Toro Negro.. a Sunday Drive into the Mountains

One of the most overlooked and under-reported areas of Puerto Rico is the Central Mountain Area. I’ve explored less than 10% of it at this point. There is plenty to see here. The vistas can be quite grand. I would describe it as being very hilly… lots of ups and downs with lots of ‘paved’ narrow messed-up roads. I love driving it, but you do have to stay on your toes. I use the term paved quite loosely as some have been torn-up by the water utility and patched back very poorly… I have video to prove it too!  Its almost like driving on a paved dirt road. DOH!  Part of the reason local drivers are all over the road.

The restored coffee plantation at Hacienda Buena Vista is a classic example of what can be found in the ‘hills’ above the South Coast. The vegetation is very lush at higher elevations. Aibonito and Degetau’s Rock can actually drop down below 60˚F at night, year round. The Radio Telescope of Arecibo is located in the hills off the North Coast. Half-day group tours from your hotel in San Juan to the Obsrvatory are easy to arrange.

Of particular note, we stopped at a very popular open-air restaurant up above Villalba. “Las Cabañas Doña Juana” was packed for a cool early Sunday afternoon. No surprise.. the roasted (asado) chicken, pork ribs and a chunk of Pernil (pork butt) was exceptional. All cooked on open grilles using locally produced charcoal. We ordered for 3 and had left-overs to take home for just $15. That included rice and beans and a side of Tostones (fried platano slices, similar to green bananas). It would have been over $15 per person in Alaska. We washed it down with ice cold Medalla Beer at a $1.25 per.  Please note, they are only open on the weekends and holidays as are most road-side restaurants.

Most places along the road advertising ‘Bar-B-Que’ are really serving charcoal roasted chicken or pork. Don’t get me wrong, it’s REAL GOOD stuff, but its not true BBQ. The only thing that comes close to being BBQ’ed are the local ‘Pinchos’.. small pieces of meat on bamboo skewers usually slathered in some kind of sweet BBQ sauce. Also real good! (I’ve had real Texas and Tennessee BBQ so I’m a little spoiled.)

‘El Mirador’ overview and and rest-stop:

This was a great place for taking pictures, even though it was overcast the day we were there. Its located along the top of a ridge and has grand views from either side of the road. Its located along ‘La Ruta Panoramica’. A chain of mountain roads that cuts through the heart of the island from East to West. Something I plan to shoot ‘From the Road Video’ of in the near future. We made our way back down the mountain through Villalba. You could really feel the temp warm up as we descended in elevation. A great little Sunday drive!

There are several man-made lakes of decent size to explore. Many are stocked with fish. I’ll be doing a more in-depth report about fresh-water fishing and life around the lakes, down the road.