Monday: Bonville to Puente de Genave.

August 18, 2014

Looking out this morning there's lots of big clouds and rain on the horizon. Then while washing the pan after breakfast of porridge, a big mob of sheep come seemingly from nowhere moving across the track out to the road and continue parallel to the road followed by a man in dark clothes with a sheep dog. Having passed a few hundred metres from my tent I don't think the shepherd would've noticed me. His eyes focussed on the flock.

I continue south on road CM3306 under dull sky and a cool cross breeze ahead of a dark blue curtain of rain moving across from the right. It looks like it'll hit my road ahead at some point. Heavy rain. The thought is making me nervious. Just then an open topped car approaches and slows to a halt level with me. The driver a young beardy man with his woman partner in the passenger seat asks directions to somewhere, as if I'd know. Can't he see I'm not from around here. I reply hastily "No se!" and he replies with a polite "dali" and drives on.

The rain almost catches me. Big drops splatter the road and an oil odder of freshly rained on tarmac lingers in the air. Then there is no more.

I've already passed through first a roundabout with a turnoff approach to a village ahead on the right. Then midway pass the village a second roundabout with a turnoff. The rain seems to have missed the village. Then sideling into a third roundabout for a linking road leaving the village, the rain is just ahead. I pause a moment before turning round and riding back towards the village for shelter.

I pass warehouses with old farm machinery in front before coming to a crossroads where I turn left along a quiet street lined with low whitewash houses and pass a corner with a public watertap. In the small plaza the only shop is a tobacconist, but turning a corner I see a supermercado. Inside is neither too big nor too small. Just the right size with everything necessary for the day, including crisps to snack on outside, where expecting to have returned out to a street awash after rain, the street remains dry and it has brightened up with a fair amount of blue sky showing.

The Rain In Spain.....stays always off to the side, thankfully.

I wait it out by returning to the village in the previous picture.

The rain and cloud having passed the way onward is the usual hot thirsty ride where I join the N316 at Roble. It is hard finding a shaded spot to lunch. I pass a stand of Popular trees by a stream, but there is no access down from the bridge. Then I come to an old road loop with a stand of small beech on the outside with some but not altogether great shade. And while sitting eating an egg sandwich, two bees keep buzzing around, alighting on my leg if I would allow them.

I push onwards at three and soon have a parched dry mouth dreaming of a cold drink and counting down the kilometres to a place ahead, where I hope to check into a hotel for the night as batteries are low and need recharging.

Puente de Genave is a kilometre downhill to the bottom of the valley. A hot slog back up to the highway if there isn't a suitable hotel. I pass a five star hotel, then a block further a more modest place, but I keep riding into town to quench my thirst.

I find a place part hardware shop, part mercado and come out with a big bottle of cola and a can of beer off the shelf. I sit down on the curb, pull the ring-tag and slurp down bubbly nectar. The owner helping with a delivery of paint disappears inside and returns with a cold can from the fridge which he hands to me. I smile in appreciation.

I return to the second hotel passed. The price is thirty-eight euros, which the way I look at it isn't much if spread over many nights camping for free.

Today's ride: 89 km (55 miles)
Total: 4,098 km (2,545 miles)

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