I woke up about four and decided to work on the journal a bit rather than try to force myself back to sleep. Unfortunately the hostel's weak wifi doesn't extend back to our room, so I quietly get dressed in the dark and go down the hall to the common area. It's door is closed, and when I open it, it's pitch dark. I look around for a light switch without success, but then when my eyes start adapting I see a row of sleeping bags on the floor. Apparently I was wrong about it being a common area, so I hurriedly exit and close the door.
I find a tile stoop to sit on instead, and work there for about an hour before heading back to bed. I'd been too lazy to put my sandals on, so after an hour my feet had gotten quite frigid. Fortunately I'd left a hot rock back in the bed to help me thaw out.
When we both awoke at about seven thirty, we agreed that there was something a bit off about the place, and any breakfast it offered likely wouldn't be worth waiting around for. We decided to coast downhill to Tremp to see what we could find there. We left the hotel before eight, and we're reminded of what we miss by not getting out early more often.
Descending from Talarn to nearby Tremp, on our way to breakfast. We really do need to get out early more often.
Before we left our room Rachael had done a bit of research on her phone and found a bar that opened at seven and apparently served breakfast, so we headed there. It didn't look inviting though and had only a few donuts on display, so we kept looking, checking out the other bars and restaurants nearby. None looked appealing, but then we stumbled across a newish, bright place that wasn't on our map: Umami. Perfect.
An hour later, improved by two rounds of pastries and three of coffee, we stepped out the door and set off for Coll de Nargo.
We ease into the ride, starting with a few miles of easy cycling as we traverse the valley floor, climbing gently and taking a small bite into the nearly 3000' climb to the day's high point at Coll de Boixols. It's quite beautiful out this morning, as it has been for seven days straight - ever since leaving Uncastillo, which feels so long ago now. It is always surprising to find how being on tour alters your sense of time - each day brings something new and memorable, and we've lived through a month's worth of experiences in just the last week.
At Isona we leave the highway and begin our climb to the pass. We're on yet another virtually empty road - no shoulder, no center stripe, no traffic, well paved. It's really pretty amazing how many roads like this there seem to be in Spain.
The climb to the first summit, Coll de Faidella, is remarkably gradual and consistent - it stays right at a steady 4-5 percent for nine miles, a very manageable grade that doesn't take much out of us. I'm pleased to find that I'm feeling much stronger today - having a shorter day helped me recover a bit, and I suspect last night's pasta blowout didn't hurt either. I tend to lose weight on a tour and gradually get a bit calorie starved, so I'm sure it's a good thing that I had three squares yesterday and caught up a bit.
Back into the mountains, approaching the base of the climb to Coll de Faidella. Look at that sky! We've enjoyed a complete week of beautiful weather. Rain is predicted to return tomorrow though.
The next five miles are some of the best of the tour. From the summit at Faidella there is about a three hundred foot drop, followed by a gradual,climb back up to the second, higher summit of Coll de Boixols. The descent is very dramatic, curving along the base of a cliff and straight at the face of a rugged, deeply cleft formation. The road then makes an abrupt, tight bend through the narrow gap between these two opposing cliffs, and enters a wonderfully colorful cirque. We gradually climb back up again through the cirque, enjoying a constantly changing, always fantastic view as we curve our way up toward the summit. To our right, jammed against the base of the cliff, is the village of Boixols. What a dramatic place to live that must be!
The zebras of Spain: these run just downhill from Boixols. These are three of a herd of seven or more. I put myself at great risk to get this shot, so I hope you appreciate it - I climbed up a footpath on the embankment to get a better angle, but then my way back was cut off by a pair of snarling, angry dogs.
The high point of the day, on possibly the prettiest pass of the tour so far.We must not be the only fans of this pass, judging by the number of stickers in the elevation sign.
The descent from Boixols is much less dramatic than the previous miles, but quite pretty, dropping past dark rocky cliffs topped by rich green pine forest. The roads is almost relentlessly downhill for ten miles, at a pace gradual enough that you can relax and enjoy it. The road curves along the face of the mountain through a succession of deep bends - it feels like you're dropping down a giant sine wave.
Then, suddenly, we're out of the mountains, coasting into the strikingly positioned small town of Coll de Nargo. It is framed beneath a towering rock to its east. At the entrance is a striking tenth century church. As we cycle through it's main street, we see Catalonian banners and independence posters everywhere. On the pavement is painted Independencia, in the shape of their flag. Down the centerline of the road, Si! Is painted at fifty foot intervals, like a line of reflectors.
The eastern descent from Coll de Boixols is less dramatic than the epic landscape to its west, but it's a delight to bike down. It steadily falls 2,600' until reaching it's base at Coll de Nargo.
We arrive at our hotel at three - just in time for lunch, if we hurry. Our hostess asks us to arrive by three thirty, which we happily oblige. After that we retire to our room for awhile and then make our tour of the town.
Scott AndersonTo Jacquie GaudetOh, for goodness sakes. Thanks for noticing, I’ll peer into my impressive memory bank and try to do better. Thanks for noticing. Reply to this comment 9 months ago
Scott AndersonTo Jacquie GaudetCorrected. These were all done after the fact, because the original maps were lost when the original journal was migrated, I’m pretty sure this is right though. Reply to this comment 9 months ago
