August 12, 2015Gordon: For much of our journey in northern Portugal we have been tracing the border with Spain. In the Parque Natural do Douro this line is hard to miss: it is the spectacular canyon of the upper Douro river. We are staying two nights in the aptly named town of Miranda do Douro, which sits on the rim of the canyon at its ...
Our wonderful hosts at Varandas da CapelaAugust 10, 2015Gordon:"There are a number of people in the village in the summer when the emigrants return for a visit, but the winter population of that village is only four" explained our host. "And how many people would have lived there 50 years ago?" I asked. "About 100." This in a nutshell is the story of rural northeastern ...
August 7, 2015Chaves to RebordeloRuth:The best part of everyday is sitting down to lunch at around 1:00, when we have either reached our daily destination or are close to it. I love the riding too, but eating is bliss. Prato do dia or diaria in Portugal is a must. Mid to late morning, either Gord or I mentions to the other how long it is until ...
August 6, 2015 Gordon: As we were grinding up the long grade we heard an odd mechanical noise coming from the cable span far overhead. Looking up, a torpedo hanging below the cable shot by us. "What was that?" We had no idea, until another one passed when we were closer to the span. "My god, that's someone in a prone harness riding the mother of ...
August 4, 2015There are days when I suddenly want to throw down my bike and yell, "Wait a moment, I'm not Catholic or even religious! What am I doing climbing a up a mountain to see another pilgrimage site?" Today it played out pretty much that way. At the lowest moment our road became smaller and then turned into a steep farm track accessing a ...
August 3, 2015The ride down from our village in Peneda Geres was breathtakingly beautiful. We passed through a couple of lovely villages set on the edge of the deep valley surrounded by ancient terraced slopes. Theses are just a few of the signs that this area once supported a much larger population. After twenty five years with Gord, he continues to be recklessly drawn to the ...
I am standing beside a cow pie in the only spot with any cell coverage in our village. Just moments ago Gord had to have a signal so that he could continue his 349th consecutive streak learning Portuguese on Duolingo. August 1, 2015Yesterday was was the toughest day so far on the trip. Starting from an elevation of 120 meters we climbed up to over 1000 ...
July 30, 2015It turns out there is much more to discover in Galicia after the Camino to Santiago is finished. Galicia is a verdant garden of Eden. Unfortunately there is a reason for that green lushness: rain. It has been a bit wet the last two days but our trusty Pocket Earth app delivered wonderful routes that wound up to ridges far above the deep ...
July 27, 2014Gord and I followed the Camino route all the way into Santiago today. It was an absolutely stunning ride but much more challenging than the 68 kms would have been on the road. Luckily I seem to be getting into shape, which allowed me to power up some terribly steep sections. In spite of my stiff legs and sore knees it was completely ...
July 27, 2014Gord and I followed the Camino route all the way into Santiago today. It was an absolutely stunning ride but much more challenging than the 68 kms would have been on the road. Luckily I seem to be getting into shape, which allowed me to power up some terribly steep sections. In spite of my stiff legs and sore knees it was completely ...