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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>What are we doing on our 'puters when we should be doing
something useful :-) ?</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=olcbillaFIRESERVE.NET href="mailto:olcbillaFIRESERVE.NET">bill
deutschman</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=GOCAMINOapete.uri.edu
href="mailto:GOCAMINOapete.uri.edu">GOCAMINOapete.uri.edu</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, February 24, 2001 8:49
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: The pilgrim
certificate</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>And you don't have to stay on the asphalt on bikes. I
have been on the Chemin/Camino 4 times. Once I did Pamplona - Santiago mostly
of the camino de a pie on a <EM>touring</EM> bike, fully loaded--but that's
not easy. Still, cyclists can do a lot of the trail parts. </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Don't know how you did that as many of the sections of
the camino, e.g. the hills around the iron cross and O'Cebrito were too
steep to ride either up or down the way the camino cut switchbacks.
There were numerous other places that cut across small valleys as the road
took longer switchbacks. We decided not to ride the many sections of
the camino that were 10 to 50 feet from the road side. It was a lot
easier than trying to dodge three and four wide groups of walkers.
However it was easier to ride the path across the meseta as most of the
pilgrims were on the road that parallels the path. We tried the
section into Portomarin and were turned back as the trail was a small rocky
stream bed as far as we could see.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial>I see you DID do the whole Way. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial>HeeHee, I love it when you young whippersnappers
say that. My friend and I rode in '92 when we were both 50, and yes, did the
foot trail up to Cruz de Ferro and the foot trail up to Cebreiro. Often we had
to push the bikes on stretches like that. The parallel paths along hiways were
just getting built in those days, in prep for the Holy Year of '93 and there
were many fewer pilgrims than in '95 and '99. And yes we rode that stream from
Mercado da Serra into Portomarin. Turns into a tiny road down thru tiny
villages. Very picturesque. And many other places as difficult. It was one of
the hardest things either of us had done, tho we are used to Rocky Mtn mtn
bike trails. Don't think I'd repeat it but now we can be obnoxious about
having done it the rest of our lives. And we certainly didn't do great
distances that year.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial> I now see you are from Colorado so there isn't
much chance that we can get together as we don't get there often.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Would you like a more detailed description of our
route from Le Puy to Cahours? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial>You bet! Thanks. </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Be sure to allow a full day in Le Puy to see the
cathedral and climb up the two volcanic spires. You will also
need a half day at Conque, preferably stay there at night so you will see
the city after the tour busses leave. We were able to sit in the
darkened cathedral and listed to someone play the organ for an hour.
The timpany over the door is best viewed in the afternoon. There is
one thing I just remembered. There was a huge wind storm last winter
and huge areas of the forests were blown down. It extended from Paris
to Le Puy and then down to the Lot so some of the trail may be covered with
logs. We passed hillsides where no trees were left
standing.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial>Thanks again for the info. That's right; that
wind storm! I heard of the damage in Paris, but didn't think about it in the
Massif Central. I was planning a layover day in Conques; what do you think? If
not there, where?</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>bill</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV dir=ltr><FONT face=Arial>Michael</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>