rained out

I thought that a 15 mile loop  with 2500 ft of climbing to the Quetzal Trailhead would be perfect today. There was some morning cloud cover that I expected would clear off. I took off on the route looking forward to being able to stop at a small indigenous peoples craft stand that I knew was along the road.  I didn't map the route to my Garmin, I presumed I could figure out the way as I rode.

I did make one wrong turn, but figured out the mistake soon and "recalculated" the route. My Panama standards, this was not a steep route.  I rarely got in low gear, and then only as I was leaving Boquete, where the road and been torn up by construction and not repaved yet.

I was pedaling along, looking for likely photo ops when I felt a drop of rain.  Before long there were more drops of rain, and then more.  I stopped and put on my windbreaker hoping it would shed some water.  As I stepped under a tree to do that, I was suddenly "attacked" by insects. They were shiny black, about the size of a common house fly, but they looked like some kind of beetle.  I don't know if I stepped on a nest, or if they were lying in wait in the grass, but they were covering my shoes, legs, and were working there way up, biting me along the way!

I brushed off as many bugs as I could and started back up the road.  By now it was raining hard.  Not looking forward to spending the next few hours riding while being soaked, I turned the bike around.

I got back to Boquete and left the rain behind. I picked up a few more groceries then rode back up the little hill.

I looked across the valley to the hill I had been riding in.  It looked to be still raining there.

Here was the planned ride

And here's my rain abbreviated version.

Even though I thought this would be an easier day after yesterday's climbing festival, I was surprised to see 820 feet of climbing in the 6 mile short route.

I guess this route will have to go on my bucket list.  Maybe tomorrow?


........Road Bike........Rollers.......MTB..........Lifecycle......Total

Today ......0.................0..................6....................0............6

Jan.........26................ 0................0.....................0..............26

Feb.........7..................0................0.....................0...............7

March.......5.................0................0.....................0...............5

April.......0.................0...............66.....................0...............66

May.........0..................0..............44......................0...............44

YTD.........38...............0...............116.....................0.............154