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. 

Day 6 cycling Ponce to Parguera

It’s my birthday!

A sweet birthday greeting and card  awaited me when I woke up this morning. We enjoyed a relaxed start to our morning with a nice coffee Tim bought from a local coffee shop. We used the RIDE GPS app to guide our way. 

Quiet morning hours in Ponce. 

We did not make it to see Cruces del Vigia up close, but we could see the 100 foot tall cross atop Vigia Hill. 

A bakery stop for a sweet treat was a fun stop. 

Fun photo opportunity…love that 10 second timer feature! 

We road by lots of power plant complexes. 

We arrived in Yauco and discovered it is “town of coffee”, so we decided we needed to have another cup of coffee with our early lunch.  But where…? 

11:11 shot -looking for a coffee place in and getting a bit turned around.😆

Found Carajillo Coffee House.   We enjoyed the coffee, eggs scramble, the atmosphere and most of all the conversations shared with the patrons there. It was also cool learning that the coffee beans are locally grown and “sun roasted” making it a medium roast. It was very nice. 

Once one the road again we started really noticing how we were no longer going through the lush, tropical region and were now in the a much drier area.  The visual difference showed as we were descending the second of the two climbs we had today. 

We arrived in the town of our destination… now to plug in our hotel in our Google Maps .

Upon checking in we were provided with a drink ticket for the poolside bar. … so obviously that was our next move. 

This guy was coming in with a wheelbarrow filled with burlap sacks..  Tim guessed fertilizer…. but he showed us the contents of the sacks… live lobsters! 

Touring the tourist town of Paraguera. We’re sure it gets hopping, but not on this Tuesday. 

Puerto Rico route 303 (near here) is recognized as the extraterrestrial route. This stretch of road is known for its UFO sighting and local folklore. 

My birthday dinner back at our mini resort.  The waiter recommended an Old Fashion made with Don Q 7 Year reserve rum.  Good choice! 

Chocolate birthday cake was delivered with a candle and song!  Very special 🥰🥳😆❤️