Day 16 - Nov 30

Well today I will officially declare as Directionally Impaired Day.  I missed two turns today and got to go an extra 10 miles for what was an already difficult day.  I traveled 76 miles and climbed 9,255 feet.  It was a blister of a day...

It started out great with a short climb and then a fantastic downhill.  The downhill was about 26 kilometers along the major newly paved pristine highway with a fantastic shoulder to ride on.  I took full advantage of it and blasted down.  It was a phenomenal run.  The speed kept increasing as I got in the most aerodynamic tuck position I could get in. I managed to squeeze out a new personal best speed of 86.4 kph or 54 mph!  It was a great start to a day that deteriorated from there.  The first directional mistake that I made was at the end of the long downhill.  I blew past the turn and kept going.  My odometer does not work so I would check Strava on my phone periodically.  When I finally checked it I knew I had gone way past the turn off.  But they said there was going to be someone standing at the turn off to make sure people didn't miss it.  The problem was that they didn't think anyone would be there that fast.  So I missed it.  Once I turned and went back they waived me on to the right dirt road.  But once again I missed the next immediate right turn and went pretty far down a very rough gravel road before turning around.  By this time I had made the days ride quite a bit longer than it should have been.  

Then we had a rough gravel experience for some time with several river crossings and up hills on loose rock, dirt and gravel.  Not my favorite...

Then we had excruciating steep hill climbs.   My mental attitude deteriorated over the morning ride to the point where it took every ounce of fortitude to not call it a day and catch the truck at lunch.  But I pushed on after lunch and finished the day with no energy left what so ever.  

The scenery was beautiful but hard to see because I just kept my head down and pushed on with...  Shut up and keep pedaling sounding off in my head in a loop.

That and I have been experiencing a fair bit of pain from the cuts on my thigh from my accident a week ago.  They have become infected and are not healing well.  

But tomorrow is another day!  So here is to a better one tomorrow!

View from a climb across the numerous mountain peaks.

One of the five river crossings for the day.  Knee deep insome places...

Town square area for one of the villages we went through.

Looking down into the valley at one of the towns we rode through.

Day 15 - Nov 29

Another tough day but what a beautiful ride!  We rode for 113k/70 miles and climbed 9,363 feet.  Most of the climbing was on dirt which makes it even more difficult.  The steepness of many climbs had me in the lowest possible gear and pushing hard to ge up the hills.  It is tough on dirt because you cannot stand up to crank some extra leverage.  If you stand up you do not have weight over the rear wheel and then it loses traction and just spins.  Then you lose momentum and you are dead... you have to then walk up the hill because you cannot get started on such inclines.  Oh well, too much details on the hills.

Today started out a bit chilly.  We were on the road before 7 am.  We were at a pretty high altitude to start with but we climbed another 9k to get to the top of the mountain.  Then before us lay a beautiful downhill.  But I must inject here that I do have some semblance of sanity when it comes to descending down.  This morning I had a bad feeling about the coming downhill.  A true feeling of foreboding.  So I heeded my inner sense and took it easy going down.  Yes, I braked and braked often.  I hit a set of speed bumps about half way down that were not marked and would have caused quite a bit of problems had I hit them at full speed.  So the inner self was on the money today with the warning.

After the downhill we went into dirt roads that were of the goat cart types.  They were tough going but took us way off the beaten path to see wonderful sights and little villages.  It was great.

We finally hit pavement after a quaint village.  A local gentleman on a bike came up to us.  He spoke great English.  We talked for a bit.  He is 64 retired and does the route he was on 4 times a week for 120k (75 miles)!  It is a rolling hills section of the highway with a great shoulder.  He said he stays in good shape and looks at cycling to keep his mind and body in shape.  He said you never know when the good lord is going to take you so stay in shape and do the things you want while you can.  Good outlook on life!  I rode with him for about 30k.  He was a monster on the hills.  I kept up with him on everything but the hills.  He lose me a bit and then I catch him on the flats.  We averaged over 30kph.  Can't believe I had a tough time keeping up with a 64 year old guy.  :)

We parted ways at our lunch stop.  He wished me, vaya con dios (go with god).

After lunch we were back on dirt for the climb of our lives.  It was tough but once again we were way off the beaten path in beautiful country.  The dirt section took awhile as the going was slow due to the steepness of the grade. 

Our last section after the dirt was on the main highway.  But this time there was a great shoulder to the road.  And we descended down out of a mountain pass into a valley.  The descent was 10k and I hit speeds of 78kph.  The speed limit was 80 kph.  I was tucked in as aerodynamic of a position on the bike and keeping up with the cars on the highway.  It was exhilarating!

Great day all in all.  This was the first of four before the next rest day.  Each one of the days is like today, a great deal of climbing.  Each day has over 2,000 meters of climb.  This tour is more designed for a mountain goat!  

But it is fun...   I certainly do know why they call it BRUTIFUL!

The sun coming around the mountain.

View from the careful descent.

Small little town where we had a coke stop.

Real piñata for a birthday party as we went through a small little village.

Day 14 - Nov 28 REST DAY

We had a much needed rest day in Valle de Angeles just outside of Tegucigalpa.  It was a very restful day with just a bit of work on the bike.  I had to let it know I care or else it will not take care of me.  :)

After a bit of sweat and tender loving care I tucked the bike away for its needed rest.  Then I headed up to the town.  It was the cutest town complete with a town square and musica being played in the square.  Pretty neat!!!  I ate lunch in a little restaurante where the menu was in Spanish and the waitress spoke nothing but Spanish.  It was a pleasure ordering.  When I would ask a question with all sorts of signs and gestures, she would explain it again in Spanish but this time with a little more emphasis.  She was the cutest thing.  She would smile and I would smile and I was going to get a surprise!  It was kind of fun.  For some strange way and reason she would come back and talk to me in Spanish and I would talk to her in English and we would both just laugh, neither really understanding the other but kind of communicating.  Makes for an interesting experience non the less.  

It has been the nicest of rest days with no hurry, no hassle and above all a siesta!

The street leading into the town.

Shops and restaurants line the streets.

The town square with a fountain and band stand.

Me......

Cerveza stop after five days of hard riding.

The little restaurant with a serene tropical setting.

This is where I am at.

Two weeks down and three to go!  It is going by so fast.

Day 13 - Nov 27

Well it is official, I survived!  It turned out to be a 75 mile day with 10,384 feet of climbing.  Yes, that is what I said, over 10,000 feet of climbing in one day!  A monster of a day it was.  But you will not understand that I felt the day before was harder.  That was the day where I just struggled all day long.  I could not get into the groove at all.  But yesterday I got myself psyched and ready to take it on.  The first part of the day was on very loose gravel and dirt.  There was a good deal of climbing with pretty steep grades.  But as I said, I was ready to take it.  It actually was quite enjoyable.  The scenery was breathtaking.  The hills and the mountains, the rivers and their valleys all made for a sensory experience that detracted from the pain of climbing.  We had a lunch stop right in the town square of a small village.  The setting was perfect.  As we came into the town the dirt road turned into cobblestone streets.  The cobblestones were not actually symetrical, not even close.  They were not laid in a pattern that made for a smooth ride.  As a matter of fact the dirt and gravel road was better than the cobbles of the town. 

After lunch we continued climbing as that was pretty much the agenda for the day.  We finally made it to pavement.  The thought was that now the riding would be easier.  Ha were we mistaken with that!  At first the incline of the road was a constant 3+%.  That gave way to 6+% which led to the real climbing!  Yes the last 10 kilometers was brutal...  We climbed almost 1,000 meters of elevation in the less than 10k.  I kept wondering what would give first, my energy or the hill.  As I learned it was my energy.  After every turn there appeared more climbing and more climbing and more climbing.  It was the never ending gift of pain. And it was hot.  It was so hot the sweat was pouring off of me as if I had a hose for sweat glands.  You could not replace the water fast enough.  I ran out of water but luckily the support van came to the rescue.  While they were filling my water bottle I downed a liter of water just by guzzling it.  Then off I went to climb some more.  This hill just kept going, it was the every ready bunny of hills.  A couple of times it gave you a nice flat section that you swore had to be the top.  Only to come around the corner to see more hill to come.  But finally the top appeared and what to my wondering eyes did appear???  A gorgeous downhill!  Yes the payoff for all of the pain was laid at my feet or should I say wheels....  And what do I do with such opportunities?!  You guessed it, let her fly!

The only issue was that the tour leader warned us that there were speed bumps strategically located on the downhill.  So the question at hand was...  do I go slow and watch for the speed bumps?  or go fast and watch for the speed bumps and then slow down?  or go fast, fast enough to be able to jump the speed bumps when they raised there ugly countenance?  You guessed it!  Option C was the right choice.  No sense letting a couple of pesky speed bumps interrupt a perfectly good downhill.

Let her fly was the choice of the day.  Off I went accelerating down the hill.  First speed bump, lift up the bike, gain some air and yes, cleared the speed bump.  The next one the same and the next one and the next one.  It was beautiful!  What a downhill with a few interruptions.  Made for a fantabulous end of a great but tough day.

And now for a rest day, and well deserved one it is...

Day 12 - Nov 26

Today...  Well what can I say about today?!  Have you ever had one of those days where you just struggled?  That was today.  It made for a tough one.

It was a 112 kilometer (70 miles) day with what was supposed to be 1,600 meters of climbing.  But it turned out to be 2,238 meters of climbing.  That is 7,342 feet of climbing or 1.4 miles of elevation churning, which is a bunch.  We traveled mostly on the Pan American highway for today.  Which is an extremely busy main thoroughfare thru Nicaragua.  The traffic was intense with buses and trucks buzzing by at very close proximity.  One truck I swore was going to leave tire marks on my jersey.  There was little ability to stop and take photos or even look around at times.  You didn't want to take your eyes off the road for fear of being taken out by a wayward bus.  I think that added to the non enjoyment of the day.  Additionally, my odometer stopped working so I did not know how far I had gone nor how far to go.  That was a mental challenge in that there was no feeling of accomplishment or gauge as to how much effort was left.  The lady I was riding with today had another two flats at the beginning of the day.  We changed one and then after 5k changed another.  We were so far behind that the sweep rider had to wait for us.  He called ahead and told the tour people that we were last, which no one could believe.  But I guess I wasn't really going that bad today as by lunch we were the first to come in.    I just put my head down and started cranking.  One of those days were the mantra was...  Shut up and keep pedaling.  I had to keep saying that many times...  

Today we also did a border crossing from Nicaragua into Honduras.  What a cluster there was at the border.  Go here and get this stamp, go there and pay money, oh we do not take dollars only Nicaragua currency to leave.  No, wait a minute, yes we do take dollars.  Now we cross into Honduras but wait you are bringing a bike in.  You need a stamp and pay at that window.  Wait in line and that person never heard of it and won't give a stamp. Go back and tell the border guard who says fine, proceed.  It was a total, as the Canadians say, gong show!

I was so glad to book this day as done when we pulled in.  

Tomorrow is supposed to be the toughest day of the entire tour with 113 kilometers and 2,550 meters of climbing with a good portion of it on dirt and loose gravel.  I will be so ready for a rest day!

Here are a couple of photos of the day:

We traveled part of the day in a river valley surrounded by mountains.

The road cut through the jungle.

The jungle is thick and lush.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all the Americans reading:

Happy Thanksgiving Day!!!

Day 11 - Nov 25

It was another fabulous day.  The weather started out very windy and cool.  Our lodging was up near the top of the mountains.  We had an easier day as it was only 88 kilometers (55 miles) and only 1,575 meters of climbing.  It is a bit absurd to think a 55 mile bike ride that takes you up hills totaling almost a mile of elevation gain is easy.  Back before starting this trip a ride like that would have been a monumental undertaking.  But now it falls into the category of an easy day.  :)

The day started off with stiff cool headwinds.  We began by climbing the remainder of elevation to take us to the top.  Then we had a short descent and then reclaim the drop to get to the top of another, then a short descent then another climb.  You get the picture.  It was up and down over and over again.  And the climbs back up were steep.  Everything seemed to hurt and ache.  The banging and bruises I sustained the other day were doing their best to distract from the beauty of the surroundings.  The riding helped as everything started to ease in as the kilometers melted away.

After multiple ups and downs, I began to think that it was going to be a grueling day.  All I could think was....  please give me a downhill to sink my teeth into.  And low and behold my call was answered!  A downhill appeared that would set your heart afire.  At first the momentum began; 20 kph, 30, 40, 50, 60kph!  Oh, a hairpin turn, apply brakes; then straight away;  50, 60, 70 kph; oh another hairpin turn, apply brakes (yes I did apply brakes); straight away 60, 70, 75 kph;  another hairpin...  You get the idea.  Lean in shift weight, straighten up to slow, accelerate, lean in to the turn, fluid so fluid it was beautiful.  At one point on the Lon descent I came flying up to a bus that was going down.  The people in the bus were amazed to see me fly right up to the back and wave at them.  It did interupt my fun and slow me.  So I waited for a straight away, shifted down and then cranked the pedals and blew past the bus.  The people and bus driver looked on.  I confined me acceleration and got to 78 kph.  Wow what a ride.  Could not have been better!!!

The beautiful valley as seen from the top of the climb.

Colorful flora and fauna...

Scenery from the valley after the descent.

The road and view.

The town of Esteli where we are staying tonight.

Estelle is nestled in a valley surrounded by hills/mountains.

And of course Christmas is everywhere down here.

Here is where we are on the map.

Tomorrow out of Nicaragua and into Honduras.  Then Friday is the killer day with 72 miles of cycling and over 8,400 feet of climbing.  I will need the rest day after that one.  :(

Day 10 - Nov 24

What a fabulous day!  It was a very tough day with 113 kilometers (71 miles) length and over 2,200 meters of climbing.  It was mostly paved though, which was great!

I did wake up on the stiff and sore side of things.  So I decided that since I felt better after riding throughout yesterday afternoon, the thing to do was get out there and start riding.  I climbed on the bike, pushed the clutch in and shifted to high gear (metaphorically speaking).  I started out slow for the first couple of kilometers and then hit my stride.  I determined that a fast pace would loosen up the achy spots the quickest.  And I was right!  After 20k of fast paced riding all the aches, pains and soreness were washed away.  And off to the races we went.  It truly was an exhilarating ride.  

The day was beautiful with clouds in the morning keeping the temperatures in the comfortable range.  Once the clouds burned off the temp started rising rapidly.    It was a great crystal blue sky with wispy clouds.  The scenery was astounding as we headed back up into the mountains.  That first part of the day was rolling hills that gave way to a stupendous climb at the end.

With about 15k left we stopped at a market for a coke.  When the lady at the market asked where we were heading, she laughed and gestured up to the heavens after we told her where.  We were heading straight up.  We had a relentless 10k climb.  It was a constant never ending ascent.  Every time we came around a turn there would appear another section of climb.  That happened over and over and over again!  It was one of those climbs that when you completed it, you truly and unequivocally felt you accomplished a great feat!

Photos of the day:

A true road for us to travel on.

Yes, we had to get to the top of that mountain.

Scenery as we conquered a part of the mountain.

Remnants of the war in Nicaragua that pointed the way to the hotel we are staying at.

I did learn something that makes me feel a lot better.  The lady that I have been riding with at times, the Australian, is a multiple National Mountain Bike title holder for Australia.  She also placed third on the Australian Mountain Bike Olympic team!  And I have about twenty years on her...  And I have been keeping up with her mostly.   :)

Day 9 - Nov 23

Today was a 63 mile day with over a 1,000 meters of climbing.  It is the first of five days of riding before the next rest day.  The tour director says these five days will be the toughest of the trip.  I certainly started out day one with an added element of difficulty for the day.  More on that later...

We started out of Granada by taking a dirt road through the barrio.  It was a sharp contrast to the town that I experienced yesterday.  We road through the area where the locals lived.  It was quite sad.  Here are some pictures of their homes:

There were kids wandering around naked, dogs that were half starved lying along the road and insects flying about that were thick as fog.  The houses were ramshackle and thrown together for the basic of shelter.  Stagnant pools of slimy water perfect for mosquitos breeding were prevalent.  There was an old woman who was laboriously dragging a bunch of wood through the dirt to use for cooking.  It was a scene that painted a world much different from the other "city" we experienced.

Once we were out of the city section the road was dirt and sand with sections of deep mud because of the rains of the past day or so.  It made for challenging but fun cycling.  This is the part I will put in my favorite saying/life motto:

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intent of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming WOW!  What a ride!"

I put this quote in here to help explain or reason out the event that took place as a result of the challenging mud conditions.  As I was moving through the dirt road area that had been transformed into a mud pit, there appeared a section of the road completely covered in muddy water.  I tried to ride the fringe of the area to keep from going straight through the deep puddle.  I road up on the high side where there was a small ridge of mud.  As I was moving on the ridge it gave way sending my front tire out from under me.  This sent the bike into the puddle and me flying.  I hit a tree that's had been cut off catching a couple of the stub branches in the chest, thigh and hand.  That in turn flipped me and landed flat on my back in a couple of inches of slimy red mud water.  I laid there for a minute and took inventory.  My first thought was, Michael your luck has run out...  
My index finger was no longer pointing in a straight direction.  My ribs were causing me a disconcerting amount of distress.  And my thigh was doing a bit of complaining as well.  My mental and subsequent physical inventory showed a dislocated finger, bruised but not broken ribs and a contusion to my thigh.  So up I stood, popped the finger back in place righted the bike and proceeded on my way.  I was operating under the guise of ...  it is better to get things moving than to give the assaulted body parts time to stiffen and hurt.  I know what you are thinking, I did check in with the medic when I got into lunch.  He confirmed the ribs were not broken and finger function normal but swollen.  So I was still able to ride and finish the day.

It did add a bit of a challenge as all the climbing was in the afternoon.  And with the climbing comes a need for deep breathing as you try to conquer the ascent.  Deep breathing was not a possibility as the ribs would not allow anything but shallow breathes or they would set off a new assault of pain.

In addition to this I road with the Australian lady who had 7 flats through the afternoon.  That was soooo much fun as well.  But hey why not add a bit of fun to what was already a challenging day.  

This was change number six.

All I can say is tomorrow will be a better day.

Day 8 - Rest Day

The rest day was fabulous.  It was a mix of discovery and resting.  The morning consisted of a walk around Granada up the Main Street to the shores of Lake Nicaragua and the back through the central town.  It was very hot with temperature in the 90's by mid morning.  The central square was alive and active with locals selling their wares.  And since it was Sunday, the churches were full with people singing and praying.  Here are some shots of the churches, buildings and market.

Trolley that takes you around tha central market area and business district.

From the street the houses and inns look non descript.  But many have beautiful courtyards that are the central focus of the place.  Much the same as New Orleans.

Open air market where you can get anything.  And I do mean anything!

The insect man...  He was walking around with a modified leaf blower that was fumigating buildings and streets sewers.  He wore no mask and was fumigating all the tourists and people as he walked by.

Christmas is really big here.  There is Felice Navidad blaring out of many stores and shops.

After the heat of the afternoon got to unbearable, I retreated to the beautiful pool area for the rest part of the day!