Camino: Day 3
Distance: 21 KM (13 miles)
Weather: sunny, 48-81 degrees
Time on the trail: 6.5 hours
Started the day right with a chocolate croissant.
We were on the trail by 7:50 and enjoyed the next 2 hours in the cool shade before the sun got above the mountains.
Along the way there are small bars (restaurants) to stop and enjoy some food and something to drink.
This bar came with entertainment as well.
The walk into Pamplona.
Last hour into Pamplona.
Made it to Pamplona!!!!
Camino: Day 2
Distance: 20.7 km (12.8 miles)
Weather: sunny, 55-83 degrees
Time on trail: 7 hours
We started off almost at the same time around 8:10am. It was cool. I needed a jacket and my quilted vest.
The sun was just coming up as we left our hotel. After taking a few photos it was time to get started.
As we were walking through the forest we could hear cows mooing in the distance. They had a lonesome sound. I joked with my husband it wasn’t cows but witches. He thought it was a different forest on the Camino route, but as we exited we learned I was correct.
We passed through 3 lovely villages during the day.
So wish I could have fresh bread like this delivered to my home daily.
Images along the way.
We had 2 mountain passes to go over, but much easier than the first day. Like the day before, coming down is much harder than going up.
Made it to Zubiri with time to do laundry and work on this blog.
Camino: Day 1
Distance: 26.8 km (16.6 miles)
Weather: sunny 55-80 degrees
Time on the trail: 9 hours
Fabulous day to start our walk. Big blue skies the whole day. We left our hotel at 8:00am.
The first 7 hours was a slow gradual uphill climb. (1227 meters, 4035 feet) the last 2 hours was a steep decline. It felt great to stop.
At the start of the day you could always see 10-20 pilgrims walking near you, by midpoint that had thinned to 5-10. By the last mile we only saw 2. Showing how everyone starts out together, but as the day moves forward some fall behind while others speed up. We were somewhere in the middle.
The goods news is that every book says this is the hardest day of the entire trip. I hope this turns out to be true.
The only obstacle for the day was avoiding the sheep, cow and horse poop on the trail.
Happy to be at our hotel relaxing.
Perfect end to our first day.
There are many ways to walk to Santiago, we have chosen the popular French route that leaves from Saint Jean Pied de Port in southern France. If all goes as planned, we will reach Santiago in 34 days, then Finisterre (End of the Earth) 4 days later.
The French route has been walked for 1,000s of years and actually follows the Milky Way.
There are many reasons why people make this 500 mile journey by foot. In fact, I’ve read it is the most common question asked by fellow pilgrims.
Some say if one goes in spirt of meditation & reflection, you are a pilgrim, otherwise you are just a tourist.
For us, no doubt, it will be an adventure which will test our physical abilities, but that’s what life is always about. Struggle mixed with JOY.
It’s been a dream to walk the Camino since watching a documentary in 2014 which followed various people making the pilgrimage.
Very exciting to finally be on our way to do “The Way.”
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To our surprise winter came early this year up at Mt Rainer. We had hoped to do the White River to Sunrise loop one more time this year. We made it as far as the tree line before the snow became too deep to find the trail. It was still a lovely fall day with beautiful views to enjoy on our 10 mile hike.
Next big hike will be on the Camino.
It was an early start since we were headed up to Sunrise. To add more steps we started at Sunrise Point. It was the first time for us to walk along the Sourdough Ridge.
We had a quick restroom break & stop at the Ranger Station for a new map. Then back up to the trail heads.
We have hiked to Frozen Lake and the Burroughs many times. Seemed like a good day to try out a new trail. Huckleberry Trail turned out to be one of the most solicitude trails we have ever experienced at Rainier. Over the 2.5 hours on this trail we only met a Rainier volunteer.
On the way back to Sunrise we came across this large male mountain goat not far from the main trail. All summer at the 2nd Burrough we have seen a herd of mountain goats far in the distance, but this was a first for a single male close to the trail.
Our hike back to Sunrise Point had one more surprise waiting for us and another 1st. A single fox walked straight down the path towards us before veering off the trail only a few feet from us. Just a short detour. The fox was soon back on the trail & on its way down the trail.
What a day! We have hiked at Mt Rainier many many times over the past 23 years. It’s exciting to know that 1st experiences are always there to enjoy in nature.
Parts of the Carbon River trail was washed out in 2006. Thankfully you can still hike down the road to the Ipsut Creek Camp which is perfect for getting our legs & feet ready for The Camino.
From Ipsut we made it another few miles enjoying an obstacle course of several log bridges before turning around for the day. Our longest hike so far at 15 miles.
Perfect weather for a day hike up at Mt Rainer. Temps in the high 50s all day.
Saw 8 marmots (record for us) and 16 chipmunks. Over the summer we have seen more chipmunks than usual up at Rainier.
A lovely day to get our feet & legs in shape.
When I was planning my trip to Croatia I was a little surprised to read that the most beautiful national park in Europe was in Croatia called the Plitvice Lakes. I thought this sounded a bit hard to believe. I didn’t think anywhere could beat the pristine views I’ve enjoyed in the Swiss alps or my hike around Mount Blanc. So I viewed this comment with great skepticism, but also with curiosity.
When planning the trip I read that the park could become very crowed by mid-day when tour buses form Zagreb arrived. So my travel companion and I chose to spend the night near the park so we could enter early in the morning. We found a lovely cottage on Airbnb near Parking 3. This way we could easily buy tickets away from the crowd and take the boat into the park once it opened.
Upon our arrival, the inn keeper recommend that we take a one mile walk down the road in the opposite direction of the park entrance to get small taste of what we would see the next day. Her directions were to to climb under the wooden fence near the bridge. This would put us at the top of the Big Waterfall. From there we could easily find the path that would take us to the bottom of the Big Waterfall if we desired. All this could be done in an hour or less. We only had a few hours before sunset and thought this would be a great way to kill some time before our other travel partners arrived.
It was cool with a heavy overcast much like a spring day back home in Seattle. We grabbed our lightweight jackets and headed on our way. We easily found the bridge and fence, but we only needed to follow the roaring sound coming from the Big Falls. After snapping a few guarded pictures on the slippery rocks we headed down the path. As we slowly descended, each step took us deeper into a new world surrounded by the sound of falling water, misty clouds and fresh sweet air. Within a few minutes we were admiring the cascading water coming from 47 meters above. At the top we could only see a small piece, but the bottom the Big Waterfall is actually many falls all plunging into a crystal clear pool.
Originally we had planned to only see the Big Waterfall and return, but it was as though fairies or the Sirens from Greek mythology were calling us to enter their mystical world. We began to wander down the long twisting wooden paths surrounded by beautiful turquoise water. Each turn brought us to new specular views with more waterfalls falling into another pond that must be the bath for beautiful maidens. My mind returned to the book I had read back in high school called Lost Horizon by the British author James Hilton. Even though I hadn’t been in a plane crash in the Himalayas, it did feel as though we had entered the Shangri-La mentioned in the book that was mystical and harmonious. I felt that if fairies existed, this must be where they lived. My companion turned to me and said, “Is this real?” Indeed, the Plitvice Lakes are real, but you might feel for one short moment that you have passed into utopia.
The following day we arose early enough to be on the first boat across Kozjak Lake. Even though we still shared the park with many other tourists. It was still magical, and I must now agree, Plitvice Lakes is indeed one of the best national parks in Europe.
Travel Advice
For years I have longed to see the lavender fields of Provence. When I discovered that the lavender usually blooms in early July, I thought a bicycle trip seemed like the perfect way to go. Even though the lavender was almost finished when we arrived, the trip was still quite romantic and charming.
During the trip I shared our daily adventures with family and friends by email. Below are the emails I sent out during our 6 day bike ride through Provence.
Day 1 – Avignon to St. Paul – 44 miles (71 km)
Our first day was very enjoyable in spite of the 20 mph head or side wind that we had to deal with ALL DAY. Once we were coming down a hill and it felt like we were barely moving! At the end of the day we rode pass many lavender fields. The air smelled like lavender for miles. The hardest part today was getting use to using a touring bike. It is a bit like being on a tight rope with wheels. All I have to do is adjust my hands on the handlebars, and I there I go wobbling back and forth.
Day 2 – St. Paul to Mazan – 43 miles (69 km)
We were happy to leave our hotel this morning with no wind, but by 2:00 in the afternoon the temperature was close to 90 giving us a new challenge. We also passed by more lavender fields and stopped to watch some being harvested.
Since it was Sunday there were many bicyclist on the road. Before 11:00am we had seen more bikes on the road than cars. We are guessing we saw over 250 bikers, but only about 10% were women. When I thought I couldn’t ride any further because of the heat, we came into a small village and stopped for some cold drinks. We found a bike shop where Jim got me some new bike shorts hoping they would help with my very hard bike seat. (Answer: a little.) While in the shop Jim saw bikes that cost over 6000 euros (around $6700.) But bicycling is King in Provence. The Tour De France comes through here each year. We saw more than one serious rider yelling at vehicle drivers if they thought they came too close. Believe me, I’m passed frequently as if I’m standing still by these avid bicyclist. On our last hill of the day we learned that the Tour De France racers had followed the same route just 3 days earlier.
Day 3 – Mont Vetoux Loop – 24 miles (38.6 km)
We both started out happy this morning knowing that we would be doing 10 less miles than the 2 previous days, but that enthusiasm was quickly dissolved by all the hills on the route. I have no idea of the elevation that went up and down, but it was significant enough to fatigue my legs by 2:00pm. On the last big hill I was forced to walk my bike up the last quarter mile. If it hadn’t been for the 90+ temp. I might have made it. Jim hung in there, but was sweating profusely once he reached the top. Everything that goes up must come down. Not sure of my speed but I’m sure we reached 35 mph on many downhills. Along the route we saw the mountain called Mt. Ventoux that is always included on the Tour De France. Wisely we chose to avoid this.
Provence is very lovely. Each little village we ride through is just plain cute. Then the vineyards, miles and miles of grapes. I’m sure we have passed 100’s of wineries by now. On this touring bike I didn’t trust myself to stop for a wine tasting.
Another great day. We are both exhausted but loving the trip.
Day 4 – Mazan to Gordes – 25 miles (40 km)
After 2 days in Mazan we rode to a lovely hillside village called Gordes. We started as early as possible hoping to get to our destination before the hottest part of the day. We continued to ride past many vineyards and a few sunflower fields. We had one hard climb in the morning but the best was saved for last. The last hour was a very long and hot steady climb. The temp. took its toll on my energy making the climb take twice as long. But no worries, once we arrived in lovely Gordes we treated ourselves to 2 scoops of lavender gelato. Not a bad way to end a day.
Day 5 – Gordes to St. Remey de Provence – 30.5 miles (49 km)
After our French breakfast on the terrace of our hotel we were off to St. Remy. This was our first day without hills to climb. Can we all shout at once “Yippee!” My body was thanking me the whole day. We made one long stop at the lavender museum along the way and learned a great deal about types of lavender and how the oil is extracted from the flower. I was surprised to learn that lavender oil isn’t just for perfume, but has many medicinal purposes.
Once we arrived in St Remy our 1st stop was the Saint Paul Asylum where Vincent Van Gogh lived for a year recovering from his mental condition. It is where he painted some of his most famous pictures such as Starry Night, Iris, and Sunflowers. The asylum is still used today but the area where Van Gogh lived is kept as a museum. A visitor can easily visualize where he got his inspirations.
Day 6 – St. Remey to Avignon – 26 miles (42 km)
We finished our ride around 1:00pm. It was a fun and easy day even though we got a little lost the last hour. Both of us have very sore bums, but other than that we are feeling great. I even grew to really like my high speed touring bike which was far from true on the 1st day.
In Conclusion
I’m happy to say that we did survive our 6 day journey with only a few bumps and scratches. Along the way I learned to pay close attention to those tiny stop lights the size of 2 coke cans. On the first day I ignored one and had a wreck that sent me over my handlebars. Check out the video to get a small taste of our adventure.
The Wanderers 