We woke to another cloudy day in Potes this morning, had a great breakfast and hit the road by eleven. I have to say (again!) that the pace of life in Spain is very much to my liking. The lateness of dinner is a bit challenging, but getting to sleep in, then linger over a breakfast that includes fried eggs, slices of ham, sausage & cheese, toast, croissants, pound cake, pastries and yogurt, is quite nice. I could live like this!
Anyway, we knew our ride today was going to be easy, so weren’t in any rush. The first leg was back down La Hermida Gorge, with its breathtaking cliffs rising straight up from the side of the road. We took lots of stops for photos…
That one is just a few kilometers out of Potes, right before we dove into the gorge. Here’s a couple taken from a bridge over the Rio Deva a little further down. One with bike, one without:
…and a pano of Mallory crossing the same bridge:
Here’s a great example of the cliffs:
I like this juxtaposition of a couple of rock spires and an old door in a wall:
So many times during this tour, we’ve found ourselves riding along the most idyllic wooded lanes, like this one:
After about 25 kilometers, in the town of Panes, we took a left and headed west to today’s destination: Arenas de Cabrenas. For the rest of the ride, we were cruising the Ruta Cares, which follows the Rio Cares to Arenas. We were struck by the turquoise color of the river:
Just past that spot, we came to a footbridge over the river, and decided to explore a bit.
We ended up finding a nice spot for our picnic lunch right down by the water.
As if on cue, the sun came out after lunch, making the last 15 kilometers into Arenas all the more enjoyable!
That shot is looking back down the Ruta Cares, and this one is just a bit farther on:
We pulled into Arenas about 5 o’clock, and were soon ensconced in our room. It’s extremely cozy, with a window overlooking the river! So nice…
We’ve gotten out to explore a bit, and while walking around I couldn’t resist a great example of the crazy flora growing out of every wall we see:
It’s now almost 9 pm, and we’re getting set to go have dinner. It’s been raining steadily for the last hour or two, so we may be heading out in less than ideal conditions tomorrow. Fortunately, we’re prepared. Whatever the case, tune in tomorrow for all the details!
