As I pack I realize that there are two items missing. A pair of socks I left on a window sill after washing them and a pair of sunglasses. I admit to this for those of you keeping score. Most of my friends are probably impressed that I made it through two weeks without losing anything. Just a reminder, for those of you who took the under it's time to collect your bets.
I meet Michele and Rainer at the combination bar, lobby and breakfast room. I could just have a carb overdose but instead I choose a small sandwich to go along with my cafe-con leche. I like the con- leche but this beard is becoming a problem. My con-leche is sticking to my mustache and its bugging me. I will try to trim it when I get to San Juan.I'm sure you are probably sick of the weather report but here it is. When I looked out the window this morning it was raining and dark. sound familiar ? I will dress accordingly but I am not going to wear the rain pants. They are just to warm and very uncomfortable. I will just get wet. I may leave them behind and reduce weight. I'm not sure.
As we are having our breakfast Rainer tells me that he will only be going as far as Villa Franca De Oca which is about 6 miles from Belorado. Rainer wants to check out a highly rated Hotel there and in addition he cannot find a place to stay in San Juan.
Michele also is without a room and there is little chance of that changeing. There are only eight rooms in San Juan de Ortega and according to my guide book the population is twenty. This San Juan is much smaller than the one I know. i wonder how big its Church will be?
To walk 15 miles and not have a place to stay is not a good idea. Michele decides to join Rainer at the new Hotel in Villa Franca.
It is 10:15 and I have a tough day ahead so I need to leave. Rainer says he will wait a while longer to allow for the rain to pass. I won't see him at the end of today but we will have dinner on Wednesday night in Burgos. Michele is thinking about going on and taking his chances. In order to really have that as an option he knows he will need to leave with me now.
It's chilly but a great temperature for walking. We get started and are soon facing some nasty mud. All this rain has now turned parts of The Camino into a clay based, deep, thick mud which Is difficult to get through. Today will be a day when your poles will give you a return on your investment. I hope my Limo's are up to the challenge. The Limo's can at least look forward to a good cleaning when we arrive in San Juan.
You may be asking yourself, what does he use to clean the Limo's each day?
I read a book or a blog about preparing for The Camino and it had a great tip which I paid attention to. The author suggested bringing a small micro-fiber towel. Only a bit larger than a foot square but capable of handling any dirt and so easily washed out and very fast drying. Let us not forget one other benefit of this simple towel, it weighs next to nothing. After that day in the snow with my Limo"o soaked and covered in mud this little towel got them ready for the next days challenge. The little towel is now on my critical list.
The rain is light and on and off, mostly off. I have removed my rain jacket, its getting warmer. I think that I may change when I climb to the higher elevation which lies ahead. Once again our time is good. The conversation is good but occasional. As we approach a long stretch of mud which covers The Camino completely it becomes a kind of dance. You are looking ahead and down trying to pick out the best route through in order to avoid a deep pocket which would suck the shoe right off of your foot. Having wet feet for another ten miles is not something I want to experience again. I go slowly while up ahead Michele is just plowing his way through.
It does not take long for us to have a gap between us of several hundred feet. We walk at our own pace and that's the way it must be. It's unspoken. We will catch up at some point ahead of us and if we don't that is fine.
Keep your own pace and listen to what your body is telling you. If I had a critical list for the walking The Camino this rule would be first on the list.
Once we are through the larger mud holes the trail returns to normal. Michele is still ahead but I am closing the gap. He is walking with someone and their pace is slower. I catch them. Michele introduces me to this woman I have not seen before on The Camino. Even Michele has not met her before. They are carrying on a conversation in French. Yes, French.
Michele is interpreteing and he tells me that she started her Camino in Leon. That's odd, Leon is ahead of us several days away. He explains. The woman who I would guess is older than I am has started her journey from Lyon France ! She will walk 52 days to Santiago a distance of more that 750 miles. Incredable.
Her pace is slower so we wish her Buen Camino and head off.
There is a small village a short distance from where we are and decide that it will be a good place to stop for coffee. I estimate that we have gone only about 3 miles. The mud is slowing the pace. We enter the village and just arriving at the cafe ahead of us are Fernando and Nelly. Greetings, handshakes and hugs all around.
Like all of the other tiny little cafes it has the usual selection of topas and snacks. We all order coffee in the way we prefer and take a seat. Fernando and Michele are debating who has the best coffee. Italy or Brazil? Fernando tells me that in Brazil some people put Coke in their coffee! There are some things I am willing to try. Putting Coke in my coffee is not going to make that list.
As we get ready to go Nelly wants to check my list of reservations which Sharel has worked so hard on putting together. I know Shrael would not mind, she would love Nelly.
I am looking for the correct email and I can't help myself as I scroll my inbox. I stop to show Nelly a picture of my Grandsaon's. She loves the picture and makes several comments in Portuguese which she then tells me in English, "they have your eyes". Yes they do I just hope they are not looking as tired as mine.
The next thing you know we are looking at pictures of their two beautiful daughters ages 20 and 22 and their two tiny dogs which are completely dressed in their fancy little outfits looking like they are about to walk in a parade. Miss Vivian makes an appearance and then we must leave.
The break went long and I still have about another eleven miles to go. Michele and I are quickly well ahead of our Brazilian friends. More mud ahead and we are once again separated by pace. The weather remains good with a great temperature for walking or for riding a bike. There are many who complete their Camino journey on bikes. I don't envey them.
Most of the people on bikeshave bells on their bikes to ring and warn you that they are rapidly approaching from the rear. On occasion they will not warn you and suddenly they fly past you usually in a group . They can really startle you but worse , with no warning you could take a step right in their path as you try to avoid an I obstacle on the trail or inadvertently get a pole out in front of them as they pass which could result in something very serious.
There are times when they just fly by me as I am walking down a steep hill where I might envey them but up hill in the mud, I will take my Limo's anytime.
As I approach the village of Villa Franca I can see Michele ahead talking with someone on the trail. I catch up to them and It is a older German woman we have met before, They are discussing accommodations or the lack there of. I am now about 9 miles from my destination and I say goodby. I will walk the last 9 miles alone. I will meet Rainer and Michele in Burgos for dinner. We are all staying at the same Hotel.
Once I am past Villa Franca the walk gets significantly more difficult. I am now facing the 1200 foot climb and there is mud, lots of mud. There is no way to take this hill on directly. No, this hill will require several stops and a fuel break . It's warm and I will need to keep a pace which reduces my risk of over heating. As it turns out today will be the first time I will reach my destination for the day and enter the village out of water.
I take a couple of pictures, one looking back down the hill covering what is past and one in front which I will call reaching the top. Good idea except this is not othe top. There is a short flat section above but shortly after another hill, the last piece of the elevation .
I walk for at least seven miles without seeing another pilgrim in either direction. As I stop for a little water I can see ahead a real problem. So far I have been able to dance my way around, over and through the mud but what I am now looking at is mud that is much thicker and there is plenty of deep water. There are no options you just do it.
This patch of the trail which is a completely muddy mess continues on for about a half mile. It is really slow trying to pick the best of the sections to try to get past. Finally I am out of it. My feet sre fine and they are dry. My poles have once again proven their value.
Suddenly I can see the village of San Juan de Ortega. It will not be difficult to find the eight room Hotel in this village. There are only two sizable buildings. The Church and the Hotel. I go directly to the Hotel and find a sign instructing me to go to the Marabell bar to register. I can see it, its only about a hundred yards away. The process is quick . There is however no food available until 7:00. I order a diet Coke and a small bag of chips. That's all they have.
I return to the a hotel and begin working on the gear and the mud. By the time I have it done and shower I am ready to return to the bar to check out the menu. While there I ask about wifi. The guy at the bar just says no and points to a tiny building just outside the door. It looks like a storage shed. Inside there are two coin operated desk top computers to access the Internet. I throw a bunch of coins in and it tells me that I have purchased 26 minutes of time.
I begin. 21 minutes into the process I am not any closer to sending an email as I am to a great restaurant. All of the instructions are in Spanish. I keep seeing Google and I just keep guessing and suddenly it's in English and I am in. I send a short email to Robin telling her that I have made it to San Juan and that there is no wifi so no way to download both blogs for stages 11 and 12. That will be the cause of my posting delay.
The dinner will be a Pilgrims dinner in a very crowded little room with food I don't want to eat. I buy another bag of chips and a glass of red wine and head back to my room to enjoy my gourmet meal and get some rest. I will eat tomorrow.
Stage 13 tomorrow 15.4 miles to Burgos. Good night.
Good night.
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