Premier Yucatan Group
Remember this photo by Isidro Avila Villacis? The Diario Yucataàn sent out their best photographer and posed us around the square. The gist of the story was that we had used the internet to plan the trip and that the Yucatan used the web to promote tourism.
From that day on we were approached by reporters and photographers throughout the rest of our journey. They often showed up at the most remote spots along the route, likely due to the fact that they just happened to see us on the road. We became much sought-after celebrities.
We flew into Cancun and biked down to Puerto Morelos along the the narrow scubby -sided road south from the airport. That road is unrecognizable today with its four lanes and shoulder. The traffic has increased greatly because much of that area, the Riviera Maya, has been developed since we were there in 1996. We stayed at the funky Posada Amor, with its open-air showers and un-railed staircases. The jungle setting of the Posada portended what laid ahead of us. We haven’t forgotten that spot, we had our farewell dinner there on our most recent trip.
The internet has simplified the planning of our upcoming transcontinental adventure. The journals from www.crazyguyonabike.com are an invaluable source of information. Details in those accounts provide information not easily found elsewhere. The accounts also help when searching skills fall into the abyss. The most exciting recent find was a hotel in a location at a perfect distance from the previous day. Searching for lodging in that town turned up either nothing or an incomplete list of lodging establishments. The searchable journals on crazy guy turned up so much more information. Reading through each journal is at the same time an arduous and satisfying task. Some mention the route, the difficulty of cycling, the places they stayed. Others say little about the riding, but easily remember their average speed for the day and where they were in the pack. They have few photos on their pages.
While researching the Erie Canal portion of the trail, I found a brochure for an organized 8-day bike ride. College students could register for 3 hours of credit if they did some reading and kept a journal. With the length of time we traveled, you could have received a master’s degree with all the hours of credit you would receive.