Day 2 - Nov. 16

Well day two is done and there is already a casualty.  The casualty is my iPhone.  Towards the end of the day it began to act up on me and then went into full revolt.  It ended its defiance by giving me the red screen of death.  The strange thing is it did not get wet.  I had it in a waterproof pouch when the rains came.  It was high and dry and happy.  I guess it really wasn't that happy.  It is the humidity here.  When I say the humidity is 100% it is no joke.  And that is not just sometimes, it is more of constant.  Everything is damp and does not dry out.  My cycling clothes from yesterday's ride were just as wet this morning after hanging in the wind all afternoon, evening thru the night and into the morning.  It is a good thing that I brought a back up phone.  But all the pictures that I took throughout today are all gone...

But on to the ride itself...  It was a great day.  Day two did not disappoint and continued the good streak from day one.  It was a slow constant downhill in the morning.  I changed the tires from skinny 25s to my bigger boy 42s last night as there was dirt predicted for the day.  That took some of the speed potential out of the morning downhills but I did manage to squeeze out some pretty strong adrenaline inducing runs.  :)   Of course there were intermittent rain showers as to be expected when you have 100% humidity.  The afternoon brought the beginning of the off road, or should I say gravel/dirt roads.  It was challenging but exquisite.  The dirt roads took us off the beaten path and into the beautiful jungle.  It was amazing.  So different from Africa even.  It is truly a tropical rain forest.  Saw some unbelievably gorgeous birds and heard monkeys off in the jungle but did not spot any.  The road wound thru the jungle and turn after turn brought new experiences into view.  Waterfalls, rushing rivers, cool lakes  and lush landscape kept appearing.  Fabulous day!

I did encountered my first bike problem.  When trying to change gears during a climb my front derailleur threw my chain and it got wedged between my two front gear plates.  I could not get it out. I have never seen anything like it before and the mechanic agreed.  I had to loosen the screws on the smallest gear plate to get the chain freed. And that was a great deal of work and effort to accomplish that.  But with the help of a passing cyclist who had a full length wrench, I was able to get back on the road.  That will be great if this is the only problem that I encounter on the trip.  Here's hoping!

Scenery with the mist rising from the valleys and resting on the crest of the mountain.

Papaya being harvested from the trees.

Another blocked road from the jungle falling across the path.

The lush tropical rain forest.

Arenal volcano capped in the clouds.  It is listed as a still active volcano.

A tree growing in the middle of Lake Arenal.

My room for two nights.  Two bunk beds and that is all.  There are no windows and no a/c.  So the mosquitos will be constant companions thru the night.  Of course the bathroom and showers are down the hall...  Yes, it is no camping and all hotels/guest houses but....  

Here is where I am staying at Rancho Margot an ecotourists place.  We are staying in the jungle with minimal impact on the environment resort place.  The purple pin is San Jose where we started and the gray dot is where we are.  

Tomorrow is rest day already.  I know, what a luxury tour getting a rest day after just two days of cycling.  😊