Shells, Tables, Bicycles, and Birthdays

We don't have much for this post, but we do have some pictures. Tasha and Kevin are wrapping up their time on the trails, having completed the surveying of 8 miles of their proposed 12-mile network. As of late, they have tested the trails out with mountain bikes, added some picnic tables, and topped it all off with Tasha's sister's birthday celebration. 

Kevin found this turtle shell in the woods while ha and Tasha were surveying a section of trail.

The first trail that was surveyed is ready for use! Here, Tasha tests out the tread with a rented mountain bike.

Tanya came as well and shredded the forest gnar!!!

While surveying, Kevin and Tasha were able to run their trail past this huge Kapok tree.

Every morning begins with a few minutes sharpening machetes... Nicaraguan style.

On one of their weekends off, Tasha and Kevin headed south to San Juan Del Sur.

Their first leg of transport was a passing truck headed to Rivas.

Their new friends, Chris and Ali were the ones who talked them into going... aren't they sooo cuuuute?

The beach in San Juan is lovely, with many sailboats moored in the bay.

Tasha and Kevin checked out a surf competition and reggae festival on the beach while they were in town.

Kevin cannot believe the size of the pile of beer stacked up behind him!

They stayed until after dark, and then caught a ride back to town to catch some shut eye for the next day.

The next day the foursome got up and headed home, stopping for a stroll and taxi-hunt in Rivas.

The view of San Juan Del Sur from the porch at their hostel.

Back at work, Tasha and Kevin finally got a couple picnic tables delivered, and they and their crew carried them in to the woods to make some nice day-use areas along their new trail system.

Mahogany picnic tables are sturdy, but not too heavy to carry whole through the forest.

Tasha also had the fortune of celebrating her sister's 29th birthday with her while she was visiting.

Tanya was nice enough to share her party with this howler monkey, whose birthday also happened to be that Friday.

Delicious food and smiling faces.

When in doubt, end with a sunset photo...

Bad at surfing... worse at blogging!

I mean seriously, 3 weeks between postings? It's not clear what exactly happened here, but at least we have a few photos for you. Tasha and Tanya's friend, Hannah was down for a visit and to do some spa training at the development, and surfing seemed to be the activity of choice for a little while...

The view of Magnific Rock from the hostel of the same name, just north along the coast.

Looking northward at the long, slow waves.

Kevin gets ready for the most epic surf session of his life!

after getting his rear end handed to him, Kevin ventured into the water sin tabla to take some photos of the waves up close.

He was a little scared without his board.

Hannah, Coming out of the surf with her huge board.

Sunset over the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

Sisters in a pedal-powered taxi cab! put that in your oil barrel and smoke it, america!

That's all we have for now. Kevin and Tasha are making an effort to take more photos, but there is only so much this blogger can do to compel them... Perhaps some of our readers could bribe them with ice cream?

p.s. no, kevin does not have an intestinal parasite. that was a joke. c'mon folks...

Birthday Bashes and Flying Fish

        Don't Worry, Folks- we will keep this one brief on words and rich on pictures. On January 22nd, Natasha passed the 30 year mark since her first breath was taken into her lungs in a hospital in the Bay Area of California. She has had a rich three decades full of adventure, a loving family, travel, athletics, an accomplished academic record, and plenty of time with friends and family in the woods and wilderness- from building forts with her sister to building character with troubled teens to building trails in the tropics. We were lucky enough to celebrate with her on the pacific coast of Nicaragua as the sun set over the ocean and the fish tacos came out of the fryer.

The bell tower at the club house as the sun sets on Rancho Santana.

A wedding party gathers on the courtyard where Tasha and her friends started their walk down the beach to the party spot.

Sunset colors fading fast over the water.

The birthday girl herself!

Tasha was kind enough to share her party with Isa (cutting cake) whose birthday was only a week before hers.

Let's just say there was some dancing... and it was AWESOME.

Little Billy sure knows how to cut a rug!

Happy Birthday!!!

Hod did that fish get all the way up there?

The pair received an underwater camera before their trip, and had the chance to try it out in some tide pools north of Rancho, near the community of Popoyo

Sunning near a tide pool with cacti in the background...

Check THIS fish out!!!

Back at work the following week, Kevin and Tasha are finding some BIG trees as they survey their trail.

Howler monkeys visiting a tree below Tasha's sister's property.

A monkey stretches out, hanging by its tail, to cling to the next limb as it moves through the dry canopy.

Tasha, Flagging the route along a steep hillside as the pair draws near to completing another loop of trail.

That's all we have to report on for now, but there will surely be more to come. Stay tuned and check back next week, when we hope to have pictures of intestinal parasites taking shelter inside Kevin's colon...

Psyche!!!

Why Nicaragua?

We are back again, live from the depths of the rapidly dessicating jungle as Nicaragua enters its annual dry season. Our duo has completed their first full week of work surveying trail and directing the work of three locals in making the first cut through the forest. Let's see what they have been up to, and maybe get a glimpse of why They would choose Nicaragua, of all places, to build trails.

 

A photo of the Topo Map of Rancho Santana that our pair is working off to survey their trail lines and determine their positions. 

At first light, the pair leaves the compound, venturing out into the early morning, greeted by the growls and hoots of the howler monkeys surrounding them in the trees. 

Every morning, Kevin insists on assessing the lay of the land with an elevated perspective.

Tasha is just fine to stay on the ground.

The pair has their work cut out for them, hacking through the woods and leaving behind a trail of ribbons for their crew to follow.

The ribbons rapidly turn into the beginnings of a trail, with only a few passes back and forth as they make sure they are on the right track.

Sometimes, faint black lines are visible on the forest floor.

But what ARE those lines?

Are those ANTS?!?!?

They ARE!!!

A tiny superhighway of Ants trekking through the woods!!!

Sometimes you find amazing examples of the nature- Like this HUGE termite nest 10 feet off the ground!!!

Sometimes you encounter Cacti that must be eliminated execution-style.

Sometimes you pop out onto a road in an effort to figure out where you are and you find a motorcycle with a SHARK tied to the back end!!!

But really, folks, the two best reasons to do trail work in Nicaragua is that 1) they sell beer by the liter, and...

2) Nicaragua has sisters!!!!!

It looks like that is all we have for an update at the moment, but surely the following weeks will bring more stories and photos of sharks on motorbikes from our pair of intrepid travelers!

The view from above Playa Duna.