Took us two hours to cycle up this hill in granny gear in the rain and mist, a real chance to test our cycling mettle. We were freezing by the time we reached the pass and actually managed to strip off our wet clothes on the side of the road and change into something warm for the descent. The downhill experience was surreal - we passed wet, mud-caked cows, pasiego farmers walking in the mist, cigarette in hand, dog at their heels, a slow smile, no pretense. The views of the limestone canyon were supposed to be spectacular but we could only see the road ahead of us.
We're in Somo now and have decided to spend our few extra days here rather than down in Madrid. Again, one of the really wonderful revelations about reaching what Richard Ford calls the Middle Period is that you know what you like, so we'll be hanging onto the bikes for 3 more days to explore the area east of here.
We're at the train station now - Casey went in to buy tickets to Madrid and I'm seated at the bar in a cafe finishing hot chocolate.
One Quart, Resealable, Plastic Bag: Temporarily tethered to the suburbs, two adventure junkies travel the world in pursuit of the planet's nicest people.
2 comments:
Misty mountain pass for cyclists. Must be challenge and fun in its own way. Have you got a fog-light to shine your way? Hot chocolate sounds great. Even better if there is a hot spring somewhere nearby.
Yes! Casey calculated 7200 feet of vertical elevation climbing one day. It was best that he didn't give me those stats before the day began.
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