October 7, 2001
Villafranca Montes de Oca- Villafria (cold/very windy)
16.2m/25.9km - 160.7m/257.2km

When we leave Villafranca we head the only direction you can-straight up. It's cold and windy so I put on my rain poncho to help keep me warm. We now have a walking routine of sorts. We start out together but since J and B are both around six feet tall they walk faster than I. At some point they end up walking ahead of me and I catch up with them when J takes a cigarette break. Then either J walks with me for awhile and B walks ahead or B walks with me for awhile and J walks ahead. Sometimes we all walk at different speeds and alone. This repeats through out the day and I end up walking a good portion of the day by myself. Some days we spend more time walking together. Each day is different and whether we walk together or alone it always feel right.

We are walking over the mountains on a trail that leads through a forest. Spain does not have many switchbacks and today we are walking straight up each mountain and then down the other side. The wind is strong and on one ridge it starts playing with me and trying to knock me down. At first it is front of me and I have to lean into it to keep moving. Then it stops and I stumble. Next it switches around behind me and slams into me so hard I have to take a couple of quick steps to keep from falling on my face. Finally it races round to my left side and tries to trip me by making my poncho wrap around my legs. I laugh at it and feel invigorated by both it and the cold.

When we reach San Juan De Ortega we check out the church and then have lunch at a bar close by. Another group of pilgrims come into to the bar while we are eating and we invite them to join us. After lunch we walk to Ages where I finally learn the real reason why the chicken crossed the road.

When we get to Ages we take a break and sit outside a bar just off the main road through the village. There is a flock of chickens milling around in front of us pecking at anything they find interesting on the ground. They drift close to the road and one of them wanders across the road and to the other side. All of a sudden she runs back across the road to the other chickens. The question pops into my mind, why? The next instant a small red car speeds around a bend in the road and swooshes passed us. I laugh. I have heard that doing this pilgrimage has answered a great many questions about life for the people who have done it, but I never expected to have this one answered.

The walk between Ages and Atapuerca is on asphalt road and at first I am pleased with this because it makes walking easier. By the time we reach Atapuerca my feet are hurting and J is limping a little. He twisted his knee last week but it was doing better until today. The asphalt surface has no give the way dirt does and my feet are taking a pounding as is J's knee. We planned on walking to Burgos today but by the time we reach Orbaneja J and I are rethinking the plan. In Orbaneja as I pass a commercial van parked on the street I glance down at the side of the van and see four letters separated by periods that spell out my sister's name. I know the letters stand for something like Maximum Gross Weight Allowed but I am still surprised to see her name.

The closer we get to Burgos the more my feet and J's knee hurt. J is using his walking stick to help him hobble along and B has given me her stick to use. Each step is agony. We decide to stop at a hotel in Villafria tonight and take the bus to Burgos tomorrow and stay there for the day. We are ahead of schedule and can go a little slower for the next couple of days.

At the hotel Las Vagas we get a large room that sleeps three people. This room seems palatial compared to the rooms we have been staying in so far. First thing to do is take showers so we play Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide who will go first. I win. Later after J takes his shower I go back in the bathroom and see he has strung a thin rope from the shower to the window so we can hang up any clothes we wash. He has also filled the bidet with water and soap and is using it to soak his laundry in. It is the perfect size for a small load of clothes.

Later we go downstairs and hang out in the bar while waiting for the dinning room to open. A TV is on and turned to the news and we learn about the bombing of Afghanistan. I have no reaction to this. Watching the news is like viewing life on a different planet. We are moving at such a slow speed that the world outside the Camino speeds by in a blur of sound and motion. We are no longer a part of it. The road we walk delineates the world we now inhabit.

When we go in to dinner at 800P no one else is there and we have the room to ourselves through out our meal. Two more parties show up as we are eating our desserts around 900P. Eating earlier than the rest of the world does have its advantages, the food is always the right temperature, the service is attentive, you never feel rushed, and you dine in quiet.