Shooting the Breeze: October 2013

Nearly 1,200 kilometers of solo riding on my Vulcan with the following itinerary:

Sunday Oct 27 from my home in San Juan City to Casa Carag in Tugegarao City;
over 500 km spanning 11 hours from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm

Monday Oct 28 kayaking in Cagayan River (stage 2 rapids)

Tuesday Oct 29 white water rafting in Chico River (stage 3 rapids)

Wednesday Oct 30 from Casa Carag to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

Thursday Oct 31 from Pagudpud to Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Friday Nov 1 from Vigan to Poro Point, San Fernando, La Union

Saturday Nov 2 from Poro Point to Rancho Caridad, Nampicuan

Sunday Nov 3 from Rancho Caridad to San Juan, Metro Manila

Awesome ride! The above itinerary is more or less called the Northern Luzon Loop, which my Dad did with my sister (Betta) and me over 30 years ago. As far as I can remember, at that time, the roads from Central Luzon to Tugegarao were awful; whereas, it's nearly ideal for motorcycle touring today!

The highlight of the trip was our stay at Casa Carag in Tugegarao, with our host and river master, Anton Carag. Here was our base for nature tripping in the area, including some spelunking (Callao Cave and another one that is not usually open to tourists--you'll have to hook-up with Anton), kayaking at one of the tributaries of Cagayan River (day 1) and white water rafting at one of the tributaries of Chico River, Kalinga Province (day 2). You will be famished after these outdoor activities and Anton's got all the comfort-food to satisfy that hunger! Let the pictures below speak for themselves--a must in your bucket list.