Last night I woke up at midnight, hacking and coughing. There was no denying it, I was suffering from a respiratory infection that was turning into a full blown cold. I had the option of a rest day today to recover a bit, but I’d booked a hotel in Martos for tomorrow night, forty miles away. The weather forecast for the next two days indicated I would be riding into winds of 12-15 mph. Based on the way I felt, it would be a real struggle to do 40 miles into a headwind with only one day rest. Clearly, a change in plans was in order. I did some internet searching for possible options and found Porcuna, a small town about half-way between Montoro and Martos. There was nothing available on Booking but I found an apartment available on Agoda. I booked it and went back to sleep.
This morning I contacted Rosario to let her know I’d be leaving today. All was good as she had originally thought I’d be there only a single day. I headed out to find some breakfast, assuming that Easter Monday business closures would not have leaked into Easter Tuesday. The one place notable for breakfast was uphill, but was in the opposite direction than the one I'd taken yesterday. It was beginning to sink in what the Montoro logo was all about – the city was laid out in a double-humped, M-shape. Today’s “hump” looked to be a bit more prosperous that the one I’d passed through yesterday, but that may have been due to more activity on the streets. After a bit of wandering, I found the restaurant and placed my order – toast with tomato/jam, coffee and fresh orange juice. Eggs are a popular lunch and dinner menu item, but I’ve yet to see them on a breakfast menu.
The most direct route to Porcuna was about 20 miles, but I was a little uncertain as how best to get across the A4 autoroute to Villa del Rio, where I could pick up provincial roads. RWGPS pointed me toward a frontage road along the north side of the A4 autoroute –but it wasn’t real clear how I would cross the highway. I looked at GoogleMap, which indicated the best route was the south side frontage road. Not wanting to be stuck on the wrong side of the expressway, I set off using the Google route.
The frontage road was not bad, with stretches of tarmac intermixed with well-packed dirt/gravel. It was a bit dusty and noisy, but after five miles I reached the western edge of Villa del Rio. I stayed with the Google route as it skirted me around Villa del Rio, expecting to join my RWGPS route on the south side of town. But Google had found an alternate road south, one I’d not noticed when plotting the RWGPS route. I paused, considered my options, and stuck with Google – it’d done a great job so far.
The Montoro logo, with a double-hump letter M. The outline at above the placard also depicts the city, and includes the bridge across the Río Guadalquivir and the commercial center across the river
The Google route proved to be a real delight, taking me on rural roads – sometimes dirt, sometimes paved – through a world of olive groves, olive groves, and olive groves. My ails fell to the wayside as I pedaled happily along, alone with the chirping birds, waving wildflowers and silent trees. It was bliss, a remedy ride.
Along the Google Route - a little bit of wonderful
I eventually rejoined the RWGPS route for the final climb into Porcuna, a fairly gentle ascent for Andalusia, and one that was not overly taxing. I checked into the studio apartment and after cleaning up went out for a great meal of scrambled eggs with cod – it had taken a while but I did manage to satisfy my egg craving. After lunch I stopped by the market for some provisions, then it was back to the apartment for my French class and an early bedtime. The plan for more rest and shorter routes seemed to work well today, so let’s keep this tour moving forward.
Today's ride: 19 miles (31 km) Total: 689 miles (1,109 km)
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Rachel and Patrick HugensWe hope you feel better soon. Rachel's cough and nasal drainage while in Morocco has only now begin to subside.
Speedy Recovery. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
