To Najera: Over Puerto de Herrera

September 16, 2017

It's surprisingly cold this morning! It was only 41 when we stepped out for breakfast, and the high forecast for the day is in the low fifties. Rachael is realizing she packed wrong for the trip - this is northern Spain, not southern - so she might need to browse the markets for more warmth if this keeps up. It got down below freezing in the mountains last night, so I wonder if we won't see some snow in the mountains before this trip is over.

For breakfast we find a nice bakery just down the street and fill ourselves on pan au chocolate, whole grain croissants, toast and coffee. An hour later we wrestle our bikes downstairs in the tiny elevator and work our way south out of town. It is surprisingly easy - we find pedestrianized roads, well marked bike lanes and courteous, patient drivers all the way to the outskirts, where we pick up the main highway south to Logrono. We're sorry to be leaving V-G so soon - the town has quickly come one of our favorites, with its attractive, almost completely pedestrianized historical center.

Today is one of the more challenging rides in the first part of the tour. Soon after leaving town we have a gentle eight hundred foot climb up Puerto de Victoria. It is dry for the moment, and cool but not cold - it's warmed up a fair amount since we stepped out for breakfast. Perfect conditions for a climb.

Rodriguez has a new favorite town. It won't be easy to steer him away from here.

First summit! Not much of a climb, but we'll take credit for it.

Crossing the summit, we leave Bilbao province and the Basque lands and drop into the northern edge of Castile and Leon. Almost immediately everything feels different - the landscape feels drier, the vernacular architecture changed. This is an aspect of traveling in Europe that we really love - we never quite get over the amazing diversity it offers.

Dropping off the ridge, we're happy to find a gas station in the middle of nowhere, and take advantage of its services. It's continuing to warm up and the sun is out so we shed a few layers and then gradually start gaining elevation again. In a few miles more we shed some more and begin climbing in earnest. Puerta de Herrera is a more serious climb, gaining about two thousand feet. Most of it is reasonably gradual, but it's steepest stretches are a challenging 14 percent. It's a relief when we finally see the summit ahead.

When we arrive, we find a pair of women cyclists preparing to take selfies in front of the sign. We offer photography services, discover that they are fluent in our language, and quickly engage in a warm, friendly encounter. They're on an overnight from V-G to the Ebro Valley and back, and act suitably impresssed when they hear of our plans, flattering us by noting that we'd been overtaking us on the climb.

Dropping from Puerto de Vitoria, we briefly cross a thumb of Castile and Leon. In a few miles we'll be back in the Basque lands for the last time.

Urzquiano, at the base of the climb to Puerto de Herrera

Rachael poses with Stephanie from Germany, and her friend from Vitoria with a Basque name I gave up on after three attempts.

After throwing all our layers on again, we drop steeply off the south side of the range into the Ebro Valley and La Rioja, one of the premier wine regions of Spain. Just below the summit we pull off at the Balcon de Rioja, a splendid overlook that presents an unobstructed view of the Rioja - a vast, unbroken latticework of vineyards, bodegas and wine villages lies far below us. Beyond, the Sierra Demanda range rise up - the challenge that lies in our path tomorrow.

The descent is thrilling, and mischief to,steep and twisted to really let loose on - this side of the pass seems much stiffer than the northern ascent. It's also much more rugged and dramatic, with this side of the ridge fully exposed and crested by beautiful limestone crags.

A few miles later we arrive at LaGuardia, a beautiful fortified wine village that sits atop a a small knoll overlooking the valley. It's a famous town in the region, and streets are filled with tourists and wine tasters. The heart of the town is completely pedestrianized, and the surrounding roads re clogged by visitors parking on the shoulder and then walking uphill to enter into its maze of narrow streets through the historic gates.

We arrive at about two - just in time for lunch - and pull in to the first attractive restaurant we encounter. We choose we'll (maybe you can't fail here), and enjoy a delicious meal: a potato and chorizo, mixed salad with citrus and nuts, port loin, and the drink that made the region famous.

Looking across La Rioja from the viewpoint below the pass. Too big for a normal photo - this encompasses about a fourth of the valley.

Descending from Puerto de Herrera. Also, see Rachael's video

The eastern end of the Cantabrian Range defines the northern edge of La Rioja

Our interesting table in LaGuardia. An old grape press?

Our menu for the day. Plenty of wonderful options to choose from.

After this wonderful feast, we take our time exploring the village, enjoying its lovely tree lined avenues overlooking spacious views of the valley and mountains. A very special place.

It's nearing four by now, and the weather is becoming a bit dramatic. The range to the north is blanketed by very wet-looking clouds, and around the valley there are scattered large patches that look like they're experiencing heavy rainfall. It's fine here though, so we Coast down to our next stop, Elciego, warmed by the sun and pushed along by a strong north wind.

Elciego is known now for the psychedelic marques de Restal Hotel, a new work designed by Frank Gehry. It's pretty amazing to look at - very wild and flashy - but I can't say it really works for me. I much preferred Elciego itself, a lovely stone village dominated by its impressive two-towered church.

A dense cloud layer developed over the Cantabrian Range while we ate lunch. I'm glad we made it through the Pass as early as we did!

We're really loving the wines of La Rioja!

Looking back at El Ciego and across La Rioja.

From Elciego it's a fast, fairly flat ten mile ride to Najera. We arrive a bit after six, buzz the front door, and start growing a bit anxious when there's no response when we realize someone is calling to us from a balcony two floors above us. She comes down to greet us, and then ushers us into the closed grocery next door to store our bikes for the night. Najera is a stop on the Camino, and she also gets out her stamp to record our arrival on our hiking card, assuming that we are traveling the Way like I'm sure nearly all of the guests in town are.

She informs us that we've arrived at a lively time. This weekend is Najera's big festival, and she says that the streets will soon be jammed and commotion will go on late into the night. She's right. When we go out to explore the town a bit later, we see folks streaming across the bridges from the new town, and a stage is being prepared in the central plaza. After dropping into a tapas bar for the evening snacks, we emerge to find the plaza is filled with a solid mass of revelers, and a hyper energetic band gyrates on the stage.

Total elevation gain: today, 4,200'; for the tour, 9,000'

It looks very wet in the valleys ahead, but too far south to hurt us today. We'll stay dry all the way to Najera.

Looking back north to the Cantabrian Range

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Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 110 miles (177 km)

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