Motorcycle Ride of a Lifetime!!-Part V-The Ride Home to PV

Leaving early from Fredicton at first light at 6am gave me the chance to head south quickly and in about 1.5 hours I was already at the border in St. Stephens/Calais, Maine.  Usual hassle a border crossing with the stupid questions; "Where you been" "How Long were you gone" "Why does your motorcycle have CA plates and you are coming from Colorado" etc. etc.;  After the I assume correct responses, I was on my way and rode some nice Maine roads into Bar Harbor for a quick stop for photos.  Then after a stop at Acadia National Park to get a stamp in my National Parks Passport, I was headed south to a suburb of Portland, Maine to visit with my friend Roberta.  After a great lunch, catching up and chatting about things, we headed to dinner at a local restaurant in downtown Brunswick along the Brunswick River.
The next day was spa day for me as Roberta owns a place in downtown Portland called Soakology.  www.soakology.com  It is a great place to relax, unwind, and I enjoyed a nice head, shoulder, neck, and foot massage for about 1 hour.  I needed it!  I had had some long days on the motorcycle and this certainly got all the kinks out of my shoulders.  If you are ever in Portland, Maine you need to experience the place.  So after the lengthy relaxing morning I was not on my way till about 2pm.  Once again I took the interstate as I needed to be in Niagara Falls for my room reservation the day after tomorrow.   I made it all the way to Syracuse area of New York State for a short ride the next morning into Niagara Falls, New York.
As I promised myself I would enjoy the day here seeing everything there was to see and participated in an all day tour of the area including the Cave of the Winds, all the falls, the boat ride into the Horseshoe Falls, the local up river scenery, and even the Niagara Falls Power Plant!  It was a great day and all I can say is that all the photos I had seen over the years, this place has to be seen in person.  It is definitely one of the Wonders of the World!  Maybe not top 7, but definitely top 10.  My hotel reservations for the night were in Niagara Falls, Ontario as  I wanted to see the falls from the Canadian side as well.   After the overnight, I went down to the falls and saw the awesome view from that side of the Niagara River and then rode along the river for miles and miles to the north to one again enjoy the sights and the massive homes along River Road.  Finally I looped back around to the south and made haste to the border crossing back at the same border we had crossed a few weeks earlier.  Of course it was just as busy and it took about 30 minutes to get through.
Hit the interstates again and even though I had planned to take 2 nights to get to Chicago, I was able to make it in one day and spent that evening and the next day there with a friend.  In Chicago I had things to do like some helmet repair, visiting with a friend in Aurora, and then finding a shop that could work on my carburetor problems once and for all! The helmet shop turned me onto Motorworks where Steve knew my problem, so I left the bike there over night as a rear tire change was due anyway.   The next morning I was all set to go and I highly recommend Motorworks to anyone needing service in the Chicagoland area.  They were fantastic!
Short ride north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to spend a relaxing weekend with my friends John & Jeanne in Muskego.  As usual it was a wonderful time of eating, drinking, and enjoying the Milwaukee area.  But the real tough riding was coming on Monday morning by me leaving there at 7am sharp to make it as far south as possible.  I arrived in Tulsa, OK at about 730pm after a 740 mile ride very tired and after my GPS started acting up, I finally found a motel near a large Indian casino for the night.  Early up the next day again at sunrise and as the day was progressing well, I decided to go all the way to the border instead a planned stop with my friends Ira & Linda Horowitz in Dallas.  Arrived in Laredo under darkness at about 8pm after another almost 700 mile day.  My butt was getting sore!
But I knew the next day would be the usual all day legalization process, so I could certainly rest.  I arrived at the Hermanos Cuevas office around 1000am and it took a couple of hours to prepare paperwork and wait for one of their agents to take the motorcycle through Mexican customs.  As you know from one of my previous blogs, cars are much more difficult than motorcycles!!  I was given a ride across the border with all my possessions, as the bike had to be stripped, to their office in Nuevo Laredo to await the agents arrival.  About an hour later he was there, everything completed and by about 330pm I was on my way south to make it to Saltillo by dark.  A little small thunderstorm while I was fueling up along the toll road, it was a very hot ride south. I am sure well over 100F, probably 110F.   I stayed at my usual place the American Business Hotel in the northern area of Saltillo.
My next day's plan was to head south to San Miguel de Allende to visit my client Sharon and spend the evening with her.   Somehow the GPS go all screwed up and it was routing me on these side roads and it took about 30 minutes to get back on the toll road that I wanted to be on heading south.  But finally got on the way and as I was nearing San Miguel it looked like afternoon thunderstorms were heading into the area.  I have been around this area before in my car, but never made to the birthplace of the Mexican Revolution, so a quick stop in Dolores de Hidalgo was in order as I was just passing by.   Then onto San Miguel to find Sharon's house.  Since I could not get the address programmed into the GPS, I had to use her directions and after a few wrong turns, I called Sharon and she told me to stay right there and she would come to direct me to her house.   A few minutes she was there and I probably would have never found her house without help!  A beautiful development and house that was a museum to all of Sharon's travels around the world.   We had dinner at her favorite fast food Mexican restaurant, as I was happy to have some food from my place of residence, Mexico.   I actually missed it!
The next morning after a great breakfast made by Sharon and a fresh baked Balillo from the corner bakery I was off at 9am to get to Puerto Vallarta before dark.  As I was leaving San Miguel I was passing a lot of Mexican people walking along the road.  It seemed to be some kind of pilgrimage and then the road was closed due to construction.  The GPS once again routed be somewhere along the lake near San Miguel and I thought about going back to get back on the highway. It turned out to be a fantastic 2 lane road where I could get into some nice speeds, no traffic, and start to even the wear on my tires as they were getting flat from all of the highway riding I had done the last few days.  I am sure it added time to the ride home, but it was worth it.
Back on the toll roads and I am going past the big cities of San Luis Potosi, Leon, and into the heart of Guadalajara.  Before and since the Goodwill Games last year there has been a huge effort in GDL to get a road built to get through the middle of GDL as quickly as possible.  Most of it is complete, but there was a massive traffic jam for a few miles of the construction zone.  I quickly learned some lane splitting skills (totally legal in all of Mexico) and made my way through the mess.
Onto the GDL-Tepic toll road I was back in familiar territory and was just itching to finally be back home after 32 days on the road.   Once you get to Compostelo you have to endure the 2 lane road Hwy 200 for the next 100 miles.  I was just hoping the traffic would not be too bad and with a motorcycle you can do a little quicker passing than with a car.  Things were rolling along nicely until.............San Pancho.  The skies began to cloud up and it looked like rain was coming, but I thought I could hold off with the rain gear.  Big Mistake!  By the time I got to Sayulita it was raining and there was also a partial lane blockage due some spill.  Good time to suit up, but only put the jacket on.  Another Big Mistake!
As I finally got back to 4 lanes and into Bucerias it became deluge of rain!!  Here I was down to the last 30 miles and I was getting soaked for the first time on this trip.  I was kind of numb and could not believe it.  But I just rode through it and by the time I got to Nuevo Vallarta the roads were dry....completely dry!  I do not remember it ever not raining in PV first!  But I guess the storm came in from the north or east this time.
Back home to my condo around 730pm, a little wet, a little weary, but glad to be back after my 10,500 mile ride!  It truly was a RIDE OF A LIFETIME!!

Motorcycle Ride of a Lifetime!!- Part IV

The ride from Grand Falls to St. Johns, Newfoundland would have the usual side roads involved as Bob had planned to go around to the north side of Newfoundland onto a Peninsula near Trinity Bay.  We are off again in the morning to head onto Canada 430 towards Bonavista.  Bonavista is known as the place that has the largest museum and tribute to Newfoundland fishing and whaling in Canada.  Located inside the old Ryan Premises it provides a great history to those industries and I decided a visit was in order.  I soon met Bob here as he had stopped with the group for some breakfast along the road.  We continued on the loop on Canada 437 as Trinity was one of the places visit in this area.  We found this little fishing village and it was quite a gem of a town and with a stop for lunch in the pier side restaurant, we enjoyed another fish and chips lunch!  Cannot have too many of those with fresh Cod and homemade hand cut french fries, it was always an excellent choice!
We soon continued along the roads and reconnected onto Canada 2 for the quick ride into St. Johns the capital city of Newfoundland.  We decided to head that way and relax a bit as the weather started to look like rain and we did not want to be caught in it.  The Courtyard by Marriott was an excellent hotel located in the harbor area and with 2 days to explore the area, it would be a nice relaxing enjoyable stay.  We ventured out onto Water St for a nice dinner in a local pub as the rest of the group had arrived later in the day.
Our first day of real rain began the night before and continued into the next day.  Bob was convinced to ride another loop around the area, but I was not in the mood for rainy riding, so decided to relax at the hotel and wait to see how the weather developed in the afternoon.  Bob was back within an hour, wet and exhausted from the heavy rains he encountered.  By mid afternoon the rains had indeed stopped, so I hiked up to Signal Hill a steep 2 kilometer roadway to the museum and historic site.  Famous because the first radio signal from Europe was received here and it was also the point where the British defended the port of St. Johns from the French.  As a matter of fact it became a strategic point during WWII and the remnants of cannons placed, but never fired, are still visible.  As I ventured up and up the weather began to get clearer and clearer. I was able to see all the way over to Cape Fear, the northeastern most point of Canada and St. John's Harbor below.
As our time in Newfoundland was coming to an end the next day, we had to meet the ferry for the overnight passage back to North Sydney, but with a 1000pm departure we had the entire day to ride around.  Weather was good, Bob had planned some more 'long way round' routes, so we headed first off to Cape Fear.  This was my goal as I have ridden a motorcycle to various such points including Key West, Florida and Cabo San Lucas. Now Cape Fear would be my 3rd such point.  These were all considered the furthest points of the Continental North America and all that was left for me was Purdue Bay, Alaska. It as a great moment in my motorcycle riding career and I was going to savor it with numerous photos of the area!
We then headed south to Trepassey Bay and then to St. Mary's Bird Sanctuary with a great dinner stop along the way at Gannet's Nest for some Moose Stew and Rhubarb upside down cake.  What a treat!
We met the rest of the group at the Ferry embarkation point. We would not arrive in North Sydney till 4pm the next day and the 1 hour ride back to the Silver Dart Lodge put us back in Baddeck, Cape Breton   Island the next couple of nights.
Why 2 nights at the Silver Dart Lodge?  Well we had to spend the next day riding the infamous Cabot Trail known around the world as one of the best motorcycling roads in the world.  Of course Bob added some more to the loop and we road about 426 kilometers that day.  The route would take us counter clockwise around the Cabot Trail and then south on Canada 19 all the way south to Port Hastings and then loop back to the Silver Dart Lodge.  A great wonderful scenic ride along the oceans and seaways, but I think I had ridden some better roads than the Cabot Trail had to offer.  I thought back about those other 'loops' I had done and I was glad I had.  They were much more interesting and scenic than this road!
Bob was to leave me and head back the next morning to meet with some friends in New Hampshire, so I was back to being on my own or with the group.  As usual I decided to take a longer way around to Halifax, Nova Scotia and road the Coastal Loop as close to the water as I could.  With a breakfast stop in Guysborough and my smoked fish I procured from St. Mary's Smoked Fish Company, I had a great day of scenic riding along so many fishing villages and coves, they are just to numerous to mention.  But places like Larry's River, Isaacs Harbor, Sheet Harbor, and Mosquodoboit Harbor come to mind.
Even after the side road ride, I still came into the hotel in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia by mid afternoon.  This allowed me to go with Jeff and Takame out to Peggy's Cove and a kilometer down the road to the site of the 1998 Swiss Air Flight 111 disaster.  Dinner was with the group via ferry across the Halifax Harbor and of course finally Cow's Ice Cream for dessert.
The next day's ride northward to Moncton for motorcycle service was early so we could get there as early as possible to Adrian's Motorcycle Shop for oil change, front tire change, and look into my problems with the battery and charging system.  All taken care of except the charging system as it needed a new diode board that I had my friend John in Milwaukee ordered for me to install when I arrived there the coming weekend.  As long as I kept the bike on charger overnight I should be okay!
The group was to head to a picnic sponsored by the local BMW motorcycle club between Moncton and Fredericton, but I had to peel off for gas and decided to go directly to Fredericton for the night as I had an early start the next day to get back into the USA and begin to head south back to Mexico.  It was time to get focused and organized for the long ride back to Puerto Vallarta in as little time as possible.

 

Motorcycle Ride of a Lifetime-Part III

By the time I had arrived in North Sydney for the Newfoundland Ferry, everyone else was already there including a past riding buddy Bob Melton.  Bob and I have ridden from Denver to Daytona and several of 100,000 foot rides put on by the local BMW motorcycle club in Denver.  We were friends and we liked to ride, so I was very pleased to see Bob's face and knew that I would have a "buddy" along for the week riding the kind of roads I like to ride in the fashion that Bob and I both liked to ride.  It was going to be a great tour of Newfoundland!  Like I said in the last blog we were late to bed that night and early to rise as we have to make some miles all the way to Rocky Harbor our next overnight.  Bob had already pre-planned some routes and we were off to explore those side roads leaving from the Trans Canada Highway 1. Our first sojourn was into Corner Brook and then east as far as the road would take us and we ended up at the very tip of the bay past Blow Me Down Provincial Park to Lark Harbor the end of the road.  Of course it was a great ride that was enjoyed by us and the other couple from Colorado Springs! We met fishermen along the way and we found out very quickly the "Newfies" loved to chat and learn more about you as well talk about their life's experience in this area.  We found out that lobster was only paying $3.00 a pound to fish, so why would a fisherman fish it?  Since we had just paid $40.00 for the 1 pound lobster on PEI, I wondered who was making all the profit........probably the middlemen!  The road was rolling hills along the water and it make for a spirited ride for the whole group.   Since the road was one way in and out we had to back track and continue along Canada 430 to meet the rest of the group in Rocky Harbor, but not without a stop at the Captains Galley for some fantastic fish & chips.
The next day from Rocky Harbor the ride continued along 430 into Gros Morne National Park supposedly the home to most of the moose in Newfoundland.   Everywhere we rode there were not only warning signs along the road about the moose, every gas and restaurant stop warned us about the moose.   After riding all those miles, I never did see one moose!!
430 was another great road along the coast of the St. Lawrence Seaway; passing through so many fishing villages like Cow's Head, Eddies Cove, Port au Choix, Flowers Cove, Pine Cove, etc. etc.  There even some shipwrecks along this coast and while our day of riding was great (no winds) we could see the evidence of trees that were growing diagonally due to the fierce winds along this coast.  We made a stop in St. Barbe to explore the possibility of the taking the Labrador Ferry over to Labrador.  We were so close and who knew if we would ever be in this area again.
Our final destination would be the northeastern point of Newfoundland in a place called L'Ans aux Meadows the official landing point of the Vikings in 1000 A.D.  Not much to see...just fields and a museum so a ride down to the actual end of the road I see an old fisherman drying Cod out.  Of course another conversation was started as he explained to me about what he did the dried Cod, his house, his life, and the whole area that surrounded him.  Very Interesting!  We are a short ride back on Canada 437 to St Anthony for our planned overnight at Grenfell Heritage Hotel.  Around dinner that night discussions were again held about trying to work out a ferry ride to Labrador by Bob, Jeff, and myself, however, by bed time we realized that the timing of getting to the ferry would preclude us from leaving the hotel by 5 am and with moose worries, we decided not to pursue it.
Bob had once again planned an alternate route back to Rocky Harbor with some side roads towards the St. Lawrence Seaway.  As we were riding that cool foggy misty morning I began to plan a way to make it Labrador in my head and by the time we stopped at another fishing village along 430 I told Bob I was going to attempt the crossing.   After watching the Turbot being off loaded into holding ice bins, we bid our farewells with my plans to head to Labrador and if I could not get on the ferry, I would meet him in Rocky Harbor later in the afternoon.   Labrador Here I Come!!
Heading back along 430 to St. Barbe I was fortunate to find a ticket on the ferry at 130pm and I was on my way.  It seems that motorcycles are always 'squeezed' on and I was indeed the last vehicle at the very back of the ferry.  The short ferry ride of 1.5 hours had me arriving around 3pm with a few sightings along the way of whales, it was a nice ferry ride.
Since arriving in Blanc Sablon, Quebec was on another time zone, it was a bit tricky to make sure I knew the schedule back today or the next day.  There is only 1 paved road in Labrador of 70 km going north to Red Bay, so I was off to head there before sunset.  Red Bay is the starting point of the Labrador Highway into the interior of Labrador and by highway they certainly did not mean paved interstate!
I had arrived in Red Bay around 5pm and while trying to figure out where to stay, I enjoyed another great Fish & Chips dinner at the Whaler's Restaurant.  It do  believe it was the best one of the entire trip!  Speaking with the owner she had rooms there, but I really wanted to be closer to the next morning 1030am ferry departure, so she said my waitress' grandmother had a B&B up the road.  They made the call for me and I was in L'Anse au Loup (Wolf's Cove) way before sunset at Barney's B&B to meet the 80 year old Mary Barney who once again gave the Newfie life story and history of her family.  Later that evening her son in law joined the conversation and his live story became the next topic!  These people are just so friendly, warm, and sincere!
The next morning checking in much earlier than necessary, I had secured my ferry ticket back to Newfoundland and make a little ride to the south into Quebec to see the French side of the Canada 510 to Lourdes de Blanc Sablon.  The ferry ride back was very quiet and the ocean was like glass, but no whale sighting this time, and at 1230pm I made tracks on 410 south to Cows Head.  I remembered Cows Head was the place for Mooseburger, so it had to be done!  Then onto TCH 1 at Deer Lake to catch up with the rest of the group in Grand Falls at the Red Robin Motel.  Of course everyone knew from Bob that since I did not show up in Rocky Harbor I must have been in Labrador and I was sporting my Red Bay, Labrador T-Shirt to prove it!!

Motorcycle Ride of a Lifetime-Part II

After Fredricton we are off again to our first Island, Prince Edward Island to stay the evening in Charlottetown the capital of PEI.  I broke off from the group about 20 miles away and decided to explore the coastal region along Hwy 19 (Red Sand Coast).  This was to be my first ride along designated scenic routes throughout the Atlantic Provinces and I love riding along the many coves, fishing villages, and just along the water.  Whether it was the ocean, rivers, or lakes I loved that type of riding!  That night we enjoyed our first lobster dinner in Rustic, PEI about 10 miles away at the infamous Lobster House that features a 60 ft salad bar and all the mussels you can eat!  While I am not a huge lobster fan, I ordered one anyway and certainly enjoyed the unlimited mussels.  Deciding to catch a sunset I left going to the west and around PEI through Green Gables, Kensington, and ended up back at the hotel under darkness.
Of course back on the road the next day to Baddeck, Nova Scotia but this time we were on a 1.5 hour ferry to make the crossing from PEI back to Nova Scotia to the town of Pictou. We drove along the main interstates to cross onto another island referred to Cape Breton Island to get to Baddeck.  While Cape Breton Island was technically an island it had been joined to Nova Scotia via a causeway and was now considered part of Nova Scotia, much to the dismay of the Cape Bretoners!  Overnight in a great place just outside Baddeck called the Silver Dart Lodge.  Why the name Silver Dart Lodge I would soon find out why as I visited the Alexander Graham Bell museum nearby and Silver Dart was the name of the airplane that he invented about the same time as the Wright Brothers.  They beat him to the first flight by just a few days.  Alexander Graham Bell was a Canadian and the museum was a tribute to him as he lived most of his life in Baddeck.
Our next day had us on the Ferry heading to the Island of Newfoundland to begin the next 6 nights exploring and riding around "The Rock" as it was referred to.  Ferry departure was in the afternoon and with a 4 hour delay, we had plenty of time to explore and I made a ride around the Bras d'Or Lake with stops in places like Big Pond to enjoy tea at Rita McNeil's Tea Room.  It was another great ride to be explored alone and I ended up stopping at the infamous Louisbourg Fort before meeting the group at the ferry departure point.   I really believe if time allows you should take "The Long Way Round" to get to destinations and most of the group just went from point A to point B the fastest way they could.  Not my idea of a ride like this and I was certainly not going to participate.  I knew the meeting points, had everything programmed into the GPS, so I was safe and secure in my riding style.
With the 4 hour delay in departure, the 6 hour ferry ride, 1 hour to disembark....we are headed to the hotel in Port au Basques just a mile away with many others at 2am!  Of course 3am before we are settled into our rooms and we had another early start tomorrow!  Unfortunately when you rely upon ferry services to get to places even in Canada they have they issues.  My next blog will be about the next 5 days in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Stay Tuned!

Motorcycle Ride of a Lifetime!!

Back in Puerto Vallarta last week after my extensive motorcycle ride of +10,000 miles!  I had originally planned to find an older BMW motorcycle here in Puerto Vallarta, but my friend in Denver had the exact one that I wanted.   He reminded me of his planned ride this summer to New Foundland and it would be great to have me tag along before I went back to Mexico with the bike.  It only took about 30 seconds to decide that I really needed to do this ride.  It was going to be a "once in a lifetime" opportunity and as I always say you have to live life to its fullest and do not have regrets about what you should have or could  have done!
After a little airline ticket change investigation, confirmation with the folks back in Denver, and a review of finances I was on board!  Things just seemed to fall into place and it seemed that the stars were aligned for me to make this biggest ride of my life!  This was no short ride and I would probably not be back in Puerto Vallarta until the first week of September. Flying back to Denver, Colorado on July 21st for a week to collect my things, visit with friends and relatives, pickup the 1988 BMW R100 GS (nicknamed the Bumble Bee), it was certainly a busy week.  I managed to even take afternoon ride with my best riding buddy into the Colorado mountains.
Departure date was set for Saturday, July 28th and I was off at 6am to hit the road on this grand adventure that would take me from Denver, Colorado to the northeastern and northwestern tip of Newfoundland and finally back to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  My calculations had put the ride at around 10,000 miles and I knew it would probably end up being a few more as little side roads and places along the road would need to be seen.  The group of riders was an eclectic group from all walks of life, but all retired and were fortunate to enjoy that life, while I was the youngest and still trying to make money for my eventual retirement.  3 bikes came from Denver, Colorado, 1 from Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1 from Omaha, Nebraska, 1 from New York state, and 1 from New Brunswick, Canada; so the grouped was loosely assembled along the way.  I do not mind riding a long day of 600-700 miles, so I would be leaving that Saturday, whilst several already had left the day before on Friday.  Most of group then met for the 1st overnight in Omaha, Nebraska.
Our 2nd night would also be along the interstate into Portage, Indiana.  Finally the 3rd night would be in Canada at our first real tourist stop, Toronto, Canada.  Arriving about midday we had the opportunity to ride the train into downtown Toronto and experience the city center including the top of the CN Tower.
A short ride up to Ottawa put us into the Capital City of Canada my early afternoon again, so we had the rest of the day to enjoy the sights and dinner in the Byward Market area.  The next day would be even shorted and we arrived mid morning at the hotel near the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada.  Only about a 10 minute walk to the subway we were in the center of town in about 20 minutes.  I decided to rent a bicycle and ride around the downtown area including the canals and locks that surround Montreal including a visit to the Atwater Market for some fantastic homemade ice cream.
We headed off early again to be in Quebec City by lunch time and once again were able to take the public transportation into the Old City parts of Quebec City were a local festival was recreating the way of life in those earlier days.
Now the ride was heading into our leader Roy's backyard as he was born in Moncton, New Brunswick.  The longer ride that next day put us into Fredericton, New Brunswick where we met our rider, leader, and host for the ride into these Provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia.  Too keep these blogs from getting too long, I will divide them up.

My 4 year Project "Dad's Escape from Poland" is Published

I have felt for some time that my Dad's life is certainly a story worth being told.  Although it may only serve as a history of our family, I felt it should be told for our family and future generations.  After working for 4 years on this book, I realized that my Dad and I really led parallel lives. While together at times, we also were apart at the same time.  When my search was concluded for collecting data, facts, and historical references, I would also travel back to Poland to explore my Dad's past history.   This story is non-fiction and all facts are true and based on historical documentation as well as on recollections from many individuals involved in this book.
It is now available for download for Kindle on www.amazon.com and in a paperback version at www.amazon.com.  Thanks!

Sunday Morning Walk, Run, Bike Update #3

Another Sunday and another change to the Sunday morning walk, bike, run, and skate Recreactiva event!  Today we were back on Medina Ascencio which is the main road leading from Centro and this time we have a even longer area to bike. It has been extended all the way to the Krystal Hotel about 1/2 km further than before.  This makes the one way route about 3 km, so 6 km round trip.  This is much nicer as now you can veer off and pick up the path along the Pittial River and go up river all the way along the dirt then nicely  pathways inside Fluvial and join up at Francisco Villa.
I am excited about this new route and hope that it stays that way for the duration.  Remember the street closure begins at 8am and lasts until 1pm only on Sunday mornings.   Get out and use it, so that we can show our support and it will become a permanent addition to Puerto Vallarta!

Les Violons du Roy Concert

Last night was another wonderful night at Teatro Vallarta with the presentation of the Canadian group Les Violons du Roy.   With a small group of strings consisting of 9 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos, 1 bass and a harpsichord thrown in for good measure, the almost completely sold out event was not to be missed!   As part of the May Cultural Festival held here in Puerto Vallarta this must have been the highlight of the month long celebration that has sponsored all types of cultural events all around Puerto Vallarta.
The first half of the concert was dedicated to the classics like Vivaldi's Four Seasons Symphony with each movement presented by a separate violinist solo.  The second half of the concert was a more modern piece by Piazzolia also entitled the 'Four Seasons'.   Excellent performance by all and it was amazing to watch such a small group pull off what normally one hears from an entire symphony.  The natural non-amplified sound carried throughout the theater just perfectly. The conductor Eric Paetkau did an excellent job of leading the group and keeping everyone on tempo.
The group has been touring Mexico and were headed to Mexico City the next day.   Great Job Puerto Vallarta Cultural Festival organizers!!

Puerto Vallarta Men's Chorus Fundraiser

This past Monday No Way Jose Restaurant was the host to the first benefit to raise funds for the newly formed Puerto Vallarta Men's Chorus.  It was a great evening and plenty of donations came in so that the Teatro Vallarta was now able to be reserved performing their first ever show in December 2012. Based upon what we saw that evening, it will be a fantastic show!
The entire restaurant was sold out and the special limited menu donated 25 pesos per entree and 10 pesos per drink to the organization.  Then a raffle was held for about 25 more donated prizes and since it was Jose the owners birthday, a 50 pesos donated cupcake could be purchased.   The evening opened with about 12 of the chorus members singing a tune which was followed by 3 soloists that really demonstrated the abilities of the members.  Wow!  By the end of the evening well over 25,000 pesos was raised.  This just happened to be the amount that the theater required as a deposit for the event in December.
If this was any indication of the beginning by Joyce Ericson and Robert Bruneau just a short 2 months ago, this will not only be the first Gay Men's Chorus in Latin America, it will be one of the best around the world.  Tune in their website www.pvmenschorus.org to keep informed about the upcoming events and probably more fundraisers.   This will not be a group to be missed!  With already 40 members auditioned and ready to go, the chorus is certainly still looking for members.  Do you have a singing voice that you wish to share?  Then join the Puerto Vallarta Men's Chorus and I look forward to seeing you at their first performance in December!

Sunday Morning Bike/Walk/Run Update #2

Seems that the Sunday morning closing of Medina Ascencio for the Recreactiva Events has been changed!  Not sure why.....maybe too much police required to make it work, not enough interest to make it worthwhile, political, etc.?  Who knows but do not despair, it is not gone!  They have simply shortened it substantially and is now located on Francisco Villa from Libremiento to the Stadium those short 5 blocks.  Hope is that it will continue to extend all the way to Pitillal, but who knows if that would happen.   It would be great if it did, because you can connect to the newly renovated path along the Pitillal River and then connect into Fluvial.....now that would be an awesome path.
So now meanwhile we have to deal with the new shortened route, but the good news is that the sidewalk renovations are 95% complete on the ocean side of the main road leading into downtown Puerto Vallarta.  This means that you can join up from the Reactiva area all the way to the Malecon and beyond.  I began riding that route and the new sidewalks on the ocean side (west) are very wide.  I believe the intention of the renovation was to create a bike path along the street edge as that 4 feet of the sidewalk is smooth concrete with ramps at each block.  The rest of the sidewalk is more cobblestone and has planters interspersed.  As long as the walkers can understand the purpose of that portion of the sidewalk you can ride quite nicely.  The ride along the Malecon allows you to go all the way to Daiquiri Dicks before things tighten up and it is not worth the fight with pedestrian traffic beyond there.   But they are finishing the renovations all the way up to Rodolfo Gomez, so maybe the wider sidewalk will work?  I will update you as I try it out!  Ride safe!

La Lancha Surfing Beach

After traveling most weekends all the way over to my favorite beach at Careyeros, I decided to check out the beach at La Lancha.  I had noticed in passing there were always about a dozen cars parked along the Punta Mita Highway at this location.  Wondering where these surfers were going and why had always intrigued me.  So yesterday I made the stop and explored the area myself.  There is severely restricted access to this beach as you have to sign in with a private security guard and you cannot gain access without a surf or boogie board.  I am thinking why is this so restricted, except that this must be private property along the highway.  But all beaches in Mexico are accessible to the public, so the property owners must just be trying to make things as difficult as possible?  We were we also informed that umbrellas, coolers, and chairs are not allowed!  What??
Since we already had our arms loaded with the beach equipment, he was kind enough to allow us to gain access with of it.  Then the walk is about 500 meters to beach along a dirt road, not difficult but a bit long.  We arrive at the beach and quickly see there a numerous surfers here and looking out into the water you could see what this beach is a favorite!   The waves roll out pretty far and allow you to ride the waves almost to shore.  But these seemed to surfer waves and I could never really catch a good boogie board wave, so unless you paddle way out I would not recommend it.
The beach is accessible  to the left quite a distance down until you end up into the area of another private home development and they seemed to have made things difficult for you to walk any further.   Great place to surf and watch surfers, but probably not a great beach to hang out and drink beers all day!

Sunday Morning Bike/Walk/Run on the Main Road in Puerto Vallarta

A little while ago, on February 12th, the City of Puerto Vallarta began to close the main road Medina Ascencio Blvd from the turn off to Centro (near the Main Sports Stadium) all the way to the entrance to Fluvial so that citizens and visitors can enjoy walking, running, jogging, or bike riding.  Today was my first day to ride the new open road area.  The traffic is re-routed along the laterals and the center is open to ride, walk, skip, jump, jog, run, sit, skate, and anything else you wish to do!  The road is closed to traffic every Sunday from 8am-1pm, and the route is 2.5km each way so a round trip is about 5km, perfect for that warm-up to run a 5km race if you are so inclined to do some day.
Modeled after the same program in Guadalajara and since last year in the Marina area, it is great to see the same thing happen in Puerto Vallarta.  Maybe one day it will be expanded and the route will be lengthened? I hope that one day bicycle lanes can be added to the roads around Puerto Vallarta as is so common in the USA, but these things always take time and the support of the community.  As the sidewalks are being replaced around the area, I see that small ramps are being installed not only for bicyclists, but for the handicapped as well.
I am sure part of that will be dependent on the number of people using the route, so get out there and enjoy it!!!

 

Guadalajara, Mexico- My 6th Trip!

Once again I was off to Guadalajara (GDL) last week for my 6th trip to this wonderful city since I moved to Mexico in December of 2009.  This trip was to visit the sons of my friend Pablo as well as do some shopping and the usual sight seeing of our favorite places.  We brought along another friend from the US who was a "virgin" visitor to GDL.  Upon arrival we checked into the Dali Plaza Hotel which has become my new favorite hotel at the right price of 475 pesos including breakfast for 1 person.  The room was similar to last time and on the 8th floor it was a great view of the city below.  The hotel is located right in the heart of the shopping area and about 1 1/2 blocks from the Main Cathedral of GDL.
After a quick lunch at the corner taco stand, we were off to orient our friend Andy and walked to the Main Cathedral, along the plazas all the way to San Juan de Dios (Indoor Flea Market) where we made some great purchases of shoes and leather products, and then finally over to Plaza Los Mariachis for a bucket of beers and a little rest.   We headed back to the hotel to freshen up, as dinner would be at my favorite restaurant 9 Esquinas (9 Corners) that have written about before here in my blog.  They specialize in traditional Mexican style of food preparation and their specialty is Goat and Lamb.  Great meal as always and even Andy decided to try the goat (chivo), and of course he loved it!
On uur next day Andy decided to do a double decker city bus tour, while Pablo and I went to visit an ex-coworker from Puerto Vallarta who had moved to GDL last year.  He was managing a small coffee bar/restaurant in Colonia Bugambillas inside a new shopping mall called Plaza Panoramica.  It is located high up the hill in the western part of GDL and has fantastic views of the city from high above.  The Plaza was built by a local developer and he built the shopping mall as a service to the surrounding community by offering all the things you would need when living around the area including 9 restaurants, bowling alley, laundry/dry cleaner, children's day care, movie theater (opening soon), spa, grocery, roof top amusement park, and underground parking!  It was all on 5 levels serviced by escalators and elevator......very nice!
We re-connected with Andy at the hotel and headed over to Tlaquepaque to do some shopping for items he was interested in bringing back to the USA and I found some wonderful handmade loafers for myself.
We had a great lunch at El Patio, another favorite restaurant of mine, as it has a great menu and always some entertainment including an all female Mariachi group.  After shopping and getting tired we enjoyed a few cocktails in the center square where there are many restaurants around a main raised patio.  Back to the hotel for a refresh and we are back out to check out the night life around the area including a gay bar.
Since this was Andy's first trip to GDL we let him decide if we would go back to Lake Chapala or enjoy the GDL Zoo that my ex-coworker had recommended to us the day before.  Since Pablo and I had not been to the Zoo, we all decided to make the visit on our final day.  For about 145 pesos we gained entrance to all parts of the Zoo including the train ride, safari excursion, the aquarium, and the Australian Outback area.    We oriented ourselves with the train ride around the park and I was immediately impressed with the cleanliness and upkeep of the Zoo.  Certainly as nice as any North American or European Zoo that I have been to....just smaller and not of such a grand scale.  Some of the most interesting aspects was the Monkey Land area where you were allowed inside a small spider monkey habitat and the monkeys interacted with the zoo visitors; the Safari Jeep ride where African animals were in an open range and you were allowed to hand-feed the Giraffes with carrots given to you by the guide; the Aquarium where you could feed the stingrays; and the Australian Outback area where Kangaroos were allowed to roam free in the area.  Well worth the visit and I will be going back to see it again when I have more time.
We are off back home to Puerto Vallarta around 2pm and make a quick stop in Tequila for a first time visit there.  It was also an interesting place as many of the Tequila manufacturers allow sampling of their tequilas and it is certainly the best place to buy tequila for the discounted prices offered there.
Back in PV, I began to think about the wonderful few days in GDL (as always) and how there seems to always be something new and interesting to see while I am visiting there.   Looking forward to trip #7 in the fall!