Camino Francis, Day 10

 It’s Monday, April 27. I am up bright and early this morning around 5:30am. I actually wanted to get up nice and early to give myself time to get packed and eat a little breakfast. Casa Raul is a very nice place. Definitely would stay here again if and when I come back. The place wasn’t even close to being full. I think only 8-10 people that I counted. It was sure nice to have all my close washed and cleaned for the next few days. I was planning to do all my laundry in Burgos on my rest day. I gathered all my gear & headed downstairs. The owners had set up a very basic breakfast. Drip coffee, fruit, breakfast cookies, & toast w/ jam. I took a banana & an orange w/ me for the road. I looked at my guide booklet, while eating. I had more towns I would be going through than I have had in the last few days. My estimated mileage would be 15-16 miles according to the book.

It is 6:53am.  It’s a chilly 49°. I actually had to put on my fleece jacket this morning. It’s currently a misty/foggy morning. Weather forecast shows sun later today & mid upper 60s. Leaving the city it’s very quiet & still. I can actually see my breath when I exhale hard.   Surprisingly the first thing I encountered leaving the town of Granon, was a downhill WHAT!!!, that never happens. I don’t really I have much in the way of elevation change all day. I believe it’s just mild up and down through the farm Land. As I mention before, I do pass through more little villages, but not sure what kind of services will be available. today than I did yesterday Also today, I will not be walking w/ with the same group of pilgrims, Amy, Mike & Jim. We all have different destinations today, plus I left earlier than they were planning. But I am sure I will bump into them on down the trail. We talked sbout getting together in Burgos for dinner possibly Since we are all going to be there at the same time. Soon after leaving Granon, I am also leaving the La Rioja region & entering Castillo Y Leon region. 

8am,  I enter my first little village of the day, Redecilla del Camino. It’s a very small village w/ no services being available, mostly due to the fact that it’s too early in the  morning, but they do have a pilgrim tourist information center here if you need it. Just before 8:30 I enter my second little village, Castildegado, have you noticed how these Spanish towns just towns are just rolling off my fingers!!, and once again this place is shut up tight. Onward I go. It is still real foggy out and I still have my fleece on. It’s warmed up to 50° degrees.

8:45am, entering my third little village of the day Viloria de Rioja. Still no open services. 

9am, I have been walking for just a little over two hours now and I’m still in the fog, only seeing about 100 yards in each direction I look, yet I can here the cars & trucks wizzing down the highway. 

One quick observation. I have noticed that since I left Granon, I am not seeing a lot of pilgrims on the trail. I suppose since Granon is smaller, fewer pilgrims are staying there, than in the bigger towns. So there are fewer pilgrims leaving here, than say from bigger towns. So I don’t have the big clumps or groups of pilgrims around me. 

9:40am, just passed a pig farm, very stinky!!!!!!

9:45am, stopped at a little roadside Café in Villamayor del Rio, just passed a stinky pig farm.. pew it stunk. I purchased my morning café con Leche, a nice big piece of Spanish Tortilla, and also grabbed a couple snacks for the road, & my all important stamp.

10:00am back on the trail after a nice little rest stop at that café at Villamayor Del Rio.  I’ve gone 5.7 miles in just a little over three hours. The fog is starting to lift now. I still have my fleece on, temperature is 54°. Still not a lot of pilgrims around me, but that’s OK. The next town ahead, Belarado, I estimate is about 1.5-2 miles away. I continue to walk along the highway listing to the big rigs zooming on by. I just saw a logging truck go by me, what!!!, did I pass through some time warp and ended up on the Oregon Coast🤔

Observation:  As was I walking along the Highway, the big semi-trucks are passing me and a lot of them have big stuffed animals in the windshield or smaller stuffed animals hanging from the visors. Now and I’m thinking, when’s the last time you saw a trucker in the in America with a big Pikachu or Hello Kitty stuffed animal looking at you?🤣🤣

11:40am, I have reached the outskirts of Balarado, I found where that logging truck was going, Not Oregon, but to a logging yard, I pass, I can also hear the saw buzzing away as I passed. 

11:45am made it to Belarado. I am at 10.4 miles in just a little over 4 hours. Made my way to the Cathedral, got my stamp woo hoo. Second stop was a pharmacy. I needed to get some more blister care for my feet. Found what I needed at the pharmacy, then found bench right across the street. Took my shoes & socks off let my feet dry for a bit, Applied Compeed blister patch to my left toe blister, & put a new pair of dry socks. Camino life.

12 o’clock noon quick stop to take off my fleet. It is now 61° but still overcast. I’ve gone 12.2 miles in  just a little over 5 hours. I did not stop to have anything to eat in Belarado,  I was not hungry since I just ate a big breakfast not long & I have lots of snacks w/ me.  did Getting my foot care taken care of is all  I wanted to do. I would characterize this day so far as walking by the Interstate Highways, literally I’ve been walking next to the highway’s all day long. Wheat fields on my left, highway on my right.

I did talk to an older gentlemen, on my way into Balalardo. He was from Canada and said this is his second time walking this Camino. The last time was 12 years ago. I asked him if things seemed different or the same as he remembered. He said some of the things look & feel about the same, but other things have definitely changed. 

12:30pm entering a little bitty town of Tosantos, 13.9 miles down.

12:43pm, well, I guess I was wrong about the weather😡, that liquidy stuff is starting to lightly fall out of the sky so stop put the rain pack on and I have my rain jacket close, but holding off putting it on. 

12:46pm, new update thunder is now roaring in the distance.

1:00pm, and reach the little city of Villambistia. 15.1 miles in just a tick over six. Thunder is still roaring in the distance. Found the little church in Villambistia open, went in took a couple of pictures and got my all important stamp. Mileage marker, 550km=342miles to go to Santiago.

1:20pm, and the skies have opened up. I found a little refuge, under some trees in a little park area so I’m gonna wait this out a bit and see how it goes.

1:30pm, I now have my rain jacket and my poncho on.  I’m going to head on down the road because I only have like maybe 3/4 of a mile to my Albergue .

1:50pm, arrived at Espinosa del Camino Albergue. My poncho is soaking wet, but I am dry, so it did its job. I got checked in, signed up for the pilgrim dinner tonight. I’m in a very small five bedroom room. I have two roommates, 1 from the Netherlands & 1 from Germany. 

3:30pm, showered, have my towel, wash cloth & two pair of socks hanging on the indoor laundry rack to dry. My little 5 bedroom is now full. Paul, the Catholic Priest, is sleeping in the bunk above me. I guess he gets the top bunk because has a higher calling!!!! Pilgrim humor, oh crap I just heard thunder in the distance… My Bad🤣

But actually it has been raining pretty good ever since I arrived. Tomorrow I might need Lawerence & his trusted Donkey to get me out of here🫏. 

The Piligrim dinner is scheduled for around 7pm, & it looks to be a full house for dinner. Plus there are not many options for food around here. 

I have two older roommates that are You Tuber’s, posting their Camino travels, a Catholic Priest and a drunken Irishman. Does anyone have a Valium I could borrow. 

I was informed that the rain will be stopping tonight, but then again I was told it was not going rain today either. But rain or shine, just like the postman, I will forge on.

Gear Time- I forgot about it yesterday. So let’s talk backpack, polls, and fanny pack.

Backpack- Vanaheimer 45+Liter, frameless, weights less than two pounds. Has all the bells & whistles like the other packs. I got it because of the weight & frameless feature.

Polls- I bought them at Costco, awhile back. They are lightweight, adjustable w/ cork handles & the boot tips.

Fanny Pack- my life line. It rarely leaves my body. It has 6 zipper pockets. Holds my Euro coin, chapstick, hand lotion, eye cleaner rags, prescription sunglasses, ear buds, wallet, plastic pouch for my passport and my stamp pass ports, power charger & pen & small writing pad. Plus I have an extra strap that allows me to carry it on my chest.

Misc- I have a 1.5liter water bottle that attaches to my shoulder strap on my backpack. My lightweight sleeping bag, that is attached to the bottom of my pack. A small terry cloth towel I use for drying my hands. My hard case, for my glasses, a small thermal seat pad, A small flashlight in my right side pouch. Snacks in my left side pouch. misc carabiners, & finally my Camino Shell, which is on the back.. sounds like a lot, but I have used every pieces

It’s time for the highlight of the day.. Stats—> Granon  to Espinosa del Camino, Stage 10

Miles- 16.3

Duration- 6hr 56min

Elevation- 1,276 ft

Weather- 49-62 degrees, foggy, cloudy & rainy

Song- Thunder Struck, AC/DC 🤟🏻🤟🏻

Tomorrow I head down to Atapuerca, 13-14 miles. 

Thank, as always, for reading.