In Mojácar: Out and back to El Marchal

December 6, 2019

It’s grey this morning, and none too warm. We have a 40 mile out and back planned for the day, but we’re in no big rush to start out. We don’t leave our hotel until nearly eleven, and are well layered up when we do.

One of the facts about staying in Mojácar Pueblo is that all roads lead down. Fine enough in the morning, but it could get old after awhile facing the climb back up at the end of the day. Still though, we don’t have to find the worst way off the hill, as we do this morning. Walking our bikes down a series of crooked alleys too steep to bike comfortably, we each conclude that we’re not staying up here again - next time, we’d find a spot in the sprawling resort zone on the coast.

When we return at the end of the ride we do much better, finding a more gradual paved route that spirals up the perimeter of the hill, and I think again. We might find ourselves up hear again some year.

Rocky’s been bad; we had to give her a time out.

Leaving El Oliver, our home in Mojácar. Very nice place - bike friendly, warm hosts, an awesome view of the mountains.

Some of the best rides start like this, walking your bike downhill.

A small knoll just north of the town, one of several in the vicinity. Volcanic?

Our ride today takes us northwest into the interior. After a flat few miles traversing suburbs we pass through the small town of Turre, cross the Rio Aguas and soon after that the autovia, and gradually start climbing. This is an out and back, so of course Rachael and I climb at our own speeds - she hates to stop on a hill and lose her momentum, and I hate to pass up a memorable sight I may not see again. Not far beyond Turre I spot a hoopoe perched on a wire(the fourth of this tour!), and stop to see if it will wait for me. It doesn’t, and neither does Rachael. I won’t see her again for about two hours, when she’s on her way back.

It’s a pretty easy ride, really. Once we cross under the autovia and start climbing it’s a very quiet ride, with only an occasional car passing us by the rest of the way. There’s an eight or nine mile steady climb up to 2,000’, rising up past the old mining town of Bédar and eventually crossing the summit of its ridge to give us great views down into the next valley and to the massive range to the north.

Over the top, it’s a steeper twisted drop of about a thousand feet to the tiny village of El Marchal. Then, up again, until I encounter Rachael on her way back down. I turn to join her and we coast back down to El Marchal, where we huddle against a wall of the church seeking a bit of relief from the day’s chilling wind.

Looking to the northwest. The broad white smear is Bédar, about 10 miles out. We’ll pass through there and continue climbing up over the low ridge behind it.

I like this shot of the bridge over the strangely named Rio Aguas (Water River? Especially odd because it’s nearly dry). We know those four guys! They’re the same quartet we saw at the mirador yesterday.

Just below Bédar: Cargadero Tres Amigos, a loading dock that is part of Bédar’s heritage as a mining center. The dock was used to load ore from the iron mine on the hill above into cars within its tunnel.

This month’s Cycle365 Challenge theme is the color red. It’s been a bit hard to come by good examples in this country, but this should qualify.

Looking up at Bédar. Our route snakes up and around the town, and then keeps climbing.

Once we cross over the ridge behind Bédar we get expansive views to the Sierra de Los Filabres, the largest mountain range in Almeria.

This and the other nearby light patches in the range are marble quarries. I’m not sure if any of them are still active, but my reference states that they produced some of the highest quality of marble in the world.

Lunch break in El Marchal. With two perfectly good benches to choose from, Rocky chooses to sit in the church doorway for its extra bit of shelter from the cold wind.

In El Marchal. At the top of the ridge in the background is the summit we’ll have to ride back up to after lunch.

We don’t sit around savoring lunch for long. The sun still has not broken out at all and it’s too cold to loiter any longer. We need to start climbing and generating some warmth again.

I took my photos on the way out, so I assume we’ll just ride together the rest of the way back to town. Partway up the hill though, Rachael suddenly swerves and warns me to watch out for a snake in the road. Snake! We’ve hardly seen any snakes on this trip, so late in the season, and I’m a bit shocked to see this big guy coiled on the road. It’s December, for goodness sake.

He’s torpid, lifeless, and I’m not positive he’s even alive. If he is though, I want to get him off this shoulder to some place where he’ll have a chance. I don’t know thing one about snakes here, so I have no idea if he’s poisonous or not. I look around, find about a foot long stick, and start gently nudging him toward the shoulder. He slowly comes to life, darts his tongue, hisses, and lunges at the stick, thrusting himself a half foot or so into the air. I probably should have looked longer and found a longer stick!

Climbing back up from El Marchal, Rachael fortunately spotted this guy coiled in the road before either of us could flatten it. I couldn’t just leave him to become snake grease, so I prodded him to the shoulder with a long stick - and just long enough, as I discovered when he uncoiled, hissed and lunged at me.

Such an ingrate! Bill: Ladder snake (Rhinechis scaleris), and not poisonous. Correct?

I must be five minutes at the snake stop, so I assume that I won’t see Rachael again until I get back to the hotel, but she’s waiting for me at the top of the ridge. I have the keys, she reminds me.

The rest of the ride back goes quickly - it’s mostly downhill, the sun breaks through just a bit, the wind is our friend going this way, and I mostly don’t stop except for a few scenes that look glorious now that the sun illuminates them.

Looking back down on El Marchal, our lunch stop.

Dropping into Bédar again. We saw this town earlier, but it presents itself better now that the sun is breaking through a bit.

Just a colorful formation and a young vineyard. Nothing special here, except for the fact that it’s in the sun.

Looking toward the coast. The town down on the flats is Turres. Mojácar Is in the shadows on top of the ridge, in nearly the dead center of the frame.

Back at the bridge over Aguas Rio again.

Video sound track: Lucia, by Oscar Lopez

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Ride stats today: 40 miles, 4,400’; for the tour: 2,231 miles, 92,800’

Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 2,231 miles (3,590 km)

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Jen RahnRío Aguas .. that is a curious name.

I thought it might be because it has natural hot springs (aguas termales) but can't find anything about that.

Things that make you say "Hmmm."
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