Today was extremely easy but also the most frightful aspect of my entire trip (equally so for Bob my walking buddy). We had only to cover 10 km (6.3 mi) under the threat of rain that didn't materialize for me until after I arrived at our Hostal Galicia in Ribadeo. My problem started when my bicycle path took a huge detour that I wanted to avoid, so I chose to walk a little over a mile along the A-8 Freeway--a HUGE no-no. I managed that, all the while rehearsing my story for the police that were surely going to stop me, but I arrived unscathed at the bridge crossing a deep and wide estuary that lead into Ribadeo.
This crossing was one of the most hair-raising experiences in my life: walking into a 40-knot wind (look at the wind sock in the top photo) in a 3-foot wide lane bounded on my left with a six-foot high fence grating and to my right with a railing only waste high. The wind was blowing me side to side--my poncho became a sail--and I imagined it blowing me over the railing and down into the estuary over 100 feet below! I carried both poles in my right hand so as to free my left one to grab the grating in case I was about to lose my footing. My head was looking down at my feet the whole time, lest I step on something that would cause me to stumble! Bob had the same experience, except some two hours later because he didn't venture the freeway shortcut and found himself walking an extra 12 km.
Luckily it all ended well. Good Pension (Hostal), great meal at lunch, accomplished chores with cell phone Internet extension, bank, and grocery shopping for tonight and tomorrow's breakfast. And tomorrow we start heading southwest through the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain with rain expected for the next two days.
