Thursday September 3, 2015, 115 miles (185 km) – Total so far: 11,003 miles (17,708 km)

We had a nice time in San Blas. The port of San Blas was founded in 1768 and soon became the most important shipyard on the Pacific Coast. Spanish ships set sail from here on route to the exploration of Alaska and the Californias. With over 20 miles of beaches San Blas also has the longest surfing wave in the world at Las Islitas.

We were in search of a good rest so we settled on the excellent Hotel Garza Canela. The staff was very attentive and we enjoyed complimentary desert with our dinner and a complimentary breakfast. One of the staff, Doris was very interested in our adventure so I gave her our FatherDaughterCyclingAdventures contact card. The next morning several staff made comments about what a great adventure we were having. We would like to thank Doris and Betty for their wonderful hospitality. So many people become part of our adventure with the help and kindness they show us.

We were soon climbing along the coast with our goal of Puerto Vallarta in two days. After several hours we stopped for cervezas on a hill top. I asked the shop keeper if there were any hotels nearby and he pointed to his building which had 7 attached bungalows on a bluff overlooking the ocean. We were quickly sold on the $18 for a simple room in a no name village. What’s funny is that I was trying to communicate in Spanish. He finally responded, “Do you speak English?” At that he spoke excellent English. I guess I need more practice. A five minute walk away was the local sandy beach where we enjoyed a nice swim then late lunch in one of the several beach restaurants. After that it was clean up, wash clothes, naptime then back to the same restaurant for more delicious seafood.

The next day we continued south through the ups and downs, many small towns and increasing traffic as we neared the major tourist city of Puerto Vallarta. Normally we try and stay away from tourist cities but since it is on the coast we will ride through. In fact while searching through the many “resorts and spas” costing upwards of $180 per night we cycled closer to the regular town and across the street from the big places. Jocelyn saw a hotel sign advertising $269 pesos each so I crossed 6 lanes of traffic on foot and found a small hotel with pool for exactly that. At $32 per night we decided to take a break day tomorrow. What a great spot!