Page 34: - Dominican Republic Again - Tropical Adventure /w Pics - From the beginning
The Border with Haiti
Haiti is constantly to my left defined by the ridge I am riding.
After the village, the road turns extremely technical. I am right in front of people’s homes just hammering it to continue forward progress. That is weird. I think that I must have missed a turnoff in town somewhere. I think that this can’t be right. There is no other road in town, this has to be the right way. I ride on.
Home with a great view
The trail soon is less beaten down, much less. At times grass is growing across and it is difficult to distinguish the trail. I feel bouts of panic shoot through me. I hope I am not lost. I hope I have not wandered into Haiti.
I pass a few homes with tarps laid out in the sun drying coffee beans.
I zoom my camera to a Haitian village across the valley. The deforestation is extremely evident on the Haitian side. It is a dramatic landscape with steep and sharp hillsides.
The trail continues to change form. I ride through long sections of mud and water. There are areas where it is hard to distinguish the road, areas that are so narrow there is only room for a single track. At times the trail darkens, I feel engulfed in a canopy of green wet jungle, other times I ride on hillsides going almost straight up hill on bowling ball sized rocks. I am continuously surprised. I never have a chance to get bored with any conditions because soon they change, usually to something completely new and different. This trail is an absolute motorcycle dirt rider’s dream. But, at the same time, I feel like I am just waiting for something major to go wrong with the motorcycle, I am having ‘way’ too much fun riding for it not to be bad.
Going up and getting greener
and thicker
and wetter
and steeper
I wish I had someone along to photograph to show what it looks like when a motorcycle pounds up these trails. I am sure it would look cool.
Oh Yeah! I just swam the bike through this. I had to peddle with my feet. Proof, you can still see my 2-cycle smoke from standing on the throttle trying to keep moving. That is fun.
more fun
The trail narrows
Around a corner under a dark canopy of green pops out a massive bull. I pull the bike over as much as possible and stand still. I let the bull pass on his own. Soon after, I pass a man and his young son walking with another bull. Everyone whom I have come across has had generous smiles and waves for me, I feel like I am always among friends.
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