Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Follow the Yellow Brick Road!

Well we really slept well but Dads knee was really bothering him yesterday and we were a little worried about how it would react to biking for two more days. We were down to the final two stages and they were both only about 20 kilometers long. The routes looked reasonable but everything in Spain still has hills in it. We got up about 8 and Dads knee was not feeling well. We packed up and I got the bikes and luggage ready. We went around the corner to have breakfast and the place turned out to be a bakery. We both got a pastry and a couple cups of coffee. Ok now it was time to try out the knee. As it turned out Dad was able to bike but walking was going to be a problem. Some walking was going to be required so we were still worried. As we rolled out of town we saw a beautiful sign that said Santiago 38K. Wow that gave us inspiration! With the added pressure of Dads knee it started to feel like we were going to OZ. Following yellow arrows instead of a yellow brick road. We knew today would consist of riding the highway, some paved walking roads and even the dreaded rocky path. Luckily it was supposed to be more of a rolling hill kind of day. We started out downhill going out of town! Then the dreaded hills started. Not mountainous but still a hill all the same. The road was busier then usual. Not really bad but too many cars for our liking. We rode about 15 kilometers and stopped at an outdoor cafe and had three coca cola lights! Just what I needed. We found out that we were a little further than we thought and finally we said out in the open what we had both been thinking. Maybe we could go all the way today! It seemed like a great idea. Why not go while the knee is working. Of course a few minutes later was a huge hill. I pushed the bikes and Dad followed with his cane and of course with his helmet firmly attached to his head. At the top of the hill we saw the Camino's walker path and a small sign that said bicycles were welcome to. This was a great moment as it is always better to be off the main highway. We started following the path and with in 30 minutes we were well into the woods and some very small towns. I was starting to worry that we were on a fake path. All of the signs looked super old and I really did not see any walkers. Apparently some of the cities have built new Camino paths and this redirected the traffic away from some smaller towns. Sort of like what happens when we build a bypass. It has been said that some of the locals have been known to cover up the new signs and paint some that get the walkers to go through their town. I cant say as I blame them but  we really did not want to make a mistake this late in the game. Finally we came across some walkers and they said we were on the right path. It was nice to be off the main highway but this path was very hilly. I would push the bikes up the hill and Dad would walk up with a cane. We repeated this several times. One time when I was pushing the bikes up the hill I met two woman from the Philippines. One lived in Germany and the other one in Austria. They were surprised when I greeted them with Kumasta Ka. Hello how are you in their native tongue. They instantly asked me what I knew about the Philippines and of course I told them all about Lyn. We felt a connection right away. One of them took one of my bikes and helped push it up the hill. At the top of the hill we exchanged emails and we all took pictures on all of our cameras. They were so helpful and friendly. Exactly what I expected! Finally we rode off and I yelled Mubuhay (Which is sort of a way of saying cheers in their language) I am loving this Camino! We kept riding and felt like we were going to make it all the way. We stopped one last time for lunch at a cafe that was also a campground. It was very relaxed and the owner said we only had 7K to go. Lets do this. We rode some more and finally came to the edge of town. Unfortunately it was slow going a mixture of biking and walking. Finally I caught my first glimpse of the Cathedral. Oh my gosh we were really almost there.  Finally after carrying the bikes down two flights of stairs we were in the town center at the cathedral! We took our bikes to the center of the square and just looked at it! We could not believe it. We decided to go take a picture of both our hands actually touching it! Awesome! While Dad rested I went and worked out a hotel for the night! I was able to get a room in an old Monastary that had actual heat. It actually had all the trappings of a 4 star hotel! We got showers and relaxed. It had not sunk in what we had actually pulled off. Later we went to dinner and decided to call it an early night. Tomorrow after breakfast we are taking our Pilgrim passports and having them validated! This is the last and final step. More on that tomorrow. As for tonight we are going to bed as the Camino has just about worn us out for the day. Buen Camino!

Dads quote of the day! "I was the donkey and Ben was the carrot! He rode just far enough in front of me to make me think I could catch him but he knew I never could!"























7 comments:

  1. Wow, you guys did it! I'm so proud of you both! Mabuhay... Buen Camino! You both rock!

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  2. Wow, you guys did it! I'm so proud of you both! Mabuhay... Buen Camino! You both rock!

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  3. Buen Camino!! Congratulations - you made it. So proud of you both!! Bud, rest your knee if you can but enjoy your final days in Spain. Love you!!

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  4. Burn Camino! I have tears welling in my eyes! What a journey! Thank you for sharing it with us! Buddy, let's write a kids book about this!

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