Day 67 - Foncebadón a Molinseca - September 20 - On the Camino 29 days

Day 67 - Foncebadón a Molinseca - September 20 -  On the Camino 29 days

0K when I left you yesterday I was planning on going up to Cruz de Ferro to see the sunrise and the moon set, unless God had other plans. Shortly after I sent that I looked for my head lamp so I could walk in the dark to be there at sunrise. Well, I thought God had other plans. I fretted a bit about losing the head lamp, thenet it go. I met some nice young women staying in the out building, like me. Lizzie is from Vermont, Gree is from San Francisco, and Jess is from Seattle. Greer and Jess had head lamps and said I could walk with them. I woke up at 5:30am but no one else was up and they didn't have breakfast open until 6:15am, so I went back to sleep. I woke again at 6:30 and packed up. Jess and Greer were ready to go for breakfast at the same time I was. I had some coffee and Lizzie came in and we all started talking. By the time we left, the sun wasn't up but it was lightening. So I didn't need a head lamp and I got to see the sun rise as I walked to the Cruz de Ferro. The moon wasn't nearly as spectacular as yesterday. So all was well. 

I got to Cruz de Ferro and Jess took a picture of me and the bears. I set everybody's stuff on the Cruz and took pictures. I'll send them when I'm near wifi. I don't know if I told you but Berry's tail came off during the early days of the Camino. He decided he wanted to take it to Cruz de Ferro and let it go. His buddy Mr Burple doesn't have a tail, so Berry decided he didn't need one either. After that the hike was brutal. It was downhill pretty much all the way for another eleven miles, most of it very steep and rocky. My knee started hurting.

During the night a major fire started in mountains near where we are walking. In fact I think I walked right next to a place where it had burned earlier. The air quality was pretty bad until late afternoon. And a bug flew in my mouth and got stuck in my throat. I tried spitting it out, drinking water to wash it down, but nothing worked. After about half an hour it came out. It was probably a friend of the flys. lol I don't know what it is with me, fires a d Northern Spain. Every time I'm here there's a fire. When My hubby John and I were here in 2006 in a little village on the northwestern coast of Spain, in Galicia, there was a fire that caused us to be evacuated from our hotel. We got to spend four hours on the beach watching the helicopter land on the beach to drop off firefighters and then make multiple trips out to the ocean to pick up water and bring it back to drop on the fire. It was fascinating and a great photo opp. Then last year I was walking the Camino and was in Calzadillo de Los Hermanillos when a fire broke out in the Leon mountains right in front of me. I saw huge clouds of smoke and the air quality was very bad. Then again this year. Maybe it really is all about me. 

I got to Manjarín in time for the morning blessing by Tomás to the Ave Maria sung by Joan Baez. Couldn't be more perfect. At my next stop, I took an extra long stop, put some Volaran anti inflammatory crime on it and put my knee brace on. I had planned to go to Ponferrado, but I promised my knee that if there was a bed available in Molinseca, the town before Ponferrado, we would stop there. There was a bed available in a nice albergue, Santa Marina. So here were are. I took a shower, did my laundry, iced my knee and put some more Voltaron on it. I'll ice it a couple of times tonight and see how it is in the morning. No panic. I've already done the Camino, so whatever happens is in God's hands. Who knows, I may be home early. 

While sitting on the porch, snacking on some olive oil potato chips and queso, I met Mike and Marion who are from the US and had stayed in Bercianos while I was there. There are actually several people that seem to be on the same track as I am.

Well I had a yummy dinner here at the albergue with Mike and Marion. We had lentil soup, ensalada mixta, and spaghetti. For desert we had a cling peach, a slice of pineapple, and a small slice of plain cake. Just right for this peregrina.  

Didn't have any access last night, so I couldn't post this. Just wanted to let you know my knee is better this morning and is being a brave little soldier.