Getting Closer

Yesterday was damp and windy.  I didn't get too far away for fear that the rain would ratchet up and douse me.  Today, it looked better.  Wind seems common here so that doesn't figure into the calculations.

I took off down the hill to Boquete to scope out the bus pick up locations for an upcoming expedition. There seemed like a lot of traffic today.  I got on the main road toward David (Da Veed Panama) and just kept pedaling waiting for a break in traffic to get turned around.  Before too long I was nearing the top of the hill.  At that point I turned right to continue up around a loop I had scoped out on a map a few days ago.  The climb was relentless, though not as steep as the other roads I've been on here.  Before too long I could start seeing out over the local landscape.

At six miles in I stopped at an intersection to get my bearings.  A English speaking woman came in from the side street and began a conversation.  It seems that she had seen me lower on the hill, and was surprised that I could make it up this high. I had climbed 1000 ft in the last 3 miles. We chatted a bit about biking, and recovery.

When I got up to Bajo Mono it seemed they had recently had a road improvement project.

Again, I saw quite a few unusual birds, but again, they proved too quick for me to get a camera out of my back pack and get a photo. Flowers and flowering trees were easier targets.

I stopped to talk to a man along the road.  He spoke very little English, I speak very little Spanish.
We managed to get basic communication accomplished.  His name was Pedro (Peter, he tells me!) and owned the large coffee plantation we were standing by. We talked farming in Panama and Oregon. He thought I was a bit crazy for riding from the Rio Caldera all the way up to where we where talking.  I couldn't argue his point. We laughed for a bit, then I bid him a good day and continued on.

I was now just over 1 mile high.  The road began to decline in quality. I was not sure exactly where I was.  I knew that the road to Volcan Baru turned to dirt before continuing to the top of the 11,400 ft peak. This was not that road.

Before too long the road turned away from Volcan Baru and started going down hill.  I came to a T intersection with a sign.  Volcan Baru was to the left, and El Salto was to my right, and down hill. I had climbed enough for today (and didn't have any ride kibble with me) so I took the turn to the right.

It was a fast run.  I hit 40 mph on the mtn bike. while making frequent use of the brakes.

When I got back into Boquete I pulled into Maritrini's place for some food and drink.
The drink arrived first. :-)

After filling the tank, I stopped by a grocery store to pick up a few supplies.  I ended up with over 5 lbs of "stuff" in my flimsy pack to pedal back up the 400 ft/1 mi hill.  I made it.

It was a good bike ride.

........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total
Today ......0.................0.................16....................0.............16
Jan.........26................ 0................0.....................0..............26
Feb.........7..................0................0.....................0...............7
March.......5.................0................0.....................0...............5
April.......0.................0...............45.....................0...............45
YTD.........38...............0................45.....................0.............83