Bob LaGarde

A few thoughts on Business, Politics and Adventure

Road Trip - Part 6: Off to Panama

Early the next morning, a Thursday I believe, I headed out for Panama.  I planned to take CA2 through Cartago and then on to San Isidro where I would probably stop for the night.

 

 

I don’t recall much about the departure from Alajuela and the San Jose area but I do remember an almost magical feeling building up as I passed through Cartago.  It ironic to look back now and find that the mountainous vistas that I found to be so breathtaking are known as Cerro de la Muerte (Death  Mountain)!  But its no surprise to learn that 11,000 foot climb traverses the highest point in the entire 19,000 mile long Pan American highway system between Alaska and Argentina.  Engineering for the route was done mostly by the US Army Corp of Engineers.

 

Leaving Cartago
Leaving Cartago
Entering the
Entering the
Talamanca Range south of Cartago
Talamanca Range south of Cartago
View of the Cloud Forest
View of the Cloud Forest
Magical drive through the Cloud Forest
Magical drive through the Cloud Forest
Midora Valley outside of San Isidro
Midora Valley outside of San Isidro
Lush foilage
Lush foilage
Leaves as big as cars
Leaves as big as cars
Approach to San Isidro
Approach to San Isidro
Landslide that collapsed a portion of Rt 2 between Cartago and San Isidro
Landslide that collapsed a portion of Rt 2 between Cartago and San Isidro

The two and half hour drive ascending the steep Talamanca mountains from Cartago to San Isidro was mesmerizing.  The views and the foliage are truly magnificent.  I had grown up riding the mountain hugging Blue Ridge parkway, looking out over precipices so close that your couldn’t see pavement from the car window.  But Route 2 of the Pan American Highway was in a whole new league.

 

The tight curves and frequently dense fog of the rain forest make the road notoriously treacherous and nearly impassable after dark. Landslides have plagued the route for years and I had a healthy appreciation for boulders that I saw pushed to the side of the road that I knew had previously tumbled without warning into the path of some poor, unsuspecting drivers.