ONE PHOTO & ONE STORY: COSTA RICA UNLIMITED

SUBSCRIBEINTERNAL

Click on images to enlarge

OPOS_10.15.15

Story and photo by John Basher

Where is your favorite riding spot? Maybe it’s your usual stomping ground, or some faraway destination. Heck, it very well could be Chicken Licks Raceway. Wherever it is, that plot of land probably holds special meaning because you feel like you’re the fastest rider on the planet. Need proof? My Dad couldn’t be caught around the grass track in our backyard–at least that’s what he likes to believe. Dennis Stapleton has a gruesome sand track in Northern California that punishes most, but he can somehow levitate over the sand whoops and log quasar-fast lap times. Daryl Ecklund has a few desert tracks out in the middle of nowhere where he can’t be caught. I look at things a bit more objectively.

I have yet to find the promised land. However, there are a few places I’ve put knob to dirt that stand out among the rest. Millville, Monster Mountain in Alabama, Red Bud, and Motocross365 in Tenerife, Canary Islands, are some of my personal favorites. Motocross365 was particularly memorable, because the Canary Islands are located just off the coast of Africa. There’s nothing like fighting the distractions of palm trees and a beautiful seascape. Choosing my favorite off-road riding location, on the other hand, is as easy as simple mathematics (not that Common Core stuff, either). Costa Rica takes the cake. I’m convinced there’s nothing better.

“THE ABOVE PHOTO OF DARYL ECKLUND BLASTING OVER A HILL, WITH THE PACIFIC OCEAN AS A BACKDROP, SHOULD BE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO SELL YOU ON THE IDEA OF GOING TO COSTA RICA. INSTEAD, I’D RATHER PLANT THE IDEA IN YOUR HEAD THAT THERE ARE PLACES IN THIS WORLD WHERE YOU CAN RIDE ON THE BEACH, CLIMB MOUNTAINS, AND WEAVE THROUGH THE JUNGLE WHILE DODGING THE WILDLIFE.”

A few months ago I was spoiled when Costa Rica Unlimited (CRU) invited Daryl Ecklund, Dennis Stapleton and myself down to their posh compound in Playa Hermosa. I thought that co-owners, Terry Beal and Chris Kilbride, were rolling out the red carpet in order to coax more editorial coverage out of the MXA gang. I was wrong. Everyone that books through CRU will have the same access and riding options that we did. In fact, some will get even better treatment, depending on their chosen booking package.

Listen, I’m not here to pump up Costa Rica Unlimited. The above photo of Daryl Ecklund blasting over a  hill, with the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop, should be more than enough to sell you on the idea of going to Costa Rica. Instead, I’d rather plant the idea in your head that there are places in this world where you can ride on the beach, climb mountains, and weave through the jungle while dodging the wildlife. Better yet, you get to share those experiences with a few of your riding buddies.

I never did drag handlebar in Costa Rica, unless you count the multiple times I crashed. What I did do was spend treasured time with two of my closest friends while enjoying a shared passion. Daryl and Dennis laughed when I nearly passed out from exhaustion and every time I flew over the bars. You know what? I can’t wait to go back.

For more information, visit http://www.costaricaunlimited.com/ or call (714) 368-0656. Tell them that MXA sent you.

SUBSCRIBEINTERNAL

You might also like

Comments are closed.