Up And Over

Ever since arriving here in Quebradas I have had my eyes on the mountain ridges to the east.

Today I  finally did some exploring up there. Starr and our friend Julianne walked with me to the Nature Reserve gate and left me there.  I took off to explore the jungle trail system by myself.

The top of the ridge is at an elevation of about 5000 feet.  I committed to reaching the top on a steep muddy trail through the tangled jungle, crossing down the other side, and returning around the mountain on dirt roads.

As I began my walk, the sky was cloudy and the air was heavy with tropical humidity.  I began to sweat profusely as I swatted at mosquitoes and lurched up the slippery mud and rock trail. 

I heard parrots and monkeys in the jungle canopy but didn't see a single one.  An hour later, leaning on my bamboo walking pole, I reached the overlook at the top.

Charming miniature towns and buildings lay fanned out below me in the Valle del General. The massive cloud-topped Talamanca mountain range spread to the north.

The mid-day sun came out.  Meanwhile the clouds that would become today's tropical rainstorm began to flow over the coast range in my direction.

A large blue and white fork-tailed bird glided along the ridge next to me. What is it? Beautiful it is.

I found the steep slippery trail heading down the other side and began descending through coffee and banana plantations.

When I reached the Miravalles road, I stopped into a small store to get something to drink. 

"What do you have for 370 colones?" I asked. The clerk grinned and handed me a small bottle of orange juice. I gave him all the cash I had.

I started home on the road that contoured around the mountain back to Quebradas. I was hot and tired but felt gratified inside. 

It's a good thing to have an adventure like this. My ties to Costa Rica became a little stronger today.

Come along with me?

Starr and Julianne and the road up the hill.

Costa Rican horses are trained to march in a high-stepping choppy gait. I'll learn the name someday.
A "Tope" is a parade event where a couple thousand of these horses parade all over town.

Meeting Jesus who works at the reserve, and fixes the road.

Me.

Looking up towards the Nature Reserve.

I like a lot of things. Bougainvillea is one of them.

Cows make contour ruts in the pasture.

Follow this stream and you will arrive at the center of the jungle.

Cars and people wade the stream.

Turns out Jesus has a small farm he wants to sell. Imagine that.
(It seems as though all of Costa Rica is for sale - at a price.)

Uhh... I'll get back to you. I forgot the name. It's a red flower.

This is the right way.

The "Queen of the Night" has hallucinogenic properties.

A nice photo.

Julianne loves nature. A lot.

Starr felt kind of funny when she woke up.

That there's some jungle.

There are two seasons; rainy and dry.
Something is always dying and something else is always flowering.

Black and white jungle shot.
The texture of the canopy is palpable.

San Isidro to the south around the ridge.

Quebradas valley.

How you know when you're at the top.

North to the Talamanca Range. I love that word.

Coffee berries.

Costa Rica's Big Three. Coffee, bananas, and tourism.

Shade grown coffee using banana inter-planting.

I've never seen a roof like that.

I shared my downward path with this school boy.

A flawed green block wall.

School boys in Miravalles. I told them I like their town. They smiled.