Abingdon, Virginia, Devil's Bathtub, Jefferson National Forest, Virginia

Silver in The Streets, Friday

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Friday, May 17, 2024

The weather forecast for our stay in Abingdon wasn’t good, but it kept changing. It’s a tradition to gather around the coffee pot and sweet rolls in the morning. I asked Jeff about the hike to “The Devil’s Bathtub”. He said it was an hour drive, a two-mile hike out and two-miles back with 6 stream crossings. “There have been 100 rescues since 2018!” Scott County advises not to hike if the water is above your knees. Amanda had warned us yesterday that “people die in there.” The rain was supposed to hold off until 2:00. With some hesitation and discussion, we decided to go along with 8 others.

We rode with Martin and Karen and had some nice discussions along the way, which made the hour drive go quickly. It looked like rain as I got a couple of pictures at the trailhead. This was a serious mining and logging area years ago, so probably not a good trout stream, although it sure is pretty. We soon came to the first ford, which was up to our knees, but the water was clear. Jeff said it was an inch or two higher than when he hiked it Wednesday. Being the good leader he is, he wanted to test it before taking a group. That made me feel better. Our group was pretty hardy, and everyone helped at the crossings.

It was a very pretty hike to a very cool destination. The main pool is reported to be 10-12′ deep. We paused there to take pictures and have lunch before heading back. A couple of people slid down on crossings, but after a few crossings, no one seemed to mind getting wet. Small gravel is always safer than big, slippery rocks to step on, but despite my warnings, people seem to want to step on the big rocks. Fortunately there were no injuries and everyone was happy to have gone. Lee felt we should have merit badges for having accomplished it in less than ideal conditions.

We got out of our wet clothes, showered and managed a little nap. At 5:30 we met Randy and Xan for dinner at “The Tavern”. Somehow the Tavern seems to always be good with good service. Our waiter coached wrestling, and Randy encouraged him to get with UVA’s wrestling coach, Steve Garland.

We went to the small venue of the Barter Theater to watch a two-person play, “Grandma Gatewood Took a Walk”, by Catherine Bush. “I said I’d do it, and I’ve done it.” One fine spring day, Emma Gatewood, a 67-year-old mother and grandmother, told her children she was “going for a walk.” She failed to mention that her walk would make her the first woman to solo hike the newly formed Appalachian Trail. “Grandma Gatewood Took A Walk” is a wildly theatrical adventure following Emma and all who played a part in her incredible journey.

It is an incredible true story and one of the best plays I have seen. It plays until June 9th and worth the drive just to see this play. Mary Lucy Bivins does a marvelous job as Grandma and John Hardy is great, playing about 6 different people. Grandma not only hiked the AT once, but became the first person to hike it three times! She hiked the Oregon Trail in 1959 and worked on a section that would become the Buckeye Trail. She was inducted into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame in 2012. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma_Gatewood).

It was 10:00 by the time we got to bed, and I was asleep at 10:01.

Abingdon, Virginia, Virginia

Silver in The Streets, Abingdon, Virginia

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Thursday, May 16. 2024

This is the fourth year we have held this Airstream Rally in Abingdon. The concept of Silver in The Streets is one mutually beneficial to Airstreamers and to the town. Abingdon closes down Remsburg Drive for us, and we parked 14 Airstreams on it. This little town has it all; history, two great venues for the Barter Theater, The Virginia Creeper Trail, fishing, hiking, shopping, a great farmer’s market and excellent restaurants. In turn, we bring business to the town.

After a 5½ hour drive, we parked, set up and said hello to everyone. We grabbed a little nap before driving northwest to Lebanon, Va to visit Amanda Rose and her family. Amanda is a great hygienist who worked with us for four or five years before moving back to Chad and Amanda’s hometown of Abingdon. They have two lovely daughters, Ainsley and Cadence.

Amanda gave us a tour of their new house on.about 12 gorgeous acres on top of a mountain. It’s in a small development with great neighbors, one of whom likes to do projects for them. While we waited for the rest of the family to get home, we took a walk up the street to a fantastic view of mountains all around.

When Chad and the girls got home, they all started cooking. I felt like I was in a Japanese restaurant with Chad cooking on a big griddle outside. First he made a huge portion of fried rice, then chicken, mushrooms, squash, carrots and shrimp. The girls hustled things in and out of the house between rounds of volleyball. Ainsley took us over to the fence for a great sunset view. Along the tree line were huge blackberry bushes, and to the right of those were wineberries, or raspberries. I asked if they were going to put in a garden, but there are too many deer.

After a huge, wonderful dinner, Amanda served up delicious cake she made with a raspberry filling. We were hoping to watch Cadence play softball in the regional tournament tomorrow, but with heavy rains predicted, it was moved to Monday. We would later find out Cadence hit a home run and the team won. She is quite the athlete, playing basketball and volleyball as well as softball. Ainsley is into art, theater and acting.

It was a wonderful visit with great friends. We made it back to town as it turned dark, carrying a whole bunch of left-overs and cake!

Ocracoke Island

Ocracoke Island Thursday

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May 2, 2024

Our wonderful pattern starts with a lazy morning. We have just enough cellular to use a slow internet and find out what is going on in the world, check emails and the weather. There is a big cell tower just this side of the village, but we are 3 miles away.

At 10:00 we went for an hour walk on the beautiful beach. Walking north, we saw a whole lineup of trucks and fishermen a half mile up the beach. Pelicans were working a small area, diving into the ocean to get fish. It’s fun to watch. Surely this was the place to fish, although they were a bit out of range of a good cast. 

Martha walked right up to the first fisherman, asking why there were so many fishermen today. A pleasant, nice-looking man, he said there is a fishing tournament going on with teams of six. He said no one had caught anything significant, although he caught a three-foot shark, which doesn’t count. 

Headed back down the beach, the pelicans seemed to be doing well with their fishing, some just sitting, apparently with full bellies. Looking south, we could see only a few people on the beach on a perfect day with just a mild breeze.

We changed into biking gear and biked three miles into town. As we approached town, all the tournament fishermen were coming to town for lunch and traffic had come to a standstill. A tournament organizer was motioning them to keep moving. Thankfully, they had a designated place to go for lunch.

We were out of tea, so we found the most unusual tea shop, Moonraker Tea Shop. Glass containers of loose leaf teas lined the walls, five shelves high on three walls of the shop. Herbal teas, black teas, green teas and mixtures of teas with seasonings or herbs for any possible mood or ailment. Shelves in the front were lined with various tea cookies. 

In the middle were shelves of honeys, syrups and jams. There were teapots, expresso pots, books and instruction pamphlets. 

Martha talked with the lady as she measured out our four choices bagged and labeled them. Martha asked about Edwardo’s Food Truck, where she had already decided we would eat lunch. The tea lady said her son has labeled Edwardo’s the best restaurant in the world.

We walked across a parking lot to Edwardo’s. A yard had tables with umbrellas for shade. Martha put her bike helmet on a small table before going up to order. Work trucks lined the street, parked in the grass while they got their lunch. 

We should have split our order, but Martha ordered shrimp tacos while I ordered a chicken bowl for $16. As we walked to the table, a nice young man asked where we had ridden from. “The campground,” I answered before I realized we had on Bike Vermont shirts on. Martha said we had taken a bike tour with them in Maine years ago. He said he understood as his wife does bike tours with Bike Virginia, and was doing a tour in West Virginia.

It was probably Edwardo’s nice wife who called “Rick” for his order. As he came back, he asked where we were from. Turns out he was from Standardsville, but grew up in Lexington, Va. Rick’s job was cutting, trimming and pruning trees. I couldn’t even eat half of my excellent chicken bowl with lots of chicken, black beans, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, rice and avocado, but it would feed both of us for dinner.

As we walked back to the bikes, a young lady asked where we were from. She was from the town in the middle of Martha’s shirt in Vermont. We asked what brought her to Ocracoke. “Oh, we just came over for the day.” We live on Cedar Island.” 

As we got on our bikes a young lady put her little girl with beautiful blue eyes on a front seat of her bike. She asked where we were from. Maybe people thought we had ridden our bikes from Vermont. We have definitely seen some serious bikers, but we were certainly not. She was from Colorado. They just wanted a change of pace, and they no doubt got it. Her husband is from North Carolina, and they wanted the challenge of learning how to survive in a remote small town. 

On the way out of town we stopped at Fig Tree Bakery to get some fig cake, which Ocracoke is known for. They have lots of fig trees. We came out with a fig cake, a scone and a brownie. The dangerous part is getting back across the busy road through town. Fortunately, people were very nice about stopping to let us cross. They use a lot of golf carts in town, which is a great idea. I can’t imagine how busy it is in the summer. 

After the three mile ride back to the campground, we chilled in the shade reading books the rest of the day. Shower time is interesting though, as there is no hot water. There are no hookups either, so many people were using their generators, some with their air conditioners on, although it was only 70 degrees. Out in the sun it was no doubt hot.

I went for a cold shower as I had for the previous days. The first few days the wind was blowing hard off the ocean, which made it a bit chilly. Today it was warm with only a little breeze, so it was fine.

Ocracoke Island

Ocracoke Island Wednesday

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May1, 2024

The mission today was to explore all the pullouts north of the campground. First stop was the Pony Pen, where “Banker Ponies” (ponies of the Outer Banks) are kept. They ran free from the 1700’s until 1959 when traffic became heavier. Across the road, we walked up a boardwalk to the top of the dunes to get a nice view of the beach.

We walked down a long jeep road that was chained. It wound its way through a bushy terrain until it opened onto Pamlico Sound. It looked like you could walk out a long way. Duck blinds were positioned from 40 to 200 yards off shore. There was a good story in the Ocracoke Guide telling of hunting one of those blinds. They stored the boat under the blind, keeping the decoys in the blind. They would throw them out, then walk out to reposition them. I’m sure the sandy bottom is a lot easier to walk on than our marsh on the Rappahannock River.

A number of creeks crossed the road. It looks like they all come from the sound, and it seems like they would be good places to fish. Exploring one creek, a truck was parked with a kayak in the back. I went up and asked the gentleman if he was fishing. He had an Old Town pedal-powered kayak, which he was proud to show us. He said the drum like to come into these creeks in the early morning, but his kayak pedals are too deep. You can take the pedals out and paddle, but he said it is awkward. He had been getting his exercise in the sound, and was headed home. These fishing kayaks are very cool, and by all reports travel pretty fast. The drawback is now you need a trailer to put it on. It might be a lot easier to wade in this creek with a fly rod in the early morning, maybe with a crab fly.

Across from the campground, we walked a trail through a hammock and out to the sound. We almost stepped on several toads in the middle of the path. Wherever there was marsh or wet areas, there were mosquitoes.

We had a relaxing afternoon reading. I was reading Horse, by Geraldine Brooks, a novel based upon the history of “Lexington,” one of the best racehorses and sires of all time in the mid-1800’s. As with most racehorse stories, the characters are interesting. I liked the way she titled the chapters with the central character in a particular year.

Uncategorized

Ocracoke Island Tuesday

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April 30, 2024

We had a relaxing morning before going to explore the beach. The wind was still blowing about 17mph, but it was warming up from the 64 degrees we woke up to. We walked out the back of our campsite and climbed the steep dune for a view of the campground and a gorgeous beach at low tide.

We walked south until we reached a sign telling us not to walk further as it was a bird nesting area. The water was cold and rough, but it was fine after the initial shock. We only saw a few people. A couple were tucked in between dunes for protection from the wind. Rarely do you find a beach this pretty with so few people on it. the island is 16 miles long, so that gives plenty of room for people to spread out.

We changed clothes and rode our bikes 3 miles into town. We turned down Lighthouse Road to find the lovely Ocracoke lighthouse that still functions. We were met by a nice guide, Marilee, who was from Virginia. She and her husband come down every year. The lighthouse was built with bricks made on the mainland and shipped over in 1823. It is the second oldest continuously functioning lighthouse in the country and can be seen 14 miles off shore. The keeper’s quarters are seen on the right.

We talked with Marilee quite a while. She told us about the restaurants and her favorites. She also told us to go the end of the road and walk through the forest to Springer’s Point. We rode to the right, finding Springer’s Nature Preserve and put our bikes in a rack. Seems like there are bike racks everywhere and it’s a good way to get around on these small streets. There is a loop trail through a pretty hammock (a stand of trees surrounded by areas of water) and out to a nice beach on Pamlico Sound. Kids were swimming and playing the shallow waters in contrast to the rough waters on the ocean today.

We rode through some of the neighborhoods before going out to Rt. 12. On Marilee’s suggestion, we went to Smacknally’s Bar and Grill for lunch, again putting our bikes in a stand. It’s all outdoor seating at Smacknally’s with views of the harbor and the boats. It was a little cool sitting in the shade with breezes off the water, so I kept moving into the sun to stay warm. It was a busy place at lunchtime, but the service was good and so was the food. I had a fish (drum) sandwich and Martha had a shrimp basket.

From their website

On the way back to the campground we stopped at the coolest bookstore, Books To Be Red. Martha needed a new book, and apparently found a good one.

Back at Ocracoke Campground, which is part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, it was time for a shower. As is the custom in most national parks, there are no hookups. Fortunately Lew Farber’s addition of two more solar panels was serving us well, as there was never an issue with power. Water was a different thing with 36 gallons to last a week, so two of us taking showers might be a problem,

The campground has showers, but with no hot water. I went to Camp Yonahnoka in Linville, NC where the showers were trout stream cold. the trick was to jump in, get wet and get out, lather up half the body, rinse off, jump out, lather he other half and rinse again. By the third rinse, the body became acclimated and it wasn’t a problem, but that first plunge took some fortitude. The same technique worked fine. The water was cold, but not Yonahnoka cold. Martha took a shower in the trailer, but I had to fuss at her for using too much water.

As I sampled my glass of wine, I thought about “The Old Cowboy Ranch” in British Columbia. It is the most unique campground I have ever been in, and their shower was pretty cool. It was an outdoor shower with a fence around it. Water was pumped into a rather large plastic tank on a roof above the shower. It was best not to shower in the morning, but rather in the afternoon when the sun had enough time to warm the water. It was all gravity pressure and it worked well. However, if you went in after two or three others, the water wasn’t going to be so warm, as fresh water was pumped in. Timing was everything. You might look up to see a peacock watching you as they had free rein of the property. You can find their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/oldcowboyranch/ or on my old blog https://fishacrosscanada.wordpress.com/2013/07/

Ocracoke Island

Ocracoke Island, North Carolina

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April 28, 2024

We are scheduled to stay on Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a week. We have never been and are looking forward to it. It is a tiny spit of land separated from the mainland by Pamlico Sound. It is 16 miles long and maybe a quarter mile wide on most parts, but it widens at the south end where the small town of Ocracoke sits.

From Charlottesville it is about a 5½ hour drive to Hatteras Village where we stayed the night at Hatteras Sands Campground before taking the ferry across on Monday. Filling up with gas, a gentleman asked how we like our Airstream. He said he had all kinds of trouble with his 2022 model, and he gave me all the details. Then he talked about the ferry and how there was a wash over a couple of weeks ago. Apparently insurance doesn’t cover that kind of thing, so some people were upset. Checking into Hatteras Sands Campground, a nice young lady told us all about the community and where to eat. She also said she wouldn’t take that ferry across for anything! Now I was getting a bit nervous, but looking it up online, there was a storm with 45mph winds that washed out roads all along the outer banks. It was breezy, but only about 17mph.

After settling into our site, went for a nice dinner at Dinky’s Restaurant overlooking the harbor and ocean, a beautiful spot and a nice dinner. A stiff breeze blew off the ocean making it too chilly to walk along the docks.

Cool design

The free ferry runs every hour, switching to every half hour from 10:00 to 4:00, but check the schedule on their website. We were lucky to get on the 12:30 as the line was already long, but we made it. We have taken the Airstream on a number of ferries, so I knew to watch the guy directing me and do exactly what he said. The ride was an hour and 15 minutes on a very circuitous route. These islands protect the coast from a lot of storm damage, but the storms and tides move sand around all the time.

Unloading on the other side without issue, we headed south on the narrow strip of land. Workers were busy placing huge sand bags to try to hold the ocean back. An article in the paper would later tell us they were worried about the road getting undermined. They might have to build another long bridge or move the ferry terminal. You feel like you are in the wilderness driving through the protected Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and you certainly notice the power of the sea and delicacy of these islands. Fortunately our campsite was vacant, although a couple of feet short. It was nicely shaded without any overhanging limbs, so we could put out the awnings, although it was too windy to do that now. Once we got everything settled, we drove into town to check it out. It’s a little village with a lot of history. Rt. 12 runs to the end of the island with lots of side streets to explore. To try to contain traffic, golf carts are encouraged. With hotels, B&B’s and rental houses, it stays busy, and I’m sure it is crazy in summer. There is a good selection of restaurants, a couple of places to get groceries, a very cute book store and some interesting shops.

We had an early dinner at Dajio’s, which is a popular spot, and I could see why. They have good food at a reasonable price and a full-service bar.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica April 6

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It was sad to see the McGlumphy family packing up. It has been another great trip with this group, but we had a little time to sit around and enjoy this great spot.

  • Andrea and Greyson
  • Toucan

As the McGlumphy family loaded their suitcases into the van, we exchanged hugs, sad to be parting. We then straightened up the house a bit and did a bit of packing for our return trip tomorrow.

Marco, Monica and her son came to pick us up about 10:30 to take us over the mountain to meet his parents in San Mateo. We have heard so much about his parents, it was a special treat to finally meet them. His father was a telegraph operator for 30 years. He was a man of many talents, doing most of the woodwork in the small house. He also carved the doors in the house. There are two attached houses on either side. One to the right was Marco’s grandmother’s house. Marco has now redone the house, and he lives there most of the time. He still goes back to the states to visit his children and grandchildren, as well as working for Clear Choice as a fill-in when someone is out. Marco’s cousin lives in the house on the other side, and he looks after Mr. and Mrs. Padilla.

I love the way they did the plants in pots and planters everywhere. Of course it gets hot in Costa Rica sometimes, so they often sit outside, in the front or the back. In the evening the neighboring ladies come over to sit and chat. Sometimes they move their chairs onto the edge of the street where they get a breeze. Across the street is the police station. Everyone has gates and fences around their houses. Like the U.S., migrants from South America come to stay or to pass through, and the crime rate has gone up.

As we were talking, a big truck stopped across the street. A stocky, middle-aged man got out and threw out mangos to three mules in the lot in the middle of town. Marco could tell I was curious about mules eating mangos, so we walked across the street.

The mules seemed to be used to eating mangos. They gnawed at the mango and then spit out the seed. They kicked at each other to protect their fruit, but none of the kicks even came close to landing. The man started telling us the story of how he got the lot, how he got the mules and all about the one that is a hermaphrodite. Of course I only got bits of this because I don’t speak much Spanish, but Diego filled me in.

Marco then took us to a very nice restaurant for lunch. A pretty river runs behind it, where Marco would come to swim when he was young. I thought we might get a siesta after that, but they took us up a steep, winding road to the top of a mountain where we would wait for the sunset. A nice, little restaurant sits up there, and people trickled in as the afternoon went on.

The views were very pretty. On the west side were rolling hills. On the other were some big mountains. It was a little cloudy, so we thought we might not get much of a sunset, but boy, were we wrong. We kept watching the sun set in the west, but then there was a partial rainbow on the other side. Then all of those clouds lit up in one of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen. I like the one at the top best, with the Costa Rican flag on the right.

As we drove back “home” we thanked Monica and Marco for a wonderful day, meeting his parents, seeing his home town and his home country we have heard so much about. It was a day to remember on a trip to remember.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica, April 5

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I woke up early, fixed a cup of coffee, slid the balcony door open and sat outside soaking in the wonderful view. As the sun began to lighten the sky, there were frightening cries of some primeval monsters calling to each other in the dense jungle below.

Turn sound up

Then I remember Rooster telling us about how Howler Monkeys make terrifying sounds. It was a beautiful spot to sit, listen and watch. Soon I heard some talking and realized it was Diego and Andrea right over us, so I leaned over the railing and looked up. It seemed everyone was ready for breakfast.

We had one more breakfast in this beautiful spot, but first two beautiful parrots (scarlet macaws) flew into a tree right beside the outdoor restaurant. I don’t know what they were eating in that tree, but it must have been good. I got a pretty good video with my iPhone 7, waiting for them to fly.

We had the same waiter for two days, a nice young man from Guatemala. We told him we were leaving today, and we had enjoyed his help while we were in this beautiful place. He said he was lucky to be here too, “as I have had two heart attacks.” Shocked, we asked how that was possible, as he seemed quite fit. He said he had Covid, then he got his second vaccine. Three days later he had a heart attack, and a week later another one. Still shocked, we wished him our best and headed out.

We had a van waiting to take us back to Miguel’s house, with a tour of a coffee farm tour along the way. After an hour or so of driving, we arrived at Espiritu Santo Coffee, not knowing what to expect. We were met by a very nice man named José, who casually talked for a bit before tasting a couple of different coffees. then we were escorted to a beautiful table in the middle of the yard, where they served us an excellent lunch, and of course, a coffee cake for desert.

Then we were off for a tour of the grounds. José talked about when they pick the beans in September, all done by hand, because you have to choose the ripe beans. We walked down the hill where they sort the beans and remove the thin covers. Across the way was a large building where they roast the beans, for varying times and temperatures. This takes a special person who tweaks the variables according to weather conditions and taste. Some beans are packaged whole, while some are ground.

Then we went to a covered area with a table and seats around it. A cute little cabin beside it housed a wood fire to make hot water so he could demonstrate how they like to make the coffee. First a little hot water in two containers. tossing the water in the first, he put ground coffee in it. Surely he has been doing this so long, he didn’t need to measure. Then he put hot water in it and let it “bloom” for 5 minutes while he took questions. Parting the surface of the hot coffee, the middle rose above the surface. He tossed the hot water from the second vessel and set it under a tripod with a “sock” attached to the top which would catch all the grounds as he poured the coffee through it. Pre-warming each or our cups, he then poured coffee into each. “You must sip it making noise. You are putting air into your tasting, and the first will be a bit bitter.” We were to take a taste of small bananas before we sipped. This was what I would call a large espresso, and he didn’t want us to put milk, sugar or cream in it, perhaps like getting a glass of that 25-year rum and putting coke in it. Anyway, we all agreed it was good.

Then into the store to buy coffee, rum, cups, tripods and cups. It was all very interesting, and José did a great job, even inviting us back for picking in September.

We piled back into the van for the drive back to Atenas and Miguel’s lovely house. Unfortunately the McGlumphy family had to head back the next day, so they packed up.

Costa Rica, La Mariposa Hotel, Manuel Antonio

Costa Rica, April 4

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Google Maps

Costa Rica is a mountainous country at the tail end of the Rockies, so travel is seldom in a straight line, yet we covered a lot of ground in a short time. I walked around the grounds before breakfast, and it is truly a wondrous spot.

At 8:30 we had a Manuel Antonio National Park nature walk with a guide named Rooster, and he was very good with his spotting scope that we took pictures through. I could not see many of these things with the naked eye. Guides talked amongst themselves up and down the trail when they spotted something interesting.

We came to a caged snack area where Rooster brought us some fresh fruits and tea. It is caged because the monkeys love to snatch food when they can. Then we walked down to a lovely beach where we swam and walked for an hour or so. Heading back up the other side of this peninsula was another beach that was much less crowded.

  • Three Toed Sloth
  • White-Faced Monkey
  • A bat sleeping
  • Orb Weaver Spider
I could not see this Vine Snake even when he pointed right at it.
Toucan

In a rare opportunity, we had the afternoon off. We all went to the pool where we could order lunch, beer or coffee and relax. There was a hot pool, a warm pool and a cold pool with a waterfall. What luxury! Ed’s son, Joey, got a beer and talked with the bartender for a while. He had two aged rums made in Costa Rica, one 25-year and one 30-year. He said they are similar to a Brandy, meant to be sipped. At dinner we tried the 25-year, and it was excellent. I think it was Ron Centenario, made from sugar cane and aged in oak barrels.

Costa Rica, La Mariposa Hotel, Manuel Antonio

Costa Rica, Wednesday April 3

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Kellye and Nick had to head back today. Poor Nick had a intestinal bug that really kept him down for 2-3 days. They would go back, work for two days and then go to Chicago for a wedding. Oh to be young again!.

Before breakfast I walked around the lovely grounds of Tabacon Thermal Resort and took some pictures.

The lodge had a fabulous buffet breakfast, spoiling us further with too many good things to resist.

We would now travel south to the west coast of Costa Rica, down the coast to La Mariposa Hotel in Manuel Antonio. No one knows who Manuel Antonio was, but he must have been something to have the town named after him. Along the way on this 5-hr. drive, we would stop at Mistico Park for a Hanging Bridges tour. Our guide was David, a nice and informative fellow.

  • Broccoli tree
  • Toad
Tiny Mariola bees that don’t sting, and make a wonderful honey!
Leaf-cutter ants carry their bits back to their nest to make a garden that grows a fungus that they eat.

The trip involves 6 suspension and 10 stationary bridges winding through the jungle. It is quite pretty on secure, steel wire bridges with high sides….for those of us who are afraid of heights. Back into the van to continue our journey, we stopped for lunch at MiRancho Restaurante. Other vans stopped with their tours. Horizontes Nature Tours never made a bad choice. After lunch we had time to wonder around the grounds and a small shop next door. Across the street was beautiful mountain farmland.

Back on the road for a while until we stopped at a bridge to look at crocodiles in the Tarcoles River. It’s a little weird to walk out on a busy road to look down into a river with crocs in it, however there was a good walkway with a railing, and it was a popular place for people to stop.

By the time we got to La Mariposa Hotel, we were whupped. We dragged our bags to our beautiful room with a wonderful view of the west coast beach of Manuel Antonio. Another great choice by Eddie and Horizontes. Martha and I headed to the open air bar with a swim-up pool on the other side. I ordered a Manhattan, which was a stupid choice. We were a long way from Manhattan in a country that makes rum. He had to ask another man how to make it. Lime doesn’t work well in bourbon, but the medicine worked.

He noted that we looked tired, so we told him we had been driving all day on some VERY rough roads. He agreed the roads aren’t good in Costa Rica, noting that there is only one good road in San Jose and that was built by a private company as a gift! Now I had sipped half my Lime Manhattan, so I asked, “Why is that? With so many national parks, beaches and tourists from around the world, there should be plenty of money. Where does it go?”

“Well somewhere, but not in the hands of the people. One man was elected and was caught sending money to Switzerland, but he fled the country. After 10 years he returned and was elected again!” Had everyone forgotten what he had done? After a moment’s thought and another sip of my lime drink, I conceded, “We have the same thing in the United States. So much money goes in, but who knows where it goes after that?” He nodded as he went to serve another customer. He said it is a popular spot to watch the sun set on top of this hill.

By now our dinner table was ready in a beautiful open air restaurant with views of the ocean and jungle all around. As we toasted our before dinner drinks, we noted how very lucky we were.

As we were eating, someone spotted a sloth climbing under a balcony, then the roof of the restaurant. We all rushed to see such an unusual sight.

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