Malanquilla

October 3, 2023

This was a fantastic day, the best of the tour so far. No day is perfect though, so we might as well start with the blemish and get it out of the way first.

So there was that, but now that I think back there was also that bit about trying to get out of our modern four star hotel. Our bikes are in our third story room so we’re thankful that our hotel has an elevator, and one large enough that we can roll a bike in with panniers. So much nicer than what we’ve mostly seen lately - a tiny box just large enough for one bike stood on end, and tight enough that you have to squeeze your butt in before the door will close.

It only takes one at a time, and I’m ready so I go first. When I press the button for floor zero though, nothing happens. It’s totally unresponsive. So I try the mezzanine where we just had breakfast, which works - and when I get there I pantomime the problem to a breakfast staff worker standing there. It must be a known problem though, because she shakes her head and points to the stairs. I look at them, look at my loaded bike, and then back at her. She phones someone, then gets on the elevator and tries herself.

No luck - so she takes me to the minus one floor, gets off, makes another phone call, gets back on the elevator, and tries again. Mysteriously it works, and I finally wheel off onto the street level. I immediately phone Rachael to give her a heads up so she won’t get on the elevator and then panic fearing she’s trapped. And then I watch the numbers to see where it’s taking her. Sure enough, it only takes her to the mezzanine. I walk up the stairs to help her the rest of the way down - she carries the panniers down the stairs and I take the bike.

Fifteen minutes after we started this process we’re finally out the door. It’s 10:30, overcast and surprisingly cool as we bike south out of town.

Leaving Ólvega, on a pleasant pedestrian way that carries us the first couple of miles out of town before dropping us onto the provincial road.

What a change in the weather overnight! The forecast says we’ll stay dry but we’re suspicious. Here we’re looking in the direction of the Moncayo Range, blanketed for the moment.

Today’s ride is longer but significantly easier than yesterday’s but it does begin with a climb - a three miler that averages 5-6% and rewards us with a summit sign on top. We’re on a reasonably quiet provincial road, but one that does carry some truck traffic. It’s not bad though, with an abundant shoulder that lets us relax; and the cool conditions and a mild tailwind take the sting out of the climb.

Once we’re on top the rest of the day’s ride is on the whole quite easy, with more downhill and up. The sun breaks out, but it remains cool for nearly the entire ride - the temperature is at least fifteen degrees cooler than yesterday. And the ride itself is beautiful. We’re up near 4,000’, the air feels fresh, and the landscape is very open. The broad views, and a savannah-like character with open fields vegetated with oak and juniper remind me of northern New Mexico.

We have our ups and downs ahead of us, but nothing serious.

Fantastic scenery. Note the dense cloud bank in the distance - that’s where we’ve come from.

The ride so far has been great, but halfway through it kicks things up.a few notches and turns truly magnificent. It starts with a descent into the village of Borobia - a tiny place, but the largest one since Ólvega that we’ll see today. After that we turn onto a fantastic road, and for the next five miles we enjoy sublime conditions while seeing not a soul - no cars, no bikes, and no folks at all until we come to the next junction.

A view back to Moncayo, out of the clouds now.

For five miles we have this wonderful road completely to ourselves.

This road finally ends at a provincial highway. I’m expecting some traffic once we get there, but that’s not the case. For the last few miles of the ride we still see almost no other cars - maybe only one or two of them if I’m remembering correctly. What we do have though are sunflowers. Miles of them, yellow fields without end. Brilliant.

It’s in here though, at the top of the final small climb before we drop into Malanquilla, that there’s the unpleasantness the post opened with. Rachael was waiting at a summit for me so she could video me on the descent, and somehow broke the mount for her GoPro. A serious problem, worth a profanity or five. It ends the video footage for the day, and maybe for the tour. Very sad.

The ride ended with about three miles like this.

We’re up pretty high here, maybe 3,800’, and the crop isn’t as far along as it was down along the Ebro.

Video sound track: El Pati, by Abel Sanchez

There wasn’t a great deal to Ólvega, but there’s even less to Malanquilla. Much less. A small cluster of stone houses surrounding a central plaza and modest church, and one exceptionally colorful structure standing out from everything else - the one star Boutique Hotel Inédita, our home for the night. There’s no one in when we arrive, but a note on the door says to check in at the Gastro Bar on the square by the church; so we lock up the bikes and head down there, which was our plan anyway since it’s time for lunch. The hotel and gastro bar are associated, run by the same Argentinian couple, and it looks like they might be the only commercial establishments in this town or for many miles around.

We don’t really have any idea what to expect from either the bar or hotel, and are mostly just relieved to see that we’ll get fed and a bed. It’s fair to say that the small bar restaurant is a quirky place, filled with odd, diverse art objects that make it an interesting place to look around while we wait for our generous combination plates to arrive, accompanied by fantastic Argentinian empanadas.

A salmon steak like Grandma Woodings used to serve up.

After our meal the lady walks us over to the hotel to give us access and show us around before heading back to the bar. She of course speaks no English but she succeeds in getting the main points across. Looking around the place on our own after she’s left, we’re stunned by it. It’s amazingly colorful, also full of eclectic artworks, and remarkably elegant and comfortable. There’s a jacuzzi, a sauna, comfortable sitting areas, and spots outside where you can sit on the balcony and soak in the extraordinary setting. We’re in the middle of one of the emptiest regions in Spain; and after a nap we’ll come back and show you something of it.

Oh. One more important thing to note. Soon after checking in to our room we started going through our gear and were overjoyed to find what we hoped against hope might be in there - a spare GoPro mount. Yes!!

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Ride stats today: 23 miles, 1,600’; for the tour: 834 miles, 27,000’

Today's ride: 23 miles (37 km)
Total: 824 miles (1,326 km)

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Suzanne GibsonThat first video really gave me a scare. I thought that Rachael had taken a tumble, not just the GoPro! So glad you have a spare mount, Rachael!
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1 year ago

Scott AndersonTo Suzanne GibsonOh, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think bout it from that perspective. She didn’t fall herself. The mount broke and the camera is documenting its own misfortune.
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1 year ago

Janice BranhamI thought the same thing as Suzanne, and that Rachel had made a blazing fast recovery. Glad you weren't in a splat, and that you have a spare mount. I need my Rachel-cam fix.
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1 year ago