27 October 2019: Tavira, Portugal to Cartaya, Spain (40 miles-895 total)

Top route is in Portugal, to the ferry. Bottom route is in Spain to Cartaya. In general, I stayed on the main highway, the N-431, to eliminate the gravel road recommendations, easier riding on a wide shoulder with limited Sunday morning traffic, and because I wanted a different route than my outbound path.

The cat was still asleep this morning.

I'm back from my side trip into Portugal. Just a bit over 20 miles tomorrow to the Huelva train station for a 1.5 hour trip into Seville. My weather has been excellent. today was overcast, starting in the 60s F and just hitting 70 as I finished. I booked a hotel close to Huelva because rain was forecast for Monday, but the forecast has changed to overcast and 69 F for the high. I have a bike trail nearly all the way to the train station.

Why return to Bozeman now?

Home, is home, and that's where I find my sweet wife and her two standard poodles. By the way, she has been editing my posts. When I am tired, the errors increase. 

Observation. Roadsides in Spain and Portugal are littered with garbage. We saw people randomly toss things when trash containers are near and abundant. They often burn the dried weeds and grasses along the roads, which exposes the bottles and cans. In such beautiful countries, why litter?

Having stopped in Lepe, I sought out the same restaurant for my lunch stop. All in all, a pretty relaxed day. Upon arrival, I checked in, then explored Cartaya before returning to shower and wash clothes. The hotel is quiet, on the outskirts of a surprisingly large town. I'll cycle downtown for dinner this evening.

Leaving Ayamonte. Clearly relating to music, I could not decipher the Spanish. 

Herman Aartsen is a Dutch Engineer currently cycling around EU with his DIY solar powered recumbent bicycle. We met on the ferry from Portugal to Spain. His rig is quite heavy, but with electric assist, he is faster than me. He said he has been camping, quite inexpensive, but then spending more on meals. Good approach.

Herman and I exchanged photos. Here are the two he took on the ferry.



Dog of the Day #1. Since my Tavira B & B insisted on cash, I stopped at an ATM where this dog was patiently waiting for his owner to finish.

Huge citrus fields and covered plants.

Tempting. Once upon a time, a hungry cyclist could nip an orange. But with high unemployment and many immigrants, nearly every field is securely fenced. The alternative to fencing is cactus.

Remember the Borax Commercials? 20-mule teams? This was a hitch of 6, entering Cartaya. Seems it related to an event that happened in 2014.




Cartaya has a castle. No idea how much is original and how much has been rebuilt.
Castle and cemetery?



Probably not up to code.

Cartaya Roundabout. Hand over heart, plowing with oxen.




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