BUEN CAMINO

Wrote this following a particularly

challenging day of uphill climbing

with my vintage Raleigh mountain

bike sin shocks and shlepping way

more material goods in my panniers

than necessary. The up's never seemed

to be followed by an equal and well

deserved down. Guess the physics of

hill topography is unpredictable. The

travel on the Camino was somewhat

indescribable. It was both a challenging

piece of mountain biking and a memorable

journey through astonishingly beautiful

countryside. I am now an official "Peregrino"

having received my document in Santiago,Sp.

along with thousands of others. All walks of life

trudged along on this 800km path that took

us through river valleys, meadows,

steep mountains, rocky hillsides, pine forests,

charming cobblestoned villages, bustling cities.

As we passed weary but determined travelers

from all over the world we would all share a nod

and a collective "Buen Camino". This area of

Spain, known as Galicia, is compelling and

powerful offering hints of Celtic wizardry, copious

amounts of rioja (red table wine), cerveza San

Miguel and Estrella Galicia in every bar and cafe,

cathedrals, castles and the constant chanting

of Viva Espana as the World Cup came home to Spain.

A pilgrim, of sorts

Freewheeling the St. James Way

Longs for hills' refrains.