I thought it was a tire store ... It said Michelin on some sign out front

Oh pilgrim food just sucks some times ... Just imagine what this all  tasted like. 

And than they made us finish with ...

Lol poor Powtown Pilgrims . I wonder if there is anymore Michelin star food joints along the way ?

Fuelling a Gray Fox

Rolling along ... Bowling on the Camino

Wow what a day ... Just rolling along through vineyards and old towns ... Just awesome. This has been our easiest day, and from comments I hear, our easiest most enjoyable day! Awesome to have before a nightmare day ... Tomorrow we ride almost 70 k, with a significant climb in the middle! Oh our wonderful day today which was stunning blue skies ... Just like our Canadian foothills, early evening the thunder has come, with a forecast of rain tomorrow ! great ... Just great ... Wet cobble stones in the towns, and sloppy dirt rodes. On the bright side, maybe the walkers will take a break and stay off the trails.

Quite funny to see everyone scatter for shelter from the rain ... Leslie and I walk about, find some great wine, stop in a few cool shops. A few other Powton Pilgrims are also helping the local economy! Way to go team.

Ran into our first donkey on the trail ... Real ... A real donkey ... I learn later that this is this dudes fourth Camino with his "Burro" ... Whatever, donkey, ass, burro ... They all look the same .

I'm I'm danger of catching the Gray Fox in the flat department ... 3 to his 6 ... We have given up patching tires ... Javier purchased 10 spare tubes for 12 euro! Man things are cheap in some of these small towns/cities. Had a little snack after the ride ... Two pizzas, seven glasses of wine, one beer, and a plate of pasta ... 32 euro.

Bowling ... Yup almost got my first pilgrim pin today, dumb ass walker not hearing a repeated dingle of my bike bell, decides at the last moment "hears" me ... Gets startled and makes a quick shift to the left ... Right in front of me. I should have bowled her over ... But that is not the Camino thing to do... Skid to a halt at her heals instead.

Tomorrow we roll a long long way ... Hopefully it's not a mud bath of excitement!

Looking for "the Way"

Day two and three were a bit different for me, missing two of my sidekick ... Sitting out do too a little bad interaction with some nuts, and some bad intact ion with rocks. So I spent the day looking for spots along our Camino that were in the movie " The Way " I have seen the movie enough times that I pretty well have it memorized. I will inject some pictures when they get shared with me. Fran, Doug and I took some pictures which is in the movie. If you have watched it, it's where the Dutch dude compares his waist line to the metal sculptures of pilgrims. the movie leaves out from that part of the movie the amazing view from that high point.

Day three was an awesome ride, but hot, glad it ended in Estella. Nothing exciting going on at night, well I did get a haircut!

There are hundreds of pilgrims to be passed each day, which I try and do politely, give a little dingle of the bell long before them, and than again a little closer .... Err $&$@&&$&$, some still don't get the hint. Took a little flop onto some fairly soft bushes because of one, just a few thorns to pluck out.

On day four, Estella to Lograno, a learn going wide doesn't always work, berry bush branch got me, had to ride one handed while I pressed a towel against the arm till the bleeding stopped! Flats ... Thanks again to some slow ass pilgrims not hearing the ding of my bell, I choose a little off trail adventure to pass, only to pick up some thorn balls ... Dont realize that till a little pavement and hear some wierd tire noise, and sure enough I have to pick these thorn balls off my tires. Yup have a rear tire flat. Fix the first hole, check again, there is another, patch it, find another ... Four in one tire. ERRRR $&&)&$(&$@)$&(', get that fixed, flip bike back over, front is flat... So what would have been a great quick ride, slowed me down by at least a hour. Thanks to Gar and Mark coming along with a spare tire ... I get back riding finally. Mark is an expert at tire fixing ... He's had five so far 

So back to finding The Way along our Camino, all the towns mentioned in The Way we pass through, and a couple times we are riding along some rolling hill and it's sort of like the movie, but SO SO much more. amazing scenery, even pictures don't do it justice. Way to limiting. You just have to come do it yourself. Walking must be nuts, way to slow ... While riding is faster don't be fooled into thinking its easier, I notice I have have more sweat pouring off me at little cafe pits tops than the walkers around me. Lots clearly suffereing with sore feet along the trail !

Little pits stops are awesome, and cheap. Cafe con leche, fresh orange juices, little buns ... Great deals.

But some towns are like ghost towns, nothing open ... Move on to the next one ... Cliff Bars or a GU carry me on.

Rocks in my arm!!!

Hola,

"I'm sorry to say so

But sadly, it's true

That Bang-ups

and Hang-ups 

can happen to you" ~Dr. Suess

Roncesvalles to Pamplona -43km

790km to Santiago.....

Another beauty day from Sunny Spain.

On the Camino by 8am.. Lots of great trail riding, and some not so good!!! All of us pushing bikes up steep rocky hills again.. And then the downhill, steep and rocky as well... Was doing pretty good then hit some real rocky sloppy spot and couldn't stay on my bike. Road rash, and a few bruises, plus bruised ego... There was a creek there, so was able to soak my arm and foot. Three walking pilgrims stopped there, of course I was feeling embarrassed, they were telling me all about there blisters and broken toe-nails!!! Plus all the other wipe outs they had seen along the way, so felt a little better. When I got up to leave one of them holds up the most perfect Heart Rock...it was right beside me in the creek. Then wishes me luck on the Camino.. ... It will be a "buon Camino"

Rocks in our Heads!!!!!

Hola from Sunny Spain.....

Sorry I never blogged yesterday.... It was a love, hate relationship kind of day with the Pyrenees.

Loved how beautifully spectacular they are. It was like being On top of the world, and we were!!! Pedalling up the thru the most lush farmland, having to stop cos of all the sheep blocking the road. Cow bells ringing in the distant, the list goes on and on.

What I hated was nothing could have prepared us for how friggin steep they were!! They just went up and up and up...we were pushing our bikes up paths that I don't think are rideable at all.. Steep, rocks like you never seen before... I don't think it would be a problem pushing my bike up Scout Mt. When I get home. Lol..... But in saying that it was an amazing day..In fact Doug asked Mark Gray, aka Grey Fox, what training we could have done in P.R.and he said riding up Tin Hat Mt.!!!!!! 

Ain't life great

OMG ... That was tough

OMG ... That was a tough day! A few of us choose to ride from Saint Palais ... 30 k from our "starting point" of Saint Jean pied du port. Tougher than I thought it would be. A few hike a bike moments, I think even the Gray Fox would of had to hike a bike !

Total ride today 55 k, up over 1250 meters ... Picture please! Yes those that took picture should add some eh!

Funniest moments for me ... Had our own little Canada Day moment. fran and I came across a pile of Canadians, almost every province was represented. Easy to spot the Canadians ... They were drinking wine at one of the peaks! Crazy Canucks rule again!

Downhill was the scariest for me! Couldn't come to a stop ... Skidded for ages.

Oh beer has rarely tasted so good! A shower has rarely felt so good.

Good job done by everyone ... No wimp outs by anyone !