A Country Walk

It rained all night here in Wisconsin. There's something soothing about waking up in the middle of the night and hearing the sound of rain through the open window screen.  We started off the year with a slight water deficit, due to a dry winter, but we've more than made up for it with a wet spring.  More rain is predicted this week, and we'll soon have mushrooms growing in the yard.

I took a walk out into the country today between storms moving through.  Usually, that doesn't work out so well, and I get soaked.  But today, I was able to finish my six mile stroll, while taking a few photos of the plants popping up through rich topsoil.

Ditch Flowers and Field Corn

Tobacco for Chew

Soybeans

The original plan was to camp today near Alma, Wisconsin, along the backwaters of the Mississippi River.  However, that plan was aborted with rain and cooler temperatures predicted for all of this week.  The Scamp is just a little tight for two adults and a dog to spend an entire happy week. Wisconsin has a $5 cancellation fee for state park campgrounds, so it was an easy call to make.  We will try again another time.  We plan to take Justin to a minor league game next weekend.  Hopefully, it doesn't rain.

Puerto Vallarta: Beer

From December 2021

My expectations are always low for local beer when I travel in Latin America.  Many of the beers are produced by mega-breweries and tend to be light lagers.

Negra Modelo is an exception to the predominant style, representing a dark lager with hints of caramel and nuts.

I found two brewpubs in the Zona Romantica neighborhood, but I only tried the beer at one.  Los Muertos Brewing is the better-known of the two, serves food, and was often packed with people. Instead, I went to Monzon Brewing Company, which was less glitzy and more neighborhood pub atmosphere.

All of the beers that I tried were above average.  The customers were mainly Americans and Canadians, including some long-term expats.  The beer and atmosphere were good enough that i returned a couple of more times.

Porter from Monzon

 

Puerto Vallarta: Public Art on or near the Malecon

 From December 2021

During our walks on the Malecon, I took photos of some of the many sculptures.

 

 

 

Looking back at those photos now, I recall the peace we both felt on the Malecon, especially at sunset.  Being in Puerto Vallarta didn't make the pandemic go away.  Masking inside was strictly observed for all--even in the common areas of our condo complex. But outside, walking among the sculptures along the sea, especially at sunset, it was possible for us to forget for just a little while. 

Crooked Tree

One of my favorite recently-discovered-to-me musical artists is Molly Tuttle.  She has a song called "Crooked Tree" that can turn a bad day into a better day.  

The same is true for a crooked tree that hangs on at the top of Gibraltar Rock Natural Area.  I drive to Gibraltar several times per week to hike and spend a few moments paying homage to a crooked tree that thrives on the edge of a cliff.

Puerto Vallarta: Hike to Las Animas, Part Two

 From December 2021

The trail generally followed the bluffs along the Pacific Ocean.  Eventually, however, we came out on a longer beach, and the path followed the rocks along the water. 

Las Animas itself was a little bit of a disappointment to me.  It was a nice beach and had the typical restaurants/bars.  

 

But I thought the trail had the best scenery.  From Animas,  Julia stuck out a thumb, and we hitched a ride back to Boca on a water taxi.

After the bus ride home, we dined on tacos al pastor.

The pork is roasted on a spit with a chunk of pineapple on top of the spit, dripping sweet juices on to the meat.

Puerto Vallarta: Hike to Las Animas, Part One

 From December 2021

We started our day by catching a bus in Zona Romantica at the corner of Calle Constitucion and Basilio Badillo in front of the OXXO convenience store.  The fare was ten pesos (about fifty cents), and the bus took us directly to the small town of Boca de Tomatlan about 30 minutes south of Puerto Vallarta.  There is no worrying about which stop to get off, because it's the last stop on the line. 

 

While this is a popular hike, hiking isn't as popular an activity in Mexico.  There were no signs or information booths at the start.  From our research, we knew to head downhill until we reached the town's small marina.

 

Boca has several restaurants and hotels and is a very laid back alternative to Puerto Vallarta. Many small water taxis leave from the marina for tours and transportation.

We continued following the bay until we were in the jungle and found a small footbridge.  No other hikers were in the area, and we weren't certain of the trail.  I knew we were on a footpath, but was it the right footpath to our destination?

View after our bridge crossing

We became less certain of the trail at this point, passing closely in front of people's small homes and stairwells.  Once we made it to the other side of the bay, the trail became more obvious, and there were a couple of gringo signs to keep us on the right path and away from private property.

Around this point, we ran into three other hikers, moving slowly but steadily.  One was a retired expat who was guiding two visiting friends. He hikes this trail weekly and told us to stay to the right and continue following the waterline, and we would be fine.  It was good advice. Vegetation was thick but also beautiful.

The trail goes by a number of secluded and not-so-secluded beaches.  After an hour of hiking, we made it to our first secluded beach.  But we weren't the only ones there for long.  There were many other beaches ahead.  So we kept going after a short stop.

Water taxi arriving with a small group

 

 To be continued.