Cycling day 8 Rincon to Hatillo

Ready to check out (depart) of the Coconut Palms Inn, the beautiful grounds and beach front access. 

After sharing breakfast burrito at a local popular bakery place,  we got on the Ride GPS route to Hatillo,  only to have to road workers indicate we had to  take a different route. Of course the route we found was steeper than we expected. Beautiful views as we neared the first peak  about than 3 miles into our journey! 

This was at the top  of the first peak and Tim took the opportunity to rest before lots more climbing. 

Many of our beginning roads today were quiet and rural. 

One of the first larger cities we went through was Aguada. This beautiful mural was being completed today.  It honors the Taíno people, the indigenous people of Puerto Rico. 

Our route took us on some pretty rough and abandoned roads, thankfully they didn’t last long. 

This is shortly after we started the big climb of the day. It was nice when the climb was out of neighborhoods and more in where the large trees canopied the narrow road. 

11:11 shot of the day… we were taking a break!  You can see on my app that we are  about halfway up the climb. 

Tim is rejoicing because he thinks he done with the climbing for the day…. NOT!

We had sweated so much that we were desperate for electrolytes and cold water… and Tim was excited about the Hawaiian Punch (a childhood favorite).   We found a little table in the shore near the motor oil and cleaning supplies.😆

The hills kept coming and the head wind started picking up. 

It was great to be at ocean level and see and hear the waves crashing against the shore. 

 

As we neared our destination we were surprised by the green bike lane. 

We saw this Hatillo signage and were thrilled we were almost done for the day. It had been a challenging one!

As we got closer, we plugged in our VRBO  address into Google Maps and kept peddling, just wanting to be done. Unfortunately, we followed the directions and stood on the street in front of a house that clearly was not the correct location.  A minutes later, a man came out of the house with two cold bottled waters and asked us in English if we needed help. He gave us a suggestion and we followed it to a different location 1/3 mile away. Still confused and standing in front of an another place, we see that same helpful man drive up to check on us and see if we found our destination. Fortunate for us, he translated our intent with neighbors of the possible VRBO residence and discovered it is indeed the one we were looking for. The very helpful neighbors are the cousins of the owner, Nydia.  Upon talking to NYC based Nydia, we were so grateful to be upgraded from the tiny studio on the back patio to the  3 bedroom house.  Many thanks Nadia!❤️

It felt so, so great to clean up. We were ready for a well deserved dinner and a nice drink, but due to the challenges of the day, we were not up for a 3 mile walk…. So we reluctantly settled on American fast food! 

Cycling day 7 La Parguera to Rincon

We were eager to get back on the road again after having a day off.  Beautiful weather (like always) as we climb out of the touristy coastal town.  In this first photo, a huge unmanned blimp ballon continuously hovers in the sky. It is a US customs and border protection vessel used for surveillance to detect low-flying aircraft and surface vessels in the Caribbean.

We were only on the 303 for about 5 miles, but were looking out for any UFO’s. This area is a hotspot for sightings. And has become known as the “UFO Route”.

Newly planted pineapple field . 

Another example of the lengths some Puerto Ricans will go to be the loudest on the road. 

One town that we road through had this large sign posted : 

Cute tourist town of Boqueron, right on a large bay. 

Another hill top 😆

Tim calls me the “mother tucker”, but it’s hard to be aerodynamic when descending with the extra  baggage. 

11:11 shot of the day. 

Riding past the Estadio Isidoro García stadium in Marquez, named after Isidoro “El Cholo”  García, a local pitcher who threw the first ever no-hitter! 

Yikes… how to cross a speedy highway in a construction zone timing it just right with the cars that are also making the same move…. I was balancing until I wasn’t!!! Yes, I tipped over when I couldn’t unclip fast enough!  Long story short, construction workers, people in cars and of course Tim were all very concerned about my well-being. I could only laugh. I was fine. The bike needed a few adjustments, but all was well. 

Once in town, we went to the Harbour  restaurant for lunch while waiting for our room to be ready. There we started a conversation with Riley and her dad Ryan from Colorado, here for The Tropical MTB Challenge, an international mountain bike race. We’ve been seeing a lot of fast moving mountain bike bikes on the road, but  the competition is all off-road. Riley is still in high school and also competes on her high school mountain bike team. 

Yay! At our cute beach front casita. 

The grounds are so beautifully maintained. 

Tim was thrilled to find a boogie board to borrow. 

Water was warm and the beach smooth. 🤩

Walked to town and passed some beautiful murals . 

 

Our destination was Rincon Beer company, but we got to partake in the weekly Thursday evening Art Walk. Local vendors and artisans as well as crowds of people flocked to the scene. While having a beer and dinner at the  brewery we shared a table  and lively conversation with Russ and Diana, a couple from  Florida. 

We were pooped by the time we walked back to our casita. 

Free day in La Parguera

We knew we had the opportunity to enjoy a leisure morning, but our bodies are not accustomed to sleeping in, so we were still awake before 6:00.  Tim brought in fresh brewed coffee from the lobby; Draco Rosa brand. It is 100% Puerto Rican organic grown brand founded by singer-songwriter Draco Rosa in collaboration with local farmers. They also use the sun to naturally roast the beans. It was a delicious cup of coffee. 

The complementary breakfast was on a nice shady patio, adjacent to the poolside. 

11:11 shot of the day… walking by a school. The black wall has outlines for a future mural. 

We noticed many home in both the rural and city areas that have wrought iron on the porches, top and bottom.  We wondered if it is for  style, safety or security.  

AI reveals:The wrought provide robust protection against hurricane debris, offered durable security, and allow for maximum ventilation in the tropical climate. These structures are often custom designed to add aesthetic character to homes. 

We decided to find a place to grab a lunch… this place seemed perfect … 8 taps and beer tiles throughout.  Shockingly, they had no beers available on tap!  At least they had a decent selection of bottled beers 😆. It went well with our shared nacho plate. 

Upon entering town yesterday we noticed an advertisement for sound healing tacked up on a power pole. Today we investigated and booked a session. Enid, a native of Puerto Rico and former social worker in the US, is now a practicing sound healer. We enjoyed an hour on a secluded the beach practicing guided breathing and meditation with sound healing.   It was a little more than a mile walk to find this private location. 

I was astounded how much this small bunch of plantains weighs.  Even Tim struggled to lift it! 

I noticed lots of holes in the earth and immediately thought it must be gophers. Nope, it’s lots of crabs. 🦀 

Heading back to our room after a laidback day in Parguara.