To Murillo de Gallego: Gazing up at the Mallos de Riglos

September 23, 2017

We had no internet service tonight in Murillo de Gallegos, so I'm behind and will keep this brief. First, I want to put in a plug for our stay in Uncastilllo, at the Posada la Pastora. Miguel, our host, runs a beautiful hotel and is an open and knowledgeable host. As a fellow bike traveler, it was especially easy to relate to him. If we ever come back this way (which would be well worth doing), we'd surely stay here.

Miguel and Rachael, at the very satisfying Posada la Pastora

The next thirtyfive miles, to Ayerbe on the ultraquiet A-1202, were some of the best riding miles of the tour. Miguel assured us that we would enjoy them, when he gave us instructions as we left the hotel: turn left, continue for 60 kilometers. You'll see two or three cars per hour. He was pretty close - in the first hour, we tallied three cars, two elderly women on e-bikes, and one fit bicyclist on a training ride.

After that though, things picked up; and every now and then some sleek, classy car zipped by - I'm not a car man, but I did notice a Jaguar and a Bentley in the mix. Still though, very quiet, and very beautiful as we wove our way through a string of villages and gradually gained altitude. We top out at a bit over 3,000', and start getting impressive views north toward the distant mountains. Then, we enjoy a fast 1700' drop to the Gallego river, and after a short climb we pull into a promising restaurant in Ayerbe for a late afternoon lunch. We're eating here because there is very little in the way of services in Murillo - it's not clear whether there is a restaurant there at all.

It is pleasant, warm and windless, so we dine outside. We have a lot of company - the place is packed. Surprisingly we gradually notice that most of them are British, and look fairly well off. These are the drivers of the cars that passed us for the last hour. I interrupted one couple to ask what they were about, and learned that they were on a two week tour of the Pyrenees, driving classic cars. It looked like they were having a wonderful time - Drive, eat, sleep, repeat.

As we left, we had an enjoyable conversation with another Brit, preparing to head out on his motorcycle. He too is having a splendid time, mostly camping out. This looks like great motorcycling country - endless gorgeous, winding, quiet roads. We're probably seeing more motorcyclists than any other form of travel in this area.

Leaving Uncastillo on a super quiet road, perfect for cycling.

I've lost track, but I think this is Luesia. It seems like nearly every village we pass through has its own significant church and castle remains.

Not the clearest photo of a red kite, but it will help me remember this species.

This is a really stunning old oak, that must have stood here for centuries. Beside it is a plaque naming it 'O Caxico de Fuencalderas' and commemorating it as a monumental tree.

We're not certain what we're looking at from the to of the climb, but we thin these are the cliffs behind Riglos, Murillo and/or Aguero.

Rachael's not put out about the large beer I've ordered for lunch, swayed by seeing one at a neighboring table. She's looking at the obnoxious young couple to our right, pawing at each other and smooching while they enjoy their meal - made me think of the famous dinner scene from Tom Jones. She finally had to move to the other side of the table so she could tune them out a bit.

After lunch, we load our stuffed carcasses back on our bikes for the last few miles of the ride. Our plan for these miles was to detour out to Aguero to see the famous conglomerate cliffs towering vertically behind it. Instead though, we changed our minds on the fly and decided to see the cliffs behind Riglos instead. We decided we'd rather do both of these (Riglos tonight, Aguero in the morning) than take the detour tomorrow to the famous San Juan de la Pena monastery.

Great decision. the Mallos de Riglos are incredible. They are astonishing when they first come into sight, and become even more so when you draw closer. What an amazing setting for a village! The surrounding formations are wonderful also, and look like they would blend in well at Zion National Park. The village itself is lively, with adventurers (walkers and rock climbers) and gawkers like ourselves just here to look up at the rocks in astonishment. Oh, and bird watchers - huge raptors swirl above the rocks, and Riglos is the home of a raptor refuge.

It's a steady climb all the way to Riglos, but it's a fast, zippy descent back out. Partway down I look in the mirror and see I'm riding alone, so I stop and look back. Rachael is stopped by the side of the road a hundred yards back, talking on the phone of all things. It's our booking agent, relaying a question from our hotel -it's after six already, and they'd like to know if they're being stood up or should keep waiting. Fortunately it's only about three mile away. Unfortunately, they last quarter mile takes us about fifteen minutes, pushing our bikes up the supersteep streets of Murillo, hoping that we're going the right direction.

Theyre glad to see us when we arrive, greet us graciously, and leave us to our devices. They confirm that there are no restaurants around or even decent bars, so we plan on just eating our lunch fixings in the room. After dark though we decide to walk out and see if we can at least find a beverage. It's pretty eerie wandering through its maze of unlit streets in the dark, but amazingly we do stumble across a small store. Mission accomplished, we weave our way back uphill to the hotel (hooray for GPS!) and enjoy our feast of cheese, ham, bread, apple and a beer. A terrific day.

Total elevation gain: today, 4,200; for the tour, 27,900'

Approaching Mallos de Riglos. The village is still about two miles off.

I'm not sure, but I think this is a Griffin vulture. We saw four or five of these swirling above the rocks in Riglos, and about fifteen the next day at Aeguero.

Descending from Riglos. This could be a setting in Zion,

Surprisingly, one of our favorite views of the Mallos de Riglos was from our hotel window in Murillo.

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Today's ride: 53 miles (85 km)
Total: 500 miles (805 km)

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