No, I haven’t been publishing my rides lately, even though I have done some awesome ones, like Potenciana and Providencia. The thrill of bloggin is gone! LOL
But I do want to share a bit about the first Nicoya Peninsula trip of 2024 with Moteros CR and Daniel Zuñiga from Aventuras de un Motero YouTube Channel. (I will share the video when it comes out.)
First, I wish to say that it was nice to see some friends I had not seen in a while, like Daniel, Kevin, and Erik — and to meet new friends, like another Daniel, and the two Christians (one of whom I knew from Facebook). :-) My friend Eugenie joined us later in Jicaral.
The fist new route was up to Cerro Frío. As usual, I was excited because I go to Coyote beach several times a year and have wondered what it is like to go from route 163 to San Miguel de Río Blanco.
The route up to Cerro Frío is a dirt route up with wide views and a long downhill part with some loose material that came out to a river. We had lots of fun!
We went through Esperanza and Cobano and took the route from Cabuya to Malpaís. (The route from Montezuma to Cabuya is, sadly, now paved.)
From Cabuya to Santa Tereza, the route was slippery in parts. At one point when I had to stop suddenly because two others were stopped, I dropped the motocylce. This happens all the time to many motorcyclists. It’s just part of riding. Dropping it when stopped or stopping. Hahaha!
Unfortunately, rather than laugh, I got angry. :-( This has only happened to me three times on the road, and is terribly embarassing afterwards. Ugh. I don’t need to share why I was angry. Ultimately, we are all responsible for ourselves on the road. BUT, as a result of not being in a Zen mode, five minutes later I totally spun the bike 360 degrees! Hahaha!
I have no clue how this happened, since the road was not rough. But it was also not surprising. Riding while triggered is not a good idea. Best to be more careful on slippery roads. (The next day, we joked that it was Karma! Well deserved Humble Pie, indeed!)
Unfortunately, the shift lever was bent, and my bike was leaking coolant. I told the group to continue on with their adventure, and stayed in Santa Tereza. I was sorry to miss the beach and river crossings part of the adventure. BUT, I was so LUCKY to find a mechanic who fixed Sahara after a couple of hours! Yay! Angels do abound on the road for motorcyclists
I rode back to Lepanto right before the sunset.
I am not crazy about riding alone at night, but it was OK. The road was lovely.
I was still happy! Overall, I had had a wonderul day.
The next day, I met with the team in Jicaral. We took 162 to San Francisco de Coyote. I have only done 162 once. It is now mostly paved. One has to cross a few small creeks. I don’t know what happened to the river I had crossed when I went alone. 🙂 I missed the turn off to Zapote. Not sure how, since I have done that route several times. I was sorry I had missed that. AND, I found myself once again riding alone – and it wasn’t the last time. (Grin!)
I was delighted when my friend Erik found me in San Francisco. Soon we all were together again.
From there we rode to Punta Islita and on to Carrillo. Most of us through clouds of almost-blinding dust!
In Carrillo, Daniel Zuñiga led us to a narrow concrete road that turned to deep ditches and lots of broken concrete parts on the way up. This is when you grit your teeth, rev it, and don’t stop, no matter what.
I would not do this little dangerous route again.
Once on the main upper road, above Carrillo beach, there are nice, wide views. Beautiful! I have been on this road many times, as I often stay at Sunset Hotel.
We had a late lunch in Samara together, and I headed back to Carrillo for the night. I was blessed with a beautiful sunrise the next morning!
On Saturday we headed off for our next adventure, the route up to Pilas Blancas and Virginia from Nosara.
I was feeling insecure from my previous fall and tired on our third day of riding. I crossed the first river like a newbie. Hahaha! But I sure was excited to do another new route. Yay!!
This is a mostly dirt road with wonderful views. It has two small semi-technical parts with loose rocks, but is generally easy ride. Hope to do it again! (I would not to this in the rainy season.)
We then headed over to Hojancha. At a crossing, I decided to continue while the team went left. I was too tired to do more recon. I liked the little road I was on and thought it was one I had done with Robert. It was not. I hilariously did a complete loop! LOL But, did manage to rejoin the group for our final lunch together.
It was a fabulous three-day riding adventure. The best part for me was the two new routes, up to Cerro Frío and also up to Pilas Blancas/Virginia. Ridin’ High! Many thanks to Daniel Zuñiga and his great team!
RIDING IN COSTA RICA: FEEL THE BEAUTY. KNOW THE LOVE. LIVE THE POWER.
Dates: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, January 11, 12, and 13, 2024.
Wikiloc: Jicaral, Cerro Frío, Cobano
Wikiloc: Nosara, Pilas Blancas, Virginia
Riding in Costa Rica 
Looks like fun! Welcome back !
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