Best worst bike trip ever! I hopped the train south to a route that my friends suggested. A nice flat ride for beginners. I had a sort of hybrid/crosstrainer type bike that was ALMOST up for the ride. But only almost. The majority of the ride was really smooth with a beautiful start.
The bike route took me directly through the town of Ponte de Lima with it’s historic old town and tiled murals. If you are interested in what I was able to record, you can see it on Strava.
Leaving Ponte de Lima, took me through lovely stretches of river, mountain, beaches, and farm land. It was like nothing I have ever seen. Each part of the trail was more beautiful than the last.
I stopped on this beach for a little snack in the shade.
More beaches and mountains followed, it was not possible to photograph everything. The path circled back around the other side of Ponte de Lima and further into the hills. At one point, a helicoptor flew overhead to put out a nearby forest fire. I watched from a cornfield as the bombeiros dipped the bucket in the river and circled back to the fire.
I survived a minor injury to my foot when I stopped to fast to look at something lovely, but the adventure met an unfortunate end with a flat tire. I was ill prepared for the castañas. I had exactly the right bicycle for a Michigan adventure, but Portugal had other plans. The sun was getting low and I decided to set up camp on a nearby picnic table.
The water was so warm. I splashed around a little as the sun was setting. There were so many little frogs among the rocks in the river. There were egrets and herons fishing. It was pretty cold during the night after taking so much sun, so I bundled up tight in my sleeping bag. But I had a lovely evening watching the stars.
And when I awoke, I had made a new friend! I had a nice time watching her graze while I made a quick breakfast and set out on my next adventure.
PigTailz 