Mar. 30 By Eric
We left our free road-side campsite early. In the back of our minds we were afraid someone was going to come by and kick us off their land, though I doubt that would have happened even if we'd stayed a week.
The night had been very cold and while breaking camp we wore every bit of winter clothes we had. About ten minutes after we started riding up the mountain we changed into short pants and short sleeves. The air was cool and fresh and smelled like pine. It reminded me of riding in the foothills of the Sierras in California.
Just before the town of Mogarraz we came across a terrific park. It had swings, tables and benches made from huge boulders like something from the Flintstones, and a large covered pavilion overlooking the valley we were climbing. A perfect place for a wedding.
About an hour of climbing amid young pine forests and passing a lumber yard (where all the old pines had been processed) we finally reached La Alberca. The old medieval buildings practically leaned into the narrow stone street we rode in on. Then we found the central plaza and discovered... we'd been preceded by about 200 twelve-year-olds on a field trip. They were milling around in every corner and side alley, apparently with nothing to do. Already a little too quaint, the kids made La Alberca look like Disneyland without
rides.It looked a lot like Kagbeni, a town on the western side of the Annapurna trail in Nepal. Only Kagbeni was more pleasant, less crowded, and believe it or not, less touristy. We ended up staying in Alberca just long enough to have a few beers and buy a few groceries.
JOAN: At the next town, Camino Morisco, we got some proof that some of our Spanish lessons had sunk in. I sent Eric into the grocery store, so he could practice. But instead I got most of the practice, by chatting up a guy who was sitting in a lawn chair in a yard next to the store. He turned out to be visiting from near San Sebastian, on the French border. It had taken us six weeks to get from San Sebastian to Camino Morisco, but it had only taken this guy five hours in his car. He was there to visit his wife's parents. I told him how much I liked San Sebastian, and he said he did too. I asked him about news reports about recent Basque separatist violence there, and he said the press makes it sound worse than it is. I also told hi
m how I though Camino Morisco was really peaceful. He asked about our route.Later, when Eric came out of the store, he joined in the conversation. The man asked what we did for a living, and said that his son is studying to be an engineer. We were both amazed that we could understand as much of that conversation as we did.
In another 5kms or so, we rode into Pinofranqueado, where the campsite was almost totally empty. The woman there seemed very impressed that we were from the U.S. She lamented the lack of tourists at her campground. We said it was better without tourists. She said, "For you!" To make her feel better, we told her there would be more next year. But inside, I was thinking, this place is so much nicer, and feels much more real, than Alberca.
next: last day in Spain
