MO FAUX CAMINO

Highlights: I again started my day with Glenda’s yoga class from Victoria and happily got a late start on Day 16's walk.    Since, as I mentioned in my last post, I planned on taking my new blow-up kayak on its maiden voyage later this afternoon, I did a relatively short walk (7.62 miles) and used almost 10 of my banked miles to meet today’s target.   On the real Camino, I would have completed 16.5 miles from Carrion de los Condes to Terradillos de los Templarios, passing fields of blooming sunflowers, tracing ancient Roman roads, and stepping back into Templar history. My Faux-mino took me to Saint Edward State Park, another glorious waterside resource for hiking and walking, which incorporates the beautiful campus of Bastyr University , a pioneer in science-based natural medicine since 1978.    The park has a well-groomed and connected system of 14 trails – most called hikes (more challenging hills and switchbacks) and others called walk s which tend to ci...

Highlights: I started my day off with an Iyengar yoga class taught via Zoom by my good friend Glenda in Victoria, British Columbia. (Ommmmmm my sore feet... were helped by inversions.)   In addition to finding time for a nap, we (mostly my husband, Don) put together the inflatable kayak that finally arrived. As you will see below, I tested it out in my living room. Monday afternoon I’ll head out to Cottage Lake in Woodinville to do the maiden voyage with my friend Carol.   Don will try out as well and if he likes it, we’ll get another.    A fully functioning kayak for $170 including taxes that folds into a 25 lb mid-sized suitcase - good deal!  Finally, due to Don's hard work and patience, he has trained our cat, Bartok, to start going outside on the leash.  I took him out for the first time (mine) and he was quite the explorer.  The bad news?  Now, he wants to go outside all the time.   Back to the Camino.   If I had done the r...

  Highlights: As is becoming my tradition, every seven days, I summarize how far I would have walked on the real Camino in the context of the whole pilgrimage.   As you can see below, I have completed ~40% so far. On this 14 th day on the real Camino, I would have traveled  from Hontanas to Boadilla del Camino, visiting the enigmatic ruins of San Anton and the medieval castle of Castrojeriz, sleeping in a church in San Nicolas, or going for a swim in Boadilla. In real life,  I planned to do my allotted 17.7 miles all in Discovery Park , which I noted in yesterday’s post is Seattle’s largest public park (534 acres) with 11.18 miles of walking trails on the shores of Puget Sound in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle.  I thought it might be more restful to do multiple trails, always with easy access to my car and known restrooms. For the first two hours, I did just that.   Coastal fog gave everything the appearance of mystery and made me happy I had a w...

  Highlights: Yikes!   I did it.   I targeted 19.5 today and ended up doing 21.1 miles.   On the real Camino, I would have spent my first day travelling the Meseta region in Central Spain, from Burgos to Hontanas, trading the urban landscape of Burgos for the peaceful Meseta, walking through field after field of wheat, past the healing San Bol stream. In real life, on my Faux-mino, I walked from home (Kirkland), across the 520 Bridge (again), through the University of Washington’s Arboretum Park and then along Lake Washington through Leschi (pronounce Leh-shy) and all the way to Seward Park . That accounted for only 15 miles so I needed to back track to Leschi, where there was conveniently a Starbucks, to complete my miles for the day.  Thanks again to magnificent Don for picking me up. He got a chocolate croissant from Starbucks for his efforts. So much beauty – trees, water, mountains, clouds, blue sky and houses nestled across from so many spectacular wat...

Highlights: I’ll admit I was stumped on what to do to get today's required miles.   I decided to go back to the familiar -- a path I have done many times with my friend Carol, but seldom alone –   the Tolt Pipeline Trail .   The real Camino asked me to do 13.9 miles from Ages to Burgo, climbing the Sierra Atapuerca near prehistoric ruins, strolling along Rio Arlanzon and wandering the mind-boggling Burgos Cathedral. And climb I did.  I reflected on the (annoying) fact that pipelines, unlike rail paths that have been converted to trails, don’t have to be flat, as I went up and down for 14 miles. In spite of the perfect weather, I found myself irritated that extraordinarily interesting things weren’t just popping up.   On the Tolt, we usually see a variety of happy trail dogs and horses with their riders, for whom we respectfully move aside.   For the first two hours, I saw nothing, not even the river otters that I discovered on Day 2.   I realized tha...

  Highlights: The real Camino asked me to do 17.2 miles today from Belorado to Ages, treading earthen paths through the Oca hills past the monastery of San Juan de Ortega with a remote forest landscape. After a day’s rest where my husband and I previewed today’s starting point at Enatai Beach in South Bellevue, I was ready to try a new trail – The I-90 Mountains to Sound Green way  trail that hugs the bridge of the same name for 8 miles.   The I-90 and 520 bridges are the Seattle's main arteries that connect Seattle's east and west sides. I managed 17.3 miles today.  Today, I had a new foot care strategy – sturdy sandals with my gel heel socks and padded specialty “blister resistant” shorty socks as a backup.   The heel gel socks rolled up into my arches almost immediately with bare sandals but once I put the socks on, this was my most comfortable foot day yet.   One tiny new blister on the side of my foot.   I consider that a win. The I-90 trail i...

  Highlights: The real Camino would have had me complete 14.2 miles from Santo Domingo to Belorado, relishing agricultural vistas of lush wheat fields, visiting the birthplace of Santo Domingo, and crossing into Castilla y Leon. What I did instead was my first trek where I didn’t back track.   I walked from my home in Kirkland (Houghton)  across the 520 bridge trail, through residences above the I-5 highway, down to Elliott Way on Puget Sound (the ocean!) and discovered a trail that hugged the slightly grotty Port of Seattle yards up to hilly Magnolia where my son, daughter-in-law, and grand dog live.   I have driven this route many times but walking it, I learned, was a completely different experience. Another perfect day of warm sun, cool air and clear sky .   I never get tired of m y Lake Washington beaches which are sprinkled with whimsical statues.   Once again I took on the 520 floating bridge trail to take me downtown and came across a mystery th...