October 25, 2013
Merida
Washed out
This morning it's lightly raining so we are stalling a bit before setting out. The forecast is for somewhat improving weather during the day, so maybe we at least won't end up thoroughly drenched by the time we reach Merida - I hate showing up at a hotel looking like a victim at a disaster scene. Tomorrow looks like the end of the front though, and beyond that lie a string of 8 straight sunny days. Time to grit our teeth, quit whining, act like conquistadores, and step out the door!
Later: Well, that wasn't so bad - 52 miles of mild headwinds, broken up this way: 25 miles of light rain, followed by 15 dry miles, followed by 10 miles of light rain, followed by 2 miles of not so light rain. We made great time - with Rachael the Conqueror spearheading the charge, we kept a fast pace and biked through nonstop. Note those last two miles though - we arrived at the hotel (Hostal el Alfarero) soaked, and anxious of whether they would welcome us. They were great, and let us wheel our bikes through the lobby to a dry, covered room in the back.
After drying out and changing clothes, we crossed the alley to a small restaurant for their tasty 10 euro menu of the day (mushrooms & ham; green beans & ham; pork loin with cheese sauce; and desert) and then returned to our room to await a clearing in the weather, which I feel certain will come soon.
Later still: The clearing came, but not soon. About 4 hours later we got a brief break in the rain and ventured out again. With about 30 minutes until darkness fell, we wasted the first 10 minutes walking in the wrong direction (shades of our experience in Caceres), but after doubling back we still had a few minutes left to see the patrician villa and the Temple of Diana in the fast-fading light.
After this the rains returned, so we bagged further exploration and headed back to the room to clean up and then went out again for our first tapas experience of the trip.
Elevation log: 900' today, 26,000' total.
Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 599 miles (964 km)
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