Miles for Makena

Today started as one of the loneliest we had seen on the Camino.

Mile after mile on a 14 mile day and we saw almost no one! No one to talk to those stories to tell and then we came across Lisa from Australia; what a treasure.

Lisa was taking the Camino for the very first time as a sort of therapy and the opportunity to regain her balance after some severe medical traumas. In a period of less than a year, she went from a constant life of fitness and training to a need to have foot surgery, which slowed her down. as if that wasn’t enough within a month of release from her surgery, she broke her ankle, walking her dog and then was diagnosed with breast cancer. After going through all that she decided she needs some time to “re-center” her life. Like so many we run into she decided the Camino was the appropriate way to do so.

she and Brenda hit it off immediately, and I walked quietly mile after mile as they exchanged pleasantries, stories, and hopes and plans for the future. It was a good day for all of us.

Brenda and Lisa

Buen Camino

After a slow start this morning, we ran into Emilio who is an engineer and lived for much of his life in Rhode Island. He moved to Spain because family lives there and when asked why he was traveling the Camino. He said it was” a bit of starting over”. He said at 66 years old he grew weary of the life of an engineer and decided to head to Spain, where he had family and his sense been walking the Camino spending time with family while he decides what he wants to be when he grows up That’s the Camino!

Emilio and Ken admiring a VERY SMALL portion of the Harvest

a day for making new friends we later ran in to Roger who we walked with for several miles. He’s from North New Zealand and he’s on the Camino because he can be 🙂 he owned and managed his own farm for decades and then found that he could lease it to someone else and actually make more money than he made when he managed the farm! he told Brenda “it didn’t take me long to figure out that was a good deal” so now he enjoys life and has the opportunity to visit his son who live in Spain with his wife.

Ken and Roger

Buen Camino

As we hit the trail today, we followed for a Grandfather walking His grandson to school. Brenda commented on how nice it was to see this kind of comfortable family interaction in a relaxed walk on the way to school and that it’s something you just never see in the US.

Brenda was moved by the level of attention. The child paid to his grandfather and how they interacted as they walked along. It wasn’t long till she decided she wanted to Express how impressed she was with both the child and the grandfather.

she stopped the couple and tried to communicate how moved she was by the simple act of grandchild, listening, and communicating with his grandfather. Neither of us think they got the complete message, but we do know that when Brenda gave him one of our Texas lapel pens, the grandchild could not be any more appreciative and we heard Gracias over and over again.

After a grueling uphill climb around the curve, we literally almost ran into a donkey cart!

as we stopped to talk to the lady riding in the car and those who were accompanying her, we found that Eloise, the lady in the car, had dreamed of hiking the Camino and planned on doing it this year and then was tricked by a heart attack and forbidden to take the hike!

A loving husband, Marcus, not to be deterred found a donkey cart driver, and hired him to carry Eloise the entire 500 mile trip on the Camino. They were accompanied by two friends who decided to keep her company as they made her dream come true.

House, we finished the day we chatted with one of the workers in the Vineyards and asked if it was allowable for us to try the grapes! With broken English, he explained it was very common and to feel free to help ourselves, which we did.

Sweet and Plentiful I think I may have eaten more than my share, but he didn’t seem to mind simply smiled and said Buen Camino

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

The day started with Brenda having the opportunity to add to her collection of graffiti photos.
she started a several years ago, taking photos of graffiti that we have seen along our hikes. Today provided an opportunity for some beautiful additions based on local art seen along the way.

And the day ended with a great surprise, we found that our friends Dan and Susan from Australia. We’re already in Logrono Waiting for transportation to the airport to begin their journey back to Australia.

They went out of their way to meet us for a farewell lunch. A wonderful conversation and a mutual commitment to meet again either in Australia or in the USA

Buen Camino

The plan for today was a relatively short hike of only about 10 miles after the first hour or so on the trail we ran into an unexpected memorial.

We asked one of the Locals (They’re easy to spot because they have no backpack and no water 🙂 how this got started and then broken English, we were told that none of the locals were really sure! Apparently there was an assumption that someone who had lost a family member on the Camino had started the memorial and then overtime. It just continued to grow

A huge collection of very personal notes, photos and even headstones created a monument two dozens maybe hundreds of pilgrims lost over the years.

as we continued along a desolate portion of the trail, we were again surprised to see a stone hut, literally in the middle of nowhere with no sign of anyone using it. No litter from pilgrims, having stayed and left the trail behind, no ashes from fires to keep pilgrims warm in the night, just a silent monument to a history of the details of which we will never know.
Buen Camino

Foot traffic on the Camino is almost impossible to predict. One day you will start on the way and there will be dozens and dozens of pilgrims in front of you and dozens and dozens of pilgrims behind you.

most pilgrims will follow the same basic route and many use the same planters, which means that they will stop in the same towns or villages each evening and their travels essentially are the same as the people in front of them and behind them. However, foot speed varies, the number of brakes vary, and the time it takes to travel the days route can be substantially different depending on all these variables.

some days he simply don’t see anybody! We’ve traveled nine hour days and seen less than a handful of people and we’ve traveled three hour days and seems like we were just part of a crowd. Today was one of those days it seemed like we were part of a crowd, so we decided to get off the beaten path.

aside from the markers on the path we also use a hiking app that we become very found. We’ve used it all over the USA, as well as on our trips in Europe, it’s called AllTrails. We particularly like it, because unlike the maps of a park or in this case, the maps of the Camino, it provides alternate routes that other hikers have forged! In this case, we decided to get away from all the other pilgrims on the Camino and take Path we traveled; for a while, we were pretty sure this was a mistake!

The alternate path started pretty much like the Camino, a path wide enough to walk and clear enough to see ahead.

This didn’t last for long after a couple of miles we found ourselves with the choice between walking across the farmers field or Along  a “Maybe this is it“ path through briars and crevices!

The path let us directly to a farmers field

I’ve never seen briars as large as those on these bushes crossing our pathI

Here we thought if we could get through those woods perhaps we could get back on the right path!

This was one of the larger portions of the path we traveled this day

as we progress, there were several of these decisions to make and from behind me there was the common phrase. “are you sure this is the right way“ to which my reply was “I hope so“. For several miles, the only thing I wish of was, we were kind of, sort of hidden in the right direction; I’m not really sure that was enough reassurance for my wife, but like the trooper she is she said OK let’s keep going.

ultimately the sound of traffic convinced us that even if we weren’t on the right path, we at least weren’t miles away from civilization. We requested a hill and saw the highway, but we’re faced with a huge dilemma, there was truly no path and nothing but boulders and rugged rocks in front of us! The road that we could see a few hundred yards away ended up being over a mile of “make do” paths and a singular episode we are tracking. Pole slid and almost sent Brenda tumbling down the hillside. After catching our breath, we waved our way to the highway where we were greeted by the signage that indicated we were On one of the connecting trails to the Camino.

we met our goal of getting away from the crowds, but in the end, perhaps question no judgment and the arguable joys of taking the path less traveled.

You just never know

Obviously, when creating a blog, one of your greatest wishes is to have a “real experience“ every day that you can share with the readers; some days it just simply won’t happen; this was shaping up to be one of those days

The morning was boring and we walked along chatting with each other, kicking rocks thinking about what we do once we are off the Camino, perhaps Ken singing one of his bad trail songs and simply enjoying a pretty day on the Camino. We rounded a curve and continued on the trail when Brenda happened to look over her shoulder and see what we had just passed.

neither of us could believe that we had actually missed such a huge and seemingly out of place sight!

just feet off the Camino and literally in plain sight but easy to miss in the middle of a curve was the largest TeePee either of us had ever seen ! This Wasn’t a tent, it wasn’t a “sort of “ TeePee It was a humongous Native AmericanTeePee in the middle of the Camino!

we turned around to get a better look, but there was a locked fence and although no one was in sight, we could hear noise (Seemingly the chopping of wood) Coming from across the lot.

We wandered to the edge of the fence, trying to get a better look, but couldn’t see who or what was making the noise and couldn’t get a better vantage point to view the TeePee.

A little frustrated and wishing we could see more, we turned and started to walk away when an SUV pulled up to the gate. A lady waved and got out of the car and in broken. English said hello and asked if we’d like to see more! She grabbed her groceries off the car seat unlocked the gate and ushered  us in.

She introduced herself as Christina and showed us around the outside of the tent a little hesitant to show us the inside apparently.

Within a few moments, a gentleman showed up and he was introduced as Tiuna, The owner of the land and the builder of the TeePee!

While  Christina chatted with us Tiuna Went into the Teepee and disappeared for several minutes. When he came out, he explained as best he could that he wanted the moment to straighten up the TeePee before he invited us in; He opened the entrance with a grand gesture, and we were amazed at what we saw!

I walked in and had to turn around and walk back out and look at it from the outside and then walk back in! It was like something from a fairytale that seemed three times as large on the inside as it could possibly be when looking from the outside! Inside he had sleeping for six storage spacea camp fire,  benches to sit on tables and more, it was as much fantasy as fantastic!

We asked “do you rent lodging to pilgrims” ? He said no he used it for family retreats, what a treat it must’ve been for his family.

in addition, he is currently building a sweat lodge to complement this home away from home and in keeping with his Navajo lineage, what a place to find such a thing in Spain on the Camino!

Kristi and Tiuna

Brenda and her new friends on the Camino

Buen Camino

Today was designated as a short day with only 7 1/2 miles to travel.

One of the reasons we love the Camino is because we can typically schedule enough time on a daily hike to be able to explore the local towns and villages and get a taste of the local life.

Today was one of those days. With such a short hike in front of us, we decided to take a side excursion into Puente de Reina.

here we took a walk around town visited numerous local vendors and decided to pick up some wine, meat and cheese so we could enjoy a Traditional snack while on the trail.

When I asked, the farmers told us that they were cleaning the peppers to take home to pickle and use in their recipes

Homemade trail mix, fruits, and nuts

Unquestionably some of the biggest squash I’ve ever seen!

after a casual walk to our lodging, during which we stopped to enjoy a casual lunch of wine and cheese along with some fresh fruit from the village.

We arrived at our lodging just in time for dinner and have a wonderful meal and great conversation with the others at our table. Levi  from Australia, Maria from London, Eden and Will from Australia, Thomas at from France and Daniel from Seattle.

We dined on salad and bean soup and (almost) unlimited wine A fine way to pass the evening with our new friends. Buen Camino.

It didn’t take long to start our day right today, that is right after a very, very cold morning with a heavy breeze and low temperatures!

We started the day, preparing for rain and wearing four upper layers of clothes, plus a hooded poncho to protect us from the rain that never came!

Within the 1st mile, we chanced to meet Jen, an American who guides tours in the spring and fall each year, spending the balance of her time with three months a year in Colorado and three months a year in Costa Rica and Panama.

As we walked a couple of miles together, she explained to us that she worked in corporate America for years, and then decided her life needed to change. Being multilingual and a hiker, she decided to look for something that would give her the opportunity to do the things that she loved and be where she wanted to be.

It didn’t take long before a friend of a friend gave her a referral, which has  now become her vocation for the last eight years.

as we approached a bench alongside the road, Jen indicated that it was there. She had to wait for her charges to come by and ensure that everyone was safe and properly on the trail. We said our goodbyes and moved on.

Jen

As we approached, the peak of today’s summit, there was a solid, steel monument representing pilgrims on the trail. There you could stand between those cold, iron pilgrims, and have your picture taken as though you were a member of their group. We did so and then a young lady,  Danielle,  asked Brenda if she would take her (Danielle’s) photo with me! Neither of us was quite sure of the reason for the request, but Brenda being easy to get along with said it’s OK with me and thus the photo was taken.

The photo Danielle took of me and Brenda after Brenda took a picture of me and Danielle

although the climb to the top was quite the slog, the path down was equally troublesome.

Like many of the peaks we’ve climbed in this process the angle of descent combined with the huge rocks that you’re walking on during the descent can create a painful and uncomfortable experience

The rocks, boulders and gravelthat create the path are so torturous and plentiful that pilgrims have begun to pick them up as they go and pile them periodically along the path with the hopes at some point enough people will pick up enough stones that the path will become passable without pain.

As we navigated this path, we ran into a gentleman, Aaron, Who, when asked where he was from, explained , essentially everywhere!

EX US military he spent time in both the Coast Guard and the Navy in the medical core in both branches and had seen duty literally all over the world.
Although he loved the hike and did so with a service member friend he met  years ago, His legs were bad and his pace was slow and he was happy to have someone to chat with as he walked.

He told us his stories of his time in the medical corps , his ex-wife and the reasons that he hiked all over the world . Together the three of us hiked for well over 3 miles as we kept him company on the downside of the mountain.

Aaron

AsBrenda and I accompanied him safely to the bottom of the mountain and said our farewell he asked for a photo that he could add to his memories, of course we complied, gave him one of our Camino cards and fond wishes that we would see him again in the future.

Buen Camino

An unbelievably beautiful day, accented by warm sunshine, a gentle breeze, and lots of time on narrow country trails along rivers and through the hills.

After a very cool start to the day, Brenda greets the sun

It seems as though every place we encounter steps they are steep, and each step is a different depth than the one before, and the one after there’s no comfortable way to tread the steps without it being hard on ankles and knees

Today we had Myles of trail that was no more than 20 inches or so wide and quite often fell off on one side to the river hundreds of feet below

as we rounded a corner on one of the wider trails, we found Hector standing in front of a fruit basket and dancing to salsa music! He has traveled all over South America and now in Europe, working Odd jobs and where he can putting a few euros together to buy some fruit and souvenirs that he can sell in the middle of the path wherever he ends up!

Hector After selling us some fruit along the path

Dennis from Germany

We stopped for a quick break on the trail and were soon joined by a gentleman from Germany, Dennis,.

we stopped for a quick break on the trail and we’re soon joined by a gentleman from Germany, Dennis,.

Dennis is quite the hiker and has traveled many of the trails in Europe prior to doing the Camino. He decided to do the Camino with a specific purpose in mind, he wants to go to the USA and do the Pacific Coast Trail! He chose the Camino as a training ground for this epic trip! An epic to train for an epic!

Another great day with great weather, meeting, great people, and hearing stories of the past the present and the future.

Buen Camino