A day of rest

March 29th:
I went for an early morning run on this hot bright Caribe day. It felt good. I have been eating more than normal and exercising less since the day I arrived in Costa Rica. Getting a bit soft around the edges for sure. My solution – keep eating but exercise more. Since I love to exercise as much as I love to eat (and that’s impressive)……..this should be easy.

Another new friend that we met on the Rio Pacuare decided to visit us here in Cahuita for a day or two. Her company has been delightful. We walked to momma Sue’s place, went for a swim, then, after dinner, we all headed to the reggae bar at Playa Negra for live local music and dancing. I pulled out the poi and did some fire dancing along side the bar. The kids loved it!

What will tomorrow bring?

Pacuare!!!!!

March 27 & 28: I set out early in the morning for a two day rafting trip down the Pacuare River with dad and Pat. This was my third rafting trip down the Pacuare and my second over nighter – but I was still very excited. I have honestly fallen in love with this river. I seriously recommend rafting/kayaking the Pacuare River to one and all. Exploradores Tours is the company I recommend using. They are safe, environmentally conscious, Costa Rican owned, and serve amazingly good food. At the put-in

Our overnight was spent at a rustic yet very comfortable small lodge located high on the steep hill slopes of the river canyon with views from each cabin-upon-stilts of the Pacuare below.

Pat at her new office overlooking the Pacuare River

There I met a new valued friend known as Natural (Natu for short). He loves the Pacuare and the lands of Costa Rica. I hear in his voice the passion that I hold deep in my soul for the grand forests and rivers of the Pacific Northwest. As I listen while he shares with us so much information about the (his) land/river and its history I realize that my soul too has been inspired over the years by this river and the jungle that borders its waters. It is dynamic and alive and free running. I understand. I know that even if I don’t do my PhD research here, I will always return to this river like I do the Chetco, the Umpqua, the Rogue, McKenzie, Coquille, and others.

The river was low as it is the dry season, but splendid just the same. The low elevation of the water allowed Pat and I to better see the geomorphic features of the channel – especially the bedrock and depositional features.
And when I say depositional features I mean 3+ meter high bars made of boulders. Some of the boulders in the bars were up to 2+ meters in diameter resting on top of a bar surface of fully imbricated boulders. Yes, very cool! but also a bit of a challenge when it comes to methodologies for quantifying a sediment budget.

The beautiful Pacuare

And its cascading tributaries with inviting swimming holes...
Day two ended in the town of Siquirres where the Pacuare River hits the alluvial plain and shifts to a braided system with a floodplain and islands of sands to boulders.

From the take out Pat headed into San Jose for her travels back to Oregon on Sunday morning. Dad and I hopped into the shuttle van headed back to Cahuita. Happy, tired, and wanting for nothing more from the day.

Manzanillo

March 26: a beautiful day on the beach with mom and Pat at Manzanillo. I had the pleasure of sharing with them Miss May Point – one of the loveliest viewing points on the south Caribe coast. Mazanillo is the southern end of the road, meaning that the road along the Caribe coast of Costa Rica ends at Manzanillo. It is bordered to the south by the Gandoca Reserve that stretches 10 kilometers to the Sixiola River which is also the CR & Panama border.
We soaked in all the pleasures of the sea this day – shade & sun, the taste of salt on your skin, the weightlessness of floating in the turquoise water, and the rhythm of the surf.

Mom (Penny) at Miss May Point.

Then we enjoyed a late lunch in Puerto Viejo at my favorite spot – Bread and Chocolate – as we headed back to Cahuita at dusk.

From the mountains to the Caribe!

March 22nd: We said hasta luego to our new friends at the Hotel Turrialba B & B (highly recommended) after another yummy breakfast

Brett Shelton -- co-owner (with Brian Cutter) of Hotel Turrialba,

river appreciaters, and great hosts!

...and then hopped in the car for a day of exploration. Lots of ground to cover in a single day but Dad was at the helm of the rental vehicle and we somehow pulled it all off. The highlights included viewing several of the hydro-electric projects on the Reventazon River. The Reventazon also drains out of the central highlands to the Caribbean alluvial plain but, unlike the Pacaure River, it currently has two dams and preliminary construction on the third has begun. I needed to check it out as the most likely river for comparison of sediment transport/dam impact model testing.

We looped through high fertile valleys and twisting steep ridges over and along many streams to the most upstream destination of the Cachi Dam on the Reventazon River. It floods a massive canyon, has incredible

discharge gates that are opened seasonally to release the sediment that it quickly accumulates through fluvial deposition in this tropical steep landscape, definitely NOT fish passable, and releases suspended sediment & nutrient rich flow into the downstream riverine system.

Both the Pacuare and the Reventazon transition from cascade – pool/riffle systems in the mountains to a sediment rich braided systems when they reach the alluvial plain of the Caribbean. The change in gradient from the mountains to the plain results in impressive sediment deposition in these zones. After “dropping” their loads the rivers transition yet again into wide sand-clay loam meandering systems across the alluvial plain to the sea. We reached the downstream most plantation town (Perla) on the Pacuare in the late afternoon after a 45 minute drive through plantations of banana and pineapple, the processing plants, and the small factory towns that the workers live in.

We reached the Caribbean just at dusk driving along the outskirts of Limon and then south to Cahuita. Ate a delicious Caribe dinner at Chaos, danced to live music at the Reggae Bar at Playa Negra and then headed to bed --- exhausted!

But we all had a GREAT DAY!

Pacuare Recon Crew -- dad, mom, me and Pat at Perla.

March 23rd: Feels great to be in Cahuita and to be with my folks.
It was a casual morning of laundry and saying hello to relatives. There was a protest on the road to Puerto Viejo (the next town south of us by about 20 minutes). People blocked the road for the entire day stopping up bus routes and closing commerce. They were demanding fair tax dollars for services (roads, etc) as compared to the rest of the country. An old issue here on the south eastern coast where minorities and it varied cultures often get seconds to the rest of the country.
After getting Pat a rental bike from our friend Wayne she and I headed out to the property with Dad for a tour of the land. It was a lovely day and the jungle was in its glory. Dad continues to care and tend it so well.

Dad clearing a path with his machette -- Polly at the property boundary creek

Pat McD in wrapped in the roots of a Latex tree -- Cahuita jungle

I rushed back for yoga at my Jo & Jim’s house and then all my relatives in the area gathered for dinner at my parent’s place. The appetizer was a giant bowl of fresh guacamole ……. Couldn’t help but think of Steve.

March 24th: Breakfast at Bridget’s with Pat – yummy Guayabana fruit juice, plantanos maduros, 2 huevos, y chocolate caliente. WOW, I sure do eat a lot when I am in Costa Rica.
Pat and I were fueled up and we headed into the Cahuita Naitonal Park for the day. Sun, sand, jungle, and wildlife. Super cool!!! to witness Pat’s first viewing of wild monkeys (Kampucha and Howlers) and sloths. We were also graced with morpho butterflies, lizards, iguanas, and many sea birds.

Of course another highlight was the white sands and blue of the Caribe sea. We made sure to truly be on vacation this day with plenty of swimming and then napping in the shade of the cashew trees.

Pat McD in Cahuita National Park

To top off the fabulous day we ate dinner at Ms Edith’s Restaurant – one of our favorite spots and favorite families here in Cahuita proper. Fresh Caribe seafood cooked to perfection.

March 25th: Errands in the morning got Pat and I into town around 8am. Into town means that we ride our bikes along the bumpy gravel road for about 3km to the 8 square blocks of Cahuita town.
We then rode back out of the town to my aunt and uncle’s place next to playa grande. Before doing some body surfing and swimming at playa grande we walked back behind their place to show Pat the tectonically uplifted coral terraces along visible in the area. Very cool!

I did yoga again tonight before dinner. There really is nothing like taking a good yoga class when the muscles in your body are warmed from a day in the tropical sun and sea. The yoga classes are given on an open air deck on the second floor that my uncle and aunt built. Breathing in the fresh sea air and listening to the sea, the birds, and the wind………ahhhhhh. Inspiring.

Dinner was hosted at my cousin’s place (Bruce & Gayle). We all gathered yet again for a potluck of delights. We really do food good!

Finally a little time to blog – and it’s midnight!

Upper Pacuare

March 21st: After a yummy yummy breakfast here at the Turrialba Hotel B&B my dad, Pat McD and I hopped in the 4x4 rental car and headed up into the mountains to the up-stream most river crossings (bridge with discharge gage and a cable swing) on the Pacuare --- destination Bajo Pacuare and Paso Marcos!

We had rain off and on but the day was fantastic. So much fun to show Pat how these small rivers move and store such massive quantities of large sized sediment (boulders). The steep terrain offers a natural source of erosive hillslope material -- often in the form of landslides. The road to Bajo Pacuare is dirt with some huge landslides along the way but it was easily passible. The smaller dirt road to Paso Marcos is cut off by a massive rock/landslide about 3/4 the way up. We walked past the slide on the path that the few locals that live above the slide have cut. All the while surrounded by the magnificent flora of the mountains.

Back into Turrialba in the late afternoon to meet up with mom and go to the farmers' market to look around at the amazing array of foods grown in the fertile central mountains of CR and to buy super tastee fruit for the evening and tomorrow's road trip to the Caribbean.

San Jose & Turriabla

March 18th (day 3): Woke in Heredia and headed straight to Alejuela via the well sorted local bus transport system. After dropping my things at Mi Tierra (my favorite hotel/B&B in the San Jose area) I hopped back on the bus into San Jose. Actually, my primary destination of the day was University of Costa Rica (UCR) in the barrio of San Pedro on the east side of the city.

Downtown San Jose & the National Theatre

At UCR I met Guaria Cardenes -- the Quaternary sedimentologist I want to work collaboratively with here in CR. She is really great and seems quite enthusiastic about working with me. A major piece of my PhD puzzle fallen perfectly into place. Already she has been very helpful.

Universidad de Costa Rica -- escuela CentroAmericana de Geologia

I had to return to Alajuela in time to meet my professor Pat McDowell at the airport that night. Pat arrived safe & sound so we settled in with a couple of fresh mango's and both rested well.

March 19th (day 4): Fabulous breakfast at the hotel and then Pat and I headed back into San Jose.

PMcD -- on the bus headed into San Jose

We found the Instituto Geografico Nacional at the south side of town and loaded up on topographical maps of the area. Then back out to UCR to show Pat the campus and introduce her to Guaria.

Sometimes I can't believe how well this whole thing is coming together. If I'm not careful I will be doing my PhD research in Costa Rica on the Pacuare River!!!!
OH YEH!! Anyone want to help with field work?......

March 20 (day 5): Woke up after another good night's rest at Mi Tierra. Pat and I sat down at the breakfast table next to a woman who -- get this -- works on headwater stream geomorphology and ecology in rivers on the west side of CR - Susan Bolton from the University of Washington. Another incredible resource with a whole list of contacts to get my project moving. Luck, carma, whatever you want to call it .... I feel like I am on the receiving end.

On the move to Turrialba today. So happy to get out of the rush, bustle, noise, and diesel air of the crowded city. As lovely as San Jose is with its mix of peoples, bordering volcanoes, and old/new architectures -- I am just not a city rat. Definitely more of country river rat.

The bus ride along the twisting road over the passes to Turrialba in CR's south central mountains gave us views of the country's most fertile agricultural valleys. Another perfectly sunny day! Pat and I arrived in Turrialba around 2pm where we met up with my folks at Hotel Turrialba B&B (another place I highly recommend!!!). I'll take pics tomorrow and post.

Spent the late afternoon driving through CATIE -- a research facility at the edge of town with amazing grounds that include a lovely botanical garden.

Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza

The rain started around 8pm ...... everything smells fresh. If I am luckey I will hear it through the night on the metal roof and wide leaves of the garden outside my open hotel window. Sleep well!

Dias uno y dos de Costa Rica

Arrived at 5:30am (3:30 Oregon time) in Costa Rica after a long but uneventful red-eye flight. I settled into San Jose with my mother-in-law and waited for my dad to show up on the bus. Besides eating, napping, showering, and grading hydrology labs, I spent the day in the middle of the city. Markets -- noisey streets -- remembering pieces of a language I have neglected.

Today I hopped on the bus to Heredia where the National University of Costa Rica is located. I quite enjoy this small suburb-town north of San Jose. It is located on the foothills of valcanoe Barva and faces southward with views of San Jose and volcanoe Turrialba and Chirripo across the valley. Nice parks with many flowering trees and an old church in the center square.

I had the privilege of meeting with Professor Nelson Arroyo of the UNCR Geography Dept. this afternoon. It was a very beneficial meeting as far as info for my PhD research down in this neck of the woods goes. ... to many details to share on a blog.