Day 3 - rest day Nov 17

Yesterday afternoon through the night the skies opened up and it poured massive amounts of rain.  So much so that there were mudslides on the road that we came in on and the small dam that the resort (broad use of the word) relied upon gave way and they no longer have hydro power for electricity.  The rivers swelled and rose several meters as a result of the huge amount of water.  Here's hoping that there is no more rain and the rivers go back down as tomorrow we will cross a couple of them.  When I say cross I don't mean on a bridge.  The road actually goes through the river.  We will have to carry the bikes and wade through the river.

 Today was a good rest day...  I chose to not do that much resting and did more of exploring.  I did a kayak tour out on Lake Arenal.  It is a man made lake at the base of the Arenal Volcano.  The volcano is still listed as active but it has not had activity for the last five years.  It was a good day but overcast.  The lake was calm and flat as glass as we were putting the kayaks into the water.  But shortly thereafter the wind came up and we stroked into a headwind with waves starting to build.  It was great to get another perspective of the volcano from the water.  We kayaked into the forest and up to the headwaters of a river that fed the lake.  It was so tropical and lush.  At one point we drifted over to a grassy area and the guide advised us to quickly paddle away.  He said there were probably cayman in the reeds.  He told us a story about when he was in a grassy area on the water and they saw a baby cayman.  No sooner than try spotted the baby did the mother come up into his kayak.  We heard all sorts of strange sounds and saw a family of howler monkeys up in the trees. There were a number of very small babies who were jumping from limb to limb then hanging by their tails from branches, absolutely the cutest thing you have ever seen. 

It was an absolutely wonderful day.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a treacherous 60 mile off road/dirt road, 1,900 meter climbing kind of day.  Of course with a couple of river crossings thrown in just for good measure.  Many of the other riders are making fun of me for not having any front suspension on my bike.  As they have said...  that will be the biggest mistake of your life.   I'm pretty sure I have made bigger ones than that.  It's a pretty safe bet.  :) 

This what I saw out of the window of my bunk room.

Some of the beautiful flowers in the jungle...

This is the jungle that comes right down to the lake shore.

Arenal Volcano finally peaked its top out of the clouds.

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.  😊

Day 1 - Nov. 15

Well day 1 is banked and in the books and all I can say is WOW!  It had everything included in it...  We rode in the sunshine, we rode in the mist, we rode in the clouds, we rode in a soft gentle rain, and we rode in a torrential Central American deluge.  Saw numerous waterfalls, fantastic scenery and a mudslide that covered a good portion of the road.  It was amazing.
It was hellish and a helluva day.  It started out with bright brilliant sunshine, clear skies and temps in the 70s, perfect.  Then we started the 2,000+ meters of climb.  Yes it was all that and more.  It wasn't a constant unending climb like the Blue Nile Gorge in Africa.  But it taxed the legs much the same.  At first it teased us with short tests.  Then it brought on the real inclines.  Constant 16-18% grades were the norm.  Then it would greet you with a tantalizing downhill that was so anticipated.  But you quickly learned that all you were doing was giving up a good degree of hard fought real estate only to have to reclaim it just around the next turn.  Climb after climb we drove our way through the rain forest.  Yes, rain forest (just as you imagine what it would be like)...
Just before lunch we crested the volcano mountain and started some serious descent.  But the road was very narrow and there were a good number of cars, trucks and motorcycles.  I had to snug right in behind a Range Rover and just bide my time.  The passengers kept looking back and pointing that I was keeping up and riding right on their bumper.  As we came into lunch I understood what 100% humidity felt like.  It was raining but not really coming down it was just in the air.  I was descending in the mist with a fairly significant drop in temperature since we were on top of the mountain.  A bit of a chill set in.  At lunch the mist changed to a real rain that was on and off.
After lunch there was a phenomenal waterfall followed by more climbing.  The Central American climate followed its typical pattern and opened up a deluge as we were climbing.  It rained so hard that the rain gear was useless.  The glasses were completely covered with rain drops and could not see the road.  Which made it quite interesting with potholes and cars flying up on us.  Once we crested the hill the rain stopped and opened the opportunity for a dramatic downhill.  Dramatic meaning unleash the bike and let her fly.  I started out slow and cautious due to a recent crash that set me back a bit.  But, I fell back into the groove and let it run.  With increasing confidence the bike gained speed building more and more momentum as the decline increased in grade.  The speed hit 82 kph (roughly 51 mph)!  I did not get to 80 kph through my whole trip in Africa but the first day in Central America there it was...  It felt so good flying down the hill at break neck speed.  The amazing beauty of it was that there was an Australian lady who was hanging in there with me...  Keeping up through hare pin turn after hair pin turn.
There were many more climbs as the day came to an end.  But what a day!  

I must be in fairly decent shape as I was first for the day!
What a great ride today...

Here are some photos of the day:

The start of the adventure...

The trip is called the Ruta Maya.  You see some of these along the route.

Panoramic view down over a valley after the climb.

The hillside that came down and covered some of the road adding difficulty to the ride.  

And waterfalls, lots of them.

More tomorrow...

Made it to Costa Rica!

Had a great flight into Costa Rica, upgraded to first class!  It was well worth it.  The bike arrived in great shape.  Put it all back together and did a test drive.  Works perfectly, what a relief...

Met several of the other riders.  They are a bit worried as day one is a tough day right out of the gate.  We start with a bit of a riders convoy for the first 10k (yes I am back into metric measurement again).  That is to navigate the city traffic of San Jose.  Then we start climbing.  There is over 2,000 meters of climbing in the first 30k.  At the riders meeting the leaders were stressing no harm in taking the van on day one when it is such a tough start. As we were coming in on the plane I looked at the lay of the land.  It does look like this could be hellish.  There is a main road that is too busy to travel on and then there are little bitty winding dirt roads as the only alternative.  And the terrain looks a wee bit foreboding.

Oh well back to the good...  we flew over Cuba as we crossed the Caribbean.  Saw some beautiful islands and atolls that were stunning.  The blues and greens and aquas and turquoise waters were just breathtaking.  Here are some photos from the plane...

This is just the beginning.  Stay tuned this is going to be quite the ride!

   

The journey begins

It is time, I am beginning my trek to Costa Rica.  Today was marred by the terrorist attacks in Paris.  I was expecting a very heightened level of security as a result.  But security at O'Hare was not really any more intense than normal.  Of course I was at the airport before 5 am and it was pretty deserted.  

Here is a photo of the sun rising over Chicago as seen from the airport.  The very beginning of the journey.

 

T minus one day!

Well I am all packed and ready to go.  The bike is snug in its box.  My small duffle bag has all the belongings that I need.  And my spirit is high!
The trip has come upon me very rapidly.  I guess that is a good thing because it allowed very little time to ruminate about the perils and trepidation which could lie ahead.  It is going to be very remote, very hilly/mountainous and very beautiful!  I can't wait to start that first pedal stroke!
Stay tuned and help me brave the vast unknown that lies ahead...

Michael

2 Days til departure, 3 til Adventure starts

It is coming down to the wire.  It has been roughly three weeks from decision to go time.  That did not leave a great deal of prep time for this great adventure.  But ready I will be...

The bike is packed in a box and ready for its travel, hopefully the airlines will be kind to it and deliver it to its destination on time.  Would be a bit difficult to go on a bike trip when the bike does not arrive.  The packing is still a work in progress.  Packing for five weeks in one single soft sided, no wheels, no hard structure type suitcase that cannot weigh more than 50 pounds is a bit of a challenge.  Especially given the conditions that we will be experiencing: warm tropical rain forests to extreme elevation volcano peaks with cold temps and everything in between.  But after the African trip I know, less is better.

The training rides will end today.  I have put in a good number of miles to ensure I will be in somewhat decent shape to take on this challenging trip.  The more I read about the trip the more I understand this will be a brutiful (new word that previous riders coined for the trip, combination of brutal and beautiful) adventure.   But as the saying goes... no hill for a climber (in this case quite literal).  So the task for this trip will be to see the beauty and minimize the brutal.  Wish me luck on that one...  :)

Saturday departure with a Sunday morning first pedal stroke out of San Jose Costa Rica.  Going to see another part of the world that I have not seen as yet.  Exciting!

The Why...

I have received numerous emails from many with questions and comments about the upcoming adventure.  These thoughts have taken many forms ...
"why would you do this, don't you ever take a normal vacation, you are the man, you are crazy, you're living the dream, we are so proud of you and tell family and friends about your trips, you are an inspiration to all of us, what you have been doing this year is more than admirable"...

I thank all for their thoughts and comments.  Yet, these bring up the underlying question that each of you has thought.... Why?!  That is something that I have struggled with as well...

So, why am I taking on this next adventure?  Why did I take on Africa?  What is it that is driving a restless spirit.

I came across a video that so succinctly explains the answer Why.  Why the restlessness that has stirred the soul.  The video is of an answer to the question of "Why" that was posed to a traveler who was riding his bike the length of North America from Oregon down through South America to the very end of the world.  His answer as to "Why" he was doing it was both profound and stirring.  It resonated so much as to the restlessness that I have been feeling and the drive to take the next adventure.  Since I could not attach the video, I will try to capture his thoughts as best as I can...

He said...    I met a lot of older people who commented; my life went by so fast.  Just yesterday I was 19, I don't know where all the time went, I just blinked and now I am 80.  

He feared spending his 30s establishing a routine... He said:  Routine is the enemy of time, it makes it fly by.  

When you are a kid everything is astonishing, everything is new, your brain is awake and turned on. Every passing second your brain is learning something new, learning how the world works.  The muscle of your brain is activated.  

As you get older and your brain has figured out the patterns of the way the world works... this is how you graduate school, this is how you make money, this is how you get a mortgage, this is how you have kids...  You have that all on lock down.  I know my car, I know how to get to work each day, etc.   Once your brain has established a routine, the alertness goes away, the fascination with how the world works.  

That is what adventure and travel does, it wakes up your brain.  It stimulates and activates parts of the brain.

When you are a kid it is all new.  You don't have to work for it, you are just astonished by it.  Once you are an adult, you have to choose adventure for your life.  Through travel and adventure, you see so many insanely awesome things. The brain is awakened, it is fascinated.  I didn't know my brain could be so turned on.   It is a conscious choice that you have to make.  I want to make it to 85 and be exhausted.  It is not about the bike, it is about getting out of the routine and that can look like anything.  I want to choose the mind and soul that is wide awake.  It turns your 100 years on this planet into a thousand years.

What he said about adventure and awakening the brain and discovering so many new and wonderful sights is so true.  The newness, the discoveries, the unbridled beauty that is around every curve, over every hill are just waiting for you.  It is about the simple things that we encounter on the road.  The being in the moment to be open to all that is waiting for you; that is exciting.  Once the brain has been awakened and stimulated, it is hard to not keep seeking it.  It is about seeing a length of road stretch out in the distance to the point where it disappears into the horizon in a blur of a heat induced mirage, coming up over a ridge after a strenuous climb through a mountain pass to have the gift of a beautiful expansive valley stretch out for a hundred miles in the Namibian Desert, riding through a forest that feels so primordial that you imagine it is a playground for fairies and leprechauns, seeing a waterfall appear out of nowhere that is so powerful in its majesty and mystical in its beauty, looking up at the night sky and seeing so many stars that it looks like hazy clouds, or something as simple as feeling connected to all that is around you, the people, the landscape, the sun on your face, the wind gently brushing across your cheek, the feeling of being totally alive...  intoxicating!
These are all the things that stir the soul and open the mind to something so new and wondrous.  This is what creates that restless spirit that wants that next adventure, that next experience of life.  That is the why...   Once you have seen it and once you have tasted it, you have a very hard time settling...

Training weather cooperating nicely!

The weather in Chicago has been fabulous!  It was 72 while I road yesterday and supposed to be about the same today.  It is as if the weather knows I need to get in some longer rides to be ready for the trip.  Thanks Mother Nature for cooperating, greatly appreciated!
Although, the headwind that is coming in out of the south/southwest bringing the nice warm air is certainly of a stiff nature.  That is creating a significant challenge in pushing the bike against a formidable force.  But I am taking it on as an opportunity to strengthen my abilities to conquer the hills and mountains that lie ahead on my trip.  So the headwind is not an obstacle but an opportunity!  Yes, that's it, an opportunity!  The 12-15 mph (20-24 kph for my Canadian and other worldly friends) with gusts to 20 mph is a blessing that I graciously accept and push through.  I not on only push through, I am trying to accelerate through at a minimum of 16 mph while trying to maintain 18 mph (ouch!).  It fits into that beloved cyclists rule #5 of HTFU!

Epilogue:  today's ride was a bit tougher than previous days.  The weather is supposed to turn this evening with a cold front coming in.  The result was an extreme shift and intensity in wind.  Translation:  holy c#*^ was it windy.  The flags were standing straight out with gusts and shifts coming headon and from the side.  Can you say west Texas!  The wind would gust up and bring me from 16 mph to a virtual stand still.  Gotta love the challenge.  But I look at it as such; a little more pain now will translate into a lot less later.  Or at least I hope that is the case....  :)

At the turn of my ride with Lake Michigan as a backdrop.  That is the view pretty much throughout my ride.  What a beautiful day!

Passing

I received some bad news yesterday regarding someone that I worked with a number of years ago.  A coworker passed away after a tough fight with lung cancer.  She had a strength of character. She was a person who others looked to when things went awry.  I know she kept my world sain when all around was in chaos and disarray.  She had a calm sense about her, almost unflappable.  She was a treasure to know.  I wish her family and friends my condolences.  She certainly will be missed.  I am glad that I got to talk to her just last week.  She sounded good but tired due to the fight she had been mounting.  She is now at peace.

Maggie, thank you for all that you did and for just being a part in my life.  I certainly was the better for it.  As another friend said, heaven is certainly +1.

We should remember how short life is and grab it for all its worth.  It reinforces my drive to experience all that I can while I can.

Training rides

The past two days have been fabulous here in Chicago.  The temperatures have been almost record breaking in the 70's. I have gotten in a ride each day of about 40 miles per.  The rides have been fairly flat but there has been a headwind of about 15-18 mph.  I have been trying to maintain a speed of 16-18 mph into the headwind.  That way it would equate somewhat to the effort of climbing steep hills.  I must say the legs are pretty well done in at the end of the rides.  The forecast is to have two more great Indian Summer days for riding.  Then the temps will drop to a high in the 40's and 50's for the weekend and next week.  I will still need to get in another 5 rides over the weekend through next week.  I guess I will just have to dress warm.

Only light puffy clouds and 72 today.  My ride starts all the way on the north side of the city.  This is a view from south side of the city.

 

Crystal clear Lake Michigan along the bike trail.  You can see the rocks which are 4 feet below the surface....

Route to be taken

The route for this adventure starts in San Jose, Costa Rica and then winds its way through Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatamala and then ending in Belize City, Belize.  It is just a wee stretch of the legs.  Here is the route on a map of Central America:

Here is a topographical depiction:

Looks like fun doesn't it!?