Allen, Nathan, and The Road to Santiago

This sign means:
Pilgrim,
If you want to arrive in Santiago
With Strength and Vitality
Throw a drink of this great wine
And it will bring you happiness

Thank you to those who made the wine fountain at Irache possible, it has been a constant cure for all that ails us, especially since we make sure one water bottle is always full of la Rioja´s best!

The Fuente de Irache brought us a great sense of accomplishment on a day that began by us getting lost on our way out of Pamplona. Pamplona itself is a magnificient city that would be a joy to spend some more time in, as long as you didn´t need to ride out of it on a bicycle. As we walked our way out of the city, as is our habit given the traffic, toward the route suggested by a secondary guide book, the heavens opened up and the worst rain of the trip descended upon us. We wound our way through the city using every overhang and doorway possible to stay dry, denying that our eventual soaking was imminent, and then we arrived, we arrived at the entrance to one of the busiest highways yet, and no bike lane was evident. Allen looked at Nathan, who with a glint in his eye seemed bound and determined to try it, and with his aged wisdom, convinced Nathan that the better part of valor was to find another way, so we turned around. That is when we encountered our second Camino Angel, a garbage truck driver who stopped Allen to warn him that a stick was stuck in his tire, and who pointed us along our true path to Los Arcos. The true path to los arcos presented itself as the N120 highway, which through the rain, wind, and numerous Semi-Trucks, gave Allen a crick in the neck that only a Masaje in Los Arcos was able to solve. Though somewhat stressful, the truck drivers and other motorists are very respectful in Spain, they give you as wide a berth as possible given the conditions and always honk when a sticky situation appears imminent.

The rain stopped and the wind began to whip us around, a fork in the road took us the long way around, but we eventually ended up in Irache. At the monestary in Irache was the Fuente de Vino. As is our custom, when we are lost, we look around like we know what we are doing, which inevitably causes someone to ask if we need help. In this instance, a group of 8 elderly men and women eagerly came to our rescue and pointed us to the fountain.

The wine flowed like manna from heaven, and it was all we could do not to fill each of our water bottles with that sweet nectar.

The N120 had a way of dissapering on us, and seemingly turning into the A12, a full fledged Autovia, which, although litely traveled, did not seem in any way fit for bicycles, and we soon learned that was the case. As we were coasting downhill on the A12 a motorist pulled alongside Allen and began to yell out his window at him. The motorist stopped at the next off-ramp and waived us to stop then he began to yell at us in spanish that we were not allowed on the A12, that we were Tontos (stupid) and that we had to get off that road. Nathan, responded by attempting to argue with his limited command of the spanish language and asked the gentlemen in the kindest of terms how it was any of his business or how it was his problem, once his Spanish was exhausted Nathan resorted to thanking the gentlemen in only the most condescending of manners and we proceeded to exit the A12. Now, our exit from the A12 turned out to be just what the Camino had ordered as the N120 magically reappeared...we came to see the very angry spanish gentleman as our third Camino Angel, although the possibility that he was one of the many faces of the devil is still up for debate.

Once back on the N120, it was long yet smooth sailing to Los Arcos. An Oasis appeared in the form of a gas station in the middle of nowhere, which loaded us up with carbs, and drinks. Allen began asking Nathan how much further, and like any good travel guide, Nathan´s response was just around that next corner or just over the next hill...let´s just say we arrived in Los Arcos just in time.