Apple Blossoms and Other Things

The apple trees in my realm are full of fragrant blossoms. The big bumble bees are burrowing among the blossoms. These are the BIG Airbus 380 version of bees. These suckers are huge!

It’s hard to count them, but there are at least five bees per tree, and likely a few more that I can’t see.

I can hear a steady “hurrmmmm” from each tree.

Big Bee Butt!

The flowers smell wonderful. The cherry blossoms of Japan and Washington get a lot of publicity, and the orange blossoms of Florida are also very nice, People who enjoy fruit trees should think about seeing the apple blossom season of Michigan. You won’t bee disappointed.

Other Things

My realm has turned green. My life has turned simple. I get up and admire the color of early light on the maple leaves.

Later, I give the dog a treat and play “gimmee that stick.” Which pleases her to no end keeping it away from me.

Rhubarb turns six soon.

I try to ride my bike twice a week. The gravel up here is good! Very gravelly.

Late afternoon cocktail on the back deck starts the dining hours… first a Gin and Thomic with snacks and NPR in the battery operated radio. Then dinner of some sort. Then maybe one more quick project.

Like this bike rack system!

Lake Superior is still blue.

Beetles are still mating! So hot!

This old rocker is still comfortable.

I’m still happy, enjoying the complexity of a simple life.

Two Thousand Miles in Three Days

My journey started in Seattle last Thursday at 15:30. I had just eaten half a hoagie and was looking at an afternoon of sitting around in the van. I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to leave. I said to myself, “Let’s go.” And so I did.

I made it over the mountains. I left the freeway behind and found the perfect park a little ways past Othello.

My favorite organized campgrounds are small, often located on man made lakes in the middle of nowhere. They are usually federally funded. They aren’t destination campgrounds. These are just nice parks, with camping and a few choice amenities (water, shower house, bathroom, sometimes with electricity, and dump station). These are small beautiful gems that I stay the night at, after a long day of driving.

And this place was perfect. I made it in time for sunset, and I spent an hour sitting on the lake watching the red winged blackbirds build nests, and woo their mates.

The next day, I drove through the Palouse region covered in green grass. Gorgeous.

I had only gotten five hours of sleep the night before. So by the time I crossed Idaho, and got a third of the way across Montana, I was exhausted. I found a roadside park up on the hillside, and this was home for the night.

Typical dinner on long drive days: Fried haloumi cheese on a veggie wrap.

The longest drive day was 700 miles. I just kept going. I didn’t feel like stopping. One advantage of driving in the spring, is that it’s light out from 0530 to 2030. You can drive a long way.

The cleanest bathrooms you can find are in Round Up, Montana.

Started slaying a few bugs in North Dakota.

Feet up in time for sunset.

I finished my drive tonight (Sunday) at 2030. That means I drove two, thousand miles in three days and some change.

It was a great drive. I haven’t done a trip like that since my twenties.

Clouds of Icy Strait Alaska

Behold! Nature of the North. Clouded Sea Scapes. Such Color! Such Light! Mountains. Islands! Rain and mist. Sunshine and God rays, but only for a minute.

Then it all fades to gray. Was it ever really there?

CDS Portuguese - To Santiago in Style

We didn’t exactly sprint to finish this Camino. We had two options: we could go the distance and finish the Camino on a hot Saturday afternoon in Santiago, or we could lay up seven kilometers short and finish on a quiet and cool Sunday morning.

We chose the second option.

We weren’t in any rush, and leaving an easy seven kilometer hike to finish was a really nice way to go.

We saw a lot of great animals on these days. I gave out all kinds of treats to the welcoming commitee.

Pink Donut!

This cold black cat came running when it heard me crinkle the treat bag.

There’s a valley in Spain where beagles are preffered.

Patience in Photography. I waited until she reached the gap before getting the photo.

Soft Shoulders.

Goats!!!!!

And the buffulata salad was excellent!

The countdown was nice coming in to town. We started getting “finishing fever.” Our pace increased, and we blew through the final kilometers.

There were still a few pockets of nature on the way.

We started to glimpse the famous spires if the cathedral.

And finally we were there! Some 200 miles later on three different trails. We completed the San Salvador, and the Portuguese Caminos, and did a few warm up days on the French route.

It feels good to be done. I'm ready to chill out for a day or two, and catch up on my journal. Sleep in. Drink some wine. Cook our own food. Sit in a hot spring.

But what a ramble! Thank you for coming by to read the installments. I appreciate it!

CDS Portuguese - Galician Nature

The walk was pleasant today. We passed through more Galacian forests and farmland heading ever closer to Santiago. The skies were high overcast for much of the day, which made for good lighting for the day’s subjects.

There are more pilgrims now. We are an active ant line of backpackers stretching miles and miles over the landscape. It’s mildly interesting thing to think about. If you looked down from a drone, or a plane, would we look like ants?

Donuts and Coffee.

On the Path.

Six Trees.

The Church of Santa Mariña.

A Triangle, Circle & Two Crosses.

Trailside Blooms.

Hyper Green Moss Covering The Trees

Healthy Creek.

This dog was sniffing so hard, he was pulling grass out by their roots.

A Pocketful of Blooms.

The best cat we’ve had all trip. It was very affectionate, but mostly was interested in rubbing itself on a weed growing out of a crack.

Purple!

We hit town, and Linda says, “I want pizza…” and so we walked a half a block into town and there it was: a pizza joint. She summoned it! It was fabulous.

CDS Portuguese - Solamente

Linda walks out of the bathroom this morning and days, “I think I’m going to throw up. Something is definitely wrong.”

My first thought was, “Well, why did you come out of the bathroom?”

I was smart enough not to offer that line of questioning out loud.

She tried to hike, but it was not happening. After coming up with a good plan for her, we parted ways. She got a taxi to our next hostel to recover, and I’m hiking alone.

I haven’t hiked alone on a camino. I’ve always hiked with Linda. When you hike with someone else, it’s different. I tend to match Linda’s pace. There’s no point hiking miles ahead of your partner - what if they sprain an ankle? You’d just have to back track.

But now I’m alone, and I can do as I please. It was a bit like letting a greyhound off the leash. I galloped off just content to see what I could do.

It was a good hike. I kept a good pace. I passed everyone else on the trail until I stopped for lunch. Then half of them passed me back. Such is a trail with a lot of people on it.

Dawn over the river. Pontevedra.

Galacia is very green. It’s a pretty path to walk upon.

I made it to Caldas de Reis before it got too hot. I met up with Linda, and went into nurse mode. It’s good to take care of your partner. It’s no fun being sick, especially while on a big trek.

The Church.

CDS Portuguese - Coming Home

Linda asked me if I wanted one more lunch in Portugal, before we crossed the river back into Spain.

I said, “ Nah, babe. Let’s go home.”

And so we did. No regrets either! We stopped in Tui, and started out with Galacian tapas and cañas. We were so happy! We really LOVE Spain.

The water engineers of Portugal are excellent. The use water very effectively with their canals and irrigation systems. Everyone gets water, and it makes for interesting hiking.

The first customer was a nice black cat. It was pre dawn, and cold. I gave it a treat while it waited for the sun to rise.

A cute begger!

Definitely not a Rottweiler… we were expecting a big tough dog, not this pipsqueak.

Home!

Today we trekked north enjoying as relatively short day (9 miles) that started at 0530 in the morning. We had plans of eating great seafood in Arcade, and to make that happen, we needed to catch, “The Cheater’s Express” at 1130 in O Porriño.

Turns out, we were not the only pilgrims on that train. I won’t rat anyone out, but there’s a lot of us pilgrims being tempted by the cushy seats and high speeds of the devil’s buses and trains.

There’s a saying (I just made up), “All roads lead to Santiago, especially the railroad.”

What can I say? The devil’s public transportation system is very effective! I’ll walk off my penance tomorrow. With a hike this long, it’s easy to make up for all your sinning.

Last Church Leaving Tui.

Me. On a Bridge.

Public Art Along the Way.

Canal Trail.

Dawn.

Trees and Long Shadows.

Long Leg Shadows.

Dew on a Flower. These flowers have kept us company since Lisbon.

Toast! Our favorite breakfast is toast, butter, jam and a cafe con leche. Spain is excellent at toast. Portugal, not so much. However, Portugal has a better coffee to milk ratio in their cafe con leche. I prefer more coffee to milk.

Waiting in tiny seldom used train station for a train that may or may not arrive.

The Cheater’s Express!

Table Grasshopper

Where I ate a wonderful meal of oysters, clams, shrimp and calamari. I drank Albariño. If I die today, I’ll at least die happy and full.

Back in the land of tarte de abuella. Happiness.

CDS Portuguese - Today Was...

Today was a day of warm blue skies. Today was a day of interesting roads winding high up into the hills. Today was a day of following water to it’s source. Today was a day of wrestling puppies and good goats. Today was a day of sunshine. Today was a day of a good Sunday dinner Portuguese style.

The Rio Lima - Reflections

If I understand things right, the Romans used to hang out in this valley, and so they out up some statues to commemorate them.

Creekside Trail

Droplets on a Flower.

The Joy of Puppies!

It’s 930 am. Time for a Portuguese snack of Cod Fish Cakes, Pastel De Nata, and an Imperial Sized Beer.

And then.. Round Two of Puppy Wrestling!

These two tiny dogs were so cute! They were the absolute delight of the five old men that frequent this cafe. Very entertaining.

Eucalyptus Seed Sporing

Overhead Grape Vines. I would love to see these in season.

“You Kids Behave!”

We had baby goats come up to the fence! Linda about died of happiness today.

The grass here is so thick and lush, that even I thought about eating it! This is a grass eaters heaven.

Sunday is the best day to eat out in Portugal. Every restaurant is ready and expecting the masses to come eat.

As a pilgrim, this definitely works out in our favor. We had a delicious meal of soup, bread and butter, breaded pork steak and omelette with fries and rice. We had a pitcher of vino verde (our favorite) and finished with coffee and pudding. We shared everything, and were very satisfied.

CDS Portuguese - 100 Percent of 80 Percent

The weather forecast for the day stated that there was an 80% chance of rain. As I slogged through thirteen and a half miles of heavy mist and light rain, it occured to me that it was more like a 100% chance of 80%. It may not make sense to you, but how could it? You weren’t here.

No matter. Today’s photos mostly highlight the wonderful spring flowers of northern Portugal and rural scenes along the camino.

The mist made for interesting even light, which made the landscape pop. I’m happy I carry an umbrella, as I was able to work my camera with one hand while keeping it dry with the other.

Old Stone Bridge. It felt Roman, but I could be wrong.

There was a huge patch of calla lily in a eucalyptus forest. I’ve never seen so many calla lily in one spot growing in the wild.

Calla Lily on the Path.

Green Country Lanes.

Yellow Angel Trumpets.

Rain Soaked Blooms.

Moss Wall Reflection. I really like using these convex mirrors for interesting images. It doesn’t always work, but this one does.

Wet Wool. Lots of sheep today. As I’ve said before, all the best countries have sheep.

Pilgrims!

Lambs! Sooooo cute! I’ve never had sheep come up to the fence before. Ewesually they are a bit standoffish.

Another four pack of flowers.

So Wet. Rain days make everything heavier.

Two Portraits in the Avenue of Beeches. Ponte de Lima.

My First “Big and Tasty.”

Halfway through the hike, Linda mentioned that there was a McDonald’s in our destination town. From then on, it was all we wanted for lunch. It was great! Thing is, McDonald’s has interesting offerings in Portugal I haven’t seen anywhere else… You could get Pea Soup! It would have made my mother very happy.

The Old Roman Bridge Across the Rio Lima.

I Offered An Ear Scratch to a Local Resident.

Good hike today. Even though it was wet, it was beautiful, and it makes getting warm and dry again just wonderful.

Back Alleys of Coimbra and Porto

We spent today wandering around the cobbled streets of Coimbra and Porto. Both cities are very photogenic - particularly if you get back in the residential nooks and alleys.

Coimbra hosts one of the oldest universities in the world. It’s situated on top a very steep hill. After hiking to the top ourselves, we had coffee and watched scored of students trudge up the incline - talk about higher learning! (Yeah, Linda didn’t fund that funny either). Anyway, those kids have strong legs and a beautiful campus.

We had dinner at a good Portuguese restaurant. This place was local, and we had a good meal. We noticed it while having lunch at the neighboring restaurant, that hordes of locals were coming out of it. We decided to come back for dinner.

Porto Street Scenes

Blue Tiled Church Against a Blue Sky

Laundry Day

Most churches have these elaborately carved statues of some significant saint doing something saintly…. And then there’s this church… with the pale bearded toga dude.

Narrow Canyon Alley Way

Vertical Gold

Horizontal Gold

Pigeons And Grafitti

Window

Blue Tile Art Panel At the Train Station

We stopped in at a great Georgian Restaurant in Porto. Their Khachapuri was absolutely delicious.

CDS Portuguese - Beautiful Morning to Coimbra

As soon as I opened the front door this morning, we were greeted by the resident host dog. After having a good scratch session where we made a big fuss over him, he was ready to guide us a mile down the path. This walk was clearly something he enjoyed, and probably did on a daily basis.

Some goats who only had eyes for the dog. Goats seem to like dogs more than most other creatures.

Gradually the sun began to burn through the cloud. The resulting diffused light was fantastic! But it was fleeting. I only had about a half hour to work with the golden light.

Linda on the Path.

Olive grove. Does anyone else find olive orchards as beautiful as I do? They are very photogenic.

Downstream.

Upstream.

The sun diffused through the clouds - the source of all this beautiful light.

Farm dogs have no boundries. They are free to roam.

Into the forest.

Shadow.

Urban Olive Orchard. As we got closer to Coimbra, we began to see smaller orchards of olives, but still just as fetching.

A good scratch. This old fella was working a good itch when I passed by.

The Cathedral of Coimbra. It is beautiful inside as it is outside.

Statue adorning the cathedral of Coimbra. More on Coimbra tomorrow.

CDS Portuguese - A Good Dog Day

Sometimes we measure the quality of our day by how many good dogs we meet on the trail. Well, today was a “good dog day” maybe the best dog day we’ve ever had. We met seven good dogs, and several more that were working, and didn’t have time to come say hello.

A good dog day in the past has been one or even two dogs. But we had SEVEN today! Unbelievable!

“Chocolate” - he was ready and willing to hike to Santago with us. He snuck up on us and gave us full body tail wags. He walked with us for a quarter mile before we had to tell him to go home. He got a treat.

Dog selfie with “Brownie” - He got a treat.

Ol “Chunky” looks like pilgrim treats are its favorite food. It got a treat.

These two were super fun. “Blondie” was all about hangin out and having a treat. But his brother was too nervous to trust a stranger. He was very curious about all this petting and treat though.

If me and Blondie teamed up, we’d be unstoppable. Linda says we look alike.

This dog was sooooooo sweet! “Sweetie” was quiet and calm, and got a lot of pets and treats while all her barking dog mates didn’t get anything.

In other news, we are getting strong. Our bodies are adapting to the task. It feels good to be able to carry our packs, and feel relatively good at the end of the day.

I spent the rest of the day chasing images and light with my camera. There is so much beauty to see in this landscape. Portugal is amazing…

Breakfast Fire… Donut and Coffee.

I like the orchards. Lots of intetesting light to play with.

Crack House.

Grapes

“Beware o traveler, for the road is also travelling!”

Daisy Patch.

Daisies and Olives.

The Great Bend.

Grapes in a Sea of Daisies.

Olive Orchard.

“HURRAHHHH!!!”

Cold Beers On a Hot Trail.

Cloud Diffusion.

The View From Our Hotel Window.

CDS Portuguese - Sun Shine & Rain

Today was a battle between the rain and the sun, and the rain won 70 to 30. It was one of our longer days of hiking, and I was constantly switching between my trekking poles and my umbrella.

It was a great hiking temperature most of the day. The clouds and rain kept it cool. But this is still central Portugal in March, and when the sun hit us in full rain gear this afternoon, it was HOT! Think steamed clams.

Here are the best photos of the day:

I had no expectations of Portuguese landscapes before I arrived. I didn’t know it would be this green, or this beautiful. I didn’t know it would be this quiet, and this pastoral.

A gap in the wall.

Sheeeeeeep!

The old cheese cave.

A few minutes of blue sky.

Lunch! New cheese and ham on homemade still warm bread.

Flowers and Olives

Great country lanes winding between old farms.

Old rock walls and olive trees.

Linda prefers the big poncho.

I prefer the rain pants, backpack cover and umbrella.

The good news is both rain systems work just fine. We both were warm and dry on a sometimes cold rainy hot sunny day.

CDS Portuguese - Perfect Day

Today was that day that everyone dreams about when imagining hiking across Europe.

The day started cool, but warmed with the sun. The path wound through lush green rolling landscapes full of wild flowers, citrus, eucalyptus groves and olive orchards.

The whole day was bursting with complimenting color.

Spring bird songs filled the air, along with distant barking dogs, bleating sheep and goats. We saw nine cats, one of which came by for inspection.

We walked through small villages about every two miles. When we wanted coffee, the town folk directed us to a small inconspicuous building with a bar we would have missed otherwise.

When it got hot we stopped for a beer. It slowed us down, but there was no rush to the day.

Eventually we reached our destination and stopped for a late lunch. We shared a bottle of green wine, and ate lightly pickled olives, bread, thin fried pork and fries. Garotos to settle the stomach.

It was a truly fabulous day, I offer these images as proof.

Leaving Tomar at dawn.

Smoke stack in good light.

Tree in waterfall mist.

Sunrise on the river.

Bloom.

Ferns and river.

Orchard Scene

Hills of brilliant flowers.

Unexpected coffee.

Goats on a farm.

Trees and blue sky.

Blue eyed cat.

Long legs, Long Neck.

Farming.

Wildflowers and old wall.

Follow the path.

Indifferent Cat.

The road to Ville Verde.

Fried pork, egg, fries, salad, rice

It’s a good start to our trek. I’ll remember this dayas one of the best days I’ve ever had on any trail.

Portugal, you are wonderful.

Fifteen Hours to Lisbon

Early morning bedroom hotel scene. 0700ish. Oviedo, Spain.

Linda: “Thom. I need you to wake up.”

Me: “….mhmm?”

Linda: “Are you awake? I need to ask you something.”

Now this can go one of two ways: Either she’s going to ask me who my third girlfriend was, and why did we break up, or she’s going to ask me if I want to change our plans.

Linda: “There’s a bus to Lisbon. But if you want to go, it leaves at 0930.”

Me: (Yaaawwwwn) “Ah.. uhhh… Ok…” ...thinking… sort of. Rolling over.

Linda: “Is that what you want to do? We are just going to sit around all day, we might as well spend it on a bus. Tickets are 50 Euro for both of us. It’s either that or we fly to Rome and take a train to Palermo. Or we spend another day here, and figure it out, or we hike in the rain for a week. These are your options.

One of us clearly spends more time researching than the other.

Me: (Drowsy and warm, eyes closed, waking up a bit) “Ok. Let’s go to Lisbon.”

And so we did.

From the bus.

I had grand ambitions of catching photos of the bus ride, but I missed the first three great photos due to a lack of readiness. I gave up that idea, and stared out the window instead. I regret it now.

Gas station cortada @ 2200.

It’s 0100 fifteen hours later. It’s cold and raining. We are waiting for our Uber, but we are in Portugal.

Looking out the hostal window.

Pastis de nata and coffee for pre breakfast.

And then a bunch of street scenes in Lisbon.

The city tile/cobble work is excellent. Pity anyone in heels.

“See the apple thing?”

Senior picture.

Reminds me of a Lowry painting

Feet and Tile.

The Old Bookstore

Old tiles for sale.

Cream. Blue. Yellow.

The old stone work on the church.

Dandelion.

Trolley Line.

It’s my first time in Lisbon. I really like it. It’s visually stimulating. I enjoy using my camera here. It’s busy. It’s international. There’s a lot of different languages being spoken. It’s fun trying to speak very basic Portuguese. I am immediately a 3 year old again, trying to communicate.

We went to the Asian market for lunch. This is the BEST Asian market I’ve ever attended. The upstairs has ten different stalls offering almost any Asian craving you are feeling. It’s fantastic!

You may wonder why we went for Asian instead of Portuguese fare… In my experience, the city has a greater variety than the small towns do. So when we are in the city, we seek out the cravings we can’t get anywhere else. We know we’ll be eating Portuguese every day out on the trail.

“Abrigado!”

CDS San Salvador - The Grind

The last two days of the trek were truly a grind. The trail mostly wound parallel to the highway. At one point we were between an active construction site, and the highway.

It was a long way from the bird songs, and cool breezes of the quiet alpine paths.

But there were a few gems.

Mare and foal. Mom came up to.the fence thinking we had a carrot.

Iglesia de Santa Cristina de Lena. A beautiful small church. All these churches high on a hill… how do the old folks get up there?

Spring River Scene.

A beautiful magnolia tree.

This waiter was very proud of his tortilla! And rightfully so. See that little circle on the lower left of the image? He drew our tortilla and its ingredients for us with a pencil. This was a stuffed tortilla with ham, cheese, and mayonaise. It was fabulous! I’ve always wondered why people don’t put more stuff into tortilla. They are ready made for leftovers.

Then, after a few decades of travel, I finally ran into a live bed bug… ugh….. And it was a very nice hotel too. Which goes to show you they can be anywhere.

We spent our morning doing laundry and incinerating our stuff. It was actually great timing, as all our stuff was funky and neeing a wash.

You ever completely change clothes in a dark corner of a public laundymat? Well, I have…

We reached the Catedral of San Salvador this afternoon. We earned our certificates, and got a free tour of the cathedral!

The cathedral is very beautiful, and holds an impressive collection of sacred artefacts, and holy items.

Being raised protestant, I’ve heard of such things, but it was always abstract - Like walking on the moon. Actually seeing them today, was… moving. It made all these abstract histories I had once memorized have more substance.

I saw St. Peter’s travelling bag. I saw one of rags that covered Christ’s head when they hauled him down. I saw dozens of ancient pieces of craftsmanship used to haul these relics around. The victory cross was there, which is the symbol of Asturias, the region we are hiking through.

I didn’t take any photos inside, it didn’t seem right. But the cloisters was very peaceful. I’ve been in more catholic churches in the last three years than Ive been to protestant ones in the last twenty. I’m not very pious. But I find them beautifully built. Quiet. Contemplative. And very nice to visit on a long hot day of hiking.

A portrait of my gal, in good light. Note the crown of pigeons on the statue.

Oviedo is a big enough city to have Napoli style pizza. We opted to celebrate with a fantastic pizza from D’Italty… A margherita with added spicy sausage for me.

We’ve got a two day rest before continuing into the Primitivo.

Ciao!

CDS San Salvador - Descent

Today was a demanding, leg wrecking descent down through the valleys to Campumanes. It’s steep! But, it certainly is beautiful…

The farming community of Llanos de Somerón held some of the most impressive gardens I’ve seen. It looks like you could grow anything there. They wasted no ground, every patch is covered in gardens, a meadow for horses, sheep, or goats, or a small chicken coop.

We love hiking the farm lanes that wind there way between farms and villages. They are often single track, bound on both sides by fences. Wide enough for a cow.

Somone’s lost shopping list.

We were plumb worn out by the time we got to the beautiful shire green meadows near Etrias. It was gorgeous. We stopped for a cookie break sitting in the grass, and it was very difficult to want to get up and get moving again.

All descents eventually must reach the bottom. Ours ended with a fantastic meal at a restaurant near town. These beans in the fabada are like candy! I’ve never had better fabada in my life. It makes sense though, we are smack dab in the middle of Asturias… the fabada better be good.

CDS San Salvador - Crossing The Sierra

What a fantastic day hiking over the mountains! The light was incredible. Wherever you looked, there was another magnificent view.

We earned our views. Though we only hiked just over eight miles, the elevation gain and loss made up for the lack of distance. We were easily distracted from our efforts by the landscape.

The Iberian frogs get started early. We saw dozens of egg clusters in the small ponds and puddles and concrete tanks.

We passed into Asturias, and life got more green. But first, Coffee!

I passed dozens of wild flowers starting the spring bloom, but stopped to photograph a few.

Asturias is full of farms, with fields full of animals. It’s an interesting place to walk through, because you never know who might come to the fence to say hello.

Head of the town welcoming commitee.

The view from our hostel window.

Last night, we arranged dinner ahead of time at the bar in town. Tonight, we mucked down some delicious hot and spicy fabada like deliciousness It really hit the spot after that hike.

I am so very full: Full of mountains. Full of trails. Full of food. And I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow…

CDS - Typical Day on the San Salvador Way

With my accomplice still feeling punky, I was on my own today. My mission was to reach the high point above Buiza, inspect the trail conditions and markings and see if this camino was a go.

The rain started about a mile into my hike. I was prepared for it and donned my pack protection and umbrella. I really like rain hiking with an umbrella. It keeps the core dry, and isn’t as confining as a poncho. To be fair, if it’s really coming down, I do have a poncho if necessary.

The trail was in good shape and well marked. The soil is more sandy than in other regions, and mud was not an issue.

I am very happy with my choice of Altra Lone Peak waterproof hiking shoes. The wide toe box and water wicking ability is perfect for me. Shoe choice is a very personal and opinionated topic among hikers. Altras work great for me, and I’ve got hundreds of miles between my last pair and these.

I reached the apex about noon. All was quiet except for the patter of rain on my umbrella and chuckle of the creeks.

The rain let up a bit on my way back down, and I caught a nice view looking back towards Buiza.

Buiza has many fountains for water, which is always greatly appreciated by the thirsty pilgrims.

The rain turned to mist, but made for a good mood image of the bend in this river.

Made it back to town in time for a caña and some tapas in a warm bar. Nothing like warming your soul with food and beer after a good soaking wet jaunt in the mountains.

CDS Francais - The Difficulties of Day Two

The second day of any back packing trek is always the hardest. The body is still hardening to the task. Yesterday’s efforts have left it tender, and muscles, tendons and ligaments are all very sore.

Usually, the morning isn’t too bad, but by afternoon the body just hurts a bit. It’s all part of the adventure. As the days go by, the body adjusts, and mileage that once seemed daunting flies by with ease.

Here are today’s Pictures of the Path

1. Breakfast! We took a pastry for the road, these are so delicious. There’s nothing better than starting your day at the baker’s shop with coffee and a pastry.

2. The Entrance to the Bridge.

3 and 4. Morning light in the path heading into Mañeru. Hiking in the early morning offers great light, birds are chirping and the landscape just hums.

5 and 6. Arches - This bridge under the highway is beautifully built, and offers beautigul light reflections inside.

7. The path. I was sore by this point. But at least the landscape is a nice distraction.

8. Plaza Santiago, Estella

9. The Hand That Knocks on the Door. I love the artistry and craftsmanship of the doors in Europe. So much character!

Our plans have evolved. Tomorrow is a rest day. My accomplice has gotten sick with a cold. So we are going to get her healthy before the next twist of our path.