At our briefing last night our guide, who is fabulous, explained to us that as we pass through the villages to not be surprised by the reaction of the locals. He said it is very rare for them to see cyclists but it is almost an anomaly for any of them to see women riders on road bikes. This proved to be true both yesterday and today.
Yesterday I was stopped by a local asking about my "rear view mirror" that I wear on my glasses to see cars behind me. Even though we did not speak the same language I was able to explain to him, to his sheer delight, how it worked. I was rewarded with big smiles and a "muy Bueno" by my new friend. I will tell you a bit about my second encounter with yet another new friend a bit later in this blog.
You will not see a lot of photos today because pretty much most of the day we rode in the rain. The ride was not a difficult one and we went up and down some lovely rolling hills and through numerous tunnels cut right through the rocks At one point we met up with a motorcyclist who followed us through several of the tunnels lighting the way with his headlight.
Just as in motorcycling it is important to have the right clothing. I wore my rain jacket and even a shower cap to keep my head dry. So for pretty much most the day I was okay except for the last 15-20 miles when my socks got full and I was sloshing around in my shoes.
The best part of the entire day was when we came in to the town of Miranda where we stopped in a local "bar" to dry off and get a quick snack. We met the proprietor who was the most wonderful woman and was thrilled to have us in her establishment "La Manuela."
When we entered, there were only a few gentlemen there and when we left there were several more checking out the women riders. I was asked by one of them if I was "English" and I explained I was from America and Arizona and showed him the saguaro on the back of my riding jersey.
We slogged through the rain to Haro, opting for the short route because we were just darned wet. As we goT closer to town the topography changed from farmland to vineyards as we entered the Riojo Valley.
Once we got to the hotel, we warmed up with showers and did some laundry and are now going have a rest day tomorrow. Oh! What a wonderful day!!!
Posted with Blogsy
2 comments:
Make sure to stuff your riding shoes with newspaper tonight and they will be dry in the morning. Great blog. Love the stories and the adventure.
Margaret filled me in on the newspaper trick and it works like a charm. Thanks for the tip! We really are having fun - rain and all!
Post a Comment