Irazu - The Volcanic Garden - 48.25 km, - Up 5,993' - Down - 5,993'

Graeme has been talking up the climb to Irazu Volcano and warning me that the day would be tough, and it was. The ride starts at about 5,000' just up the hill from Cartago, a city that was devastated in 1910 by a major earthquake, and goes to the top of Volcan Irazu topping out at 11,000' where you can look down into the center of the volcano.

The ride has almost no breaks as you make the assent and at times the grade reaches 22% as you rise through and eventually above the clouds surrounding the mountain. The slopes are covered with small family farms growing a wide variety of fruits and vegetables as well as small communities that support the surrounding area. The climb takes me about 3:10 or so to get to the top with most of the group ahead of me, but I do keep Carl and Barry in sight by the time I reach the summit which is filled with visitors celebrating the Easter Hoilday and the great weather.

No mishaps today and the return down the hill is a screaming blast with only one small climb along the way before descending to our destination at the 1910 restaurant which turns out to have a slow and confused staff - great food if you were one of the lucky ones to get a meal. On the van ride back through Cartago we see the local people lining the streets as the procession celebrating Easter is in progress. We also observed plenty of recreational cyclists today riding the local roads as well as riding on the road to Volcan Irazu.


More to come.