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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello Everyone,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My wife and I have just joined "Friends" and are
planning to bike part of the CdS starting in mid-September. We will
probably start </FONT>from St Jean Pied de Port. However, many of our trip
logistics are as yet unresolved. I am hoping that some of
you would not mind sharing some of your knowledge with
us?<BR> <BR>First, we are not sure where to fly into and out of.
Flying out of Santiago at the end of the trip appears to make the most
sense. We are unsure where to fly into. We are considering flying to
Bibao or Pamplona but really are unsure of what are reasonable
options. Any suggestions? </DIV>
<DIV> <BR>We have not identified any means of transporting our
bikes to St Jean. Is anyone aware of transportation
options?<BR> <BR>Could you recommend any good maps for the trip?
Where can we obtain them?<BR> <BR>Bikes. What to use? We
are hesitant to bring our touring bikes. We biked in the Dordogne of SW
France two years ago. Although our bikes were very<BR>well packed, the
trip from Maine to Paris took a toll (three planes, hence three sets of
baggage handlers). My bike had to go into a shop for repairs<BR>before we
could ride. We are considering renting bikes. Have you had any
experience with bike rentals in Spain? We are also researching
the<BR>purchase of folding bikes. They would probably work well, but so
far appear to be prohibitively expensive. Any advice on renting and/or the
suitablity of folding travel bikes for this trip?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>We like to mix a lot of hiking with
our biking. Consequently, we don't do more than 30-45 miles per
day. Any suggestions for not to miss hikes or
explorations?</FONT><BR> <BR>Well, the above are only the
highest priorities of our current stage of planning. If you could shed any
light on the above items, or any other<BR>areas we should be aware of, it would
be very much appreciated.<BR> <BR>Thanks very much. We look
forward to learning from you.<BR> <BR>Joyce and Jeff Welt</DIV>
<DIV>Brunswick, Maine</DIV></BODY></HTML>