light of late afternoon and the waxing “Pink moon of April” guiding me forward. It was a lovely closing to an intense day, made better by a quick hello to my friend Dave Mejía at La Casita del Cafe. 🙂 Life is good!
RIDING IN COSTA RICA: FEEL THE BEAUTY. KNOW THE LOVE. LIVE THE POWER.
It was even hard to hold the motorcycle up for the photo. Those killer winds were sure fierce Hahaha!
Date of ride, April 2, 2023.
Song: Blowing in the Wind.
“How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind
PS – The Rose Moon of April sounds so much more poetic and romantic in Spanish: “La Luna Rosa de Abril.” Stirs my soul.
Riding in Costa Rica 
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