Well hello again, it’s been a while. This summer turned into a bit of a needed break from newsletters. I had planned to keep these going while back in Seattle, but I was feeling un-inspired.
My hopes of doing lots of hiking were dashed when I sprained my ankle four miles into my first hike of the summer. The physical recovery took a while until I was comfortable being on uneven ground again, and I think there was also a bit of mental recovery necessary from the disappointment involved. I was in a funk for a while, and motivation for doing much of anything was low, including planning for the final portion of my trip.
Though the summer wasn’t quite what I’d hoped it would be in regard to spending time in the mountains, it was so nice to be back in Seattle. I was able to get out on one redemption hike late in the season with Ryan (who you might remember from an appearance in my Bolivia/Peru newsletters), and Washington is still stunning. I was able to be on my bike again. I went out on the lake. I spent needed time with friends. I was comfortable, and for a brief moment, I felt settled.
There were multiple points late in the summer when I questioned whether or not I really wanted to do this bike tour around Spain. I was enjoying that feeling of being settled, and I was burnt out on planning trips and activities. After some time sitting with these feelings, I reminded myself that I was going to be in Spain anyway for the wedding. I had (and still have) no flight booked back home. It cost me nothing to get my bike over here. If I got one month in, even one week in, to this two month bike tour and I still felt like I wanted to go home, I could. I figured I’d at least give it a go and see what happens, and I had a sneaking suspicion that once I was actually on my bike over in Spain, my feelings might change.
Now the time has come, and I’m out the door again.
THE START TO SPAIN
I arrived in Barcelona with my parents on the 19th of September, and after a few days exploring several of Antoni Gaudi’s jaw dropping architecture projects in the city, we made our way down to Cambrils for the wedding.
Time in Cambrils was special. I made some new friends. I was able to connect with some old ones. And somehow I got so lucky to officiate the wedding of my best friend and his wife. Time in Cambrils was special.
(My phone was away most of the wedding day so I don’t have really any pictures of my own. I’ll try to share a few next time if I can get a hold of some from the official photographer)
Then, two days after the wedding, everyone left. Just like that, I was back to being on my own. The sudden juxtaposition hit me more than I anticipated, and I’m still adjusting into being alone again a few days later.
That should about bring you up to speed. Now the bike tour on the docket.
THE BIKE TOUR
I had a draft written out detailing what my plans were for my route. Long story short, less than one week in, it already feels like it might be changing (due to some potentially overambitious planning on my part based on my idealized fitness from last year rather than my actual fitness this year). So, I’m not going to talk about specific route details. But there will likely be a portion in the Pyrenees, a portion in Portugal, and a portion in Andalusia.
My first stop was Girona, where I’ve been poking around without luggage the last couple days. Let’s just say I now understand why so many professional cyclists live and train here. The roads, the weather, the climbs. It’s incredible.
From here I’ll set off West through the Pyrenees.
Given I’m moving around by bike (and going up many, many very big hills), I’m trying my best to not carry any unnecessary weight. My bike is far heavier than I’d like it to be already. That means I do not have my laptop, and my patience for writing from my phone is limited (Formatting is incredibly difficult on mobile, so please forgive anything looking weird). At a minimum, I’ll try to send out occasional photo highlights as well as some reflections that come up throughout my days, but I’m not sure how frequent or extensive these will be.
If you really want the most live and latest (and all the stats for the nerds), those goodies will all be on my Strava.
I think that about wraps things up for this time.
As always, if you know anyone that you think would be interested in anything I’m writing about, I’d ask that you consider sharing this with them.
Thanks for being here. Talk to you soon.
– Trevor
Cover Photo:
Park Güell
Barcelona, Spain