The Destination is Reached!

Posted on July 4, 2015 by Kris Cunningham

After all the dreaming, preparation, training, cycling, and traveling I could hardly believe it when I crossed into Nicaragua, and I can hardly believe now that I am here. The last leg of the trip was also the best – really beautiful, fun, exciting, and an easy ride after the longer days I had done before.

I left the Nicaragua border behind me!

I left the Nicaragua border behind me!

it was a great day with a cool breeze, not too much sun, and a lot of happy feelings.

My first look at the Nicaragua countryside is beautiful.
It wasn’t long before I saw Lake Nicaragua!
there were a lot of cows in this area
I thought this tree over the river was amazing with all the plants and vines hanging off of it.

I know from hosting cyclists that there are many others on the road but up until now, I hadn’t seen any. Today though, I saw two, one from Chili traveling to Alaska, and another from England traveling down from Toronto to Argentina.

The English guy was an interesting guy. He will be flying from San Jose to Colombia though, so I won’t see him in Panama.
check out this bike! He said he built it himself. There is a step on the back to help him get up on it.

As I pedaled along the lake, there was a welcome cool breeze coming from the side, and sometimes a bit from the back. It is unusual for it to be so windy at this time of year and I was thankful it wasn’t a head wind.

This farm belongs to the Ortega family (President)
another interesting tree covered with vegetation
the road was excellent, and the drivers were very considerate

Something I find very interesting in this area are the dozens of windmills along the lake. I have never had the opportunity to see them at such close range.

The windmills are beautiful!
this one apparently has had a problem
there wee guys working here on what appeared to be pieces of windmills
they are pretty lined up against the blue sky
there was one arm on the ground where you could touch it and get a sense of the size of these machines
look very closely and you can see the outline of one of the volcanoes on Ometepe Island. It was so cloudy that it was hard to see anything on the island.
I looked back down the road and the sun was catching some of the windmills in the distance

After a while the road went farther from the lake, went over some hills, and then came into Rivas. From Rivas I had to make my way a few more miles east to San Jorge and the ferry dock.

Rolling down the streets of Rivas
more Rivas
this woman had a fire in her outside kitchen with food cooking. There were outside tables so I’m not sure if this is a restaurant or a private home

I was lucky at the ferry. They were loading up and left not long after I arrived.

Can you spot my bike in with all the other stuff loaded on the boat?
it was crazy, motorcycles, furniture, food, luggage, all sorts of things were loaded on the boat along with the people.
It was very windy and the water was choppy. It was quite bumping leaving but it got better as the ride went along. At least the water wasn’t too rough to keep the ferries from running so I was thankful for that.
there were also food vendors on the boat.
The Che Guevara ferry also seemed to be loading up.

It felt like I was coming home. I got off the ferry, proceeded up the familiar main road into town, turned down the other road towards the airport, made my way through the neighborhood, turned left at the school, and then through my friends’ neighborhood to arrive at their house.

Home!

Home!

Debbie, a fellow blogger, and her husband Ron are good friends. We house sat for them for three weeks last September and took care of their dog and cats, so I feel very familiar with their home, neighborhood, and neighbors. It does feel like coming to my Nicaraguan home, and I can hardly believe I actually made the goal of my bicycle trip!

I plan to spend a few days here, and then I will catch a bus back home.

About Kris Cunningham

We live in David, Chiriqui Provence, Republic of Panama! This blog is about some of our experiences in our new country.
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32 Responses to The Destination is Reached!

  1. Playamart - Zeebra Designs says:
    July 4, 2015 at 7:27 pm

    YaHOOOOOOO! Congratulations! Hugs to all! Z

    Like

  2. Pedasi Pundit says:
    July 4, 2015 at 7:42 pm

    Bravo Zulu Kris!

    Like

  3. Barbara Schutt says:
    July 4, 2015 at 8:23 pm

    Yeah, you did it! Congratulations, I’m so happy for you! What a journey and many thanks for sharing it here 🙂

    Like

  4. Karen says:
    July 4, 2015 at 8:29 pm

    YOU MADE IT! I knew you would. We’re doing the happy dance here for you. 😉

    Like

  5. oldsalt1942 says:
    July 4, 2015 at 8:57 pm

    I am so happy for you. It’s great to have a goal that everyone thinks is crazy and then to go ahead and DO IT!!! You have earned bragging rights!

    Like

  6. Carol says:
    July 4, 2015 at 9:41 pm

    What a great finale! Congratulations!

    Like

  7. Dr. Annelise Driscoll says:
    July 4, 2015 at 10:08 pm

    Major congrats on this HUGE accomplishment !,!!!! Unbelievable!!!

    Like

    • Kris Cunningham says:
      July 5, 2015 at 8:57 am

      I first thought about getting a bike when I saw you including it in your fitness program, so thank you for getting me started. Now I am wishing you all the best in getting back on your bike!

      Like

  8. Rewired and Retired in Nicaragua says:
    July 4, 2015 at 11:41 pm

    You did come to your Nicaraguan home. And I am thrilled for you!!! What an amazing trip. I am so very proud of you. I’ll say it again, you are my heroine. I admire your perseverance, your strength, and your beautiful photos of your incredible journey. Hugs from my home to our little casita, where I hope you are sleeping peacefully. Sleep well mi amiga. See you in the morning.

    Like

  9. Tomas Beard says:
    July 5, 2015 at 12:07 am

    I am amazed that you undertook such a journey mostly by yourself! As others have said; congratulations on completing your trip safely and thank you for the blog and the photos!!

    Like

    • Kris Cunningham says:
      July 5, 2015 at 9:01 am

      I had a companion starting out which helped my confidence a lot, and the it wasn’t hard. I was never far from help if I had gotten in a jam, but it all went very well. Thanks for the cograts!

      Like

  10. Sunni Morris says:
    July 5, 2015 at 12:43 am

    What a good feeling it must be to make it that far on a bicycle. Congrats are in order. I knew you’d been bitten by the traveling bug once you let bicyclists stay at your house during their journeys.

    I know you’ll have a great time and should feel a great sense of accomplishment. Well done and I’m glad you arrived safely.

    Like

  11. Carole says:
    July 5, 2015 at 5:41 am

    Congratulations on traveling so far mostly alone on a bike. A great feat indeed, whats your next destination. What a thing to accomplish! Enjoy your relaxing time, you deserve it.
    Thanks for sharing your photos, it must have been trying sometimes to post them.

    Like

    • Kris Cunningham says:
      July 5, 2015 at 9:06 am

      Thanks 🙂
      The photos are for me too, a way to remember my journey. I work on them in my downtime.
      I don’t know what I will do next. There are some travel plans in the works, but I don’t know about further bike tours. I would certainly consider doing another though.

      Like

  12. Jerry says:
    July 5, 2015 at 6:56 am

    Congratulations Kris. Happy to hear of your safe arrival. We keep up with your journeys and you are a really good example, inspiration, and yes, even a hero to many of us who can only read of such adventures as yours. Keep peddling girl. Abundant blessings. J & J

    Like

  13. Neva Miller says:
    July 5, 2015 at 10:17 am

    Kris, we are so proud and amazed at what you’ve done. What an inspiration to live life to the fullest!

    Like

  14. Anonymous says:
    July 5, 2015 at 11:48 am

    Wonderful! You are very brave and so kind of you to share your experiences and the pictures. I have filed them all in my album and will have them to soothe me in the years to come. I am 82 and not likely to do much traveling any more

    Like

    • Kris Cunningham says:
      July 5, 2015 at 12:10 pm

      I’m so glad you have enjoyed my posts and experiences. I too will be filing things away for my quieter years, so I’m filling up those files now while I can. Best wishes and thanks for your comments 🙂

      Like

  15. Anonymous says:
    July 5, 2015 at 2:34 pm

    Awesome Kris!! Congratulations. What an amazing woman you are.

    Like

  16. Steve says:
    July 5, 2015 at 4:53 pm

    Congratulations to you Kris. I am glad that you had safe & fun trip. Thank you for sharing your travels with all of us. I’m sure Joel will be happy see you when you make it back home. All the best you.

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