Day 109 – Dos Hermanas

Day 109                                          5th November

6.5 miles (around Dos Hermanas) Average speed 6.8mph Top speed 18 mph

Woke early but had no money after spending my last euro on a tinnie from a vending machine last night. So went into town and saw a guy carrying a trailer with a bed on it by bicycle!

Had coffee with a ham toastie and decided today would be a day of chores.Then I had to stay in the cafe a bit longer to avoid a rain shower. After a while I decided that it was only a shower and headed to the Shell garage for air. I only got a bit wet but there was spray coming off the roads and then a lovely rainbow.

While pumping up my tyres the next wave of rain came, but this time it was a torrential downpour. I was trapped under the jetwash canopy for about 40 minutes. The garage next door was called ballenoil.

It did give me a chance to give the bike a good clean though.When it finally stopped I went to inspect the damage back at the campsite and it was soon apparent that I would have a few extra chores today. There was a river running through my tent and everything I have was saturated!

I was wet already so dived straight in and moved the tent to higher ground and hung stuff in the trees, put a groundsheet above to form a canopy and tried to dry stuff. Every time I got a good position in the sun to dry things out the rain shower would come and I’d be running round again! I washed everything I could to remove grit and showered myself. Then I cleaned the chain and put a screw into the hole in the frame to prevent any more water getting into my bottom bracket. Used my toothbrush to clean the chain and once again forgot to buy a replacement. Probably because, when in a massive Carrefour on a trading estate, I was paranoid about my bike being  locked up outside. I don’t like not being able to see it! Even though they had a great sale section where I nearly bought a new bar bag by Topeak for €22, but decided I didn’t need one any more as I have nothing left to put in it! Bought sausages (reduced) and six eggs and a couple of litre bottles of Cruzcampo. I checked : 2 litres equals 3.5 pints, even though it seems more when drinking from bottles. Back at the campsite I smoked everyone out by trying to light a fire with wet wood. Greta and Lorenzo didn’t seem to mind and I had my omelette while listening to Spanish classic FM.

Went back to Bar Sebastian and had a few beers while chatting with barmen about footy and they were jealous of my ticket. Then on my way back I stopped for one more in the cinema complex where it was very busy with the 00.30 showings filling up.The Spaniards always start their nights late.

After a day of chores, more washing, bike maintenance, bike cleaning while dodging downpours and rescuing my tent and all my belongings from a river that had developed in my campsite, I have discovered that my cooking stove not only provides a mean tortilla but also doubles up as a bike shoe dryer.

Today is the first day I’ve felt cold in a while. A fleece to breakfast is very unusual. The wind is up too. I hope it’s blowing from behind me tomorrow on the way to Seville to watch the Messi show!