May 8, 2024
To Palencia
We’re across the Duero now, beginning the gradual climb north toward the Cantabrian Range, too far off to be visible yet. It doesn’t start off gradually though - after leaving the city and crossing the Pisguera we face 20 miles of jagged road - continuously up and down as we drop into and climb out of one arroyo after another. We knew this was in store for us, and console ourselves with the fact that at the end of this our work for the day is done - we have ten miles of what looks like a virtually flat ride across the top of a plateau, followed by a five mile descent back to the river again.
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iA doesn't know you are shooting a potentially fast moving bird. Probably there was enough light to have set a fast shutter speed on S. But I, anyway, never think of this. One approach is to use the "C" setting, and create a fast bird profile there.
3 months ago
If I slowed down to adjust the settings (even if I knew what I was trying to do), I’m sure they’d be long gone. It’s an interesting idea presetting a profile though, something I’ve never done. I’ll have to do that and experiment on some swifts.
3 months ago
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Finally, we’re up for good. We’ve been looking forward to this point for almost two hours and anticipate a relaxed, flat cruise for the next ten miles and a fast descent back to the river, Palencia, and lunch. So it’s quite a disappointment that now that we’re in the open there’s nothing stopping the 15mph headwind we have to bike into. Torture. These easy, flat miles turn into the hardest ones of the day, and leave me staring at the Garmin counting off tenths of a mile at the end.
Finally the end comes though and we enjoy a relaxed, fast five mile drop to the city, picking up another fine bike path a few miles before town.
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3 months ago
Video sound track: On. Friday Night, by Yasmin Williams
We pull up to our restaurant of choice right at its opening hour, 1:30. Perfect, except that once again we come to a dark establishment. Google’s got it wrong again, and today is their day of rest. We’re not the only ones surprised by this - while we’re cursing our luck and staring at our phones looking for another candidate nearby three guys that look like they’re laborers on their lunch break walk up, stare in the window, mutter something in Spanish, and walk off.
Somehow we keep reliving this annoying script. We’ve got a lunch plan, the plan is foiled, and in the tension of deciding what to do next we hurriedly pick what looks like the nearest open place with good reviews. Today we pick Terra Palencia, which proves to be a particularly inapt choice. It’s a frufru joint, with a limited set of selections on their menu of the day (we’re never shown the a la carte menu). There’s the appetizer course, and then a choice between four mains: two meat, two fish. Neither of the meats sounds appealing and we don’t like sepia either so we both have the hake.
The appetizer course shortly arrives - an array of four selections, each lovingly described in broken English, with recommendations on the best sequence to savor them in - and each consisting of maybe a single robust bite or quaff. I’ve no doubt that many would relish this, but it’s not really the sort of dining experience Team Anderson thrives on. It’s very nice to have a white tablecloth and clean silverware between courses naturally, but more calories would be better.
Our apartment though, at Apartment Hotel Colón 27, is outstanding. We have a very comfortable studio apartment on the first floor, across the street from an elementary school where we can soak in the joyous sounds of children on recess. The hosts are very congenial, and one is even fluent in our language. There’s safe storage for the bikes in the basement, and an elevator to access both them and our room. We’re glad we’re here for two nights, and would have been happy with an even longer stay.
And Palencia is terrific, once we rest up awhile and get out for a look. But that’s a subject for a different post.
Today's ride: 34 miles (55 km)
Total: 1,376 miles (2,214 km)
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3 months ago
3 months ago
You too, huh? It's a habit I'm trying to break myself of, because I end up so completely focused on *getting to the end of the day's ride* that I sometimes forget that the whole point is to ride.
Well that, and to sightsee and eat and drink and sleep and just generally enjoy the experience... okay so maybe the riding isn't the entire point of the exercise, it's just a ... ahem, "vehicle" to achieve a broader goal.
3 months ago
3 months ago