Walking on Cobblestones

"The rain in Spain stays mostly on the plain." Our bike tour through southern Spain proved that it also rains in the mountains. Over spring break, we took a self-supported bike tour of Andalucia. We followed a one-way route beginning in Malaga and ending in Almeria. The roads were excellent. I have never ridden so many miles of quality paved roads with so little traffic. During 8 days of riding we covered 240 miles and 16,000 feet of climbing. Initially we expected the necessary 30 miles per day to be quite doable, but hills and a heavy load made for slow going.

Day 1: After retrieving our bikes in Malaga, we set out on the road . . . vests on for safety.

Olive groves and almond trees in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada

Camping in what turned into a mud pit after a night of hard rain.

Day 2: More climbing, and a sheep skull.

The second pass of the trip, following a climb from the beach.

A rare stretch of straight road

Alhama de Granada - a cute little town on the edge of a steep cliff with winding, Arab streets, old churches, and beautiful views.

Day 3: We started the morning by riding away from Alhama de Granada and into more countryside.

We came upon a herd of sheep being driven down the road by two shepherds and their very skilled dog. Ericka was a little nervous at this moment.

Rest days in Granada - we camped and rested for three cold days in Granada. Above is the view of the city from the Alhambra.

Back on the road! Day 5: a lovely, turquoise blue reservoir, getting higher up in the Sierra Nevada.

Day 6: The snow-capped peaks are getting closer with each push of the pedal.

In the mountain town of Jerez del Marquesado, we stopped for lunch and to rest our tired knees. These two dogs were kind enough to watch our bikes.

This night's campsite included a restaurant with a sunny terrace, cold drinks, and tasty tapas.

Day 7: We made it to Guadix, a town famous for its cave dwellings. 3,000 of the towns residents live in caves - cool in the summer, warm in the winter. David joined a choir, he was the liveliest of the group.

Day 8: We left Guadix for the biggest challenge of the tour - the climb over the Sierra Nevada pass of Puerto de la Ragua. On the ascent, we overlooked Calahora with its old Muslim fort (in the foreground), and sea of solar panels (back right hand corner).

Near the half-way point. . .

Still climbing . . .

And we made it - standing at the highest point of the entire trip and looking forward to a long descent.

Down a long, winding, mountain road.

Bayarcal, the first town after the pass - white houses surrounding a brown church.

Day 9: A short, mostly downhill ride through the Andarax river valley got us to our next camping spot. The smell of orange blossoms, and tons of oranges, filled the valley.

A camping feast near the Rio Andarax!

Day 10: The final stage of riding took us across this bridge, and back down to our final, ocean-front destination of Almeria.

The Alcazaba of Almeria with stormy skies.

Recently Ericka and I took advantage of a longer than usual 18 day winter break by spending time in Hungary, Bosnia, Croatia, and Italy. It was great to eat winter soups, play in the snow, and meet up with friends in Rome. We are happy to have collected several new passport stamps along the way.

Budapest, Hungary: Pictures of a large synagogue, the Parliament building, ice skating, thermal baths, and bicycle rental.

Sarajevo, Bosnia: Pictures include the site where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, the entrance to a tunnel connecting Sarajevo with free territory during the war, and skiing near Sarajevo.