Our next adventure returned Benjamin and me along with our new adventurers, Dave and Lisa Wangsness, to Parque Nacional Rincon de la Vieja but to the Santa Maria station rather than the Las Pailas station where we hiked earlier.  Santa Maria is more remote taking nearly an hour to go the final 15 miles resulting in only four cars in the parking area all day.  Also, there was no English speaking ranger at this station as there was at Las Pailas.  The trail was less up and down, there were more streams to cross, a lovely waterfall and many thermal pools loudly bubbling away.  Our wildlife spottings found less cooperative monkeys than those we encountered at Las Pailas, a coral snake and probably a green vine snake.  At the end of our nearly seven hour hike we received a great show from a flock of Toucans, a truly gorgeous bird.

Benjamin and Fernanda finished their week with us on Saturday the 9th after Dave and Lisa had joined us on the 6th.  We continue to enjoy most of our evening meals at Angelina’s, Tubla, Marie’s, Pleamar, Copa Cabana in neighboring Tamarindo and an occasional excellent meal prepared by our housekeeper Blanca.

Still researching our next adventure but in the meantime enjoying the continuous streak of cloudless days as we overlook the thundering Pacific Ocean.