Costa Rica: 2005

November 12:

We spent last night at Don & Karol Gray's house in Pilot Mt., got up early this morning and drove to Charlotte to catch the direct flight from there to San Jose, Costa Rica. We met Woody & Winnie O'Brian, Sandra David, Larry Ausley and Nancy Guthrie at the airport. They flight was uneventful and we got to Hotel Cacts in San Jose without any problems. Chuck is paddling a LiquidLogic Hoss and I am paddling a LiquidLogic Lil' Joe. (That's what we paddle at home.) We met the rest of the group at the hotel and we all went to Machu Picchu restaurant for dinner.

November 13:

Chris Anton, the "extra" guest on our trip is missing, ahving arrived o a delayed plane and never arriving at Hotel Cacts. We left for the airport and did some shopping while Chris Port and Ann Sontheimer tried to track down Chris Anton. He was still MIA so they left instructions for him to meet up with us whenever he could. They we headed to the Rio San Lorenzo/San Carlos to paddle. The water was high but it "looked okay fom the bridge" so we decided to paddle anyway. When we got on the river, we headed around a bend (what was below was not visible from the bridge) and had 4 swimmers. After that, we were fine. There was one other swim just before the takeout and another one right at the takeout.

We left the river and went to Volcan Arenal Inn for the night. After dinner we all went to Tabacon - the hot river park - and enjoyed having the hot water beating on our backs and sliding down the slide into the pool. Chris Anton was at the hotel when we got there. It rained on and off all night.

November 14:

After a nice breakfast, we decided to go to Selva Verde and run a short (3 mile) section of the Rio Sarapiqui. We stopped at the "iguana tree" on the way and had lunch at Selva Verde. There were several wall shots and our newcomer had three swims. There was a great glassy wave and I had a wonderful surf on it. I love this water and was very comfortable on it. We had some roll practice, too. We bought some postcards and souvenirs at the lodge. It rained pretty heavily all night.

November 15:

The Sarapiqui was chocolate brown and high when we got up at 6 am. After breakfast, we went to the Rio Sardinal which was mostly class II. We had fun with some good surfing. Jeremy (one of our guides) did a wall splat and frightened several bats. We saw Oropendula at the takeout. They were on a limb and would bob forward and ruffle their feathers, calling "Woopee!".

November 16:

The rain stopped last night and the river (Sarapiqui) is much lower and green. We went on a nature walk this morning and got pictures of a Chestnut Mandabled Toucan through a guide's scope. After breakfast, we headed to La Virgen to put on the Rio Sarapiqui. We saw a blue Morpho butterfly at the put in. The rapid names "Confusion" was the biggest rapid on the 2.5 miles upper stretch of this river. It was like a combination of Middle Keeney and the two holes at the bottom of Lower Keeney at 3 feet on the New River. Chuck, Larry, Woody and I ran this section and no one flipped.

Karol, Don and Chris met us after "Superman" which was not a difficult wall shot. There were wall shots everywhere we turned down to where we put on Monday. Chuck flipped on a rock ledge and ended up swimming. Woody swam at the wall shot that Nancy followed Ann through on the first day. Larry tripped while trying to get in his boat and "swam" but it doesn't count towards membership in the "Costa Rica Swim Team".

We got to the great surfing wave and I got on it three times. On the third time I was able to carve and really had a great ride. We took off at the swim hole for Selva Verde Lodge.

November 17:

We left Selva Verde Lodge after breakfast and headed for Turriabla and the Rio Pejibaye. When we got to the bridge, it was weakened and the bus could not go across it. We took a one-lane muddy road up the side of a mountain and reached the river by another route. The river was class III with lots of eddies but not much good surfing. After getting off the river, we went back to Turriabla and Hotel Wigelia - singing Jimmy Buffet songs on the way. We all had dinner at the hotel. I had ceviche and steak with onions, cold veggies and papas fritas (french fries). Chuck had garlic chicken. The meal was heavy on protein but we thought we needed it. We aren’t sure if we will paddle tomorrow.

November 18:

We decided we would paddle the same section of the Pejibaye today if it was offered. Some of the group put on a couple miles higher up the river. We decided to meet them at the place where we put in yesterday. Larry swam in the upper section - he was the last one to make the "Costa Rica Swim Team". Then we headed back to San Jose.

November 19:

We walked after breakfast and did some shopping, including cheese and salami for on the plane. We had Whoppers for lunch at the airport and went to the Outback in Charlotte when we got through customs. We arrived at Don & Karol's a bit past midnight.