July 10, 2023
To Trujillo, Spain
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Today was our last big mile day of the trip. I was really hoping to get out early. The high for Merida was 107 for today, but Jacinto said that didn't matter, because we will be in Trujillo, where it's only 103! We were rolling by 8:05. I'm sure going to miss having two bathrooms in the morning.
It works to our advantage the Spaniards are night owls. Merida was a big city, but there weren't many cars on the road at this hour. 2.5 miles later, and we were on the frontage road. I wasn't excited about that, but it worked out fine. Almost all of the traffic was over on the A Road. We saw a few day cyclists, out for a spin before it got hot.
Jacinto waited for me at mile 20, where we changed roads. He said he had been there almost 20 minutes and was afraid something had happened. Nothing happened, besides I'm slow on the climbs. It was getting warm. I was happy when the road leveled off and I could get a little air flow.
At mile 30, Jacinto waited for me at a round about. He says I blink too often. That's his opinion of why I get lost, when I have RWGPS telling me where to go. I told him the problem with roundabouts is that they usually have some sort of center decoration, and I can't see where he exits. RWGPS is also incorrect about half the time when it says which exit to take.
At mile 40, Jacinto bought us a cold water at a bar. We hadn't seen any gas stations for drinks. We only had 12 miles to go. I was doing a better job of staying with him. There weren't as many climbs, and he was stopping more often.
We saw a road crew, using weed eaters to cut down the foliage on the sides of the roads. In our area, they use brush hogs (big machines pulled behind tractors). I think that is a very big job for weed eaters and walking along the highway. I felt sorry for the workers, out in the heat. They were dressed with a hi viz safety version of chaps on their legs, and a full face protector mask. They had to be sweltering. One of the men motioned to me to go way around, although they had quit working as I passed. I hoped I wasn't running over anything that would give me a flat.
Hold that thought. Guess what happened. Yep - on a nice little downhill, my front tire went mushy. I was able to call Jacinto back to help pump it up. We didn't take long, since it was the front tire. It was a sticker. Who knew where I picked it up. I had to sit on the side of the road in the sun to fix it. The weeds were freshly cut! Wasn't that nice.
Now we were six miles from town. We can see Trujillo in front of us. I was dreading a big climb to town, but it ended up being a middle chain ring climb. We had agreed we were hungry, and would stop at the first restaurant, because of the time. The first one we saw was a mile from our lodging. We didn't want to climb on a full stomach, so took the chance that we could get something closer.
When we got to the hostal, we couldn't see any stores/restaurants at all. Did we make a bad choice? Eeegads! Happily, the clerk sent us to a restaurant a couple of blocks away. We ordered the menu del dia. Jacinto tried the ensalada rusa again. I had ordered that once, and gotten a really nice assortment of cooked vegetables. Then Jacinto ordered it and got potato salad with tuna in it. That's what he got again this time. I sure would like to know what my plate of cooked vegetables is called at other restaurants. There aren't many vegetables here, other than potatoes. I almost always order a salad to start, to get something green.
Our waiter brought a new bottle of wine with my meal and left it! That has happened before. Do people really drink an entire bottle of wine at lunch? I ordered a bottle of water also. It came in an attractive, heavy blue bottle that was embossed. I asked Jacinto if he would carry it for me, I'd like that for my Spain souvenir to take home. I could put it on the table with dried flowers in it. He laughed at me and said to get one in Madrid. I don't think I can get just this bottle there. It is extra attractive. I didn't bring it to carry either. We have an entire week to go in the mountains. If I carried the bottle that long, I'd come to hate it!
Our hostal has coffee and croissants for breakfast. We need more. Jacinto went walking to the store, I went back to the hostal. I didn't get lost! I was extra pleased to take off my sweaty clothes and get in the shower. Lunch is more enjoyable after showering, but that just doesn't work out for us here.
Tomorrow we are renting a house in the middle of nowhere. We've talked to the people about food. They are supposed to provide us with something. Let's see how that works out.
The wi-fi here doesn't work in the room. I'm in the common area, with no AC. I'm ready to go to sleep, it was a good day, but still pretty tough for me. There were plenty of small climbs to keep Jacinto entertained.
We have six riding days left. Now temperatures should be under 100 every day, because we are more in the mountains. Today was a typical riding day in Spain - low traffic and good roads. Climbing, but not too much. We didn't see many ranches, or animals today.
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Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 927 miles (1,492 km)
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9 months ago