Angie was able to get a ride to Castrojariz from the owner of the Casa Rural we stayed at. The rest was good for her feet. She thinks one more day of rest and she will be able to hit the trail again.

Today was an easy 13 mile (21 kilometers) hike through farmland. Very level and smooth trail. No hill climbs! Yea! Temperature in high 40s and cloudy…no wind….very comfortable. Same weather forecasted for tomorrow.

Couple of photos I snapped along the way are attached. Ciao for now.

It was a long day. Angie decided that she wanted to make the trip. It was a 13 mile trek. Very level and the trail was very smooth. Dirt path but no boulders. It took us 7 hours. We’re pretty sure Angie needs to take a bus or cab for the next destination tomorrow.

We are staying at a casa rural in the middle of nowhere.  But It’s claim to fame is that the owner’s daughter is married to Emelio Estevez’s son. There are posters of the movie “The Way” all over the place.

The owner was in the movie as a waiter toward the end of the movie. Very nice fellow & very proud. Many scenes were shot on this property.

By my calculation, as of today we have walked over 200 miles so far. 290 more to go!

Thank you so much for all your well wishes. I am taking the Dr’s advice and staying an extra day in Burgos. This has been a journey I will never forget. They say the Camino is like life. It has it’s ups and downs and the paths are sometimes rough. However it is so rewarding. The people we have met are so wonderful. We share everything so we can reach our destination, Santigo De Compostella.

If all goes well and there are no further emergencies we hope to be in Leon by the 9th or 10th, Sarria around the 21st or 22nd. It is so difficult to predict as the terrain is especially difficult with several days of climbing. We are hoping to be at our destination in Santiago De Compostella by the 31st of May which is 4 days before our departure.

I will continue to pray for all of your intentions along “The Way”

God bless you all and many Hugs,
Angie

As you know we spent an extra day in Santo Domingo to give Angie’s swollen feet a rest. She decided that one day was fine. On Saturday we left Villafranca at 8:30AM while it was snowing (see photos). Temps were in the high 30s. It snowed about 1/4 of our hike. We had three hills to climb and the wind did not cooperate. We called it quits after 7 miles. On Sunday we decided to make up the mileage. It took us 11 hours to go 16 miles from San Juan Ortega to Burgos.Temps in the low 40s, terrible wind from the side, crappy rock strewn trail. You had to have seen it to believe it. Angie was in dire pain most of the day. Left foot swollen and to make matters worse, a pesky and painful blister. She limped into Burgos after 6 Advil and 1 Vicodin-it was not pretty.

We decided to take 1 day of rest. I brought Angie to a foot doctor here in Burgos. The doctor gave her a prescription (heavy duty anti inflammatory & an anti nausea.) Doctor said to keep off of foot for 3 days. I told Angie to take the bus to the next 3 – 12 mile stops. She wouldn’t listen. The compromise is 1 extra day of rest here in Burgos and she wants to hit the road again??## …..I really could use some help here! She just doesn’t listen to me anymore.
Mike

We arrived in Villamayor del Rio around 5:30pm and proceeded to our casa rural. This is where someone rents out individual rooms in their homes…like a B&B. Anna said that we were the only peregrinos scheduled for the day. AS we sat down for dinner she said that another peregrino just came in and was very tired as he traveled 30 miles today!

Soon that new boarder was sitting for dinner next to us and we were comparing notes about the Camino. He said his name was William and he was a vetenarian from Orlando, Florida. I asked him what brought him to walk the Camino. Here is what he explained:

A year ago he and his son watched “The Way” together. The son “Cullen” said that he would like to do the Camino together after college. A few days later, Cullen goes to China to get his Masters degree. Tragically, Cullen lost his life a few days later in an accident.

Now William is carrying Cullen’s ashes and hopes to arrive at the Cathedral at Santiago de Compostella on May 17th which is the 1 year anniversary of Cullen’s death. Unlike the movie, William explained that although the catholic church allows cremation, the ashes must be buried and not scattered.

Cullen accomplished much in his short life. Received AA degree while still in high-school. Finished his degree at Florida State then was to get masters degree at a China university. Cullen spoke 7 languages fluently.

Very sad but uplifting.

Photo to follow when I get a reliable and fast internet connection.

William has his own interesting Camino blog at caminowithcullen.wordpress. com

A fairly easy 12 mile trek. Slightly uphill for the first 7 miles then 300 foot climb for 1 mile and then a 4 mile gradual descent into Santo Domingo. Trail consistency was fair. Photos are when we took a rest and looked behind us and the last photo is of Santo Domingo as we approached the city.

Foot Notes (pun intended) will be added to the blog to just jot down any noteworthy observations we encounter. Neither of us have ever created a blog and journalists or poets we are not!

Status Report: completed 130 miles and are here in Santo Domingo De Calzada….try saying that 10 times fast! We are celebrating our mileage. This journey is a little more difficult then we first imagined because of the natural terrain and the uneven condition of the trail.

Damage Report:
Angie: She just recovered from her knee pain caused by the steep desent from the Pyrenees. But now both lower legs and feet are swollen plus 2 painful blisters.It was a very painful last 3 miles of our 12 mile trek into Santo Domingo. A Vicodin helped and today a couple of Advil helped with the pain. We just finished 2 iceing session and I gave her a prolonged massage on both feet. We took a rest day in Santos Domingo….Angie never left the room and was off her feet 90 percent of the time. Tomorrow we will make a decision on whether to stay another day before continuing the journey. Her safety is primary on my mind. She says that she is determined, more than ever to complete this pilgrimage.
Mike: The first week of this trip, I developed a 1/2 inch blister on my little toe on my right foot. Drained it and put a piece of Compete tape on it and that took care of it. 4 days ago I developed a sore muscle in my lower left back. Angie noticed the next day that my back backpack was lopsided. She pulled a couple of straps to even it up and 2days later my pain went away.
We have met a few people with foot or knee or back pain that have pulled off the trail and have taken the bus.” But for the grace of God, so go we”

I have added some photos under the. post titled “From Orisson To Roncevalles” For those of you that don’t know it, you can access all prior posts by going to the right side of this site where all posts are listed.
Ciao for now,
Mike

We are fine. Internet too slow and unreliable to upload.