April 12, 2024
To Near Belvís de Monroy
My time Monfragūe National Park had been remarkable – it is a place I could easily spend several more days hiking the trails and indulging in its natural beauty - and maybe even learning a bit about raptors. But it was time to leave and start heading south on a winding route back to Seville.
At 8:30, I was at the restaurant door ready for my tostada with butter and jam. On this day, however, they opened 15 minutes late and in the interim I waited with some of the school group, getting more information from Jacob about the school program – it does seem like an extraordinary and immersive opportunity for young people to appreciate the natural world – and they seemed to love it.
There was a huge rush when the restaurant did open, not only most of the 25 members of the school group but also their three teachers, two park rangers who were serving as their guides, and at least three additional couples hoping for an early start to their day of birding/hiking. Everyone was patient, the staff was efficient, and they made me a big ham, cheese and pimento sandwich to go. It was not long before I dropped off the key and was on my way.
The ride out of the park was almost as magical as the ride in, twisting above the river along a road cut into the hillside, one that I’d spotted yesterday. The wind was a bit squirrelly as I circled down to the river, but nothing like I’d experienced earlier in the trip. I crossed over the dam and followed the Tieter River upstream to the small Mirador de la portilla del Tietar. Two elderly birders had staked out a viewing spot, with their spotting scope, binoculars, and camera focused on the large, craggy rock face across the river. One of them pointed to his spotting scope and said cigüeña negra, black stork. I again accepted the generosity of birders and saw a nesting pair of black storks. This time, I was able to zoom in with my camera and capture a couple of photos of my own.
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Shortly after my stork sighting, I left the park and entered an entirely different landscape –broad pastureland punctuated with a multitude of trees, cows, and a few sheep. I was on a zig-zag route to near Belvís de Monroy, a place chosen based on mileage and upcoming stopovers. It was not a direct route to anywhere, and I encountered few human souls until I spotted a touring tandem up ahead. I sped up a bit, but couldn’t quite catch them before I was to turn off in another direction. I called out, and they stopped – Roland and Sigrund from Berlin out on a five-month tour around Europe. We had a very pleasant and extended conversation, during which time I introduced them to CycleBlaze and learned that Sigrund did not want pictures of themselves posted online. So, no photos, only a mention so that I remember our nice encounter.
It was getting hungry out and I decided to make a short detour into the town of Serrejón, thinking I might find a café/bar where I could get a fanta to enjoy with my sandwich. I rode all through the center of town finding nothing, barely any signs of life except one man slowly walking in the street. When queried, he pointed me back toward the highway where there was a large cafeteria at the edge of town. At half-past one in the afternoon, the bar was crowded with townsfolk engaged in rapid and lively conversation. I got a coke, ate half my sandwich, and was soon on my way.
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The last fourteen miles to my roadside hotel were fairly uninteresting. I’d become a bit jaded by the continuous panorama of spectacular spring flowers, but was always brought to a stop every couple of miles. And no way could I pass up a cluster of stork nests atop the church in Casatejada. I kept a big smile cycling through Saucedilla, not only amused by the name but intrigued by the Africa Poderosa circus coming to town.
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Eventually I turned down the small road that led to my lodging, a highway hotel located at an exit on the autoroute. I arrived hot and a bit tired, so I first headed over to the cafeteria for a cold drink to enjoy in my room. The hotel was huge, with a big empty restaurant area and many large empty conference-type rooms – all perfectly suitable places to accommodate Vivien George. However, I understood that I was to keep her in my room – located one floor up. I was directed to the small elevator, made one trip up with the panniers and then went back for Vivien George. She barely fit when standing on one wheel, and I did a major contortionist move to press the elevator button to the first floor. Once bike and panniers were on the correct floor, I deposited them and went in search of my room – following the indicating arrows down one hallway after another but finding no room 101. I stared at the picture of the floor plan, and still found myself going down the wrong hallway. I was getting a bit desperate, thinking of the cold fanta waiting for me. Suddenly, I was standing in front of room 101 – I opened the door, retrieved the bike and panniers and chugged down my orange drink.
I had finished showering up and doing laundry and was relaxing in my triple room when I heard some commotion in the hallway and my door opened. A man stood there, with a room key in hand and a quizzical look on his face. Realizing I had settled into the room, he sheepishly backed out while shaking his head in apology. It was not until the next morning that I realized that I was in the wrong room - my room was 102, not 101! Obviously I needed a good night’s sleep.
Today's ride: 36 miles (58 km)
Total: 571 miles (919 km)
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