Dirt Bike Excursion in Puerto Plata, Dom. Rep.

Sunday I did a full day excursion with the boys from Pedro McMurphy's. We started out having breakfast in Sosua and headed to Puerto Plata.

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We first turned off the highway at the Sugar Cane fields in Montellano and cruised around on the Cane roads for about 15 minutes. Once we got out of the cane we were back at the highway past Fun City on the road to Munoz which is a bario near Puerto Plata and is probably part of Puerto Plata.

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Will (BoneBreaker) who is one of the partners use to be an owner of Outback Safari and had pretty good knowledge of that area. We caught some nice ocean vistas. Ended up stopping for some food and beer in a small tipico right next to the cane fields in the middle of nowhere. After the meal/beers there was a field in front where some of the guys were popping wheelies and tearing it up. Tony (the Tiger) pops a wheelie that was a little too strong for him and his bike and it ended up on its taillight with him chasing it. To his credit he didn't get hurt and do much damage other than losing the taillight housing to the field. We picked it up and stuck it in a back pack and had it reattached the next morning so no loss. Tony from this day forward is always going to be Tony the Tiger to me for that Mastercard moment:)

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Below is my bike and Jackie quontees bike sitting together before we did a road trip to Jarabacoa around New Years. The only thing better looking than a picture of my TW200 is two of them! Great bikes with FAT tires, Low gearing and of course the Jap reliability that really handle the crap roads here without a problem. As we started heading back I suggested going up the back end of Mt Isabella. This is where the cable car trip leads to "Teleferrico". Some of the guys started bitching because it looked far away from where we were but alas everyone agreed and we started on our Journey.

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We were 5 people. Will (BoneBreaker) owns a Yamaha 600 Dirt/Street bike, I own a Yamaha TW200 Dirt/Street bike and Tony the Tiger rented a 125 Yamaha Dirt Bike, Fred (Layemdown) and Dave (The Hippie Confidant) rented 125 Chinese Dirt/Street bikes.

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We made the turn off on the Sosua side of Star Hills and headed up the rear end of Mt Isabella. It is at best considered a service road in very poor shape. It was actually in better shape than I remembered the last time I did this same trip several years ago. Very steep with lose rock at different points. I told the guys low gear and keep the gas going. Stop and it is difficult to get going again in an upward direction. Hell it is difficult not to have your bike slide down the hill even with the brakes locked. Hence Layemdown Fred.

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Somehow when I got 3/4 of the way up the hill he was layed down. I pull over as far as I can to let two behind me get by so we don't all have a problem. Well Dave (The Hippie confidant) gets by but Tony (The Tiger) ends up stopping and getting twisted a bit. Took a little bit for him to get going again but he did. Will (The Ranger) comes back down and since Fred (Layemdown) couldn't get his bike going Will is going to help.

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At this point I figure there are too many cooks so I head back up the hill to join the rest at the top. A few minutes later Will and Fred get up to the top.

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We lost Tony and Dave who went off on their own to do some Exploring so we headed to the monument which has an Awesome view of the world. We could actually see the whole of Puerto Plata, the airport, the bay of Sosua and all the way to Cabarete. Best view in town. I have some pictures in my cellphone and will upload them soon and post them.

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After hanging out on top of the world for about 45 minutes we head down the hill. Last time I got too close to someone going down and they stopped their bike in the middle of the decent on lose stone. I dropped my bike because I couldnt stop without locking up both brakes and sliding down so I was very careful on the way down this time giving hundreds of feet to the person in front.

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Everyone ends up passing me but I couldn't care less. I didn't want to drop this bike again.

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After we get to the bottom we continue on the road to the principle highway past El Cupey and headed for the Malecon. Fred and I ended up solo at the Malecon so I gave him the tour of the Fort, Columbus's Light house and the Malecon. Carneval had just ended but we went to a Sports Bar in the middle for more beers and watching beautiful women. COOL!

. Dave and Tony catch up to us at the bar and we hung for a while before starting on the road back home for the evening. After making a few more beer stops we ended up back in town agreeing to meet in the morning for breakfast and to get the rental bikes repaired.

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I had a great day with Great guys that I hope to repeat soon and often but to do different trips. I do these trips on my own several times a week on my bike so I have lots to show most of these guys. Will has probably seen as much as me so I don't know how much I will have to show him but we will see.

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Stop in and see these guys at Pedro McMurphys when you are in Sosua. Take a good laugh at their expense. They have a great sense of humor and will enjoy the ribbing.

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Hasta Pronto!

Small Sosua Farm & Condo Update

This is a picture of my condo complex. It is a little distorted because they somehow get it all in one picture by melding them together. Shows the whole complex but isn't 100% real but cool anyway.

Boyd this pics for you:) Boyd is coming down again sometime in April and is possibly interested in staying at my condo that I rent out. This is a picture I took from the roof of an old neighbor of mines home in Los Ceros. Pretty freakin awesome view isn't it? . Work goes on at the farm. I just ordered 10 custom made thingys made out of rebar for my tomato plants. They have three pieces welded to 2 20" round rebar so the plant grows inside of them. That way I will never lose tomatoes to rotting from laying on the ground. I have staked the hell out of them and I still get loss. I made these in the states and it made me famous for growing Tons of tomatoes and I only had 4 then. . Right now I am taking out about 4 lbs a day of one variety and 2 lbs of another. With these helpers I will have MUCHO MAS. I will get 50 to 100 lbs a day with these bad boys in two months. . I use to give out bags of tomatoes to my customers that came to my office and use to freeze tons of tomato sauce. . I have peanuts coming up now also. Great fun and great to eat. Did this several years ago and it was great! Corn is ready to harvest real soon also. Probably have 200 ears going to be ready in the next 2 weeks. Planted another 200 hundred plus recently also. I have baby melons by the bushell now so in another month I will be in the melon business also:) . Nice thing about farming is the almost immediate gradification. I have been planting so much every day it is unbelieveable. Amazed me when I had a small garden in the states and now I have a gigantic garden! . I will have one thing after another. I have Chinola vines growing like crazy and that should be a huge crop sometime in the future. Maybe this is a good use of my lot on the principle highway that I have. When I return from my upcoming trip to the states I will bring a crew of Haitians to clean that lot up for me so I can take a good look at it. There is a ton of Yautia which is a root vegetable growing there along with bananas and Plantano already so maybe I will farm right there also at some point. . Who knows but it is nice to dream about things! . Hasta Pronto!