Hernani - Biarritz - Hossegor

After staying 4 days in Hernani, although a little difficult, it was time for me to go. I'm starting to learn that I like staying in one spot for a longer period of time. I need some sense of a community. I like knowing where to find certain basics and trusting that the barkeep didn't over charge me for an espresso. I like knowing where the best WIFI is and certain luxuries without searching high and low and having to navigate a map.  

It was a little sad this time. I said my goodbyes to the house keepers in Hernani, Ana me Iñuek. Then I tried to make my way through the country hills to say goodbye to my new amigos, Aitir and Luara, but took a wrong turn and ended up down the hill. If it was flat I'd keep searching but I could have spent all day climbing those mountains so I've decided to email. 

While biking to Irun, I found a train stop right before the mountains. I wasn't sure if the train would stop but my guess after looking at the times were correct. As the train pulled up I chuckled b/c in knew I cheated the moutains. It cost me 2.70€.

The sadness has all but gone now knowing I'm about to enter a new country. 

Made it to France yesterday, but still in Basque Country. My goal was to see an ol' friend, Biarritz. Biarritz was the weekend I most enjoyed when studying abroad in 2001 (damn, 14 years ago). During that weekend a friend and I stayed in the beach town of Biarritz. We then rented a 4x4 (GeoMetro, which barley made it up the Pyrenees) to get to Pamplona to see the running of the bulls. It was an amazing weekend and I promised myself I'd be back.  

Today I hit the Eurovello. Man, no stress on these roads. No moutains. No semi-trucks. No speed. Just a relaxing lazy ride. I really took it easy, stoping by Beyone and several beach towns. On my way I saw a advertisement for a Jai Alai championship match on Thursday so I'm staying. 

Just crossed the border.  

My ol'friend Biarritz. 

The shop I first tried surfing in 2001. Got my ass kicked and only got up once for 5 seconds max.  Biarritz is known for its world class surfing competitions.

The Eurovello. Notice the number 1. That's the start of the Europe biking highway. I plan on treaking of these paths a lot over the next month. 

Lazing biking day with views like this. 

I've wanted to see this sport (Jai-Alai or Pelote) live since Burgos. It's THE sport of the Basque region. It just so happens they are holding a championship here in Hossegor tomorrow, 6/25, so I've decided to stick around. 

I'm not in Spain, I'm in Basque Country (Hernani)

What a beautiful country I'm now in. Not to take anything a way from Spain, but it sure doesn't feel like I'm there anymore. The locals speak a different language, have differs customs, and are fiercely independent. 

My plan from Burgos was to take it easy in the beach town of San Sebastián but the weather wasn't great so I decided to stay three days for cheap in the moutain town of Hernani, actually the highest mountain road in Hernani. The house I'm staying at is 7km straight up. It's rough and rugged just like the people.

I would have never found the place if it wasn't for my new friends Aitir & Laura. They are kind hospitable folks that just happen to be home saving money for a third bike tour. They've been traveling around the world for eight years by bike (it sounds like Turkey and the Himalayas are a must). That's impressive considering I've only been gone one month and it's already, physically, the hardest thing I've done. 

They're experiences have already had an impact on the way I think about my trip. I won't get into all the ways they've helped, but here's what type of people they are, currently they're speaking at a fundraiser for the earthquake victims of Nepal, where they biked through twice now.

eskerrik asko! 

Side Note:

Videos to Burgos, the Hernani mountains, San Sebastián, etc. to come. They just take a little longer to upload.  

Adiós Burgos.  

kaixo! San Sebastián. 

New high speed train construction blocks my way to my moutain home. Lost. 

Aitir & Laura, trying to help find me a place to rent a car. Renting a car was not meant to be.  :)

Fundraiser for the earthquake victims of Nepal. 

Basque Country.  

Burgos

This city has a lot to offer. It's the capital of the providence of Burgos, and with that comes all the access of everything a large regional city has to offer. That's a nice change after biking from small country town to town. What I was really looking forward to is seeing the Cathedral of Burgos. It's a beautiful gothic church that sits in the middle of the old town and is a UNESCO world heritage site. What I was surprised by is the amount of Christian tourists. They weren't here to specifically see the church, although an added bonus I'm sure, they were here because Burgos is major stoping point on the route to Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. If I'm ever back here it's because I'm on the St. James path. 

Park in Burgos

Just entering the city after a windy 75 miler. 

Land mark on the St. James path. 

Where I got my back rack bolt fixed. Cost me 67€.  

Saw this on my way to Burgos. Jurassic World?  

Burgos Cathedral  

El Niño strikes again

Only made it 10 miles today before the bolt that holds my back rack to my bike frame busted. You know the one. The one bolt that holds all of your gear to your bike. Damn you, El Niño. Now he's messing with Ms. Jmis.  

Nothing that zip ties and electrical tape can't fix. Even when dad's not around, he's got my back. Thanks for the zip ties and tape, pops! 

Temporary fix. I just need to get to the bike shop in Burgos. 

El Niño v. Gambill

Life has its ups and downs. A ride is often like a snippet of life. There's challanges and rewards. You can find out a lot about yourself from just riding a bike.  

First flat tire. Took me 1 hour to fix but I got it done thanks to the lessons learned by Mikey Baker. Thanks man. 

Here comes El Niño. 

I was in for a fight. 

He rained down a series of punches.  

Made it home. I'll see you again, El Niño. I'll see you again. 

Off Road - El Berrueco

This video was shot hours before I set up camp, "Bear Grylls" style, but I didn't have time to publish until today. At the time I thought I was only couple hours away from an actual camp grounds with shower, restaurant, wifi, electric, and a place for my tent. I'm actually lost but didn't know it yet. Not the destination, it's the journey.