Rafiki Safari Lodge

This past weekend we had a chance to do a little exploring of Costa Rica's more wild side. We took a 2 hour car ride into the jungle from Los Suenos and headed to Rafiki Safari Lodge. Bethany, myself and 3 other crew members decided to spend our Valentine's day road tripping, and to make it even more romantic all 5 of us shared one tent. The roads were mostly paved except the last 45 mins. If there weren't signs saying, "Your almost there," or "Your not lost," we may have turned around long before our destination. As we were cruising through the jungle going up and down steep rocky roads the sun had set making the experience even more adventurous. We made the most of the trip and got most of it on video. Once we got to Rafiki we had dinner and went down one of the fastest water slides I have ever been on! The ride lasts only 8 seconds and has one left turn but throws you out into this little pool that you think your going to skip over the water and land on the grass. Since it was night the owners of the lodge told us to take a flash light to avoid any snakes. The next morning we woke up with the birds, crickets, monkeys, and every other jungle creature that refuses to sleep as soon as light hits this part of the world. We had reserved a horse back ride to our white-water rafting tour. Since it is dry season here the white-water wasn't so white. It was pretty mild on adventure but was still a great time. We had a few stops to look at a water fall and jump off a 30 ft. cliff into the river. The horse ride was pretty entertaining. I wouldn't say any of us are expert riders but we managed to hold our own. At certain times the terrain was so rocky and steep I didn't think my horse would make it. I nicknamed him, "Ricky Bobby," because if he wasn't first in his mind he was last. The day finished with a nice dinner and some card games. Our trip wouldn't have been complete without our favorite dice game, "Farkle." The car ride home wasn't as exciting but we made a stop in a little surf town littered with backpackers, surfers, and tourist. Manuel Antonio was the town we stopped at due to its high population of monkeys. That was our weekend I would suggest the trip to anyone!

Panama and Winter 2014 Season

Hello Everyone, this is a much needed update on what we have been up to and where in the world we are now. I will try to keep it short as it has been half a year since our last post! We are currently on the move to Costa Rica for an up coming fishing trip with the boss, which gave us some time to write. We left Florida early Jan. and arrived at Bocas Del Toro, Panama 5 days later. We had left later then we hoped due to weather and even after waiting, the seas still weren't the kindest. After 5 days in 6 to 8 foot seas we made it to Panama. As we waited for the boss to arrive to transit the Panama Canal, we had a week and a half in Bocas Del Toro. I think all the crew thought we died and went to heaven. This spot was one of our favorite locations and definitely in the top 3 in the "Caribbean Sea." If you enjoy surfing, Bocas is the perfect spot. It's filled with back packers and adventurous people. One of the things we did was rent a 4-wheeler and cruised the jungle and beaches. We were totally on our own with no map, guide, or other bikers. Mother nature can be quite fierce in the jungle and trails can quite easily be swept away. We had an awesome time and brought us back to our roots in the midwest, as we both grew up riding 4-wheelers. Once we had our fill of adventure and surf it was time to head for the canal before a big swell was due to hit. We managed to leave a day before the peak but still had a rocky ride. Thankfully it was only a 13 hour trip and we made it to the entrance of the canal. Once there, we cleaned up and waited for the boss and family. Most transits through the canal are during the night and if you request a day transit you pay more than 3 times the cost of a night trip. We opted for the night trip as we were on a time schedule. The canal is a series of locks that are fed from lakes raising the boats 85 feet above sea level and is 46 miles in length. The system is similar to that of the locks we went through

in the Great Lakes. I slept through most of it because I was on early shift that trip. We made it to the Pacific and this is the first time we have cruised this Ocean. We are very excited for the next few months of travel and especially this Alaskan summer!