Atenas de Cuba People-to-People Program
For
our final day of riding we headed up a beautiful, serene, Yumuri farming valley.
Near the end we headed up a very steep hill for a few hundred meters,
made a couple more twists and turns and got on to the main highway to Havana.
We
rode along the coast, and it was magnificent. Long
gradual climbs, long descents, great views, very little
traffic. We rolled downhill on a long bridge span over a fairly
deep river gorge, with low, rugged mountains on the left, the ocean on the
right. It was a beautiful last day. Our legs were
strong, the sun was still out, and the kilometers rolled away under our
wheels. Santa Cruz el Norte is a bit of an industrial center. It has a rum
factory, cigar rolling factory, paper factory, large power generating
plant and is the center of Cuba's meager oil fields.
Despite
the industrial base the town has the feel and look of a village.
It also was and is one of the exit points for Cubans heading to the United
States. Occasionally the Cuban government adds extra patrols there.
None of this seems to affect the locals attitude about visiting
Americans. 
We
met other Cuba-Americans in town who said they were
having a great time with their relatives and the hospitality that we
received from the merchants who served us pizza and ice cream was no
different from that we had received anyplace else.
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