Spring's here
Roadside hawk is too
Common of a name for such
A majestic bird.
When I read the blogs about following the new road to Boquete, with my sense of direction, I was a little concerned about reaching my goal of Zapadora’s (an antique market in Porterillo where I thought would be a good place to refuel.) But really once I found the entry point near Cuesta De Piedra it was very easy to follow. The key being ‘new’ road; kind of like how Dorothy was told to follow the Yellow Brick Road, that’s just about how distinct the new road is from any other pavement that intersects into it.
And it is quite a fine ride for a bicycle and even at this age and stage of my riding, I learned a few new things. One is I’m very glad that I bought a disc brake bike. Some of the sweeping downhill curves would’ve had me sweating whether I’d overheat my rims and blow a tire if I had caliper brakes. I know that with the proper skills I should be able to manage with calipers, and even though disc aren’t magical and won’t stop you from heading off road if you’re not careful, I’m glad I don’t have to worry about being a near pro to tackle the twisties this road threw at me.
And on the upside, literally, I learned why it’s often wise to stand up and climb on certain sections of roads. Back in the states I rarely stood up and did it mainly to break up the monotony or stretch my legs. But on a few very steep pitches of this road, standing made it so much easier. It was one of those “ah, I get it now”, moments. I could of course go to a larger bailout gear; Graybeard - that’s what I’m go to call my bike from this moment forward - has a 28 in back, but I have my pride and in the states, my bike Gumby, is working on only 25 teeth, so pride and stubbornness won’t allow for that. Beside, I feel I’m going to enjoy this standing thing now that I’ve felt the benefits.
Also, I discovered that the saddle that came with my bike and I aren’t ever likely to become the best of friends, so for my birthday in May, I’m not going to invite him to the party and I’m going to seek another saddle to soothe my crotch on my continuing journeys here.
The new road is not all twists and climbs though. There are long enjoyable flat sections through some very enjoyable countryside and again I had the road practically to myself.
And even off road, once I reached Zapadora’s and had a look inside and talked to the very pleasant owner, Diane from Australia, who’s been in Panama for 10 years, I was only slightly less thrilled than when I was scanning the country side. And that’s got nothing to do with her great antique shop which is in a structure that I would love to have and has quite a history behind it, but discovering that one of the blogs I read that had led me to believe that I would find refreshments there, was out of date. The best she could do was offer me a glass of water.
So five hours later, dehydrated and malnourished, back in Volcan, I didn’t get much done with the few hours of daylight I had left. Read a few chapters, got off a few letters to my sisters, and that about covers it.
Today is market Friday so I’m sure we’ll make the rounds after our morning run. I was planning to go into town in the afternoon to join the pickle ball game but I think I’m going to bail so I can just kick back and relax a bit; make a few phone calls, try to write a little, and naturally see if there are any saddles I’ve overlooked if the net’s up.
Michael
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