Page 34: - Dominican Republic Again - Tropical Adventure /w Pics - From the beginning
The Border with Haiti
Haiti is constantly on my left hand side defined by the ridge I am riding along.
After the village I rested at, the road turns extremely technical. I am right in front of people’s homes just hammering on the throttle to continue forward progress. That is weird to me thinking I must have missed a turnoff somewhere, this can’t be right. There is no other road in town, this has to be the right way.
Home with a great view
Soon the trail is less beaten down, much less. At times grass is growing across and it is difficult to distinguish the trail. Bouts of panic shoot through me. "Am I lost and have wandered into Haiti?"
I pass a few homes with tarps laid out in the sun drying coffee beans. One home is flying a Dominican Republic flag, good!
With the camera zoomed to a Haitian village across the valley, the deforestation is extremely evident. It is a dramatic landscape with steep and sharp hillsides and little vegetation.
The trail continues to change form, there are long sections of mud and water with areas hard to distinguish where the trail is, and areas that are so narrow there is only room for a single track, too narrow for a jeep. At times the trail darkens and engulfes me in a canopy of green wet jungle, other times the trail runs up a hillsides almost straight up on bowling ball size rocks. Its a constant surprise, changing all the time, no time to get bored because soon it will change and usually to something completely different. This trail is an absolute motorcycle dirt rider’s dream. But, at the same time, I am just waiting for something major to go wrong with the motorcycle, this is ‘way’ too much fun for it not to be bad.
Going up and getting greener
and thicker
and wetter
and steeper
I wish there was someone along to photograph a motorcycle pounding up these trails. I am sure it would look cool on video.
Oh Yeah! I just swam the bike through this. You can still see my 2-cycle engine smoke from standing on the throttle trying to keep it moving. That is fun.
more fun
The trail narrows
Around a corner under a dark canopy of green pops out a massive bull. Pulling the bike over as much as possible I stand still and let the bull pass. Soon after, a man and his young son are walking with another bull. Everyone on this trail has had generous smiles and waves for me, like always being among friends.
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