Thursday, August 12, 2021

Cos, about 4 miles from Carrejo

Bike Route: Abandames to Cos, Carrejo, 39 miles, 2000 feet of climb

A longish day but easier riding. We stayed mostly on national and regional highways. We biked through mist and light rain all morning, a lot of it downhill. Halfway we stopped in San Vicente de la Barquero for lunch (grilled squid with salad and sauteed octopus with paprika and bread). The town San Vicente is on the ocean and river, busy with tourists and restaurants.

After lunch we did a couple of bigger but very ridable climbs up to a high plateau, then biked through planted forests and agricultural areas. We crossed several rivers, with little towns and recreation areas, where people were canoeing and kayaking and rafting.

Our accommodations for the night were in Cos, a little village just outside Carrejo. We had an apartment in a renovated cattle shed on the farm that had belonged to our host's parents. The paddock has been turned into a beautiful fenced garden with gazebo overlooking a little stream and cattle pastures. The host and his son took great care to show us where everything was and how it worked.

After showering and running a load of laundry, we biked to a supermarket about 4 miles away and brought back all the supplies for dinner and breakfast. We played with the puppy next door. We watched the cows come down from their high pasture in the evening and return to the high pasture the next morning. It was lovely.

Most of the day we were biking through agricultural and forest areas, along rivers that empty into the ocean. About 1:00 we dropped down to San Vicente de la Barquero, at the mouth of the Rio Escudo, for lunch.

A selfie on the road.