Isabela Points of Interest

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Steve is staying in the town of Isabela in northwestern Puerto Rico. Although the Spanish had been mucking about on the island since the early 16th Century, the first western settlement, called La Tuna, wasn't established until 1725. It was situated near the Guajataca River on the northwest coast. A church was built between 1725 and 1750,. The town eventually moved to its present location nearer the ocean and renamed Isabela. We visited the ruins of the church, Ermita San Antonio de Padua de la Tuna, on a rainy Sunday. I didn't know that you had to make an appointment to actually get inside the grounds, so we had to content ourselves with looking at the site over the fence.


 You can see where the walls have been reinforced.


This is obviously a modern addition.

After we finished our brief wander of the church site, we headed over to see the Guajataca Tunnel, a former railroad tunnel that connected Isabela to the town of Quebradillas. The American Railroad Company of Puerto Rico began work on the tunnel in 1904. It was declared an historical monument in 2000. The railroad line is long gone. Now the tunnel takes pedestrians to Guajataca Beach, which is known for its white sand and raging surf.


We passed this tower on our way to the beach. Steve surmised it was an 
old water tower for the railroad.

 Here's a photo I found online of the tunnel circa 1910.

And here's the tunnel today.

 Guajataca Beach. The sand doesn't really look white to me. Nor is the surf raging. But from what I understand, the water calms down in the summer. It's much rougher during the winter.

A rock formation alongside the tunnel.

 There was an oceanside trail on the other side of the tunnel. It began raining as we walked through the tunnel. Once it abated, we took a stroll to see what could be seen.


 A rainbow following the rain.

 The pattern etched into the cliff face.


 The tunnel entrance from the other side.


I like water crashing over rocks. I enjoy snapping photo series of crashing water because each photo is unique. And sometimes, you capture something spectacular. Here's a series I snapped at Guajataca Beach. I don't think I caught anything spectacular, but I like it all the same.






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