Collins Camino

Terridillos to Bercianos Del Camino

This was a good day for a hike, somewhat overcast, temperature steady and cool, with the sun shining. Passed a cool hobbit hut like structure in the morning, and I ran into camino friends Kevin and Carol from Texas at the coffee shop nextdoor — both absolutely lovely folks who have had a very interesting career, and life in general. They toured and played for the Dave Matthews band, among others. They’ve done extensive travel in south America, and were able to share their stories and also travel the US in a camper van. Might stay in WNC at a point in time. The hike today was the official halfway point to Santiago from the Spanish border (I hit halfway the day before!) and I got a nice halfway certificate, toured the rebuilt/engineered church. They do not make the halls for Collin sized individuals. The big gates are the halfway point marker!

Bercianos to Mansilla de la Mulay

Unfortunately, I had to take this section by bus. (I write this section 10 days after, and with some foreshadowing I caught a parasite or bad bacteria that wrecked my system — antibiotics on board help!) Road the bus with Wendy and Terry, both lovely individuals who both turned into camino Mom’s — very thoughtful! I found myself a cheap hotel room and stayed the day eating bananas and napping. No photos from the day.

Mansilla de lay Mulas to Leon

Feeling slightly better in the morning, I hit the road for Leon with a late morning start. Light rain in the morning, but it cleared up for a nice entry into Leon. Walking into Leon I passed a old Corvette Stingray, a KFC, and a bar with a Sierra Nevada sticker. While I was thinking of home due to Helene, Leon also had some home-ish sights, ha. Found a brew house with international beers — while no local WNC favorites, I did find an IPA that was pretty good..

Leon — Exploration Day

First stop in the morning was to a coffee shop that was cowboy themed, playing Toby Keith. Felt very American drinking my espresso and eating my chocolate croissant in the cowboy themed cafe. Walked the city a lot, and the cathedral was beautiful. The Leon Museum also had some interesting historic facts about the region of Leon. Reconnected with Jen and Tai, and we went for Mexican food. We found an American themed store, and the items inside were funny. Some things they get right, others far from it. Bought a Pale Ale.

Jeremy was sending live texts from the storm, out house became a island for a bit. Felt real weird witnessing the storm hit from a far…

Leon to Villar de Mazarife

While it was a good walk, most of the day was spent checking in on folks back home. News reports were not good, and the hike went quick while I worked through the rolodex. Hiked part of the morning with Jonathon from Missouri, a lawyer who really enjoys travelling the world in big sprints. Nice guy, I’ve bumped into him a few more times since.

Villar de Mazarife to Astorga

A beautiful morning to a very long day — I found myself truly short tempered by the end, the last hill from out of no-where was brutal! I did see mountains in the distance, which put a good smile on my face. I found out afterwards, but apparently Astorga is known for its Chocolate. I will need to return at some point! The albergue had a wood stove heating the place, a great spot to sit by at the end of the day!