Our Boat Leaves the Harbor: Day 20 - To Alija del Infantado and Day 21 To La Baneza

"Rain makes corn,
Corn makes whiskey,
Whiskey makes my baby
Feel a little frisky.
Rain is a good thing."
Luke Bryan

Day 20
Some days are difficult, not because of what that day holds, but what has happened the previous day. This is the case both on the Camino and in life. Today was one of those days. Yesterday's long walk, and particularly the rocky railroad bed, drained our energy. We made it through today's 22 km, but is was not easy.

Alija is a charming town with hills of bodegas nearby (see our October 18, 2014 post for details about these).

The old bridge today reminded us of the one in the movie, where Tom (Martin Sheen) drops his backpack into the water. The Rio Orbigo is much too big to jump into in pursuit of lost luggage. At least it is right now.

Lucas caught up with us late yesterday, and again this evening. He is a 19 year old from England. We all walked to dinner in the rain, although we had to settle for "raciones" at the bar because the only restaurant is closed on Tuesday!

Weather: Low: 49F High 58F Steady, light rain almost all day. A little break here and there, and a bit heavier at times.
Quote from RA's journal: The camino teaches a lot about human nature.
Tips for pilgrims: This stage is 95% on asphalt. The little towns we passed through had stores and bars but all were closed, so we were glad we had some snacks and water.

Day 21
We had a choice today of more asphalt or a dirt track just east of the highway, but near the river. We did some of both. You'll notice a theme in the pictures. Water. We took a farm road back to the highway before we got to the flooded area, but still had to get by a few big puddles.

Weather: I lost my watch/thermometer today, so no more exact temperatures. Rain showers off/on all morning, but the forecast is looking better.
Quote from RA's journal: I'm glad the locals farmers are happy with all this rain!
Tips for pilgrims: I'm sure the dirt track next to Rio Jamuz is nice in dry weather, but it is challenging when the bottom land is flooded. Once again, there were no places open for food/drink/bathrooms along this route.