Blog 7

Our day started with the beautiful people who took us in to their cabin park. They gave us coffee and cake for breakfast and we left on our way. We knew the ride was going to be on many dirt roads but we were unaware of the huge climb we were going to face. As we were about 30 mins in our ride, a park ranger drove up to us and asked the usual questions we’ve been faced with “where are you from”, “where are you going”, “how did you get so good at Spanish” just the usual stuff. As we continued to talk with him he warned us of the huge rocky climb we were about to face about a kilometer down the road. We convinced him that we were both strong young men that were capable of doing such a climb and he looked us up and down and agreed. We talked about our project which he liked. He also told us how beautiful the parks in the US look on his TV. After we said our goodbyes, we headed to the start of the climb. It was one of those hills that had lots of turns so when you would think you were at the top, you would turn a corner and see there was so much more to climb. We were fooled by this many times. I can’t say how long we were climbing but it felt like north of 30 minutes of hard biking. My face was soaked with sweat dripping in my eyes and down my chinstrap. Augie and I separated on the climb which made the arrival at the top even more exciting because of our reunion. Our ride was then mostly through vineyards which I took many photos of. We made good time on the ride and got in a little after 2PM. We than wandered the town and bought food for the rest of the day and tomorrow. Unfortunately, they didn’t have penut butter which is my go to but they had a lot of Jamon which I also enjoy. We are staying is a campground right outside the town with a nice older couple from the Netherlands who is spending four months biking from Malaga back to their home! Tomorrow’s ride to Valencia will be a fun one because it’s mostly downhill.

Comments

  1. Ryan GraumannMay 8, 2019 at 5:16 AM

    Love reading about the interactions you are having with Spaniards! Incredible Spanish practice, but also provides a unique window on Spanish culture. I've met other Spaniards while hiking who have mentioned their admiration for the U.S. National Park system. Have you heard any Valencian? (One of the people I called answered their phone in Valencian). Good luck during your final stage on the Spanish mainland today! It sounds like you are in the cycling rhythm and truly are veterans.

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