Vuelta a Cozumel

Today we rode around the southern end of the island. It was a 41-mile ride. Although we didn't set any speed records, the heat, high humidity and wind made it fairly difficult. You can see the route here.

We took a lot of pictures, so I am going to change things up a bit and tell the story with picture captions.

After taking a wrong turn, we ended up on dirt roads for a few miles.

No big deal. We knew if we kept heading east and south we would eventually hit the main road.

Once we hit the main road, the Carretera Transversal, we were treated to a huge bike lane. The headwind was fierce.

When we hit the end of the transverse road, we saw the Caribbean Sea on the east side of the island for the first time.

The wind typically blows in from the east, so the sea is rough on this side of the island. You are warned not to swim.

The color of the water is simply stunning. We rode with a sense of awe.

Volkswagens and mopeds: two very popular vehicles here.

Taking time out for a snack.

We are always on the lookout for iguanas.

We had about 11 miles of views like this.

Here we are at the halfway point.

We stopped for a refreshing coconut water. After we finished drinking them, the coconuts were cut up for us to eat. I liked the raw coconut, especially with the chile paste they gave us, but Jen (the fruit lover) did not care for it.

One of the many, many friendly locals we met today.

Punta Sur, the southernmost part of our ride. From here we headed inland for a bit.

Although the signs suggested our trail was exclusively for bicycles, there were plenty of tourists using it in rental cars and on scooters. We did take great pleasure in seeing a couple tourists on a moped being pulled over by a cop.

At this point we were enjoying our first tailwind of the day.

Welcome to the jungle.

Almost back to the west side of the island.

This was a really big one.

At the end of the ride we were definitely ready to get off the bikes. The hotel staff marveled at the crazy gringos who rode their bikes so far. To them it seems insane, but we think there is no better way to see the island.

Tomorrow will be bike-free, though. We are heading to the mainland to see the Mayan ruins in Tulum. Our wake-up call is in about six hours, so I guess I'd better get some sleep.

Later.