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[elcamino22]

Day 8 Palas de Rei to Santiago

The forecast called for 40-80% chance of rain the whole way to Santiago today, but we were extremely fortunate that it was wrong. We were hit by a handful of drops, but other than that, had gorgeous weather the whole ride.

The day started with any other flat tire (Tom‘a front) on our way to get breakfast at a bakery / ice cream shop we are already regulars at.

There is a version of the Camino for hikers to do just the last 100 km on foot so we expected heavy traffic and less friendly travelers, but were again pleasantly surprised by fairly open trail and very friendly pilgrims. Plenty of “Buen Camino” being shouted as we passed.

Stage 1 of 3 was paved and ended with more coffee and pastries in an attempt to nostalgically slow the end of the trip.

The last 2 stages of the journey were some of the prettiest trails we had all week, mostly dirt but well packed.

Stu got another flat and while changing it, a local gave us some of his grapes from the winery we were by.

We stopped again at the end of stage 2 for a snack of sausage, cheese, croquettes, and bread

the final stage of the trip was more perfect dirt track but also some tough uphills.

With 1.2 miles to go, Tom got another flat, bringing our total to 8 flats on the trip.

And just like that we had arrived at the cathedral. The end of El Camino de Santiago. The way of Saint James.

We took our obligatory photos, got our Camino Passports stamped for the last time, and checked into our Airbnb while the rain finally started.

The rain was short lived, so we went back out to the cathedral square with a few bottles and took in the sights.

Our celebratory dinner was rowdy a 7 course meal at a Michelin recommended restaurant called Lume (for like €35). The pork dish may have been the best pork I have ever eaten.

It was late and raining hard by the time dinner ended so we headed back to the Airbnb and hung out for a bit before heading to bed.

[elcamino22]

Day 7 Fronfria to Palas de Rei

Today should be “easy” compared to the rest of the trip so far. Less than 50 miles, but our books have conflicting elevation. It could be really easy or really hard. (Editing later in the day.. it was hard)

We ate a quick breakfast and we were off with the sunrise (yes we were as tired as we look in the photo)

We started the day with a huge downhill (which was pretty cold at 8 am) followed by an unexpectedly steep and rocky uphill.

I felt better than I have all trip as we cranked the uphills and soared on the downhills with the smell of the local Apple orchards always in the air.

By 9:30 am we were in Sarria where we contacted a local bike shop to fix my spoke (even though they should have been closed on Sunday, and his Birthday!). We got brunch at a buffet.. and ate all of their food.

The bike shop owner was there early and was able to fix my spoke (and a few gear issues) in less than 30 minutes. Each of the 5 of us has officially had at least 1 bike issue. It’s like they say, ‘if you didn’t break anything, you didn’t ride hard enough.’

After Sarria, I decided to pace with Aaron for the first time (well tuned bike and finally feeling 100%) and was able to keep up and even pass on a few tough uphill grades. We were flying and I was Definitely gassed at the end of the stage but it was a blast.

We pulled into Porto Marin and rode up to the church square to be surprised by a concert in the square with some unique sounds. electric harp, clarinet, drums, etc. where we hung out for an hour.

From there on, we had another hot tough 25 miles. I couldn’t hang with Aaron anymore but I did hang with Dex which is not far off. Today was for sure the first time I felt 100% and was very happy that I could hang with Aaron & Alex (even if they did push much harder than me yesterday). We may have gotten a little lost, but not more than usual.

We made it to our destination of Palas de Rei around 5 and checked into our hostel (2 private rooms which is great)

Next we went and had first dinner (pizza.. and ice cream) then headed to mass (in Spanish) followed by second dinner (octopus and sausage with local sangria and wine.. and cheesecake)

Tomorrow is likely to rain which means a really rough day so we turned in early again.

[elcamino22]

Day 6 Astorga to Fonfria

Our shared room hostel was less fun for some of the crew.. I slept through it all, but apparently Aaron couldn’t sleep because of how loud the lady next to him was snoring.

The morning started early again around 6:15 with a breakfast of pastries, yogurt, and granola we got the night before.. and we also decided to add 7 miles to todays agenda despite it already being set to be our hardest day so far.. the town with population 26 seemed like a tough place to risk missing a hostel.

We got on the road as the sun rose and hung together for the first 10 miles. We told Aaron and Dex to pull ahead for the first mountain pass where we quickly added 2.5k ft of elevation. Per tradition, we left a rock at the highest point as a symbol of leaving our burdens behind.

We then rewarded ourselves with coffee and a rest on our way down (3k ft down.. very quickly).

Next we met Aaron and Dex at a local market then stopped for a lunch of sausage and sardines by el Castillo de Los Templarios before moving on together through the valley.

The valley ended with the final challenge of the day: 4 miles at between 9 and 12% grade.. for reference we were going so slow (and sweating so much) that the flies were keeping up with us.. I think I had over 20 in my halo by the top.

I also broke a spoke halfway up, but did get my first Harry’s shirt pic of the trip, so we’ll call it a win.

We had dinner at the peak and found a pilgrim prayer in the church that gave me goosebumps. Definitely a chilling and awe inspiring moment.

Finally, we rode the last 7 miles of the day along the mountain ridge as the sun set, checked into our Albergue, had a beer, and went to bed.

We stopped in several towns along the way, but today we were essentially on the bikes from 7:30 am to 8:45 pm. Another an incredible day.

[elcamino22]

Day 5 Terradillos to Astorga

I’ve had a sore throat for the last 2 days and last night was the cold sweats phase. Don’t worry, I brought COVID tests and an negative. Today I finally feel a bit better.

We started the day early at our Albergue (pilgrim hostel) with a 6:15 wake up, breakfast and on the bikes by 7:40 as the sun rose.

We had to stop within the first mile for a flat on Tom’s bike. Realistically, it probably happened at the end of yesterdays ride when Tom took a little tumble in the gravel. To keep on track to hit Leon by lunch, Dex gave Tom his bike and he and Aaron hung back to change the tire. They caught us within 6 more miles at a local cookie place we were lucky to find.

Despite the distance, today was probably our easiest day in terms of weather, elevation, and lack of wind.

We hustled at a pretty quick pace for the first 40 ish miles to be able to time up Leon with lunch, and a few tours (museum and cathedral).

30 more miles and we arrived at our destination of Astorga by 5:15. We checked into our Albergue and did laundry before heading to tour the cathedral and Gaudi Museum

followed by another large dinner and of course ice cream.

Tomorrow is another tough day with a lot of elevation so off to bed early again.

[elcamino22]

Day 4 Burgos to Terradillos

I finally broke down and used chapstick today. Probably 3 days overdue, but so worth it. We got on the road early today after a quick snack and rode the first 25 miles quickly to stop for a brunch of eggs and sausage in a small town.

Along the way we also sampled some apples from wild trees along the trail.. and maybe some grapes from a vineyard. Both really good.

Today was the best day by far. Great temperature and pace with a lot of beautiful small towns.

We stopped for a late lunch and ice cream in another small town to get us through to dinner.

With 10 miles to go, Tom took a small (fairly controlled) skid on one of the gravel roads. No major issues, just some scratches and a dirty shirt. I guess laundry day is today.

Another 70+ mile day we arrived at our hostel just in time for 8 pm kitchen close and had a beer while watching the sun set.

Morale is high and today was incredible.

[elcamino22]

Day 3 Logrono to Burgos

Today started with a full 2 dozen scrambled eggs with ham, yogurt, and a smattering of apples, peaches, and oranges.. compliments to Alex, Tom, and Aaron for cooking while stu and I fitted his new chain.

The next stop was more food: a local bakery for baguettes and chocolate croissants.

The way out of Logrono was a one of the toughest so far. The trail was unpaved and very steep, but only for a mile or so. The guys said they had 10 miles of that day 1. Very glad I took the other route.

We also realized Stu’s new chain was not working in all of the gears so we stopped at a bike and chainsaw store about 10 miles in and spent an hour figuring out that we had the wrong chain somehow. We got another new chain and got back on the road.

Stu, Tom, and I slowed down a bit to check out a few small towns along the way while Dex and Aaron took a side route to top a small mountain nearby.

We met for lunch and had an incredible local dishes and a coffee or two.

We finished our day in Burgos at 73.4 miles and 4.7k ft of vertical elevation. We were exhausted but also had to check out the cathedral (a UNESCO world heritage site). It was worth the hype.

We then got a local dinner where we tried the local favorites of blood sausage and suckling pig with a healthy amount of wine. Even the waitress was shocked at how much food we put down, but it was all delicious.

[elcamino22]

Day 2: Pamplona to Logrona

To pick up where we left off last night, for dinner we hit a local tapas spot and ate way too much! Salads, patatas bravas, squid, burgers, French bread, and a few bottles of wine. Total bill under €20 each.

This was just what we needed to get an early night. I think we were all asleep within minutes of hitting the hostel beds.

The next morning our alarms synchronously went off at 7:00 am on the nose. Sorry to the rest of the hostel. we had gotten breakfast food the night before as well and so we feasted on chocolate croissants, bananas, yogurt, granola and coffee before heading out around 8. We wound our way out of Pamplona alongside numerous hikers and bikers. We opted for the paved trail over the gravel today because of how tough the gravel uphills were for the guys yesterday. It was the right call. Aaron and Dex are in much better shape than the rest of us so we let them pull ahead with a plan to meet for lunch. Then almost immediately, Stu blew and tire. We made a quick change and got back on the road. Only to watch Stu’s new tube deflate 2.5 miles later. We had missed a second staple in the tire, but figured it out, made another change and got back after it. A long first 15 miles to say the least, but we did get a few stamps on our Camino Passports (paper keepsake showing where all we stop) in a few local churches.

We met Aaron and Dex as planned for a quick lunch and we learned to eat larger lunches from now on. A baguette and some sausage is not going to cut it. Next stop was the wine fountain that we had to try despite not having cups.

The remaining 30 miles were filled grueling uphills in the 90°F heat but the views were incredible and we had plenty of sunscreen. We pulled off one more time for an espresso and some additional hydration.

As we pulled into our final destination of Logrona, Stu broke a chain and we walked the last 400m to the Airbnb. Good timing as we would have been screwed if it happened anywhere else. Add a pit stop to the local bike shop to the evening.

After that we got dinner at a local Kebab place and again ate too much.. or maybe not as my watch claims 6000 calories burned. We headed back and hit the beds relatively early again. Tomorrow is a long day.. 70+ miles.

[elcamino22]

Day 1: St Jean to Pamplona

Ord to DTW to CDG to BIQ (Biarritz France and a 30 minute shuttle to St Jean Pied De Port)

The guys got in last night and left on the first leg this morning. Luckily, Dex sent me a message saying to take the low Valley route instead of the high route. They took the high route and had to walk bikes for a while. The first 10 miles took them 4.5 hrs (for perspective, I finished my 50 miles in just over 4 hours).

Needless to say, my route was 2,000 vertical ft less elevation gain that theirs but still 4,000 ft. Over Double anything I trained.

The route was gorgeous though! Small paved roads up and down the mountains. The first 15 miles were easy and plenty of towns.. so I decided there was no need to conserve or fill up water. Then the next 20 miles were uphill with no water stops. Lesson 1: take water whenever you can get it.

The route took me through Banca France and the mining villages around there with plenty of bikers, bulls, and sheep for company.

The only part of the ride that was not gorgeous was when I passed a small Forrest fire that looked as if it had literally just been put out by the fire department. They were still there and the brush was still smoking.

When I finally got water at mile 32 in Eugi, I got stung by a bee and toppled over (standing still with my shoes clipped in haha the bee surprised me enough that I didn’t instinctively unclip.. more difficult than you might think, but worth it on the up hills. So I used both of my bandaids early.. jk I have more than 2 bandaids.

The ride from there to Pamplona was mostly downhill and easy. Much needed. I stopped in Pamplona to get wifi and message the guys but they road by and I yelled at them literally 2 minutes later. Complete happenstance but really convenient.

Checked into our hostel (pod style beds in 1 big room) and showered off then headed to dinner with the guys.

Good day 1