San Gerardo de Dota - Roads and Quetzales

I suppose I should have known I was in for a strange trip when, about six kilometers outside of San Ysidro de General, just as promised in Lonely Planet, was a giant rock with melted plastic.  This the result of a giant statue of Jesus that once stood on this very rock being struck by lightning!  Another what are the chances moment and I'll leave it at that. 
This was at the beginning of the climb up the Montana de Muerte (Really!  The mountain of death!). It is the highest peak in Costa Rica at a bit over 11,300 feet.  At the crest of this mountain is the turnoff for San Gerardo de Dota - my destination.  The road into the valley (still at 7,700 feet) is 9 km of one lane hairpin turns, occasionally paved and sometimes not with traffic coming in the opposite direction.  That's a pretty steep descent of almost 4,000 feet in 9 km. Try backing up or down a road like that in a stick shift.  Challenging - but I did survive. 
After completing the drive back up from a really delightful stay in San Gerardo de Dota, I realized my hand was clenched to the steering wheel and was cramping!  The fun had not ended though.  The main highway into Cartago has had huge sections just fall into the valley below.  It hasn't been repaired though.  It just becomes one very scary lane with a huge drop off and cars and trucks in each direction take turns.  There were at least 5 of these drop offs. 
Later, as I passed Turrialba and was almost to Siguirres, I was just saying to myself what a great road it was - smooth, no potholes.  Ha!  Traffic stopped for a half hour because they are making a new road!  I got to meet the woman road worker while I sat there.  She was really nice.  I also bought some of the most delicious fried plantains from a man selling from car to car.  Yum!
So, San GDD is known for two things: Quetzales and fly fishing for rainbow trout.  You'd have to be crazy about one thing or another to drive down that road.  For me, it was the quetzals.  There was a young man, Jake from Boston, staying at the same lodge as me and he was on a fishing trip (fly fishing - catch and release) between high school and college.  After Costa Rica he is heading for Chile and Argentina - also fishing.  He said that the US military introduced this trout into Panama and they somehow made their way upstream into the rivers (in this case the Savegre River) of Costa Rica.  His trip to get there was even stranger than mine.  He took buses and didn't know there were two San Ysidros so went to the wrong one.  Then took a bus to San Gerardo - not San Gerardo de Dota.  He said he ended up having to pay $150 for a taxi from the wrong San Gerardo.  Poor guy!
The local lodges have ponds also stocked with trout if you want to catch and keep them.  I had trout in different ways the two nights I spent there and it was delicious!  This area is just incredibly beautiful with water gushing out of the mountain all over and forming the cleanest roaring river full of waterfalls that I've seen.  I fell asleep each night to the sound of the river. 
Okay, enough talking.  Some photos below.

Melted Jesus

At over 11,000 Feet and deep in the clouds

View of Moon Rise from my cabin

Walking to dinner from my cabin

 

A View from the mountain toward the valley of San Ysidro de General

The Savegre River



All the same bird.

Another View



Three Different View of a Male Quetzal
The long tail feathers are just to attract a mate.
They lose them after mating.

Female Taken 2.27.  Their colors can look different I'm told depending on the light.

Female taken 2.28 with a front view.

 I had some other bird photos, some of them pretty nice but it seemed silly to include them.  They are beautiful but these are called resplendent quetzales for a reason.