The Chattanooga Bicycle Club is planning an adventure tour of the
island of Puerto Rico this fall. The trip is re-scheduled for the week
of February 20-28, 1999. The 9-day tour will allow cyclists to
experience the real Puerto Rico, the country outside the metropolis
of San Juan.
After getting settled in on Saturday (and maybe sampling one of the
nicest beaches in the Caribbean), the tour gets underway on Sunday
with a bike ride to Old San Juan. The streets of this 500-year old
walled city are almost deserted on a Sunday morning, with the music
and voices from the Cathedral and churches lending a softness to the
early morning breezes. We'll have an opportunity to visit the forts
of El Morro and San Cristobal (both of which are World Heritage Sites),
have a snack of pan tostada y cafe con leche, and wander the narrow,
cobblestoned streets and quaint parks before setting off across San
Juan Bay on the Catano ferry. Then, with the wind at our backs we'll
follow the gently rolling coast road to Arecibo and spend our first
night on the road at the newest parador in Puerto Rico.
(Paradores, are small country hotels or guest houses that have been
inspected and approved annually by the Puerto Rico Tourism Board.)
The next day will give us a choice of routes as we ride our way to
Boqueron on the southeast coast. Those of us who want to travel the
gently rolling coast road will go through Isabela, Aguadilla (site of
Columbus' first landing in Puerto Rice), and Mayaguez. While those
of us who are looking for a ride with a little more challenge will
climb the foothills on the way to San Sebastian then go to Boqueron.
Then we'll have a rest day in Boqueron. This will give us a chance
to relax and enjoy the amenities of this more rural part of Puerto
Rico. In addition to the famous beaches of Boqueron, we can visit
San German, the second oldest city on the island, where we can tour
the famous cathedrals and one of the old mansions. There is also the
possibility of a night trip to La Parguera to view the phosphorescent
bay. Again, those of us who are in for more of a challenge can climb
the area's mountains to visit a coffee plantation. And, of course, a
day of total relaxation isn't out of the question!
After our rest, we'll go to Ponce, the "pearl of the South" and Puerto
Rico's second largest city. Enroute we'll visit Guanica, where the
American troops landed during the Spanish American War of 1898. A
flat road through old sugar cane plantations takes us to Yauco, the
coffee center of the island, and then to Guayanilla and Ponce. Again,
those of us who want to climb can take the road to Penuelas, route of
a famous (and difficult) Puerto Rican bicycle race, a route that is
guaranteed to take your breath away, and not just from the views. In
Ponce our hotel is located in the center of the historic district,
across the street from the famous Parque de Bonbas or old fire house.
We'll have a chance to visit the largest art museum in the Caribbean,
an ancient Indian ceremonial ground, and the castle built by the family
that makes Don Q Rum.
After Ponce, we'll take the flat coastal road through Santa Isabela,
Salinas, Aquirre, and Guayama to Patillas where we'll stay in a parador
right on the Caribbean beach. Again, there will be a climbing option
for those who desire it. The flat coastal route takes us past banana
plantations and sugar cane fields, and through a quieter, more rural
Puerto Rico than most tourists find. This is not a tourist area,
although the breathtaking views of the mountains off to the left and
the sparkling waters of the Caribbean on the right make you wonder why
this area hasn't been discovered yet. Then again, you may find yourself
happy that it has managed to retain its old time charm.
The next day will take us past the tourist areas! We'll start by
climbing over the eastern terminus of the Ruta Panoramica.
The Ruta
Panoramica, or Panoramic Route, is an automobile route that follows
the tops of the mountains from one end of Puerto Rico to the other.
While the route goes higher than 4000 feet in places, we will have a
lot less elevation to gain. It is definitely a climb, but it's easier
than, say, Sand Mountain. Then we'll skirt the resort area of Humacao
and the US Naval Base at Roosevelt Roads on our way to the resort town
of Fajardo.
Our last day on the road will bring us back to San Juan by way of the
old Indian city of Canovanas, the African slave town of Loiza Aldea,
and the coast road through Boca de Cangrejos. We'll spend our last
night on the island packing our bikes, taking a dip in the ocean, and
recounting all that we've experienced during the past week while we
relax at a guest house on the beach.
The roads we'll be taking are flat to gently rolling with only a couple
of moderate climbs. There will be hill climbing options for those of
us who are more adventurous (or masochistic). Average mileage will be
50-70 miles, with the total mileage for the trip being about 310.
We'll have a van to transport our gear from town to town -- all we'll
have to do is ride our bikes. At night we'll stay in guest houses or
paradores, small country hotels that have been inspected and approved
annually by the Puerto Rico Tourism Board. Most of the guest houses
and paradores are members of the Meson Gastronomique program that
emphasizes fine local cuisine, and there are opportunities galore to
sample the local specialties at restaurants and food stands along the
way. And, of course, you can't go anyplace in the world anymore without
finding the Golden Arches and its relatives, so you can stick with
familiar food if you have little sense of gastronomic adventure. The
trip will be an adventure, too! Your tour guide has traveled the
entire route, but about half of it was done twenty years ago by car,
not by bike, so we'll be learning together. Don't worry, though --
the roads are good, excellent maps make navigation easy, and many of
the residents speak English. (John speaks some Spanish, too.) Attire
for the trip will be very, very casual.
What's the cost? Only $1200 per person, double occupancy, including
round trip airfare (including any bike surcharges), eight nights
lodging, and baggage transportation.. You're on your own for meals,
adult beverages, souvenirs, side tours, and bike repairs along the way.
We are arranging for a van to transport our baggage -- all we'll have
to do is ride our bikes. We're working out an arrangement to get our
bikes boxed for transport and we'll have a place to store the boxes
while we're in Puerto Rico. Also, this is designed to be a zero-sum,
non-profit benefit of your club membership. When the trip is finished,
if there's any money left over, it will be refunded to the participants.
Interested? If so, call John Whiteley at 423/365-9706 or Daisy Blanton
at 706/820-1157 or email 75464.446@compuserve.com. (Daisy might be the
best one to call, since she isn't
away at sea all the time.)
Come visit the "Continent of Puerto Rico" before it (possibly) becomes
the 51st state, and discover a Caribbean jewel that few tourists ever
see. Hope to hear from you soon!
This is from Daisy:
As most of you know we had to cancel the originally
planned trip due to the damage done by huricane Georges. We are re-scheduling it for
the week of February 20-28. John is working on the reservations now. Unfortunately
some of the people who originally planned to go will not be able to in February. So
this is the opportunity for those of you who couldn't go in October. We are not sure
what affect the change in dates will make on the cost of the trip. We were able to keep
the original cost down to $1200 and hope this will not change much. Please let me
know if you are interested. It's really a
unique opportunity that may not be available again!!
For those of you who do not know John Whiteley, let me tell you a
little about him - he's a person you will really enjoy getting to know.
John works as captain of a seagoing 'tugboat' that hauls seagoing cargo
from the US to Puerto Rico. His home is in Spring City but his work is
based out of Jacksonville, FL and Puerto Rico. Previous to this, he worked
as director of several different Girl and Boy Scout camps in the area.
And previous to that, he worked with the merchant marine, again based
in Puerto Rico. So he knows the island well!! (I may not have
the terminolgy correct but you get the idea.) Besides that, he is
one of the nicest
and most interesting people you can ever hope to meet. Also he is the
author of Sidelong Cycling a regular feature in our newsletter
and on this web site as well as past president of CBC until his work
took him away.
