Day 24 - Cacabelos to Vega de Valcarce

    Today was an excellent day. We started walking at 6:30AM and about 30min before sunrise - a bit earlier so that we could avoid some afternoon heat.
    We walked 25km (our runkeeper showed 16 miles).  The first part was through vineyards and farmland, and the 2nd two-thirds was mostly along the Valcarce river - a lot of it along a near abandoned highway (since the A-6 freeway now takes all the traffic; kind of like what I-40 did to RTE-66).  It was interesting to watch the river volume shrinking throughout the day.  Lots of birds.  Lots of cool insects - though it was warm enough that very few were interested in sitting still for a photo).  Lots of deer poop in the roadway (which I did not photograph), so I am assuming there are some deer around here.

    It got pretty warm today, especially on the concrete sections where it seemed every surface was redirecting all of the sun's rays on you.  So we stopped a couple extra times for fluids, or for shade, or to rest.

    It was also a Sunday.  Most of Spain is closed on Sunday.  Generally, if you come to a town, and the first cafe is open, you are pressing your luck if you spin the wheel and assume the next cafe will be better - because there might not be a next open cafe.  And this is triply-true on a Sunday.
    So approaching 1:30 PM, we had 1km to go to our Albergue, but stopped for full lunch/dinner, because the place was open.  We got lucky and got a very welcoming reception from the manager - she said that her kitchen never closes.  And the menu had options.  And there was a very nice dog that hated only certain cars driving past.  And it turns out there were no other options between that location and our Albergue.  And walking back 1km and forward 1km once you have told your feet that they can rest is not a great plan.

    After lunch, we arrived at our Albergue at Vega de Valcarce at about 2:30PM.  Cleaned up, did laundry, and hung it out to dry.

    Both Jana and I have some various discomforts (at this point in the Camino, I don't think I have met anyone who has ZERO issues), but we seem to be doing as well or better than most.  And there is nothing that a couple of Advil and a glass of vino tinta can't fix.

    Today's location is also our staging location for tomorrow, which will be a 'shorter' day (20km), but with a >1000m climb (with 300m descent) for a net 700m rise.  We expect that it will be slower going.  And the weather app is indicating that it will NOT be cooler at the top tomorrow.  I think we will be looking at another early start.
    This is the last major climb of the Camino.

    Birding today was good.  38 species seen, including 4 new ones (two of the new guys photographed).

    For the photos:

    6:30 in Cacabelo, leaving the historic district (this is the Cúa River, not the Valcarce that is seen later in the day).  Some jumping fish.  Some croaking frogs.  And bats.  Caught a photo of one.  Sort of.  It's the out-of-focus smear in the upper left.

Leaving Cacbelos, one more church and bell-tower, and one more White Stork:

    A Eurasian Blackbird waiting for the sun to rise:

    Vineyards on the side of the road:

    7AM.  Sun not yet over the horizon.

    A European Serin:

    A European Robin greeting the sun clearing the horizon at 7:09 AM:

    We turned off the road, and started walking through hills of vineyards:

    One last look back at Cacabelos in the distance:

    A lot of these fields are old vines, and no longer have the training wires for the grapes:

    So many vines:

    One nice aspect of vineyards is that there are large patches/strips of wildflowers and trees.  And a lot of birds and birdsong.  Below is a European Stonechat.  These guys always pose nicely.

    Now these guys are special.  These are Long-Tailed Tits.  They are tiny, and have disproportionately tiny beaks (just a nub).  It was a first sighting for us, and there were a dozen jumping from tree-to-tree.  The first image has 3, if you can find them.  The last is a blow-up - you can see the stub-nose - I mean, it's looking right at you.

        Another Serin.  In the early light :

    The poppies are here, but not for long.  The first photo was taken at the start of the day, the latter in the late morning.

    A Eurasian Jackdaw (smaller member of crow family)

    The sky was full of Common Swifts.  But to catch one in flight with any level of zoom takes a little luck.

    If you leave kibble for the cats, you leave kibble for the Eurasian Blackbirds, too.

    We had breakfast at a cafe in Villafranca.  I don't think the person serving really wanted to be there.  It was not a great experience.  Then there was this guy that I caught doing a 2nd buzz around this corner (1st time, it had a tea-bag).

    As we reached the heart of Villafranca at the river, we passed by this church.  I am guessing there is a very sad child, somewhere.  It also gives me another chance to demonstrate the power of the zoom on this phone.

    For a while, we walked along the Rio Burbia (after the Valcarce River joined).  A very pleasant walk.

    A bit up the river, we caught this character wading between rocks - A White-Throated Dipper, a first for us.  Jana figured out what it was.

    Shortly after, the remainder of the walk was up along the Valcarce River, along a now mostly abandoned roads and highway.  Very, very little traffic.  Lots of hills and grassland and trees.  And frequently when I stopped to take photos of the birds/insects/flowers, Jana would stretch.

    Another marker!  Getting closer!

    Couldn't get this flower in focus, but then Jana lent some assistance.

    More wildflowers - Lady's Glove on a super-tall stalk:

    Another European Robin:

    After a couple of drinks at Trabadelo (Aquarius for Jana, and CocaCola for me), we continued up the river:

    A Eurasian Blue Tit, trying to avoid being photographed, dropped from its perch as I took the shot:

       Pinks and Blues:

    A Western Honey Bee at some Blueweed:

    A Gray Wagtail, about to jump:

    Fields of wildflowers:

    There were a lot of butterflies today, but with the heat, none would sit still.  I did get a couple of shots.  here is an Argynnis Pandora

    As we continue to move up the river, and pass its tributaries, it is becoming noticeably smaller:

    I was able to catch this Cinnabar Moth in flight:

    Squiggles approaching:

    Another view of the river as we approach our destination town:

    A summer bather:

    Just as we reached Vega de Vlacarce, we found an open restaurant, and stopped for a while for a meal.  Sundays can be very dodgy, and you take what is available.  This dog would watch the traffic - and for just some cars, go nuts and run to the edge of the property and bark at them until they were gone, and then come back to her sentinel post.  As we witnessed from other diners, this dog would accept beef, but not tuna or bread.  A very friendly dog.

    Our hostel is right on the river.  As I was hanging my laundry to dry, caught this dragonfly below:

    The view of the river from the hostel.  And there is a short bridge across that takes you to a ladder where the river is supposed to provide restorative energies.  I think the water is pretty fresh snow-melt.  After about 5 min, when I could still just feel my feet, I figured they were restortivated enough, and that if I wanted to get back up the ladder, I had better do it quick:

    All for now, will let you know how the climb goes tomorrow.