Tour de España, 2012

[Ed T]

Hi Simon, look like the party on saturday nigth was a nice one. Very nice pics indeed
I would like to stay there but I had the sunday booked.

Have a safe trip mate, it was very nice to meet you again.

[Simon_100]

Hi Simon, look like the party on saturday nigth was a nice one. Very nice pics indeed
I would like to stay there but I had the sunday booked.

Have a safe trip mate, it was very nice to meet you again.

Hi Ramón,

A pleasure to meet you again even though for too a short a time! The fiesta was great but left me feeling my age - the lovely Vanesa accepted my slightky drunken invitation to ride out as my 'paquete' (Sp. = pillion) on Sunday morning, but I bottled out on the day because I was so tired - what a dunce, she wouldn't have stood a chance [strike]twenty[/strike] thirty years ago

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See you again soon I hope - good luck with your new venture!

Simon

[Simon_100]

This only get worse !!!!! now i'm really pizzed off i'm not riding with you

You ain't seen nuthing yet Phil

You've inspired another toon for the playlist Phil!

[PHILinFRANCE]

Nice bit of BTO there Si , takes me WAY BACK !!!!

ps MORE PICS

[Simon_100]

OK, back tracking a bit to the rest of Monday morning after leaving Jan and Fuli:

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Riding across La Mancha, the region to the south of Madrid, seems to go on forever - awe inspring rather than interesting.

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Roads 'disappear' into the horizon .. .

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isolated villages seem to highlight the loneliness.

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Much of the plains are mega-agriculture but there is plenty of 'dehesa' - open woodland that in detail goes on equally 'forever'! After a few hours too much of this my mind began to wander . . .

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No surprise I bagan to emulate a famously mad person - or was he! It was a genuine surprise for me to come across Don Quixote's famous windmills - or did they find me?

[Simon_100]

Nice bit of BTO there Si , takes me WAY BACK !!!!

ps MORE PICS

Hi Phil - Jeffrerson Starship to follow in a mo'

Meanwhile we're crossing pots!

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After the plains my destination - The Sierra de Alcaraz . . .

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. . . a - biker's Nirvana

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Another way to put up the tent - this time definitely against the heat - boiling up more than I expected, even high up in the sierra!

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A 'short' day out after a morning's make-and-mend - a lovely wobbly lane deep in the forest.

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And then I found this - too good to resist!

See next post for more on that day . . .

[Simon_100]

More . . .

The day was muggy and hot with a terrible sky for photography (this was to get mich worse!) so I only intended a bimble on the back lanes. But this trail was so lovely and inviting I decided to follow it until I encountered any even slightly difficult bits - I didn't even have any water with me let alone a useful map - then it crossed a pass into another valley with a view over to a village.

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No doubt about it, this was a 'route'!

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Back on the black stuff it got too hot for more trails and I was completeky unprepared, so I decided to do a 'recce' of the beginnings and ends of trails. There are hundreds around here - and only I know where they are, tee hee!

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The roads aren't bad herwabouts either . . .

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. . . better and better!

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Culture vultures will like stuff like this - there's a new word for film location tourism that I heard on radio 4 this very morning, but I've forgotten it already!

[Simon_100]

Nice bit of BTO there Si , takes me WAY BACK !!!!

ps MORE PICS

Hi Phil - Jeffrerson Starship to follow in a mo'

Meanwhile we're crossing pots!

Back this phar (out) Phil? :silly: :silly: :silly:

[PHILinFRANCE]

That little trail looks interesting !!!! did you have a look ????

[Tramp]

Owe what a fableld life the few live..

I WISH I was there....rather than trhe M25 in London...