In an unfortunate plot twist it turns out that other than for the short ride to the train station tomorrow my bike ride yesterday was the last one of the tour. I was having misgivings about pushing my luck any further with my balding rear tire anyway, but the ride up into the hills I had planned for today went out the door when I woke up feeling sick. It’s too soon to be sure about what’s happening with my health - for the moment anyway it feels like it might just be the start of a cold - but it’s pretty clear that I should be taking the day off. So, the biking portion of the tour is over.
It’s probably just as well that I don’t push my luck any further on this tire anyway. Its looked like this for about a week.
Not the hiking portion though. It’s another fine morning so Rachael’s off on another jaunt into the hills. She spotted a pair of features on the map that looked interesting - a hermitage and an aquaduct - so I helped her map out a not too challenging loop that went past both of them. And for a change the entire loop worked out for her - no dead ends, no daunting terrain - but sadly, also no aquaduct. It’s my fault for not staring at the map closely enough. The aquaduct looks like it’s right next to the road I routed her on, but if I’d zoomed in enough I’d have seen that it’s actually about a hundred yards off down a faint side trail. She walked right past it, with it probably hidden behind the trees.
Not sure what this is - presumably a quarry of some kind. Oh, I could check out the map I suppose. It’s the cliff behind a wastewater treatment plant.
I recognize this escarpment from seeing it from the beach. It’s part of a fairly long formation, one I was planning to get a look at myself if I’d gone out on the bike today.
I’m watching her progress from the apartment and when I see she’s just a few blocks away I head downstairs so we can walk to lunch together. Afterwards I’m feeling energetic enough that I decide to walk to the center of town for a look at the church we spotted a day or two ago. I’m glad I did, because it gives me a different sort of favorable impression of this place that the one I already had.
In Calella. This is a very typical look for the streets in all of these towns through here: Calella, Pineta, Santa Susana and Magrat.
I could just walk back the way I came but I decide to continue to the next track crossing and walk back along the beach instead and soak up one last bit of Mediterranean ambiance before heading home to grey, rainy Portland.
And the birds. I’m especially pleased that I took this shot, thinking it was just the usual gang of black-headed gulls. It wasn’t until I looked at the photo later that I realized nearly half of them are sandwich terns.
Betsy EvansToo bad you’re not feeling well. But that tire doesn’t look like it could do another ride either! Reply to this comment 4 weeks ago
Karen PoretPLEASE be ok! Heed your inner voice and be well for yourself, Rachael and all of the CB’ers who admire you both! Reply to this comment 4 weeks ago
Scott AndersonTo Karen PoretThanks for the advice and encouragement, Karen. I can’t decide if this is poor or good timing. It portends an unpleasant flight home, but it didn’t disrupt much of the tour and I’ve got a doctor’s appointment next week. Reply to this comment 4 weeks ago
Karen PoretTo Scott AndersonKeep us all posted..good, bad, or indifferent! May your flight home be without added “hiccups”…👍 Reply to this comment 3 weeks ago
4 weeks ago