Pega, a stray on the way to Laurel in the southern zone. This is why we feel so strongly about riding for charity:
to help put an end to the tragedy of homeless pets in developing nations, where our help is needed the most.
The landing strip in the southern zone. Cross winds can turn landing into an interesting experience...
A red tail hawk sits casually on a fence post...
Davide's ride: a Spanish made Orbea mtb that proved bullet proof after being flogged on some of the worst dirt roads we've ever seen...
Tucans are curious and friendly. Often they perch themselves on a very low branch and stare at you, snapping their head sideways to bring you in their field of vision. Welcome to the tropics!
Skylere hard at work tuning the bikes. In just a few days we will leave Playa Zancudo and head north to the town of Sarchí, about 500 kilometers away...
Our arrival will coincide with the first Spay & Neuter Clinic held in Sarchí by the McKee Foundation. We are hoping to bring much needed funds to help jump start a series of clinics in order to humanely control the stray population...
...and help street puppies like this one with field clinics...
...like this one, where volunteers come together to make a difference in their own communities.
As we make the final preparations for our imminent departure, we learn that we have reached and surpassed our fund raising goal! Stoked, we vow to ride as hard as we can to say "No more homeless pets!"
During our final, finishing work out, Skylere blows his rear shock... now the race is on to find and ship a replacement from the US... our friend Vicki comes to the rescue and packs the spare in her suitcase. Skylere has the bike apart and ready, as soon as Vicki delivers the shock, we are good to go!
Skylere lending his expertise at the local bicycle shop...
...while the Fire Department proves supportive of our cause.
A friendly ant eater hangs out on the side of the road next to a fruit stand...
...and a cow relaxes in a field oblivious to passerbys...
The bridge over the Rio Coto is perfectly safe...
We are all set to go and eager to hit the road... as soon as the ATM machine coughs up some emergency cash, since there still are plenty of villages that don't do plastic in this neck of the woods.
In Palmar Norte the locals are friendly and encourage us to keep it up. Perhaps we should stick to water, though.
Playa Dominical. Time to call it a day:
Skylere hardly broke a sweat, but it has been a long 110K for Davide.
Beat after offroading it for a long stretch on the way to Quepos. Famished, we cruise around scouting the place and looking for food...
The bay is beautiful and we can't wait to dive in...
Wildlife is everywhere and we can't get enough of admiring its beauty...
We say "Adios!" to Guho and wish him well. Friendships like this one tend to last a lifetime...
While Skylere showers, I hose off the bikes that are covered in mud after the off road portion of the trip. My front break squeals in an alarming way and the front shock is starting to sag a little.
Manuel Antonio reminds a little of the Florida Keys... mainly it's a surfer's community, but we have already met several bike enthusiasts. Tomorrow we leave for Playa Hermosa... the hill we climbed the other day awaits us once again... nothing like starting the day with a hard climb to get the circulation going!
Making friends with one of the residents in Jaco Beach.
Jaco is a nice town, even though a little overdeveloped. We score really cool accomodations and wonder around on the beach.
Later we meet a few of the dogs rescued by Katja Bader, who runs the Jaco chapter of the McKee Foundation .
Katja oversees a dozen volunteers and has cared for abandoned and sick animals until they could be placed in a loving home. Thanks to her efforts, more than 1,000 animals have been taken off the street and adopted. The Jaco chapter of McKee has held one-day spay & neuter clinics in the most diverse places from funeral parlors to front porches of people's homes, once operating on 81 animals in a single, very long, day.
We study the map and plot the route to Atenas: we will climb the Aguacate, go over the pass on the Cerro Atenas then descend into town. We brace ourselves for a lot of seat time.
At Ana's place in Atenas we play with her scarlet macaws... this one got excited and started to show off a bit. He squawked and danced, flew off then returned, playfully bit my fingers while he was perched on my wrist and entertained us for hours.
Downtown Sarchí. Finally, after a week of hard riding and almost 500 kilometers, it's over. Now the focus is on the animals that will be cared for at the clinic.
The symbol of the town of Sarchí: a remake of the classic ox carts that are typical of this area.
...the patients are here and eager to get started...
...Dr. Olman Solano, who practices veterinary medicine in Atenas, checks that everything is in place. We are ready to start!
This little guy would rather spend his weekend somewhere else, but he's being a good sport about it...
...not one dog shows any signs of aggression and, considering the fact that many of these puppies are strays or former strays, their manners are simply amazing. The vibe in the school is peaceful with no barking whatsoever and Dr. Solano does an outstanding job of counseling his patients, both of the 2 and 4 legged kind.
...while this other one is definitely not as excited to be a participant!
"Wait a sec... are they cutting us open?!"
A little Stitch Spray and the patient is ready to be transferred to the recovery station to sleep the rest of the anesthesia off...
Alonso Castro brings in Rosita, a stray found in dire need of some help. He promptly stepped up to the plate and is a living example of how a responsible pet owner should behave.
Suyi babies Rosita while Susanna preps her...
Rosita is up and ready to go home. Alonso is my new hero!
This gentleman rushes in at the last minute eager to sign up his puppy after a long ride from out of town on his scooter...
Well, my friends, we did it! The positive impact on the community is huge, people are coming together and are proudly making a difference. I can't thank you enough for your support! Seeing community leaders take pride in promoting a more compassionate and positive approach to the way companion animals are perceived and treated, made this whole effort well worth it.
On behalf of all the furry wanderers of Sarchí I sincerely thank you!
...as long as you don't slide off!
The southern zone is very rural and animals roam freely...
First night accomodations: Rio Claro jail?
In the morning we are off at first light determined to sleep in Domenical. The air is cool and we feel rested. There's hardly any traffic and the road is well paved, so we make good time.
A sloth hangs from a tree s-l-o-w-l-y making his way down... they move only when absolutely necessary and always in very slow motion... we are fascinated by them.
...and that's when we run into Guho Kim. Guho is pedaling around the globe and joins us for a stretch. The first words out of his mouth are "Need food!" and the three of us take off towards the beaches of Manuel Antonio and, hopefully, breakfast. Manuel Antonio is only 7kms away, but there's a steep climb that we must tackle before descending towards the beach and blood sugar levels are rapidly dropping. As a result, we are cranky and irritable. Over breakfast, we finally relax and Guho shares some of his touring experiences and offers some excellent advice for next year's Cycle 4 Strays after being mugged both in Mexico and Nicaragua. "Beware of quesadillas at stands on the side of the road... I had big stomach problems with quesadillas...", he suggests.
Finally, Playa Hermosa. After 75 easy kilometers we have reached the halfway point. So far so good... the weather has been almost perfect and, for the most part, we are rolling on smooth pavement with very little traffic. The locals are very polite and give us a wide berth when passing us... Skylere spins at a blistering pace that stretches me to the limit and sets my lungs on fire, then backs off a little so that I have a chance to recover. Tonite we will sleep in Jaco Beach.
What the locals refer to as a "Suicide shower": screw up the wiring and you zap yourself pretty good as soon as you turn the water on!
We reached Atenas today. The climb over the Cerro Atenas was steep and, while Skylere blasted up effortlessly, my legs felt heavy and I struggled to keep the momentum going. Finally, I reached the summit and began the long, exhilarating descent into town.
Skylere was waiting for me at the bottom of the hill and we rode into Atenas together about 4 hours after leaving Jaco. Atenas turned out to be a pretty mountain community with great weather all year round.
We reached Grecia! Left Atenas at dawn, rode a steep, narrow road that switchbacks thru the surrounding hills. We are starving! Grecia is much bigger than Atenas and is famous for this church built of metal panels bolted together. The end of the ride is in sight.
The uphill arrival in San Juan de Sarchí, where the McKee Spay & Neuter Clinic will be held at the local high school.
Time to set up the operating room: we unload the equipment and rearrange a classroom to suit our needs. The McKee Team is experienced and issues simple, clear directions to the volunteers. In no time the OR is ready and we can start checking in the animals...
...for the most part they are amazingly quiet and well behaved...
The caretakers, all volunteers, do an amazing job of signing up the patients and issuing post op instructions...
The animals are prepped by Suyi with surgical precision...
...this one couldn't be any happier...
Melissa is sedated and ready...
The actual surgical procedure: the incision is less than 1" in length and the whole thing is over in less than 12 minutes. The team is well dialed in, performing in a smooth, coordinated manner with the animal caretaker watching and listening to the vet's post op instructions. All for about $10!
Sweet dreams, baby.
Rosita turns out to be the sweetest dog: everybody is falling for her...
One of the collection jars that volunteers placed all over town: sustainability is one of the key elements of the programs implemented by McKee in order to help communities become successful in their efforts to care for strays.
More dogs are coming in. Shortly, it will be time for me to say goodbye: I have a long ride back to the capital city of San José to join Skylere who went to collect our luggage. The people of Sarchí proved compassionate and willing to go the extra mile to help their animals. I am touched by their kindness, honesty and dedication. I know I will be back some day...
