As expected, it’s another cold, unstable day today. The agenda’s more or less like yesterday’s: we’ll each take walks when it looks like they’ll fit in, we’ll meet for lunch, and we’ll study the weather reports to plan out the best approach for managing the seventy miles to Ávila where we hope for another multi-day stay.
Midmorning looks like our best window, so Rachael takes the textile mill trail we showed you yesterday while I go off in a new direction. We have mixed results with the weather though - she gets out about the same time as I do, walks faster, and gets back dry. I dawdle for the usual reasons and am out longer - just long enough to catch a bit of rain on the way back to town, as well as some minor hail that’s unpleasant on my growing bald spot.
For lunch we return to the same place we ate at our first day here - and better educated now we manage to avoid ordering the blood pudding.
In the evening we conclude that for tomorrow at least the weather looks like it will give reasonable biking conditions so we commit ourselves and book a room in Piedrahíta, about thirty miles away. After that we’ll think again. Day at a time.
Consulting the real weather report, we look out the window and decide the signs are favorable this morning.
In Aliseda Park, a small place on the Cuerpo de Hombre River about a half mile upstream from the textile mill walk. If I’d thought about it I could have folded up a paper boat with a note on it and dropped in for Rocky to pick up downstream.
The Cuerpo de Hombre River. On second thought, it’s probably too rough for that boat. It would probably capsize and wash up on the rocks somewhere before reaching Rachael.
Out of town now, I’m hiking up into the hills east of town. There’s a network of well marked and developed trails here, including one that’s a 12 mile loop that returns to town. Just right for Rachael, in the unlikely chance that we find ourselves back here someday.
There’s not too much color in the woods this morning. Horse chestnuts are in bloom, a few isolated poppies, some wild lavender, and this stuff. Nothing like the dazzling displays we saw back in Extremadura though.
It’s pretty solidly overcast but there’s enough of a break for a glimpse at the Sierra de Gredo range. I think that’s the village of Candelario on the left.
