Climb Every Mountain ( or Hill !)

It’s been a really peaceful and quiet campsite, and area… although I’ve had to make my own paths or tracks up, it’s been fun… even the Motorbike ‘convention’ of about 30 Motorcyclists camping at the weekend, haven’t really disturbed this nice campsite, although if the Restaurant had been open more, and better…I wouldn’t leave !

Anyway Sunday was a fairly relaxed day, I only had to ride into Riopar for some bread ( 18kms return) !, and  the predicted storm clouds and thunder started rolling in during the afternoon… quite some time before ‘ bang, bang, bang’ sounded from Wally's roof, as hailstones suddenly started peppering the area ! They were the size of small marbles banging down everywhere… welcome back to the real world ! Although it was only short lived, and I was soon sat back outside again

Monday I decided on another bike ride, although there was some rain forecast, I decided to chance it ( and it never arrived !) I rode down into Riopar, and up out of the village… eventually the road ending in a Forest ! So it was back down the hill, through Riopar, this time finding the right road I was looking for…. I knew it as it climbed and climbed and climbed, and of course the sun was beating down on me, as I pushed up and up….a very good, but quiet road, eventually I came to the top of another mountain pass at 1300 mts..was I glad to see it !  and to be able to look down to the valley below , and of course the next best thing was swooping down back the way I came – unfortunately I’d not been able to work out any circular rides, as to do one, would have ended up far longer than I could cope with ! I could manage to get up to 56 kms an hour though, even with all the tight twisting turns and bends, nothing could catch me ( even if they were trying !!), back through Riopar, where I could fill my water bottle, and along a side road towards la tomba Agua, which I eventually gave up on, back down another hill, and return to the campsite… a nice trip of 56 Kms, and 800 mts of climbing… time for a rest, but not all day…

later on I climbed the hills behind the campsite, up through wild Rosemary and Thyme, through the pinewoods with the heat forcing lovely smells out of them all, looking down on to the valley below, and the unusual limestone rocks formations…

I’d had another quiet,busy day, and slept well that night !

Tuesday was ….wash day ! Everything dirty was washed, even my fleece and towels, as I’m moving on again tomorrow, up further North towards France… hope it’s still nice and warm like this place… although I couldn’t resist having another wander up the hills further along the river, again peeking down over the valley and jutting rocks… the smells of vegetation in the afternoon heat were really different, as I sauntered along, up and down  …

So, I’ll be moving on tomorrow, not sure where/when I’ll end up somewhere, so until the, from the Sierra de la Segurra…. Adios !!