Quick hits.
Its been a while since I last wrote so here's a few fast thoughts.
Its very, very windy here!
Montanejos
Spain is a big country, its scenery changes dramatically, sometimes just around the next corner. The road from Montanejos to Teruel was great, nice smooth fresh tarmac, then suddenly it wasn't. In the blink of an eye I was back in Spain circa 1965. Single track, rough surfaced road.
Olba on the 'main' road to Teruel
When its windy, every little squeak in the van drives you in sane at night when all you need is peace and quiet.
Sliding doors in vans again!! Right next to me..... The biggest car park at Siurana, and he chooses to park right behind me! (Ben. American, and really nice)
I'm aching, tired and down. But its been a sunny blue sky day, all be it a touch too windy to enjoy it. Tomorrow looks better. I will feel better too.
I miss the kids and Mom.
I thought of work for a second yesterday. I think I'd been talking to Themi about flying?
My elbow is very sore. I appear to be making things worse and it hurts a lot. I'm in Cafe2013 in Cornudella de Montsant, surrounded by gorgeous scenery, in warm sunshine and I feel shit.
Siurana. I feel like a diabetic in a snickers factory right now.... All this glorious sunny rock and a buggered elbow. I keep banging it on things. Mostly the van seats plastic arm rest. It hurts a lot and I'm worried. I admit it. I've had a lot of good advice from various sources but at the moment, it still feels like a knife going into the bone when I make a wrong move. Its worse in the mornings. It really hurts, not just an ache, like right now while I type this for instance, it's just there, I can feel it but its bearable. I'm scared I may be doing too much to it. Warm it with gentle exercise, stretch it, weighted dumbell, light weight, and only one end to work the correct tendons. Rubbing oil in for heat, then ice pack on it, later more heat, encourage the good blood. Stretches, various, gentle and regular...... I'd love to speak to Chyro Tim about it. I trust him.
I left Chulilla on Wednesday morning and haven't found wifi to blog with, or the necessary motivation to write too much till now. Its hard to be around friends when they're all high on the routes they've climbed today, and the plans for the next day. I'll be honest here, the numbers do matter, of course they do. Until I can't improve and recognise that I have begun the period in my life when I can't get better, then the numbers matter. Not always of course, not any more. A great route has always made me laugh and smile whatever the grade, but when you make hard sustained moves and hang on to top out, or clip the chains, it feels a bit special. So yes, when I stop believing the numbers matter, I'll lose a little self competition and in my own way I'll be admitting a little defeat.
I remember discussing this trip with work friends, and also the timing of it, from an age perspective. The way I feel now, with the elbow and the tooth starting to ache a little (I'm beginning to wander if the tooth is now carrying a mild infection and its making me feel generally a bit crap?), I can honestly say that from a purely physical point of view, I wish I'd done this years ago. When the energy of youth knows no bounds. When you're fearless and indestructible. When if the shit does hit the fan, you can call Mom and Dad. The conclusion was then, for me, and I have held this opinion for as long as I can remember, that yes I have a little more financial security than a 20 something on a gap year, yes I have done the kids thing and my 2 babies are up and self sufficient with kids of their own. but;
I worry more. I see the dangers. I see the potential for fuck ups.
I ache more. I want to climb more than 5 or 6 routes a day, but know I'll pay for it later.
God I get tired after hard routes! Properly tired, in a good way but buggered!
I need more rest days, and I take longer to recover. Actually, maybe I just need to get fitter!
I want bed at 10, not a party.
I want one, maybe 2 glasses of red, not 6 pints and a joint.
And I'm a little bit scared at times.
My ability to bounce back is going.
In your 20's. That's the time. Your time. I know we as parents worry about our young adult children, but how else do they get life experience? When else can you discover who you are, what you like, who you like? When are you supposed to gather all that learning about people and places, caution and trust?
Life. I think that decade is for self discovery, to gather all the experience needed to be a good useful and experienced rounded adult from then on. It doesn't work for all of us that way and that's great because where would we be if every one just travelled and had gap years in their 20's!!! Some have to stay and do stuff. Work. Have a family, and there are massive benefits to doing things that way round, I know :) But, my point is that if you can, if you have the support needed, or the urge to do it. Then do it. Go and see places and do things that you otherwise might never get the chance to do again. Go to strange exotic places and meet new weird wonderful, bad and good people. It will be mostly good and it will be huge fun, with blurry moments and forgotten days in a haze, but fuck it. Just do it.
I'm just thinking out loud here.... Its just me, my opinion.
Casteletto
Yesterday I felt scared. I parked in what was a great spot just outside Casteletto by a lovely azure blue lake, just at dusk. I'm slightly concerned about the wild camping thing here especially alone, so I parked the van behind a bank of earth hidden from the view of passing cars.. But something wasn't right and I didn't feel good at all. I ended up driving another 30 km into Alcazin looking for the eco campsite there. That took two goes to find and in the end, in pitch blackness, I parked round the back behind the fence surrounding the site in a car park marked 'camping 2-parking'. Felt ok to me and I slept well till about 6.30 when yet another howling Spanish gale woke me up rattling the bike cover like it was about to be torn to ribbons.
The blue lake near Casteletto
I have a thing about the dark I think. I've never been a big fan of getting caught on the hill at night, though I have been. When I climb I like to get back to the car before its dark and always have, except once or twice in winter. And at times like this, driving in a strange country, and even in the UK in an area I don't know, I like to find somewhere to settle down in daylight. Tuesday night in Chulilla, the guys were still walking back at 8, fully in the dark. I was ready to go and look for them, but I was in a minority of one in the worry department.... They were fine.
I guess part of this fear is natural. I'm alone and there is certainly security in numbers when parked up in a camper van.
So, here I am, thinking about my next move. I'm trying to wait a little, take stock and not get carried away by my own feelings of self pity and see what options turn up. This elbow is just what I feared may happen on this trip, an injury that stops me climbing. I have to change the view point, change the direction. Do I just travel, drive home to Greece? Bail out, park up and fly home to get some TLC and fix this thing properly? Or wait, see what happens and wing it?
Siurana
One of the Siurana crags at sunset.
Renault take over the top car park to shoot an advert!!!
Now, its time to get back on my bike and cycle in the warm sun to the van parked up the hill to Siurana.
Climbing paradise.
Its been a while since I last wrote so here's a few fast thoughts.
Its very, very windy here!
Spain is a big country, its scenery changes dramatically, sometimes just around the next corner. The road from Montanejos to Teruel was great, nice smooth fresh tarmac, then suddenly it wasn't. In the blink of an eye I was back in Spain circa 1965. Single track, rough surfaced road.
When its windy, every little squeak in the van drives you in sane at night when all you need is peace and quiet.
Sliding doors in vans again!! Right next to me..... The biggest car park at Siurana, and he chooses to park right behind me! (Ben. American, and really nice)
I'm aching, tired and down. But its been a sunny blue sky day, all be it a touch too windy to enjoy it. Tomorrow looks better. I will feel better too.
I miss the kids and Mom.
I thought of work for a second yesterday. I think I'd been talking to Themi about flying?
My elbow is very sore. I appear to be making things worse and it hurts a lot. I'm in Cafe2013 in Cornudella de Montsant, surrounded by gorgeous scenery, in warm sunshine and I feel shit.
Siurana. I feel like a diabetic in a snickers factory right now.... All this glorious sunny rock and a buggered elbow. I keep banging it on things. Mostly the van seats plastic arm rest. It hurts a lot and I'm worried. I admit it. I've had a lot of good advice from various sources but at the moment, it still feels like a knife going into the bone when I make a wrong move. Its worse in the mornings. It really hurts, not just an ache, like right now while I type this for instance, it's just there, I can feel it but its bearable. I'm scared I may be doing too much to it. Warm it with gentle exercise, stretch it, weighted dumbell, light weight, and only one end to work the correct tendons. Rubbing oil in for heat, then ice pack on it, later more heat, encourage the good blood. Stretches, various, gentle and regular...... I'd love to speak to Chyro Tim about it. I trust him.
I left Chulilla on Wednesday morning and haven't found wifi to blog with, or the necessary motivation to write too much till now. Its hard to be around friends when they're all high on the routes they've climbed today, and the plans for the next day. I'll be honest here, the numbers do matter, of course they do. Until I can't improve and recognise that I have begun the period in my life when I can't get better, then the numbers matter. Not always of course, not any more. A great route has always made me laugh and smile whatever the grade, but when you make hard sustained moves and hang on to top out, or clip the chains, it feels a bit special. So yes, when I stop believing the numbers matter, I'll lose a little self competition and in my own way I'll be admitting a little defeat.
I remember discussing this trip with work friends, and also the timing of it, from an age perspective. The way I feel now, with the elbow and the tooth starting to ache a little (I'm beginning to wander if the tooth is now carrying a mild infection and its making me feel generally a bit crap?), I can honestly say that from a purely physical point of view, I wish I'd done this years ago. When the energy of youth knows no bounds. When you're fearless and indestructible. When if the shit does hit the fan, you can call Mom and Dad. The conclusion was then, for me, and I have held this opinion for as long as I can remember, that yes I have a little more financial security than a 20 something on a gap year, yes I have done the kids thing and my 2 babies are up and self sufficient with kids of their own. but;
I worry more. I see the dangers. I see the potential for fuck ups.
I ache more. I want to climb more than 5 or 6 routes a day, but know I'll pay for it later.
God I get tired after hard routes! Properly tired, in a good way but buggered!
I need more rest days, and I take longer to recover. Actually, maybe I just need to get fitter!
I want bed at 10, not a party.
I want one, maybe 2 glasses of red, not 6 pints and a joint.
And I'm a little bit scared at times.
My ability to bounce back is going.
In your 20's. That's the time. Your time. I know we as parents worry about our young adult children, but how else do they get life experience? When else can you discover who you are, what you like, who you like? When are you supposed to gather all that learning about people and places, caution and trust?
Life. I think that decade is for self discovery, to gather all the experience needed to be a good useful and experienced rounded adult from then on. It doesn't work for all of us that way and that's great because where would we be if every one just travelled and had gap years in their 20's!!! Some have to stay and do stuff. Work. Have a family, and there are massive benefits to doing things that way round, I know :) But, my point is that if you can, if you have the support needed, or the urge to do it. Then do it. Go and see places and do things that you otherwise might never get the chance to do again. Go to strange exotic places and meet new weird wonderful, bad and good people. It will be mostly good and it will be huge fun, with blurry moments and forgotten days in a haze, but fuck it. Just do it.
I'm just thinking out loud here.... Its just me, my opinion.
Yesterday I felt scared. I parked in what was a great spot just outside Casteletto by a lovely azure blue lake, just at dusk. I'm slightly concerned about the wild camping thing here especially alone, so I parked the van behind a bank of earth hidden from the view of passing cars.. But something wasn't right and I didn't feel good at all. I ended up driving another 30 km into Alcazin looking for the eco campsite there. That took two goes to find and in the end, in pitch blackness, I parked round the back behind the fence surrounding the site in a car park marked 'camping 2-parking'. Felt ok to me and I slept well till about 6.30 when yet another howling Spanish gale woke me up rattling the bike cover like it was about to be torn to ribbons.
I have a thing about the dark I think. I've never been a big fan of getting caught on the hill at night, though I have been. When I climb I like to get back to the car before its dark and always have, except once or twice in winter. And at times like this, driving in a strange country, and even in the UK in an area I don't know, I like to find somewhere to settle down in daylight. Tuesday night in Chulilla, the guys were still walking back at 8, fully in the dark. I was ready to go and look for them, but I was in a minority of one in the worry department.... They were fine.
I guess part of this fear is natural. I'm alone and there is certainly security in numbers when parked up in a camper van.
So, here I am, thinking about my next move. I'm trying to wait a little, take stock and not get carried away by my own feelings of self pity and see what options turn up. This elbow is just what I feared may happen on this trip, an injury that stops me climbing. I have to change the view point, change the direction. Do I just travel, drive home to Greece? Bail out, park up and fly home to get some TLC and fix this thing properly? Or wait, see what happens and wing it?
Now, its time to get back on my bike and cycle in the warm sun to the van parked up the hill to Siurana.
Climbing paradise.
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