Pamplona to Ayuegui

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Woke up to sun today. Was a little worried after I was awaken by a thunderstorm at 3 am. It's our first day of riding. Feeling a little anxious. We loaded our panniers ate breakfast at the cafe we visited yesterday and found the camino trail. The trail is marked with scallop shells and yellow arrows pointing towards Santiago. Biking is a little tricky because you have to slow down and really look hard for them. We've had to make a few u turns. As we begun are ascend the rain came down. I was warm from riding uphill so I didn't pull out the ponchos we had bought yesterday. The climb grueling. We had to stop and walk our bikes because the steep and slick terrain. Mike said I should start mountain biking. I guess I have good balance and pick good lines. Think I will stick with soccer. As we approached the top there is a metal monument that is featured the the movie The Way. It was very windy and rainy. I decided to pull out the poncho. Thankfully on the way down we found a paved road. Our first stop was in Puenta La Reina. On the up climb we were passed by a mountain biker. We stopped and chatted on the road and we joined him for lunch. Dominick left France and has been riding for 3 weeks. It was nice to chat with a seasoned Peregrino (Pilgrim). The cafe we stopped at had a special menu for those who are traveling the camino. I ordered a salad, meatballs with fries and an orange for dessert. It was nice to dry out a little bit. Heading out of town the rain had subsided. Booked a room in the town Estella. Unknowingly it was before the town and we spent an hour and half trying to find it. Google maps has been pretty useful but when you can't find street signs it was of no use. Mike wanted to throw the phone and I felt a panicked attack setting in. It was 6:30 and we were both hungry, wet and ready to be done. We stopped at a playground for a snack and there were 3 moms with kids. I approached them and asked for directions. Between their broken English and my broken Spanish I found out we were 5k pass the hostel. They suggested we continue to the next town only 1k away. We agreed. Thankfully the albergue wasn't full. It was 7:30 and we were both tired.

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