Day 8 - Viana to Navarrete

Once again, as stated on Days 6 and 7:
One quick item to start:  I have discovered that my iPhone will not send/receive text messages while I am abroad.  With cellular disabled, and since my phone is locked due to some warrantee silliness, I can't figure out how to make stuff work.

    IF YOU WISH TO CONTACT ME DIRECTLY, TEXTING WILL NOT WORK: please either send by email (mudder91@yahoo.com), or by Facebook, or by LinkedIn, or send text-messages to Jana (she gets stuff real-time).  If you need Jana's contact info, send an email to mudder91@yahoo.com, and we will get it to you. 

    Today we left Viana at 7AM, after having a modest breakfast of fruit (partly to lighten the load of our packs).  The walk started through vineyards and farmland.  This was our favorite section of the walk.

    After about 6 kilometers, we paralleled a HW until we reached Legroño (a major city).  After walking the historic district and visiting a church and a couple of other buildings, we entered the metropolitan area found a cafe for 2nd breakfast, and purchased cherries at a local market.  A long walk through the city got us to a large municipal park, and then to an extended biking/walking path, and then to a Lake and Nature Preserve (La Grajera).

    At the walking path, Jana had some issues with lower-leg cramps, which slowed our progress significantly for a couple of miles on the walking/biking trail.  Fortunately, some combo of water, Advil and long break with cherries and cherry-tomatoes at the Lakeside, slowly cleared things up, and there do not appear to be any lingering issues.  

    After the Nature Preserve, it was a long walk along a frontage road along the freeway to Navarrete.  The last section did get us back through an agricultural zone, and we were grateful to be away from the traffic again.

    Once we got to our destination city of Navarrete at 3PM, we found one of our new friends enjoying a meal in the town square and joined for a late lunch before heading to our room for the night.  And our luggage arrived!

    Jana is working on planning the next several days.  With the gaining popularity of the Camino, booking is becoming more difficult.  And pre-paid booking is reducing some of our flexibility.  Many kudos to Jana for dealing with this headache.

    Today's stats:  15 miles in 8 hours (including breaks, 2nd breakfast, and a few geocaching side-treks in Legroño).  Ascended 336 meters, descended 289 meters.  22.3km progress on the path.

    Today was a good birding day.  We crossed the Ebro river in Legroño and took our time walking along the lake (for multiple reasons), and the new regions provided a few new birds.  In the end, we came away with 33 species identified, with 6 firsts.

    Tomorrow, we are off to Azofra!

Now:  OTTP!

    One last look back at Viana as we departed:

    The first part of the walk was through vineyards and farmland.  One fellow traveler who has done the Camino 5 times in the past said that a number of these wheat fields used to be vineyards, but were converted to wheat due to the war in Ukraine.

    A European Serin greeting the early morning.

    A lot of vineyards as we approached and crossed over into the Rioja region of Spain.  Many of these were being tended today.

    A European Goldfinch that became impatient about having its photo taken:

    Along our path, we encountered this building Virgen de Cuevas, with a fascinating mural.  We spent a few minutes trying to figure out the various segments.  Some of it is clearly biblical.  Other portions do not seem to be.

    The iPhone takes some pretty nice photos.  Across the pond (maybe 30 yards) was a small shorebird, that I could just make out by eye (mostly by the bird's motion).  At maximum zoom, I took the photo below (bird is in center, just above the waterline), and then blew it up to confirm it was a Common Ringed Plover:

    There are going to be a lot of frogs soon:

    We came out of the vineyards and forest, and crossed the road on this bridge, and followed the freeway into Legroño.  And check the bike-ramps on the stairs!

        One last look back at Viana (where we started today's walk) from the bridge:

    Common Wood Pigeons are huge.  About the same size as a small pheasant.  I had never seen one before.  But we got to see a good Wood Pigeon skirmish.  I'm guessing that the end will result in either one less wood pigeon, or one more.
    WOOD PIGEON FIGHT VIDEO!!

    Crossing the province line, into Rioja:

    Over the crest is Legroño!

    Crossing the Ebro River in Legroño, the longest river in Spain:

    From the bridge, we saw a White Stork flying almost directly overhead:

    Walking through the historic district:

Visiting the old historic Church:

    One of the many public artworks:

    And then into the urban zone.  One store I found interesting was the butcher shop, with many legs of ham on display in the window (you might have to expand the image to see past the reflections):

    Entering the city park.  Lots of Magpies strutting their stuff.

    There is a Camino Rose.  I will have to see if this variant is at the Oregon Rose Garden.

    At the end of the park, we began a long walk along a walking/bike path.  One spot had flowers planted in the Camino shell symbol:

    Spanish Broom wildflowers:

    A grey heron overhead:

    A remarkably lucky photo.  A Great Tit feeding its brood (you can see one hungry mouth in the crevasse of the tree.  I tried taking a couple of pictures in that gap, but the scolding of the worried parent bird sent me on my way:

    The path made way to Lake La Grajera, Looking over the fishing wall, the first thing we spotted was a Common Moorhen (looks a lot like the gallinules in Texas):

    Baby Mallards are cute:

    There were a LOT of people fishing from the wall.  We didn't see anyone catch anything.  But as we crossed a bridge in the protected area (no fishing allowed) some 200 yard away, this was the view straight down (and this thick for dozens of yards in either direction).  All of these fish were at least 12 inches:

    A Red Squirrel - the second squirrel we saw in the park.  The first was black, and too quick to be photographed.

    Climbing out from the lake.  And leaving the city behind:

    A Booted Eagle:

    Now a long walk along the highway to get to Navarrete:

    We did see one big bull:

    Weary, we rounded a corner - and our first view of Navarrete!  Another city on a hill.

    We passed the remains of an old hospital for pilgrims from the Middle Ages:

    And I took this picture for all of the snails bordering/decorating the sign:

    Our first big winery in Rioja:

    Much more climbing to get the center of Navarrete (for late-lunch of tapas):

    A grasshopper below my chair at lunch in the square:

    A visit to the Church at Navarrete.  When we walked into the church, it was near pitch-black, but the lights turn on for a few minutes if you drop a Euro-coin in the slot.  It is a beautiful church:

    Tomorrow, Azofra!