On my way to Santo Domingo and the Church of the Two Chickens. A walk of about 13 miles.

I arrived yesterday in Najera in about four hours and I'm shocked. The trail was good and flat with perfect weather. I have no trouble finding my Hotel. I attend to my daily work and then head out for a walk. Yes, I agree why would I want to take a walk? Well I need to find a pharmacy to resupply and if possible perhaps a shop where I can buy a tee shirt to replace the one I have been wearing and washing everyday since I arrived. It's starting to get a little stiff.

The walk from Najera itself was uneventful until about the five mile mark. I'm breezing along when I catch up to a young women who is standing on the trail looking back in my direction. As I get close to her she asks if I speak English? She is an American about twenty two I'm guessing. I say simply "yes". She turns and hands me her empty refillable water bottle and says "hook this on the back". No please can you help me? Okay. I take the bottle from her and I'm trying to find the other strap with the clasp and in less than ten seconds she abruptly just slides out of her backpack, throws it on the ground and says "never mind".

Wow. What a great opportunity for BC Jim to make an appearance. I take a deep breath and then turn back to her and I said "I don't know why you are walking the Camino or if you are in search of something, but if you are I suggest you add a search for manners and patience". I then just walked away. How do they find me?

I took a few pictures today which I'm trying to send to everyone so if I miss you it's because I can't figure out how to create a group on my iPad. Yes, I know I should be able to do this. I tried and went to the App Store but let's just say it's not working. So if you notice someone you think has any interest in the photos or the blog just forward it to them for me. 

 I stopped only once today for a cup of coffee at the first village in Axofra about three and a half miles out of Najera. There was a group of twenty something's trying to figure out where they might stay tonight. One guy is wearing a Kilt so I guess he's from Scotland. One other guy is from Ireland and the three girls are American. Everybody is smoking. Hard to believe but it appears that a significant percentage of the people under thirty I see on the Camino do smoke. I thought they were supposed to be smarter than us old people. After all, they can just Google something like "effects of smoking" but for some reason that's not part of their searches. The evils of Capitalism yes, smoking no. Sorry.

The weather is perfect. Cool and lots of clouds. It really is a nice day. I started early today but not by choice. I was sound asleep at 7:00 when the guy outside my room with the leaf blower woke me up. Yes, a leaf blower! I thought I was back in Southern California but at least at home it does not happen much before 8:00 and never on a Sunday. The result, I leave early.

The good thing about leaving early is that I will have more time in Santo Domingo which is a really beautiful little town with the most amazing Cathedral. Unfortunately I forgot that it's Sunday and everything is closed. The one exception is the Cathedral which is open. I visit and take photos including the Two Chickens. More about that later.

Just before I reached Santo Domingo I walked through a small village which has a Golf Club, the Rioja Alta Golf Club. The Camino passes right along the left side of the driving range. I remember that when Pat and John walked the Camino they stopped and hit a couple of balls. I thought about it but I don't need to shank one in Spain ...I'll just wait until I get back. Just beyond the Golf Club there are a number of housing developments that have gone bust. Better than it was two years ago but not entirely. Lots of really ugly architecture. I took a couple of photos which I am sending to Gene who was the architect who did an amazing job on our home in Capistrano! I think he will get a kick out of what is here.

I arrive in Santo Domingo, it's 2:00 in the afternoon. There are two really nice Hotels in Santo Domingo. Both are Paradores. Very nice. I will be staying at the Parador in Santiago, my reward for completing the Camino. I stayed here on my first Camino but when I planned this trip they were both sold out. I'm staying at Hospederiachapitel Cisterciense which is a former Convent and it's managed by Nuns and yes they are dressed in the Nun's Habit. I don't remember the last time I saw a Nun dressed in the Habit. I check in and go to my room. I think I've taken a vow of poverty for the visit. Wow ... It's small, really, really small. This is not the Parador. I will visit the Church of the Two Chickens and I will have dinner at the Paradore.

Okay now for the story of The Two Chickens. I will do my best, there are a few slightly different versions but basically the same story.

It's the year 1060 and a wealthy couple is making their pilgrimage to Santiago when they stop along the way in Santo Domingo. With them is their sixteen year old son. While there for the night the Inn keeper's  daughter is smitten with the boy and offers herself to him and he rejects her. She is very upset and bent on revenge. During the night she takes a silver goblet from her father's inn and places it in the boy's satchel . When the family returns to the Camino the next morning the girl goes to her father and tells him that the boy has stolen the silver goblet. The inn keeper tells the sheriff who rides out on the Camino to find the family. He searches the boy's satchel and finds the silver goblet.

They return to Santo Domingo and the judge sentences the boy to death by hanging and also requires that the boy remain hanging from the gallows for seven days as a warning to other pilgrims.

On the scond day the boy's parents return to pay their final respects to their son before returning to the Camino. When they arrive at the gallows the boy is still hanging but not dead. He tells them that he has been saved by a miracle from Santo Domingo and tells them to go to the judge to tell him of the miracle and that the judge will witness another miracle and set him free. 

The parents rush to the Judge's home where he is about to have his dinner... Two roasted chickens. The parents tell the Judge about the miracle. The Judge not believing their story announces that "the boy is as dead as the two chickens on his plate". At that moment the two chickens jump up from the plate and run from the kitchen.

The Judge begs for forgiveness and sets the boy free. From that day on there have been two chickens above the alter of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo. The chickens who are chosen for the coop in the Catherdral can never be eaten. There are eighteen chickens which are rotated in pairs in the coop.

It is also said that if during your visit to the Catherdral the rooster crows, you will have the blessing of Santo Domingo. In addition if you find a white chicken feather while in the Catherdral you will have an additional  blessing from Santo Domingo. 

So there you have it ... The Church of the Two Chickens. Tomorrow I will let you know if the rooster crows while I'm there or if I find a feather. Tomorrow I will leave Santo Domingo and walk to Belorado a distance of about fourteen and a half miles. Until then, good night and Buen Camino.

Taylor thinks I'm walking from Spain to Africa and bringing lots of money and water to the kids!

Taylor is my five year old Grandson. His mom Jessica tried to explain what I am doing and he got a bit confused but in the end he got in right. I am walking in Spain and yes there will be lots of money to bring water to children in Africa ... As of right now we have enough to build nearly seven wells which will impact thousands for years to come. Thank you to those who were able to help.

And now it's off to Najera about 13 miles away. I will be entering the La Rioja region. The natural pathways will be covered in Rich red clay. Good for walking if it's dry ...a nightmare if wet as it clings to the Limos like a leech. 

I slept well last night. I was just worn out. Up early and gone by 8:30. I look outside and the ground is wet, it's been raining. With that I pack and put on my rain jacket and cover the backpack in its waterproof cover. The jacket will make it warm but I will just play it by ear. I am only about a mile into the day's walk and I can see ahead that the weather is clear so I stop for a wardrobe change. It's stays good all the way to Nijera. 

I warned you about what happens when I walk alone for long stretches so here is one. When I had breakfast yesterday with Rainer he was telling me how he would like to walk the Camino for a fourth time but his back problem won't let that happen. He asks me if I will do it again for a third time? It's an odd question given the fact that I'm only 100 miles into the second Camino and I'm already worried about issues which could keep me from not completing this one. I simply say "I don't think so". I did not say never. That is what triggers the following.

When I returned from the first Camino I know I was asked that question many times and I often answered "never". Never is a strange word. I thought it got me fired once when I was at Merrill Lynch.

I had been offered a position with the firm to bring a new fixed income idea to the brokers. My job was to fly to any branch anywhere in the country that would let me come and make a presentation on the idea. I was pretty good at it and as a result I was invited to a Managers retreat and given a spot on their agenda. There were about fifty of the most influential managers in the Company so this was a big deal for me or it could be the end of me as well.

I had put together a presentation which I had down cold and it worked. A little humor and a few sales ideas and I was good to go. Well I guess I did okay only because at the end of my presentation I was invited by several managers to come to their branches and give the same presentation to their brokers. One of those who invited me was the manager of the largest and most productive office in the firm. It was the branch in the Company's home office, One Liberty Plaza, NYC.

The manager invited me and made sure that I would give the exact presentation to his people. I assured him that I would. By the way it was the only presentation I had. What the manager did not know was that my office was in the very same building. Actually I had a desk in the hallway on the 23rd floor. The fact that be did not know me from Adam was not a concern to me. This could one open doors all over the country if he approved of what I did in his branch.

So, there I am in my one blue suit and muted blue tie and the manager introduces me to the audience of about 100 brokers in the auditorium of OLP. This is the big time. As I get set to start there is a bit of a disturbance in the rear of the room. It's Don Regan the Chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch and he has decided to sit in!

You will soon understand how this all is connected to "never". Patience please. The product I was responsible for was only recently approved to be offered by the firm. It was being offered by our arch rival EF Hutton very effectively. This is how I started my presentation, the one I guaranteed to the manager would be the same as the one he saw.

I introduced myself and then asked a question. Was everyone aware of the success that EFHutton was having with this idea? Of course they all did and many just shook their heads. My next question was ...did anyone here happen to read the Wall Sreet Journal's interview with our Chairman Don Regan six months ago? You know the one when he was asked by the journal if Merrill Lynch would ever offer similar products? I'm sure then you will recall that our Chairman responded with this "NEVER". 

My next comment was ... So to start today we have learned two things ... The first is that we are offering these products and we have also learned that at Merrill Lynch "NEVER" is at least six months!  I got a good laugh but I did not dare look in his direction to see what his reaction was.

He left about half way through my presentation and I thought he was probably calling HR to get my exit papers in order. When I finished the branch manager thought it was hilarious that the Chairman was there and that I did not alter my presentation. In the end it all went well when I got a call from one of his assistants telling me that he wanted me to make the same presentation to all of the largest twenty five branches in the firm. I also got an office!

So now fast forward to today. I'm here after saying twenty four months ago that I would "never" walk the Camino again and here I am. So just like before we learned a couple of things ...yes I am doing it again and "never" with me is at least 24 months. Sorry about that I just had to write it. 

My walk today was very fast. I arrived in about four hours including a couple of short breaks. It was a short walk without any elevation challenges and very few Spanish Potstoes. The vast majority of the trail today was through the Rioja wine region. When I was not walking through a vineyard I was on a flat paved surface. Not much to see, not much to photograph but I'm not complaing. The Limos and the passengers appreciated an easier day. It was by far the easiest.

Tomorrow we get back on the horse and walk to Santo Domingo a beautiful little village with an incredible Church, also know as the Church of the Two Chickens. Good night and Buen Camino.

Breakfast with Rainer and then it's off to Navarette ... I pass the 100 mile point.

Today is my eighth day on the Camino. I start the day meeting Rainer for breakfast. We had dinner last night at the hotel and it was great to meet his"former fiancé" as he likes to call her. We wrap up dinner by 10:30 which for me is the latest night I've had. 

Packed and ready to go I leave the hotel at 8:30. The weather is good but the forecast says it will be in the mid-80's which means I will be very wet by the time I arrive. The walk to Navarette is mostly on paved paths or roads. It's about six miles to the large city of Logrono. I remember that when I walked through the city the first time it was difficult to find the Camino markers. This time is no different. I did make one wrong turn but quickly realized the one block error quickly so it's no big deal. It took me about an hour to get through the city. Once past the city you enter a very large park. My guide book indicates that the park, Parque de San Miguel is on a path which covers 2.2 km or about a mile and a half.

The walk itself is not very interesting but once you get out of the park it's better. Before I leave the city I will stop at the same cafe I was in two years ago. I need to take a break and it's a good point in the schdule. I have a coffee and a dish of olives. An interesting combo but both are very good. The cafe has wifi so I check my email and I have a message from Gunther and Debbie. They are on their way to Paris to celebrate his birthday coming up on the 14th. They have been riding on a motorcycle all over Europe for nearly three months! They head home on the 23rd after what I'm sure has been an amazing journey. That's a lot of time on a bike! 

They and a few of others have asked anout the stones I mentioned a few days back. I'm carring two stones given to me to take to The Cruz de Ferro. Historically pilgrims have brought with them a stone to leave behind either for themselves or for a blessing for others. Often it is to remember a loved one who is no longer with us or it can be a token to ask for a blessing to help someone who may be in need of His help. 

In addition to the stones I have for Beth and Lori I will also be placing other stones along the way. As I do I will share with you who the stones are for. I have selected the stones along the way. There is no shortage of stones to choose from! I will write a name on the stone and leave each in a special place in search for a blessing.

I arrived in Navarette in six and a half hours. The passengers are okay but were starting to send messages near the end. They are still sore and the areas where the wounds started do get a bit irratated  after six hours. I will continue to follow the treatment instructions and keep my fingers crossed.

Once in Navarette I check into the same hotel I stayed in the last time, Rey Sancho. It's less than a hundred feet from the entrance to the 16th century Church of the Assumption . It is spectacular and nearly impossible to believe how beautiful the Church is until you walk into it. I took a photo and will try to share. 

Once I complete my arrival routine I will visit the Church and get something to eat. I am tired and sore from eight days of walking. It takes awhile to get accustomed to stepping onto the Camino everyday without a break. 

It is only 5:30 when I order a salad and soup. I don't come close to finishing half of it. I'm just to tired to eat. I return to the Hotel with the intention of taking care of the blog but I fall asleep in just minutes and wake up at 10:00. The windows are open and the plaza directly below my windows is buzzing with people but I never heard them. It is now 11:30 and I will once again attempt to get back to sleep. 

Tomorrow I will make my way to Najera. It will cover a distance of about eleven miles. Tomorrow nay also be the first day of rain since my arrival. We shall see. Good night. Buen Camino.

A very good day ... I am getting better at dealing with the passenger issues. I am on the mend.

First to wrap up yesterday. I get to the Hotel Monaco and take care of the usual daily business. I themn go directly to the pharmacy to be sure I have as much of what I need and to be sure I'm doing what needs to be done correctly.

Los Arcos for me was one of the three best and most unusual days I had on my first Camino. If you read the first blog it was in Los Arcos where I was stopped by the police because they could tell I was lost. As a matter of fact my first  conversation with them was directly outside the front door of the Monaco Hotel. 

By the way the Monaco Hotel is much better than the Los Arcos "Villas" which as it turnd out was more than a mile from Los Arcos and it's a gas station. It's as much a part of Los Arcos as the Angels are from Los Angeles!

I go to the pharmacy and the pharmacist walks me through a new proceedure for blisters in my condition. Long story but I am instructed to return to the hotel and to change the bandage I am using and switch to a different type and to use them for up to seven days and to change then at least three times a day or more often if possible. Wow, I'm glad I went. I do as he instructs and then I head to the plaza to have a glass of wine and perhaps something to eat.

It's a nice plaza with two cafés and lots of tables and plastic chairs. People just grab a chair and sit with others. I'm sitting at a table and order a glass of wine when a women asks if she and her husband can join me. Sure. He limps over to the table wearing flip flops but is also using his poles to get around.  He's not doing well. They are from Vancover. They had planned to walk the Camino and then travel over the balance of Spain for another month. A trip of about three months. The Camino part is over. He is hardly capable of walking because of blisters. He went to the Hospital today and the doctor told him not to go any longer. They will take the early bus tomorrow to Logrono and stay for at least two nights and then decide what to do. Even if you can't complete the Camino there's not much to see if your limping around and in pain.

Nice people. He makes kites for a hobby and showed me his work. He made one with the Camino logo which he had planned to fly in the plaza at the Cathedral of Santiago. That may not happen. 

So now here I am it's Thursday morning and I'm about to begin my walk to Viana. I really go overboard on making sure I have everything packed and ready to go. I'm getting tired of leaving things behind and having to deal with it. I check and I double check. It's all there and I leave the Hotel Monico for the Camino. I make a quick turn from the Hotel and I'm now needing to get into the street to go around all of the Pilgrims waiting for the bus to Logrono. There must be two dozen including the people I had dinner with last night. I went to say hello to the Vancover couple and to wish them well. The number of  Camino victims is growing.

I have planned ahead to stop at Torres del Rio for coffee and to change my bandages. It's about five miles to that point. The weather is good and the trail lacks any serous Spanish Potatoes. Elevation changes are attention getting but brief. The passengers are doing fine and I'm not pushing it. I arrive at Torres del Rio and I first go into the pharmacy. I show the clerk all of the bandags I have and ask for duplicates. She understands and I leave with at least a two day supply. I have decided that I will not let the supply fall below this number.

 I leave the pharmacy and walk into the cafe. There is just one person working and there is a line of four people ahead of me including a local doing her shopping for the day. I decide to move on and let my water resupply take place In del Poyo which is only about a mile and a half away but first I need to change my bandages. There are tables available but I don't think it's right to change at any tables  plastic or otherwise. There is a bench which is empty so I go there. I begin the process but I'm close to a small group of young Americans all in their ethyl twenty's and they are close enough to me that it's impossible not to over hear their conversation. They are all on a minor rant about the vile nature of Capitalisim. I bite my tongue because I'm now AC Jim. What I really want to do is yask each of them if they have used an ATM for cash while they are here and also if it came from any of their capitalist parents?

Of cours I don't and I just move on. I think we are in real trouble with this group. Perhaps they should all move to a Socalist Country where they can reap all of the rewards of another system. Okay. I'm done and it's the last political comment I will make, I promise.

Today's walk is an easier one than any of the other previous days. The last three miles do have two real challenges ... One straight up and of course the other is downhill. As I reach the top of the uphill grind I turn onto a section of paved roadway which is a nice break. It's breif and I can see where the trail returns. There is someone there and he or she is not moving. As I get closer I see that it's a women and she has her shoe and sock off one foot and working on applying some kind of bandage. I stop and ask if I can help. I let her know that I have a nice supply of a variety of bandages if she needs one or more. She declines but thanks me. I ask her where she is from and she says "southern 

California". I reply "me to I'm from Capistrano". She says I'm from Irvine but I work in Dana Point at a restaurant ... Luchiana's. Wow. Robin and I have been going there for twenty years! Her name is Donna and she plays the Acordian at the restaurant on Friday and Satursay. The only reason I don't know her uis because Robin and I have always gone there on Monday or Tuesday.  I tell her that we will see her there after the Camino. Small world. 

In the end I made great time today without pushing it.  I also got a haircut which is always scary away from home. I asked that she take off just a small amount and the next thing I know I'm getting the "Chinnock" special. When it's over I look like I'm waiting for the school bus to take me to the first day of class for the second grade. Chinnock is a friend I play golf with who does not have a hair problem.

Dinner tonight with Rainer. Tomorrow I will walk to Navarette, a journey of about thirteen miles. Until then, good night and Buen Camino.

         

Today I am walking from Estella to Los Arcos a walk of 13.1 miles ... Make that 14.1 with the detour.

Yes I have done it again. Details soon but first let's finish yesterday. I covered the lost charger and my good luck in getting a replacement because there are others as bad as I am about forgetting things. I can't explain it I'm just like the absent minded professor. I could have just not put it in the blog but that would not be what the journey is about. 

I arrive in Estella having some increasingly difficult passenger issues. Both are having problems but the right passenger is really in some blister trouble. I need to get to a pharmacy and start taking steps to fix this. The left passenger also has two blisters but they are not as bad.

After I finish the laundry I need to shower. That's when I take off my hiking shores. Yes, I have blisters but I now see another problem. At about the half way point to to Estella I slammed my right passenger's toes into a very well embedded rock. At the time I feel it and I just shake it off. Now that my shoe is off I see for the first time that half my sock is red. I didn't know I was bleeding. It does hurt but it's not broken. I will soon be short a nail. Okay but let's deal with the bigger problem ... The blisters. 

At the pharmacy the clerk walks me through the procedure I need to follow in taking care of the passengers. Antiseptic, a variety of bandages and lots of instructions. I will do as I am told and get back to the hotel and get out of the shoes, treat the blisters with the antiseptic and then put on the bandages. First I will have a mista salad and then head back.

I am in bed early and I am slaeep soon after. I wake up at about 4:00 am. My foot is tender and my toe injury is not helping. I complete the blog in hopes that it will get me back to sleep.  It does not. I do fall sleep for short periods but I finally give up at 7:30 and go downstairs for something to eat. The carb fest is underway but even the bread is not very good.

As I get started I'm lucky because the first two miles is on a fairly flat paved walkway with only a few hills. Most importantly there are no Spanish potatoes . I'm walking very slowly. I must or I will risk not completing the Camino. The blisters are not yet acting up and I'm pleasantly surprised. Today there is very little shade and it's warm. That's fine because I don't know if the passengers could have handled another downhill march.

As I am limping along I'm being passed by people on their bikes. The peddle kind. Here is why I warned you about being left alone to think on The Camino. All of these bikes remind me of something that happened many years ago. First let's just start with this. We were not rich. Let's just leave it at that.

I was having breakfast with my older brother Bobby and my father. I was about eight years old. My brother was calmly complaing to my father that we didn't have any bikes. My father gave him his standard response which was ..." A lot of people who have a lot of things we don't have didn't wake up this morning". I had heard this before but never really got it. My brother responded with this brilliant comeback. " Well okay then let's find out who they are and get their bikes!" Brilliant! Simply brilliant. I now for the first time understood what my father was saying and I completely thought that my brother's comeback was perfect. Yes, let's find out who they are, they don't need bikes anymore. It was the last time I ever heard my father use what was up until that moment his perfect way to deflect a "want or a need" comment. I think my sister in law Carol and my nephew Chris will get a kick out of that story. 

Bobby passed away far to soon after a tough battle with a dreadful disease. His birthday is just a few weeks away. He is missed.

I am limping along at a pretty good pace when I decide to stop for a little something to eat and to take off my shoes. I'm in a little village called Azqueta about five miles into today's walk to Los Aarcos. I go inside this little cafe and there is just one other person sitting there at the counter. I see his backpack so I know he's a pilgrim. I greet him with Buen Camino and he returns the same greeting. He is an American. I order a cafe con leche . 

I take out my phone and ask for the wifi password but I'm told there is no wifi. Not sure why but threre is none Inspite of the sign to the contrary. He asks me where I'm from and I tell him and ask him the same question. He's from South Carolina and he goes on to tell me that his Camino is finished. Blisters , a swollen knee and a hip problem probably all conected to trying to walk around the blisters. He will make his way to Los Arcos and figure out his return home from there unless there is a recovery in one days time. I don't say it but I know how this will turn out. Another Camino victim.

I finish my coffee and return to the Camino. Here's the detour part. I thought long and hard about not sharing this but decided it is what it is. Remember the part I mentioned about the wifi and me taking out my cell phone? Well I left it there. About a half mile from the cafe I reached into my pocket for my phone to take a picture when I realize that it is missing and that I left it on the counter. 

Now in a panic I'm am racing back to the cafe. This is not what the passengers need right now. I go back I to the cafe and the only person there is the young women who made the coffee. I simply look at her and say "telephone". She immediately jumps up and runs behind the counter and hands me my phone. I'm am relieved to say the least and exhausted from nearly running back to the cafe. I sit and order another cup of coffee. She brings it to me and with a smile and also hands me in a napkin a chocolate chip cookie. I'll say it again ... These people are nice.

So there it is another major mistake I survive and just one day after the first one. I can't  explain it. I'm the disaster waiting to happen.

It's hot and I'm spent both mentally as well as physically. Now some good news. I walk into Los Arcos and I am looking down at the street map looking for the Hotel Monaco when I look up and there just standing in front of me is Rainer! That's Rainer as in Rainer from the first Camino. He's with his wife and they are traveling through Spain and decided to catch up with me in Viana which is tomorrow . He gives me a big hug and we chat for a bit. They are going to stay at the same hotel I will be in tomorrow and we will meet for dinner. I'm really looking forward to it.

I get to my hotel, take care of the laundry and shower. It's then off to the pharmacy to figure out how best to deal with the blisters and the increasingly problematic toe injury. I will tell you more about that and about another couple I share a dinner table with. He's another victim .. They will take the bus in the morning. The victims are adding up ... I just have to make sure I don't become one of them.

Tomorrow I will walk to Viana, a walk of about twelve miles. It's twelve miles assuming I don't take any detours. On last comment. I am carring stones which were given to me by Beth and Lori. Both have very special meanings. I just want both of you to know this. At every hotel I empty everything from my backpack except the two stones. Both stones are in an inside compartment in my backpack and will not be removed until I reach The Cruz De Ferro. I thought you should know that so that you don't worry about me leaving the stones in some hotel room! It would be easy to think that given my track record!

Good night and Buen Camino.

It's an uneventful day until the last four miles and then it gets interesting.

The departure from Puenta La Reina starts out very nicely. The weather is near perfect and I feel fine. Sore, yes that's now par for the course. Speaking of Par I need to apologize to the group of guys I uasally play with once a week. I guess that during my absence you will all have to deal with the cash flow reduction. I know you have all become so accustomed to it. Perhaps you can get a bank to fiance a payment based on anticipated  receivables.

Back to today. After the first two or so miles the situation changes just as the guide book had warned us about. There is now a long, very steep climb on a very badly eroded trail. It's getting warm and I am already wet from head to toe. I have seen some of the usual faces from Canada but I have not seen Putin or Miss USA. 

Everything changes at the moment I begin the down hill march in the Spanish Potatoes,  aka the Spanish Rocks and stones. I think they grow over night.  Just like yesterday it's just not fun. Leaning on your poles, head down trying not to take a really bad step as the weight shift of your backpack is beginning to have an effect on both your back and shoulders. Simply, this is hard.

With the exception of the terrain and the difuculty there is not much to say about the journey today. It's just not attractive. Nothing. Vegiataion, views and the villages just are not what has come before this day. We have passed into Basque Country and the anti-Spanish graffiti is everywhere and lots of it is in English.

I do get to stop at the same little cafe as I did two years ago. There are two cafe's directly across from each other and they are both good and are always busy. That's due to a couple of things. One they are situated where you come out of this long sun drenched trek looking for a place to sit and have something to eat or drink. They also both do a good job of creating an atmosphere you want  to be a part of.  I stopped and had a dish of Spanish stew. It was good and I needed the break. There were dozens of people in no rush to go anywhere having a couple of beers and or a glass of Rioja. 

I finish my stew and push on. I have only about six miles to go. Soon there after is when I first become aware of the problem. The right Passenger is starting to feel the creation of blisters. The left passenger is also sending similar signals but not as clearly as the right passenger. I'm not surprised. The terrain and the Spanish Potatoes have taken their toll. I decide to just keep going but I am already walking in a way that clearly favors the right passengers problem. The good news is that even with my slowdown I will reach Estella long before the pharmacy closes. The last two miles let me know that I have a real issue to deal with. 

I arrive at the Hotel limping a bit still moving forward. I will unpack, get the laundry taken care of, shower and then find a pharmacy. All is good with the plan and I get it all done. I'm ready to head to the pharmacy when I decide that I should charge my cell phone and download any emails I might have. That's when the panic sets in. I left my charger at the last hotel. Without it I'm out of the commincation business and it's five o'clock in Estella... So where am I possibly going to find a chager for my iPad and iPhone ? I can't believe that I have left behind a critical item. It's one that's never left behind. I am supposed to have a check list of the critical items packed before I close the backpack everyday. Medicine, power cords, passport, credential, credit cards, cash, hotel vouchers and reading glasses. 

I'm in a panic as I head to the front desk. I should be focused on the blisters but they can wait. I must find a place to buy a charger. I get to the front desk and try to explain my problem. The desk clerk is calm. She ask's no questions and just gets up and goes to a closet behind the desk. She returns with a box of chargers and assorted power items left behind by other people as dumb as me. There right in front of me is exactly what I need! I plug it in and I'm back in busines. I try to pay her for it but she just say's no ... It was lost and now it's found. 

I'm tired and worn out and I need to go and put the antibiotic they gave me at the pharmacy on my blisters. I will walk slowly tomorrow and I hope it's all going to be good. I have reason to believe it will be jusr a bit less comfortable. I will just have to manage . It's all part of the journey! A very uneventful day turned out to be otherwise!

Good night and Buen Camino.

  

BC Jim is saved by AC Jim ... There is no Forgiveness in The Hill of Forgiveness.

Awake early, breakfast is not available until 7:30 so I will use the time to sort out what is going with me in the backpack. I left behind about six pounds when I went to St. Jean and now I need to figure out how not to bring it all with me. I need to do a better job of reducing the weight going forward. The problem is I can't convince myself that not everything has to go with me because I can envision a situation when I will need something I may leave behind. 

One way to reduce weight is to do a better job of planning to pick up water along the way instead of starting out with three or four pounds of it. The conversation table tells me that 16 ounces of water is one pound. If I normally start out with 48 ounces that's three pounds. If I can get that down to just 16 or less that is a significant weight reduction. The key will be to take the time and look at my guide book to plan on where along the way I can replace the water I have consumed. 

Today is a walk of about 12 miles and my first water stop could be at Zariquiegui which is about four miles from the start. I will need to double up my supply there because I will be walking up hill from threre to Alto del Perdon or The Hill of Forgiveness. A serious climb where I will need lots of water. The top of the hill represents an elevation change up about 350 meters or about 1100 feet. At the top of the hill there are a dozen or more of these enormous wind turbines which can be seen for miles. The view back down to Pamplona is really spectacular.  I've done it before and I know that at the top there will be a place to buy water, coffee and more. So that's the plan. Look ahead and reduce weight by carring less water and replacing it more often. It will also force me to stop and rest more than I have been.

I get a late start because I'm waiting for the Camino shop to open so I can replace the bungee cord, aka clothesline I brought with me. I left it at the last hotel. For those of you keeping score figure it out.

I'm not concerned about a late start because it's a fairly short walk to Puenta La Renia. Net result is I 

don't get started until 10:30. I am so wrong about the Hill of Foregivenss and worse the climb down down that I will pay later for these mistakes.

The climb up is much longer than I remember. At about the two mile point the trail just starts to go up and up. It just never gets better. Then there are the stones, rocks, boulders. Call them what you want they are just unending. I got a message today from Pat who has walked two Camino's and he points out that it was during his climb down that he experienced his first injury and fiscal challenge. It makes me feel better because Pat is as fit as anyone I know and could walk back to the US from Porto if he wanted to.

I consumed about 100 ounces of water including a couple of power water type drinks. I still ran out of water in Obanos a short one mile from my destination. Here is what can happen so quickly on these rock coveted paths especially going down hill.

I'm taking a break before I get to the serious start of the uphill challenge just drinking some water sitting on a park bench with my backpack siting next to me when a young women walks up to me with a young guy and asks me if I left a sleeping bag back at the little cafe behind us? She speaks to me in English but she is from Brazil. I find that out later. Anyway she is trying to help someone, it's just not me. They move on and they are both very strong and moving at a really good pace. Cut to the last mile from Obanos and I catch up to them and she is walking on the toe of her right foot very badly and putting all of the pressure on her left foot. The young guy she is with is just slowing down to her pace. Not a good situation and I would bet it happened on the rock farm going down from the Hill of Forgiveness. It's hard to describe. It's completely downhill, all of your backpack's weight has shifted and you are looking only at the ground working hard with the poles trying to pick out the best path over the rocks. This goes on for two miles.

Once you reach the bottom the rocks disappear and you can now concentrate on gentle hills with no shade for the next five miles. There is no place for water so if you missed the last opportunity you will soon be without water and it's getting hot.

This day becomes my first real "Camino day" when I reach the bottom of the downside challenge and I get to the only place that has shade. It's a place covered in shade by one tree with a simple stone bench which is facing a statue of The Virgin Mary. There are stones and flowers at her feet, left behind to honor someone. it is clearly a place of reflection. I sit and I reflect and I take a drink of water when from absolutey nowhere  two dogs simply come and sit beside me. One black and one completely white. They have the look of sheep dogs. They make not a sound and just sit one on my left and one on my right. They walk beside me for the next two miles. If you saw them with me you would just assume they were mine. As I walk with them they keep pace and occasionally just look up at me. 

Just before I strarted the Hill of Forgiveness I stopped at a small cafe to by water. I actually bought two bottles of the Spanish version of vitamin water. Before I leave I see the cooler with these pressure packed packages of ham. I buy two. I don't need two, I don't want two but I buy two.

After about two miles with my companions I stop and I take out the ham and open both packages. I feed my new friends and they move on. It was nice to walk along with them. They were in fact the only companions I had today for another tough walk. Where did they come from? Where did they go? I don't have a clue. I walked into Puenta La Reina at 7:00. A longer day than I had anticipated. I'm tired and I'm hungry. Of course I have sweat though everything. I did make a good decision when I selected a pair of shorts for today. 

Here is the BC-AC Jim part. I find my Hotel with no problem. I get to the front desk and I present both my pre-paid room voucher and my passport. The young women trying to check me in is working on a computer that is older than me ... That's old. She begins to go through all of the draws in front of her and it does not take long for me to figure out that she cannot find a key for my room. I'm tired and desperately want to get in the shower and it's already nearly 8:00. My check in has now taken thirty minutes.

She finally grabs what appears to be a master key tied to a scarf and she is now going to take me to my room and try to find my key later. My room is on the third floor. Great just what I need. We arrive at room 35 and she tries to open the door but the women in the room is not having any part of this idea. So we head back down the stairs and about one hour from when I first arrived they are going "walk" me to another hotel. I'm prepaid but I don't have a room. It's now been about an hour and a half. BC Jim just might make an appearance. I'm not happy and the two women that tried to get me a room are apologizing but it's really not helping.

I arrive at the other hotel with the clerk. I really did get "walked". It's a term I know because travel is Robin's profession. Actually she is now in Amsterdam with a group on a river cruise. So, the clerk is asking this guy at Hotel #2 for a room for me when the other women from the original hotel runs in and tells me that it's all been cleared up. They have a room for me. Back we go. 

My new room is also on the third floor but at this point I don't care. I'm amazed, BC Jim has not yet made an appearance! I get to my room and all I want is a shower. Laundry is out of the question. It will never dry and I'm just to tired. I just want to shower and get something to eat.

Here is BC Jim's next test. The hot water is gone! It's a small hotel and I guess that by 8:30 they run out. I was not planning on a cold shower but it is what it is. I complete my cold water challenge and I head downstairs. The older women tells me that dinner is free because of the problems. I don't tell her about the water .... why bother she can't do anything about it. I'm not sure that I want to eat here given their track record but before I can decide she hands me a  glass of an eleven year old Navarra Reserva and a small dish of roasted mushrooms in garlic and olive oil and I'm sold. She hands me the menu. It's in Spanish and the only thing I understand is the mista salad. I ask if they have pasta and she says yes. I ask for the salad and before I can say anything else she is gone to the kicthen.

She places the bottle of wine on my table and soon after I'm having the freshest salad. The pasta arrives. It's in olive oil with black olives and capers which was unbelievable. In the end I will not let her feed me for free and I take care of both her and her young helper.

If BC Jim had made an appearance I would have had a ham sandwich at the nearest cafe. AC Jim was rewarded by his behavior and it turned out to be a really great night. That's it for now. Tomorrow it's on to Estella. My guide book says its a walk of 13.6 miles and notes " the first section is a steep climb on a heavily eroded path before descending into Estella". Great! 

Until tomorrow , Buen Camino.