Puerto Rico trip (day 5)

In the above picture you get a inside look into the next 2 days.  As tropical storm Emily barreled down on Puerto Rico the wind was shotty at best between convergence zones.  We decide that this would be as good as time as any to start exploring the island.  Since Becky and I have plans to potentially end up on P.R. we decide to start looking for that hidden gem of a beach that could play host our headquarters someday.
And while both Becky and I had a blast exploring all the beaches on the northern coast (and I literally mean ALL), later on in the trip Sean, when asked if he had fun riding around the island, described the next two days as "riding in the back seat of a rental while Ryan drives down the coastal roads until he randomly pulls over, jumps out of the car, tromps through whatever brush is between the road and the beach.  Once at the beach he then puts hands out to his sides assessing the wind conditions. Then two minutes later, his wind and beach assessment over, we pile back into the car to drive another 5 minutes where we repeat the process again."  So yeah, I guess the island exploration was more entertaining for Becky and I.

And yes, that does pretty much describe the next two days.  Thus we start day one of the two day "WindRocker Puerto Rico Exploration Series".

Day 1 exploring the island) 

We travel the northern coast from San Juan to the east until we finally turn around in Ceiba.

map of our day 1 exploring (in red)

As we drive along the coast, there are many times we went through very "rain forest-ish" landscapes.  Here is a quick video Becky took while I was driving that shows much of what the local backcountry looks like.

We loved a few little spots we found.  One beach town in particular, although I will refrain from naming this little gem we found.  However, I will show you some pictures.  Several of the beaches look to be pretty well setup for wind, especially in the A.M. hours.  Also, I locate a flat water lagoon, with surfing readily available just down the beach.  Overall this looks like a decent setup.

secluded little beach

Lots of space on this beach ..but alot of beach trash/driftwood

 this is the gem though... room for launching, shallow water..... and surfing down by those buildings

And a flat water lagoon that is sheltered from the surf by a reef. 

Just sea grass on the bottom of waist deep water.

We also stop in Luquillo for a wonderful Mai Thai and Mojito at a cute little restaurant.  this town has lots of surf style character.  We liked it.

Once we get to Ceiba, it is getting dark so we head back to our condo. 

On the drive back we take a more direct route.  This takes us over the iconic bridge covered in flags that you can see when your aircraft is landing upon arrival into San Juan, Puerto Rico...and yes, the flags were blowing tonight just as they were when we arrived.  The flags blowing in the wind are a great welcome sign for any kiteboarder traveling to P.R.

We then walk down to the Old San Juan Casino where on the top floor there is a BBQ restaurant.  The sky is dark, and the city lit...but we are told to come back for a sunset...so we decide to forgo the "overly priced" fare and come back later.  We did have one drink each...but I guess I wasn't feeling like being nice either ;) so time to jam somewhere else for dinner.

So, we end up at a Chili's.  I know, not very authentic, but reasonably priced all the same. Yes, more drinks with our food!

Next stop bed, and then tomorrow we head west.